On reflection, this weekend at Wuyuan was not precisely my best hour as a chicken photographer – hopefully, I may do higher now, and maybe in the future I’ll, ought to regular touring ever be attainable once more in China.
Wuyuan is in Jiangxi province. Amongst Chinese language vacationers, it’s recognized for its surroundings – particularly, in spring every little thing is yellow with blooming wild rapeseed.
I’d reasonably see yellow birds than yellow vegetation. Nevertheless, an previous legend amongst birdwatchers states that when you have completed one thing evil in your life and later come throughout some minivets, they may by no means correctly present their wing markings to you. That is most likely simply one other silly superstition however I’m nonetheless glad that I received to see no less than the wing of the feminine Gray-chinned Minivet.
Origami for birders: the tail of a minivet in opposition to the sunshine.
In Black-throated Tits, nest constructing is completed by each sexes, although the feminine takes the dominant function (HBW). I think about the feminine bosses the male round, however possibly I’m anthropomorphizing there based mostly on my expertise in just lately engaged on an house with my spouse.
The species additionally has one thing of a legal report – the HBW reviews that “Black-throated Tits [have also been] noticed to steal nesting materials from different species in central China” (authentic supply).
For fairly a couple of birders visiting Wuyuan, the primary purpose is to see the Blue-crowned Laughingthrush. It’s listed as Critically Endangered attributable to its slim distribution (it is just breeding at Wuyuan, nowhere else) and its small inhabitants (there are solely about 240 birds left based on BirdLife Worldwide, 2018, although one other supply from the identical 12 months offers a barely greater determine of 320 people within the wild plus 269 people in zoos).
Taking pictures of such a uncommon species is a little bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, a examine reveals that photographers have a probably unfavourable impact on nesting. Then again, these very same photographers – by shopping for meals and asking for lodging – additionally make the birds helpful for the native villagers who would possibly in any other case be tempted to entice the birds and promote them.
For individuals who need far more particular data on this species, here’s a hyperlink to a paper that certainly sounds reasonably particular: “Investigation on the traits of intestine microbiota in critically endangered Blue-crowned Laughingthrush“.
I nonetheless fairly like bulbuls however I could have (hopefully solely briefly) run out of issues to say about them. So, just some pictures: Chestnut Bulbul …
… Mountain Bulbul …
… and Collared Finchbill.
The Eurasian Jay will get even the notoriously dry HBW to cite Shakespear. Fairly a feat:
“In Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio says to Kate: “What, is the jay extra treasured than the lark. As a result of his feathers are extra stunning?” alluding to the hanging plumage of the Eurasian Jay.”
Whereas not an awesome photograph as such, this isn’t a foul shot to reveal why the Fork-tailed Sunbird is named fork-tailed. O course, this explicit photograph would even be good for example why the title of the species may be Half-hidden-behind-an-annoying-branch Sunbird.
Whereas the feminine is much less hidden, sadly, it’s also much less engaging.
This Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker particularly is a species I want to get significantly better pictures of. Such a cute chicken deserves a greater illustration.
The great individuals from eBird not directly promote for my earlier weblog submit on Cartoon Birds – they state that the Gray-headed Parrotbill is “a big cartoonishly-proportioned parrotbill”.
It’s considerably puzzling to me that a examine on the mitochondrial genome sequence of the Gray-headed Parrotbill states that the “Gray-headed Parrotbill, Paradoxornis gularis, has important financial and scientific worth in China” with out additional explaining what the financial worth of the species is (the scientific worth presumably is the grant the researchers received from the Nationwide Pure Science Basis of China, however possibly I’m too cynical).
The Gray-sided Scimitar Babbler appears like it’s always a bit confused concerning the standing of this world. Given the latest international developments and occasions, I perceive the chicken very effectively.
The Latin title swinhoii is a reference to Robert Swinhoe, a British naturalist and diplomat with the same old shortish however colourful lifetime of most of the colonial managers. Participated within the opium wars, died of syphilis, and so on.
Should you suppose having an curiosity in birds lately is only a bit too widespread however you wish to keep related to the avian world indirectly, why not search for this paper on “Two new species of feather mites (Acarina: Psoroptidia) from the Huet’s Fulvetta“.
Amongst different issues, from this paper, you’ll study that “Males of P. dinghushani [one of the mite species] have a pair of lateral hysteronotal sclerites and a closed pentagonal sclerotized body within the postero-median a part of propodosoma.” Wow.
The eBird description of the Masked Laughingthrush sounds as if you wouldn’t wish to have this species residing subsequent to you in your house constructing: “A rowdy and sociable inhabitant …” In all probability enjoying loud music effectively previous midnight.
Properly, they reside in teams, one thing I’d by no means survive. However then, I’m not a cooperative breeder both (nor a non-cooperative one, ought to this time period exist).
I used to be simply considering that the Yellow-bellied Prinia appears pretty glamorous by the low requirements of prinias – this was earlier than I learn the eBird description “brightly-colored for a prinia”.
The HBW has the same old – very frequent however nonetheless very disappointing – comment “Taxonomic notice: Lump. This account is a mixture of a number of species accounts initially printed in HBW Alive”. Makes you surprise a bit what these guys are doing all day. If I have a look at my pictures and the illustrations of the completely different (sub?)species proven within the HBW, this may be the Yellow-bellied Prinia (Chinese language), Prinia flaviventris sonitans. However as at all times, anyone who trusts me with appropriately assigning subspecies most likely additionally believes that the moon landings have been faked, or that wine tastes higher than beer.
If you can not afford this luxurious version of a prinia, possibly it’s a must to restrict your self to a Plain Prinia, the (ehm) plain vanilla model among the many prinias.
