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The HBW even mentions the importance of Ruoergai for this species: “Key sites for migrants include the Ruoergai Plateau (China), which is also an important breeding area” Common Mergansers also seem to use these wetlands as breeding area. The post Birding Ruoergai, Sichuan, China appeared first on 10,000 Birds.
Clinal and individual variation make delineation of races somewhat difficult; proposed race turcomana (E Turkestan) is treated as a synonym of nominate, and castaneothorax (NE China) as a synonym of suschkini. Apparently, this is another bird species that feels not so certain about flying (many humans have similar feelings).
As far as I know, White-rumped Snowfinches are not among the main prey of the Saker Falcon – but they associate with colonies of pika, using burrows for both roosting and breeding (HBW), so it makes sense to mention them here (plus I forgot to cover them in my earlier post on Ruoergai birds). See my report on Tripadvisor if interested.
In China, wherever there is one real tourist attraction (like the Great Wall), the local strategy seems to be to add some fake attractions – replicas of palaces or tombs, amusement parks, shopping centers – in order to maximize the income from tourists. This included recording a total of 77,760 minutes of video.
Other researchers apparently tried to get their universities to fund their drone toys, resulting in papers with titles such as “The use of drones to study the breeding productivity of Whooper Swan “ Another finding does not come as a surprise to birders watching birds both from cars and on foot.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
It is listed as Near Threatened – the HBW cites the usual reasons that are just other ways of saying that humans do not care enough for other species, such as forest loss and degradation in its winter range. not their own). Fear not, science has an answer: about 1.16 How to distinguish the two species, as they look somewhat similar?
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.
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.
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.,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
.” 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.
While I am still not so sure about China’s sense of humor – though admittedly, the issue is mostly a mismatch between what I think is funny and what the average Chinese thinks is funny, an issue that I have had in other countries as well – the country sure has its fair share of Laughingthrushes.
.” 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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
The fields near the Tiaozini mudflats look very much like a lunar landscape, but this does not seem to keep a number of species from breeding there, sometimes directly on dirt roads. But now back to birds … Little Ringed Plovers also seem to like to breed directly on the road. Blandness sells.
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 ).
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Now, mind you there are people who are actually mentally ill in the sense they 'can't get it up' without thinking of their mate as a fantasized non-human animal, I should mention this also includes mythological animals. There is no wrong in using a breeding rack, it does not damage an animal. Any takers for any part of that?
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.
The bird “spent five months on Mindoro Island in the Philippines during the non-breeding season and migrated through Taiwan, the Chinese east coast, and the Korean peninsula” and on to the Russian Far East (indicating a certain lack of solidarity with Ukraine). This is not really an option at Nanhui though.
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