There are two indicators of autumn beginning in Shanghai. My favourite cat June begins sleeping on my lap once more, the heat of my legs turning into a bonus somewhat than the drawback it was throughout the summer season. And Daurian Redstarts displaying up in Shanghai – they’ll spend the winter right here. Each the males …
… and the marginally much less spectacular females.
The Pink-flanked Bluetail is one other fowl indicating the arrival of autumn. In winter, the females (and presumably juvenile males) are in all places in Shanghai, whereas the grownup males are tougher to search out.
These readers who principally scan my posts for music suggestions can be glad to listen to that this submit consists of at the least two of them. The primary one is by the Silver Jews, “San Francisco B.C.” – a protracted different bluesy rant a few housebreaking, an untrue lover, and breaking glass espresso tables, with a incredible instrumental guitar bit someplace within the center. Plus some nice traces:
I lived with my real love and she or he lived with me
“Romance is the douche of the bourgeoisie”
Was the very very first thing she imparted to me
We had sarcastic hair, we used lewd pseudonyms
It’s a bit uncommon to get images of the Asian Stubtail so out within the open – it tends to remain a bit extra hidden.
Good to correctly see its colours for as soon as.
Its scientific identify Urosphena squameiceps appears like an sickness urologists needs to be conversant in (prescribe antibiotics, possibly?), however the squameiceps simply means scaly-headed (although I do not likely see that both).
And the Urosphena combines the Greek phrases for tail and for wedge, so the one that gave the identify to the species needed to each point out that the species is wedge-tailed and that he acquired an costly schooling which included hours and hours studying a ineffective however prestigious useless language, Greek.
A fast reminder that the Blue-and-white Flycatcher is a really nice-looking fowl. Even the sunshine blue juvenile male is engaging.
No god-fearing photographer would ever present a photograph of a Brown Shrike subsequent to plastic trash. As I’m not god-fearing, it’s advantageous for me.
Eurasian Hoopoes are apparently not very picky with regard to their meals – unsure what that is nevertheless it jogs my memory a little bit of what I’m imagined to eat at any time when I go to my Chinese language in-laws.
Fairly surprisingly, the Cornell/HBW entry on the Eurasian Hoopoe has been up to date very just lately (July 2024) – even the images at the moment are in shade, not in black and white.
Sadly, the introduction to the species – whereas presumably written by the 2 authors – sounds prefer it has been written by ChatGPT:
“The Eurasian/African Hoopoe, with its sun-evoking crest and boldly marked plumage, has held an essential place in human tradition for millennia, variously being despised and lauded in numerous cultures. In southeastern Siberia, its look signifies upcoming tragedy to conventional Buryat cultures, whereas in historical Mongolia, it was thought-about a protector. In Medieval Europe, it was a sinister omen, whereas at this time in Israel, the Eurasian/African Hoopoe is the nationwide fowl. Whether or not liked or hated, the Eurasian/African Hoopoe is a mesmerizing and interesting fowl that holds a particular place in human historical past.”
The Eurasian Kestrel very not often travels to the US – it’s afraid of being misidentified as an American Kestrel, and it very a lot doesn’t wish to be in any approach linked to a rustic during which roughly 50% of the inhabitants thinks {that a} Trump/Vance presidency is a good suggestion.
Gray Herons typically look considerably glamorous and stylish, however as this picture exhibits, they will additionally look fairly silly.
Seeing a Gray Nightjar at Nanhui at all times means it’s a good day. For some motive, in contrast to different species which have a reasonably common timetable, nightjars don’t appear to stay a lot to outlined seasons. The iconoclasts of fowl migration.
The scientific species identify is Caprimulgus jotaka. Now, jotaka is from the Japanese phrase Yo taka, which suggests evening hawk and stands for the Gray Nightjar, though it sounds just like the identify of a sinister, chain-smoking Yakuza boss in a low-budget Japanese film.
Japanese Tits are heartily uninterested in being the butt of sleazy jokes. As they rightly level out, they don’t solely reside in Japan and due to this fact wish to be renamed as Asian Tits.
Early October was a very good season for Oriental Scops Owls, presumably my favourite Shanghai fowl.
My impression is that in Nanhuis microforests, the place the colour of the timber is rather more like that of the grey-brown than of the reddish morph, this results in totally different habits of the 2 morphs.
The grey-brown morph typically appears to rely totally on camouflage – it stays comparatively open and simply assumes it won’t be seen.
In distinction, the reddish morph both flies away or hides a lot deeper within the tree leaves.
Every time Lengthy-tailed Shrikes or Mild-vented Bulbuls see Oriental Scops Owls within the microforests of Nanhui, they protest towards their presence.
In a roundabout way, this can be a bit stunning – in line with Cornell/HBW, their prey is greater than 95% invertebrates and the remainder are geckos and rodents (i.e., not birds).
Once I confirmed the images beneath to a good friend, he remarked “The owls are stalking you”.
Here’s a Mild-vented Bulbul not presently mobbing an Oriental Scops Owl. Possibly this particular person is a little more clever and tolerant and doesn’t instantly suppose that immigrants eat birds, cats, or canine.
Right here is one other owl the bulbul may have mobbed – a Northern Boobook, a bit too shy to yield a totally convincing picture.
Japanese Sparrowhawk: Ditto.
Just a few days later, a Northern Boobook acted a bit extra photography-friendly. Possibly a politician.
Whereas I like snipes, I choose to not ID them. My App says that this can be a Pin-tailed Snipe however be at liberty to disagree.
Exterior of the breeding season, the Pink-necked Phalarope does completely nothing to deserve its identify. Like Fact Social being neither truthful nor social.
Typically talking, JD Vance would in all probability not approve of Pink-necked Phalaropes because of their reversed gender roles. Females are bigger than males and compete to win mates, and the males do all of the incubation and take care of the younger.
Nonetheless, JD ought to recognize that that is nonetheless higher than having no youngsters in any respect (childless cat women and gents).
“Gap in My Coronary heart” by Blitz Vega appears like Graham Coxon sings it, and he may have additionally written the tune – however I appeared the band up, and the members embrace ex-members of The Smiths (not Morrissey, thank god) and The Glad Mondays (not Shaun Ryder). On Spotify, the band has about 14,000 listeners this month, so the attraction of those ex-band members could also be considerably restricted. Nonetheless, a very good tune.
A current analysis paper (2024) was printed on White’s Thrush. It covers satellite tv for pc monitoring of a White´s Thrushes from the Ural Mountains, Russia, to central Mongolia.
The researchers used satellite tv for pc transmitters to check the migration of two White´s Thrushes (query from me: are these transmitters so costly? If not, why solely use 2?)
Sadly, the summary of the analysis outcomes appears to point that the entire train was just about in useless:
“One of many gadgets transmitted throughout spring and the breeding season (Could to September) within the following yr from the Khangai Mountains of central Mongolia, 3000 km southeast of its former breeding season web site. Based mostly on the mix of lack of correct areas, doubtlessly unsuitable habitat, uncommon habits, and weird location exterior of the recognized breeding vary we take into account it more than likely that the fowl died there throughout migration, whereas the transmitter continued to operate. No information on migration routes or non-breeding areas had been acquired“.
Subsequent time, purchase a couple of extra transmitters. Possibly ask for donations on Kickstarter?
One other attention-grabbing query: apparently, the 2 birds had been trapped in 2019, so the info assortment ought to have been completed no later than 2020. Why is that this solely printed in 2024? In truth, it has not even formally been printed but – the data solely is marked “This can be a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed. Information could also be preliminary.”
Whereas White’s Thrush might be named for one of many higher figures within the historical past of ornithology – Gilbert White was an English naturalist and ornithologist who harassed the significance of statement – the Chinese language identify Hu ban Di Dong – “Tiger-stripe Thrush” is best.
After solely seeing an immature male Siberian Thrush in September (agism?), October introduced an grownup male, which has a way more compelling design.
Some extra thrushes: Eyebrowed Thrush …
… Japanese Thrush (a bit late, my pricey, aren’t you?) …
… and the considerably undermarketed Gray-backed Thrush (gray is just not actually essentially the most notable shade of the species).
The feminine Taiga Flycatcher appears like a male of the identical species that has been washed too typically, or at too excessive a temperature. Or is that this a sexist comment?
The scientific identify Ficedula albicilla is just not notably correct – albicilla means white-tailed.
I’m glad for this Oriental Magpie-robin to not personal a mirror. Molt should be hell.
On this season, the Rufous-tailed Robin not often sings, so its scientific identify Larvivora sibilans (sibilans means whistling) is just not really easy to know.
The Mugimaki Flycatcher received its identify from a couple of Japanese phrases – mugi means wheat or barley, maki means sowing. Apparently, in Japan, this flycatcher is seen primarily within the autumn when the farmers sow wheat and barley (supply: Cornell).
For some motive, I’m nonetheless shocked at any time when I see a Frequent Kingfisher on an ocean seaside, as I have a tendency to think about them as birds of lakes and rivers. However apparently, they will do each. Which – though I’ve no want to ever watch the film “Blues Brothers” once more – jogs my memory of the joke in mentioned film: a bartender claiming that they’ve each sorts of music of their pub, “We received Nation and Western!”
Whereas searching for Spoon-billed Sandpipers (separate submit!) and Dunlins (separate submit!), I noticed a couple of different waders:
The Gray-tailed Tattler (wanting a bit sinister as ordinary, possibly as a result of it’s listed as Close to Threatened) …
… or as a result of it has to spend a part of its life on rubbish islands …
… the endangered Siberian Sand Plover (which Cornell appears to suppose is underrated: “The Siberian Sand Plover, noticed on its wintering grounds, is however one other plover foraging on tidal flats, undistinguished in look and habits. A go to to its breeding grounds, nevertheless, imparts a somewhat totally different impression”) …
… Frequent Ringed Plover (about which Shanghai birders had been rather more excited regardless of the “widespread” in its identify and its Least Concern standing – however it’s uncommon in Shanghai) …
…. Gray Plover …
… Broad-billed Sandpiper …
… Kentish Plover …
… Pink-necked Stint …
… Frequent Greenshank …
… Sanderling …
… Wooden Sandpiper …
… and Oriental Pratincole (already wanting a bit shabbier than in full breeding plumage, or maybe these are juveniles – you’ll be able to strive figuring it out primarily based on the data right here).
