This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cattle Egret. Doing what cattle egrets do: communicating with cattle, even though these tend to be somewhat dull conversation partners. Very close to a village – these birds are much more shy in China … Green Bee-eater. Not a great shot, admittedly, but a great-looking bird. Brown-headed Barbet.
That makes me a bit of an oddity here in China, where people share photos of their meals online and spend (by my rough estimate) about half of their lifetime talking and thinking about what to eat next. Cattle Egret. But I am interested in what birds eat at my local patch here at Nanhui in Shanghai. Black-capped Kingfisher.
A Purple Heron on Chongming Island Cattle Egrets , also on Chongming Island Black-winged Stilts … … and Grey-headed Lapwings are their neighbors in the flooded rice paddies of the island. Some herons: a beautiful adult Black-crowned Night Heron … … and a rather less attractive kindergarten of the same species.
The Cattle Egret (or Eastern Cattle Egret , to be exact, but that would mess with my alphabetic order) can be seen in farmland around Shanghai. Instead of cattle, it nowadays often follows tractors ploughing the fields and thus stirring up small animals. A thoroughly modern bird.
If you see 50 cattle egrets following a plough on a rice paddy, less so. While most egrets are not a big draw for experienced birders, they are often the ones that non-birders find the most impressive. And indeed, if you only see a single Little Egret posing on a tree in the early morning, the bird can look quite majestic.
Cattle Egrets have perfected that smudgy look. A German friend of mine saw an earlier photo of mine of a Black-naped Oriole (a slightly more attractive one, though – a proper adult male). She got excited: “Birds with sunglasses!” ” This is probably an Eastern Crowned Warbler. But do we really care?
10,000 Birds has yet to take a stance on the developing situation between mainland China and Hong Kong. Until The Management decide whether or not to wield their significant political influence in this matter, China and Hong Kong will remain on the list of contributing states. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.
9 beats from 8 countries (Australia, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico), shared 138 checklists for 703 species. The year list to date is 1015 species and 7 have been added to the life list ( 4059 ) from Costa Rica, China and Trinidad and Tobago. 201 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.
When there are no animals around to sit on, Cattle Egrets sometimes sit on trees, even though they frequently b h about the trees’ low speed and inability to stir up insects. When Cattle Egrets go to the local discotheque, they tend to overdo their makeup a bit. It is sometimes necessary to find food though.
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., This Cattle Egret has just read a paper stating that it would be 3.6 I am not sure whether it is ok to use the word “slut” My guess is it is not).
7 beats contributed their sightings from 7 countries (Hong Kong, UK, China, USA, Serbia, Australia and, of course, Costa Rica). Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). I know that we are all looking forward to a time when we might return to the old normal, but until then, please stay safe and keep your distance. Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea).
During July, 11 beats birded 11 countries (USA, UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Japan, UAE, Mexico, China and Saudi Arabia) and submitted 82 checklists. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. They accounted for 562 species at this sluggish time of year. These are the numbers. Alphabetic Taxonomic. Lago de Cuitzeo.
Our two newest contributors have shared from Mexico and China, bringing the countries birded this month (also including; Costa Rica, Greece, Serbia, USA, UK, India, UAE and New Zealand) to 10. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. beats have still managed to share 82 checklists and accounted for 737 species. Laguna Lagarto Lodge.
The list for the year has reached 1276 and the life list has been stretched to 4066 with red ticks from China, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, thanks to Kai, Claire and Grant and Faraaz respectively. 9 beats submitted 172 checklists from 7 countries (UK, USA, Costa Rica, Australia, Serbia, China and Trinidad and Tobago) for 640 species.
8 beats contributed 70 checklists from 7 countries (UK, USA, Costa Rica, China, Serbia, Australia and Singapore). 102 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 102 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Costa Rica v UK is bino a bino and UK has never before beaten The Man. Update; as at June 30, UK 68 – Costa Rica 63.
In truth, it is present in many parts of China (not mentioned) but not really in Tibet. While you may have heard about problems in China’s construction industry, spring brings some hope to the sector – as evident from this Silver-throated Bushtit … … and this Grey-capped Greenfinch.
Thank goodness that the rest of the beats have been busily birding,that’s what they like to do… 9 of them submitted 114 checklists via eBird and amassed 525 species from 7 (China, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, UK, Serbia and USA) countries during November. 156 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.
On the other hand, for every disturbed Nanhui, there are probably at least 10 coastal places in China that are completely undisturbed, so it all evens out. Apparently, the choice is for the nests to be flooded (those near streams) or to be trampled by cattle (those near the agricultural ponds). No need to remind us all the time.
December’s beats found 609 birds after submitting 116 checklists from 8 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Serbia and Australia). But the beats still managed to add lifers here and there and finished on 4048 after a late flourish from Kai in China and Paul in Mexico.
Visited this month were; Germany , France , Austria, South Africa, Hong Kong, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, Australia, China, Indonesia , Switzerland and Singapore). The year list has reached 2403 , a boost of 174 and the life list now stands at 3875 after beats’ efforts in Indonesia, South Africa and China added 39 ticks.
Of course, Tiaozini also has Cattle Egret … … and the usually somewhat depressed looking Black-crowned Night Heron. Much better than some fiddly spoon-billed sandpipers. In typical feeding mode … A personal favorite of mine is the Eurasian Oystercatcher. Also available as a set of two.
Cattle Egrets are thoroughly modern birds – they were among the first species to ditch mailed letters for faxes, then switched to email early, and now (at least in China) mostly communicate by WeChat. They are also early adopters with regard to their foraging – nowadays mostly following tractors rather than cattle.
7 countries (Costa Rica, China, USA, UK, Mexico, New Zealand and Serbia) were birded by 11 beats during October. 646 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Included in the numbers are 2 new life-listers; a Long-tailed Koel from Duncan and a White-throated Rock-Thrush from Kai. This brings our all-time total to 4040.
Marsh Grassbird and Rufous-faced Warbler come to you all the way from China and bring the life list to 4061. Checklists came in from 7 countries (USA, UK, Serbia, China, Mexico, Costa Rica and Australia) and brought the year list for 2021 so far to 1143.
However, 10 beats from 7 countries were able to submit some 127 checklists containing 597 birds from 7 countries (USA, UK, Serbia, China, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica). 445 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 445 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Nice distancing. That’s better.
The year has started well with 10 new birds from India, China, Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica. 12 beats birded 10 countries (Costa Rica, USA, Brazil, China, India, Serbia, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico), submitting 187 lists and spotting 902 birds. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. The life lists stands at 3964.
December’s numbers looked like this; 10 beats visited 11 countries (Bahrain, New Zealand, USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Australia Nigeria, Uganda and Serbia) during December. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. 02 Dec 2019.
12 beats visited 12 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, Ghana, Nigeria, New Zealand, Serbia, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, China and Argentina), sharing 148 lists along the way and noting 844 species (old and new). Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Not to be out-done, the beats have been out doing their thing as well. 23 Aug 2019.
11 beats collaborated to enter 163 checklists from 8 countries (UK, USA, Costa Rica, Australia, Serbia, China, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago). 217 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 217 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. They noted 719 species between them. 2 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck – Dendrocygna autumnalis.
We did have the good fortune of finding an individually marked Bar-tailed Godwit that was marked in Yalu Jiang Nature Reserve in China last April 15th and was last seen there on May 11th 2012. As we travelled around the hinterland we discovered that the Cattle Egret in that area of Queensland were with the cattle!
They ranged across 10 countries (Costa Rica, USA, UK, India, Australia, China, Brazil, Mexico, Serbia and Uganda). Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Their Ugandan contribution reached 258 before contact was lost. Ticks for November numbered 973 from 120 lists shared by 11 beats. Alphabetic Taxonomic. calle jocote. 01 Nov 2019.
The beats are famed for their inclusion on the nice side of the ledger and this month 9 of them shared 163 lists from 7 countries (Australia, Costa Rica, USA, UK, Serbia, China and Trinidad and Tobago) and accounted for 735 bird species. This is where they come in January while there is still nothing to do on the naughty and nice list.
Nabang is a town in Yingjiang county, Yunnan province, China – it is right on the border with Myanmar (there actually is a border crossing more or less right inside Nabang). The richest Cattle Egrets in Nabang own more than 50 animals each and guard them carefully.
9 beats visited 9 countries (China, Costa Rica, USA, UK, India, Australia, Jamaica , Serbia and Japan) and submitted 151 checklists when they got back. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. If you entered the sweepstake to predict when the 4000 barrier would be breached and suggested Corey at 13.38 Just me then? 01 Feb 2020.
Fortunately – as this is China, not the US – there is no “Three shrikes and you are out” rule here (and if this is not the worst joke you have ever heard, then your life really sucks). The third shrike seen in Shanghai this month was the Tiger Shrike.
The Lesser Coucal has a characteristic vocalization that can be heard in this video (along with the usual China-typical background noise – China is not a quiet place in general). Unfortunately, the house this nest is built on is about to be destroyed – no tenant rights for birds in China, I am afraid.
Shanghai parks are rather crowded and noisy places, but the goshawks – who unlike me have lived in China all their lives – apparently do not mind. Coming from somebody who has exiled himself to China, this is not exactly a compliment. Actually, as I just found out, this is not really new information. but they do.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 30+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content