10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2023

Fortunately, there are a few more such breeding species than most Shanghainese are aware of. While the HBW states that it breeds at 300 – 2450 meters, in Shanghai – where such elevations are not available outside of the upper floors of a few highrises – it makes to with an altitude of about 0 meters as well.

Birds 130

Birds Eggs Breeders McDonalds 130

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

While these birds are very much liked by Chinese birders, the species could unfortunately not be named the National Bird of China as the Latin species name of the bird is Grus Japonicus. It is not quite clear why they do this as it apparently does not affect breeding success. it would not be the national bird of the USA either.

Eggs 186

Eggs Bald Eagle Birds Owls 186

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2024

For those with a morbid streak, I suggest checking out the paper “Genetic Characterization and Pathogenesis of Avian Influenza Virus H3N8 Isolated from Chinese Pond Heron in China in 2021″ The HBW distribution map of the Masked Laughingthrush shows it to be common in Shanghai – in fact, it is rather rare.

Killing 159

Killing Birds Breeding Breeders 159

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2024

I am sure some people will hate this photo of a Eurasian Hoopoe , framed as it is by human artifacts. Eurasian Sparrowhawk Based on one paper , one might recommend this female to breed in a city as apparently urban nesters have higher breeding success (though admittedly, that paper looked at rural vs. urban in Scotland, not China).

Chicago 139

Chicago Birds Asia China 139

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2022

Around this time of the year, the first few waders are back in Shanghai from their breeding grounds far further up north. Generally, being back here early is not a very good sign – it may indicate a failed breeding attempt, as suggested for Asian Dowitchers in a paper on their presence in Lianyungang somewhat further north of Shanghai.

Cattle 147

Cattle Portugal Buffalo Alaska 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Shanghaibirding describes the Brown-headed Thrush as “a scarce passage migrant through northern and central coastal China, including Shanghai” – given that I only saw it once on Tianmashan, that is probably correct, though the date (January 09) seems rather late for a migrant.

China 147

China Birds Reptiles Killing 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2023

Today, I invite you to join me, Kai Pflug, on an extraordinary avian expedition as we explore the vibrant cityscape of Shanghai, a hidden gem for birdwatchers in the heart of China. Birding Beyond the City: For the more adventurous birder, Shanghai serves as a gateway to explore the diverse landscapes of eastern China.

China 154

China Endangered Species Sanctuary Protection 154

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

T he Blue-throated Barbet (Xishuangbanna and Baihualing, Yunnan, China) is probably the barbet species that is the easiest to see in Southern China.

South Africa 189

South Africa Africa India China 189

10,000 Birds

JUNE 13, 2022

Readers with a pornographic mindset will enjoy the following information about the Dusky Moorhen: “Simultaneously promiscuous, forming breeding groups of 2–7 apparently unrelated birds; individuals sometimes switch groups between seasons. If you are thinking of having kids, let this photo be a warning to you. ” (HBW).

Australia 181

Australia Birds Feral Cats Kangaroos 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

I am not sure about the security situation in Iraq these days but at least some people do ornithological research there – resulting in papers such as one titled “Breeding observations of the Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines , 1789) in Iraq” Impressive.

Iraq 130

Iraq Birds China Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

In truth, it is present in many parts of China (not mentioned) but not really in Tibet. Ironically (and personally, given that I am not particularly fond of the human race, also deservedly) this may help the spread of diseases carried by birds, such as avian influenza ( source ).

Blackbirds 178

Blackbirds Birds Indonesia Bhutan 178

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2022

According to Tim Low (in “Where Song began”), “so easy were they to breed that by 1859 they cost less to buy in London than in Sydney.” ” Funny how the difficulty of breeding a species can be illustrated in simple monetary terms. Is it offensive to say that Australian Zebra Finches breed like rabbits?

Australia 147

Australia Birds Sheep Zebras 147

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2021

These are the tradeoffs of modern life in China. For me, they all fall squarely in the “Uncanny Valley”: “The uncanny valley is a term used to describe the relationship between the human-like appearance of a robotic object and the emotional response it evokes. October is probably not a good time to visit this place.

Pandas 190

Pandas Birds Mammals China 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2022

In Sydney, refuse is an important constituent of the diet during the breeding season (HBW), and a study conducted in 1970 describes a number of strategies by which these gulls steal food from Crested Terns. This makes the marketing of a Queensland vacation home as Silver Gull Court a bit questionable. Feel free to call me shallow.

Australia 147

Australia Birds Parrots Ostriches 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

According to the HBW, when breeding, male birds do most of the incubation and parenting while females often leave the nest up to one week before the eggs hatch. Maybe better not to ever meet such a “mother” (given that I have been living in China for too long to be up-to-date regarding political correctness etc.,

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandoning 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

192) from the timing of seasons to the ferocity of weather to the shape of breeding, wintering, and stopover habitat to even the size of birds themselves. This is big, global-level stuff with amazing findings but worrisome data. It is often hard to be positive. But Weidensaul seems to have optimism in his DNA.

Cyprus 235

Cyprus Slaughter Slaughtered Research 235

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2022

Similar to the (fortunately now gradually changing) situation among humans in China, these birds seem to prefer males over females. So, I can only give you the sanitized version of the joke, in which humans have been replaced by birds. One, however, was potentially racist by today’s standards. A man sees some Black Swans.

Australia 147

Australia Parrots Birds Memphis 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

An Ashy Drongo apparently spends approximately 71% of its time scanning (what non-scientists would probably call looking around), 9% eating (less than a typical Chinese human but much more than me), calling 7%, flying 7%, and 6% preening. The Brown Crake is not that easy to see in Shanghai even though it is breeding here.

Mountain Goats 147

Mountain Goats Singapore Giraffes Birds 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2016

The Collared Finchbill is found quite commonly in Taiwan, N Indochina and S China, but being present in Beijing would extend its range by over 450 miles to the north and eBird were keen to get some additional details when I tried to submit the sighting. Terry Townsend lives works and birds in Beijing. I admit to having copped out on this one.

Taiwan 100

Taiwan China Breeding Humane 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2021

On the other hand, in April, some other species start breeding here in Shanghai. Interestingly, these heronries frequently seem to be near highway exits – either because these relatively ugly places are less likely to be disturbed by humans, or because this shortens the commute of those birds working in downtown offices.

Birds 167

Birds Farming Alaska Breeding 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Mute Swans are large, white, and decorative, and as such their natural range has been significantly altered by humans who generally enjoy having them around. Its natural range in Europe was restricted the the surroundings of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, and in Asia it ranged from Asia Minor to central China.

Feral 168

Feral Europe Asia North America 168

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Being a bit older myself now, I have to point out that young human males usually do not look that good, at least to me. Breeding in Northern Japan and wintering in the Phillippines, some seem to take a migratory rest stop (and slight deviation) at the Shanghai coast. A juvenile male. The real thing: an adult male. ” Hm.

LACS 209

LACS Birds France Japan 209

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2022

For some reason that I do not quite understand myself – given that I really rather dislike children and am not too positive about the rest of humanity either – I recently put up a little display of bird photos inside my Shanghai compound, which I share (as the only foreigner) with about 1700 Chinese.

Birds 162

Birds Fish Germany China 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Kinabalu (at 13,455 feet the highest peak in southeast Asia), and human development that has resulted in freshwater rice fields, secondary forest, and oil palm plantations, this means that Borneo offers an incredibly high degree of biodiversity. The plates show differing plumages as required by the individual families and species.

Brunei 170

Brunei Asia Birds China 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2019

Still, a bird that has its moments – and I am always surprised how this sparrow really seems to enjoy human presence, however destructive it may be. It looks fairly flashy in its breeding plumage, much less so in winter. It is much more likely to be found in larger flocks, at least outside the breeding season.

Latvia 120

Latvia Sparrows Abandoning Abandon 120

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

I visited Tengchong in late 2020 and wrote about it – but I also went there earlier, in 2017, and this post shows some photos I took during that trip, along with the usual comments that seem to be much more about ridiculing my fellow humans (especially ornithologists and the like) than providing useful information on birds.

China 171

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2024

One study makes one rather weird and disturbing observation – in China, the number of captive birds has risen faster than can be explained by the breeding of captive birds (more than 1500) alone. The most likely reason is that it is just not that attractive to watch – clumsy rather than graceful, labored rather than sexy.

China 211

China Japan Russia Pythons 211

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

And managing means killing them, breeding them, and otherwise fiddling with their populations. In the majority of cases, it is humans who are to blame for the plunging numbers of animals, and Corwin is very clear about the extent to which we have destroyed the world around us. This is all very unveganly, but I went for it nevertheless.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2022

.” This should make the bird somewhat unpopular with the socially rather conservative Chinese government – maybe the birds in China do not show this behavior in order to adapt to local customs? On the other hand, given China’s low birth rate, they might serve as an example for the future.

China 190

China Birds Pythons Breeding 190

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2024

Status In Alaska: Breeding resident. Range: Steller’s sea eagles are endemic to coastal northeastern Asia, inhabiting regions in Russia, Korea, Japan, mainland China, and Taiwan. Status in Alaska: In Alaska, Steller’s sea eagles are considered vagrants, meaning they are occasional visitors rather than resident breeding birds.

Alaska 191

Alaska Eagles Bald Eagle Deer 191

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2023

Red and yellow are the colors symbolizing several different things – for example, McDonald’s, the People’s Republic of China, Mastercard, and Kodac. If such human food is not available, the Yellow-billed Chough goes back to its original diet of (at least in Europe) grasshoppers, as described here.

China 130

China Science Birds Mongolia 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2023

What most people do not know is that this common occurrence was actually the inspiration for a Johnny Cash song, “ Boy named Sue “ Of course, as this song was written for humans rather than for birds, the situation was adapted accordingly. Read it there if you want.

China 212

China Zoos India Research 212

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

qn Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China Runner-up: The Bald Eagle that swooped around over the Big Gay Race in Minneapolis in October, which I didn’t get a picture of. This year I watched them from the day they arrived , until two chicks successfully hatched, the northernmost breeding record for the species.

2011 171

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

.” The website www.jwcpheasants.com seems to endorse polygamy for this species despite this being illegal in the USA for other animals such as humans. melliana from alleged contact zone(s) in northern Laos and possibly south-western China. The site states that in captivity, “two hens can be paired with one male.”

Burma 173

Burma Vietnam Birds Laos 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

The falcon breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China but winters in Southern and East Africa. The Northern Goshawk gets the HBW into a slightly lyrical mode: “Whether carried afield on the fists of Japanese shoguns or by medieval falconers of Europe, Goshawks have seen much human history.

Falcons 224

Falcons Japan China South Africa 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2024

Kind of an innocent version of tropical China, but I guess that is a rather naive view … Most birders coming here presumably do not have babblers as their main targets, even though there are quite a few species here, and some of them are quite attractive as well. Research required to determine its feeding ecology and breeding biology.”

Vietnam 195

Vietnam Birds Woodpeckers Bangladesh 195

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

It seems the ones I got decent photos of are all juveniles – it generally seems to be easier to get photos of juveniles as they have not quite learned to avoid humans. Thank god that this does not apply to humans. Sometimes being a member of the human race feels very embarrassing.

Birds 186

Birds China Eggs Owls 186