Don’t you find it irresistible when weblog submit writers break up subjects that don’t pastime you within the first position into two separate portions? Welcome to Birding Tongbiguan, phase 1. The dull identify isn’t even fully true – the submit comprises pictures taken at Rongshuwang and Nabang, puts a couple of dozen kilometers clear of Tongbiguan. Specifically the latter – Nabang – would previously simply have merited its personal submit, however fresh trends there that now make where slightly like the previous border between West and East Germany modified that.
eBird calls the Asian Inexperienced Bee-eater a “small, dainty bee-eater”, which sounds great and non violent. However to not bees.
So, when there is a chance, the bees take revenge, as described within the self-explanatory paper “Revenge of the bees: Asian Inexperienced Bee-eaters Merops orientalis trapped in a mist-net stung to loss of life by means of Pink Dwarf Honeybees Apis florea“. It appears, the bees best stung the bee-eaters, ignoring different birds additionally trapped within the internet.
The authors of the paper sound slightly helpless, mentioning that “On the time of discovery, each birds [two bee-eaters] have been nonetheless alive, nevertheless it used to be no longer conceivable to unfastened them from the web for the reason that bees started to assault the ringer.”
Blue-bearded Bee-eaters appear to have an attractive artful searching technique. They impress honeybee colonies, which then fly out and assault the chicken. The bees pursue the chicken till it settles down someplace, attempt to sting it, and get eaten (supply).
Why transfer towards the meals when you’ll be able to have the meals transfer to you? In fact, the similar applies to pizza services and products for people.
The species identify athertoni is derived from Lt. J. Atherton (1797-1827), a naturalist (no matter that suggests precisely) and a member of the British Military in India.
He additionally served with the thirteenth Gentle Dragoons, preventing with them at Waterloo (although he can best had been about 18 at that time – I suppose kid coverage rules have been relatively lax at the moment).
The Blue-winged Minla is regularly a significant contributor to combined flocks within the house, which does so much to extend the beauty of those flocks.
Sadly, there isn’t a lot literature at the species with the exception of for the inevitable research of the mitochondrial genome.
The ones Commonplace Rosefinches with a prime IQ spend their iciness right here in Tongbiguan somewhat than in coldish Shanghai, the place I will be able to additionally see them at Tianmashan.
True to shape so far as reality in chicken names is anxious, Inexperienced-backed Knockers don’t in reality have a inexperienced again – the HBW talks of “greenish upperparts” however even this is somewhat beneficiant. In truth, if I needed to identify the colour at the again of the tit within the HBW representation, I’d simply name it yellow. Neatly.
When speaking about chicken sizes, the body of reference is the whole lot – for eBird, the Inexperienced-backed Tit is a “small songbird” whilst for the HBW this is a “massive … tit”.
Why oh why do abstracts so regularly get started with completely meaningless sentences? Witness this primary sentence of an summary peripherally citing the Gray Bushchat: “Nesting is a not unusual phenomenon associated with the birds’ reproductive habits”.
Some other paper on protection mechanisms of the Gray Bushchat in opposition to being parasitized by means of cuckoos is a little more significant, mentioning that “nest desertion is the most important anti-parasitism technique for gray bushchats according to not unusual cuckoo parasitism, and experimental verification confirmed that this anti-parasitism adaptation exists principally within the early egg-laying degree”.
That paper additionally comes with a really nice PowerPoint-type representation appearing the interplay between host and cuckoo – it might have simply been evolved by means of a control guide like myself.
Some other somewhat nasty interplay between a Gray Bushchat and a Commonplace Cuckoo is described right here.
As standard in China, there are some nameless Leaf Warbler species – however who cares, except Bella of Alpinebirding?
The River Lapwing is indexed as Close to-threatened – one explanation why being its dislike for folks, which I will be able to relate to: ” numbers of river lapwings and villages in keeping with km of river are inversely correlated” (supply).
Its species identify duvaucelii commemorates any such explorers who died somewhat younger – Alfred Duvaucel (1796-1824). Sadly, googling him to get additional data provides me my very own previous weblog submit as access quantity 5 (which as standard for my posts is most commonly freed from any helpful data), so I suppose no longer a lot is understood about him.
Location, location, location – some sensible recommendation for River Lapwings aiming to have a circle of relatives: “River Lapwing nests on open, unvegetated river banks accomplished considerably larger nesting good fortune than the ones in crop fields” (supply).
Whilst the HBW claims that the Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher is unusual in China, this almost definitely does no longer follow to this a part of Yunnan.
Normally, the HBW access in this species isn’t very informative – most commonly the standard boilerplate statements relating to long run updates: “Editor’s Be aware: This newsletter calls for additional modifying paintings to merge present content material into the suitable Subspecies sections. Please endure with us whilst this replace takes position.” Been bearing with them for relatively some time now.
My wager in keeping with the HBW illustrations is that the Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher I noticed used to be a male, however in fact, that suggests ignoring the usual HBW caution “Please wait with the use of our illustrations for ID functions till we upload helpful data”.
Helpful data is in fact one thing you’ll be able to be expecting from this weblog – most commonly about tune. “If My Mom Thinks I’m Satisfied” by means of The Worm Membership begins with the somewhat excellent strains “Even if I’m no longer as stunning as I was … I nonetheless can’t get a loan and I nonetheless don’t just like the style of beer … I haven’t labored an afternoon in over a 12 months … And I don’t just like the sound at the information I pay attention”. I in particular like the way in which the guitar is made to sound as affordable and scrappy as humanely conceivable.
Reluctantly again to birds. Great to look some Shanghai ones right here in Yunnan as nicely, such because the Scaly-breasted Munia …
… Barn Swallow …
… Black-throated Bushtit …
… or Nice Myna (k, you’ll no longer see this one in Shanghai, however the Crested Myna seems slightly same).
Within the new and almost definitely never-to-be-repeated phase of those posts, tentatively titled “Kai stocks his very not too long ago got wisdom with all 3 readers who’ve made it this some distance”, the access nowadays is the time period “basket case”. I used to be questioning the place the expression comes from, considering of someone throwing a large number of issues in a basket and thus growing an unruly mess. Then again, it sort of feels the actual rationalization is way grimmer. In keeping with ChatGPT, “The starting place of the expression basket case is assumed to have army roots. It originated all the way through Global Struggle I to explain squaddies who had misplaced all their limbs and needed to be carried in a basket, as they have been not able to transport independently.” One way or the other, It’s not that i am certain I in reality sought after to understand this now.
Anyway, again to birds.
The Scarlet Minivet is any such anxious minivets that may best prominent from different, similar-looking minivets by means of memorizing the colourful spaces at the wings as some imaginary nation after which evaluating them with the photographs in a chicken information.
The species identify specious (“superb, sensible”) does no longer assist in any respect because the minivet is simply as superb as lots of the different colourful minivets. This isn’t a putdown, only a observation of reality.
One in every of my cats claims that the men style higher than the women folk (“too bitter”), however then that cat has advised me many lies prior to – I nonetheless assume it much more likely it hasn’t ever eaten any minivet in its existence.
The HBW access for the Siberian Stonechat is precisely the similar as the only for the Amur Stonechat – the glacial pace by which the HBW reacts to splits on this explicit case is well-aligned with my failure to look any distinction between the 2 species.
However then I in finding it arduous to look a distinction between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis both.
The Spot-breasted Parrotbill suffers slightly from having a contradicting clinical species identify, guttaticolis, which means “spot-throated” or “spot-necked” somewhat than spot-breasted. I depart it to you, expensive valued reader, to make a decision whether or not the clinical or the typical identify is extra becoming.
Within the phase on different animals which every now and then ends my posts, the mammal evaluating favorably with Donald Trump nowadays is a few more or less squirrel. If this comparability bothers you, right here’s one thing to convenience you (however no longer me): Donald Trump would be the subsequent US president, the squirrel won’t.
An enormous squirrel, in fact. Which seems like a species identify taken from a science fiction novel for kids. Assault of the large squirrels from Mars. Or one thing like that.
