Previous, we sent the upper part of the expedition log led by teacher Shen Meihua to the upper part of the expedition log after returning from the summer Ruoerge Ecological Training Camp - mammals. Today, let's take a look at the second half of the expedition log – highland birds.
Let's follow Mr. Shen's brushstrokes and explore the rich and colorful biodiversity of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau together!
Birds
Brown-backed black-headed plover
Not long after the car drove out on the first day, we stopped the car for a wild shot, and it was it. The maroon, black and white colour scheme makes this bird very conspicuous on the ground. Director Chen's first car found that we were missing and called us on the walkie-talkie, and when he found that we were photographing this bird, he said, "This bird is very common, let's shoot it in two days." ”
But the first day is always like this. When we went to Africa, it was also the first day we saw impalas. Something that is common in a place is precious to people who come from afar.
Especially later, it was found that this bird was not as common as Chen Dao said. It is said to be common only because its color scheme is more conspicuous, and once it appears, it is not easy to miss. So there's always nothing wrong with seeing what was filmed first and then said.
Its little bird doesn't look like it
Similar to the Grey-headed Plover
White-waisted snow finch, brown-necked snow finch
The snow sparrow is actually a sparrow on the plateau (but there are also tree sparrows on the plateau), the difference is that the sparrow chooses to be a human follower, while the white-waisted snowfowl chooses to follow the pika. As long as there is a pika hole, you can always see snow finches bouncing around, and in some places, you can see a whole slope moving, I don't know whether it is a pika or a snow finches. Maybe that's what they're trying to achieve?
White-waisted snow finch
Tree sparrows on the plateau
The white-waisted snowfinches use the pika's holes for habitat and nesting, and also send alarm signals to the pika. They are the most common birds on the edge of the pika cave.
Later, I saw the brown-necked snowfinches on the edge of the pond, and I don't know why, I think the brown-necked snowfinches look fierce from a certain angle?
A brown-necked snowfinches that look super fierce
Ground
in the family. It doesn't look good. As the name suggests, it is mainly active on the ground, but it also makes use of the pika's burrow. Unlike the snow finches, its beak is slender and slender, and it looks like an insectivore at first glance.
The appearance of the ground reminds me of dune song lark Dune Lark in the Namib Desert. Alas, I was sitting in the car and seeing the cows and sheep outside, and I could think of the wildebeest and flamingos of the Masai Mara (the sheep here are all painted pink marks), and the African wounds recurred as if they were endless.
On the last day, we actually saw birds such as larks and larks on the car to the ranch, but we didn't stop to look.
Crow family big party
Raven, Dauri Jackdaw, Small-billed Crow,
Red-billed mountain crows, magpies, grey magpies
At a fork in the road near the river on the edge of Langmu Temple, we saw a large flock of crows and magpies staying together. Particularly large, with obvious hair in its nostrils, is a raven; a dauri crow with a black and gray body; and a small-billed crow of a more normal size. It can be called a big gathering of crows and birds. - What we call "magpies" are really just crows with long tails.
Gatherings of the Crow Family
The largest raven, pay attention to the hairs on the nostrils
They are all omnivorous birds, and I am afraid that they gather here because they have food. I just don't know why magpies and grey magpies are rarely mixed. And the red-billed mountain crows we saw later, they rarely mixed with these guys. Red-billed mountain crows are commonly found parked on power lines on the side of the road. Their bright red mouths and feet make them easily recognizable, but they are also birds that can be easily killed by the road.
Red-billed mountain crow
There are no large-billed crows here, is it because their large mouths are not conducive to cold?
Longitudinal striped owl
Another sad story on the first day was the longitudinal-bellied owl. Chen Dao, who has lived here for more than a decade, of course knows where they nest, but he also knows that he must be cautious when observing animal nest sites. Therefore, after he parked the car on the side of the road, he first divided the group of us all into a family of 3 and went with him to the direction of the nest site to observe to minimize the interference with the nest. After one team has finished watching, it will change to the other team. The first group of 3 people followed Chen Dao and quickly disappeared into the ditch across the road, and we were now with the rest of the people, watching the flowers and grass on the side of the road, observing the brown-necked snow sparrow next to it.
After a long time, the first team came back, at this time we had decided which group to change later, but we did not expect Chen Dao to say, "Come with me, the nest has been abandoned." We were taken aback and rushed forward with him.
The nest site is in the grassland across the road, and a large pit was dug to build the road to get dirt. After years of abandonment, grass has grown in the pit, but the nearly vertical pit wall is still bare- the nest of the longitudinal-bellied owl is in the cave on the mud wall. When we got there, we saw that the grass under the nest had been stepped out of a path. Apparently someone had approached the place and had approached the nest. Chen Dao said that originally it was the incubation stage, and under normal circumstances, the longitudinal-bellied owl would never leave the nest too far. They waited for a long time without a trace of the bird, and with the obvious mark of human interference here, they could tell that the nest had been abandoned.
So we also took a closer look at their nests. Using a flashlight to look inside, one hole on the right contains several bird eggs, and in the other hole on the left contains the carcass of a pika that can still distinguish its shape. This pair of longitudinal-bellied owls really don't even want children with property. According to the state of the bird's eggs, Chen Dao judged that the abandonment of the nest occurred about 2 days ago. These eggs have become impossible to hatch birds.
Get a closer look at the nest
Bird eggs in caves
Stored pika
We didn't move the nest of bird eggs and pikas, but only picked up some food balls spit out by the longitudinal belly owl on the ground, took them to the side of the road to dissect and dissect them, and observed the composition of the food groups - most of them were pika rabbits and some rodent bones, and some broken beetle elytra wings.
Feeding clumps of the longitudinal-bellied owl
Later, we finally saw the true face of the longitudinal-bellied owl elsewhere. However, the story of this pair of unseen longitudinal-bellied owl will be firmly remembered in our hearts.
Later seen elsewhere the longitudinal-bellied owl
Longitudinal-bellied owl in the rain
hoopoe
Dai Sheng is indeed a widespread bird. It can even be seen on the plateau. However, didn't Dai Sheng build a nest in a tree hole? Where will they nest in the endless grasslands here?
The second time I saw it, I felt as if I had found the answer—a pair of Dai Shengs were climbing in front of a hole in the cliff. So will they use caves to build their nests here?
Serious suspicion of Dai Sheng, who nested in the cave
Unfortunately, I saw it in the car, and I had no intention of disturbing the hole that was right on the side of the road. What if there are bird eggs or chicks in it? Whether this is Dai Sheng's nest or not, just let it remain as it is, and I will pretend not to see it!
Sacred Place:
Great eagle, black-eared kite, falcon, bearded vulture, alpine vulture
Jorgai is definitely a mecca for watching! I started feeling this way on my first day here.
The largest number is the great eagle. As the largest species of the eagle, the giant eagle is comparable in size and eagle, and its flight is spectacular. The parts of the primary flight feathers on the wings are very white, which is a hallmark of identifying them. It is common to see the hawks standing on the poles on the side of the road. The funny thing is that when they swim at night, they also find them sleeping on a telephone pole. However, at that time, they all turned their backs on the road, probably to avoid being disturbed by the headlights on the road. It makes me wonder: Where would these poles stand without them? There are no big trees here. Wasn't there as many hawks here then than there are now? Is this yet another example of human activities affecting the distribution of animals?
A home built of garbage by the giant eagle
Several times the giant eagle was seen catching pikas in the grass. Another time the big bird seemed to be catching fish, but it didn't succeed, but it wet its wings and looked very embarrassed.
The book says that the eagle is calling "Mimi", but unfortunately we didn't hear it.
The great eagle spreads its wings
The giant eagle fat beats the alpine vulture
Big cockroach
Black-eared kites are not as numerous as the great eagles, but they are really bold and can fly very close to people. While we were eating lunch in a small roadside restaurant, a black-eared kite soared over the road and skimmed over the heads of the little friends. Because it is very close, it gives the feeling that it is no less than the size of a giant bird. The shape of the tail of the black-eared kite when flying is concave inside, which has a little swallowtail feeling and is easier to recognize. (Chen Also gave a way to identify the black-eared kites and the great eagle, that is, the black-eared kites have 6 wing fingers, while the great eagles have only 5).) In Japan, we have seen black-eared kites in groups in the city to grab food with pigeons, and I don't know if the black-eared kites here will also eat human garbage.
Black-eared kite
Compare the giant eagle again, whose feet are yellow
The black-eared kites here are said to migrate vertically: to higher elevations in the summer and lower to lower elevations in the winter. This is similar to the behavior of herders who move to spring, summer, autumn and winter pastures throughout the year.
On our third day of visiting Tiebu, we found a large number of nests of alpine vultures on the cliffs. They use holes in cliff faces (derived from bubbles in volcanic lava) to build their nests. It was cloudy when we first got there, the upheated hot air current hadn't formed yet, and we saw a lot of sub-adult birds standing at the mouth of the cave this year. When I came back, the weather was clear, and I saw a large number of alpine vultures circling in the sky.
The holes in the cliffs are home to the alpine vultures
The alpine vultures in the cave are affixed
Alpine vultures can also often be seen circling above the town near Langmu Temple. On the one hand, the town is surrounded by mountains, and there should also be upswing hot airflow. On the other hand, Langmu Temple has a heavenly burial platform, so the alpine vultures here really have the mission of leading people to heaven.
Alpine vultures eat sheep carcasses
According to the photographs taken by the tiger, the alpine vulture also has two bald spots on its chest, which are very similar to the bald spots of the African white-backed vulture. Maybe its color can also show the age of the vultures?
Baldness on the chest of the Alpine Vulture (pink)
I actually wanted to see the bearded vulture, the first reason is that it looks strange (why do you have a beard as a bird of prey?). The second is that it has been featured in many documentaries — it takes the bones up to break and eats the bone marrow inside. It can be said that the bearded vulture is a "scavenger" who truly emptied the bones. As a result, when we held up a telescope to observe the hovering alpine vultures, we actually found a bearded vulture flying on top of them. Looking at their flight posture from a distance, it can be seen that the wings of the alpine vultures are relatively thick, while the wings of the vultures are relatively narrow, and the tail is relatively slender, flying a bit like a "ten" character.
Bearded vulture
There is a clear order of feeding among the various vultures in Africa. And we may not have as obvious as the African vulture order because there are not so many species. Generally, the alpine vultures eat, the crows pick up the teeth, and the bearded vultures are responsible for killing the bones.
It is said that there are vultures here too, but we didn't see them.
But we saw three falcon hunts! When I saw it, I also stopped on the pole.
A few falcons
Red hemp duck, brown-headed gull, black-necked crane
The next day the wetland bird watcher I was at the hotel with the high anti baby so did not go. Lost a lot of opportunities to see water birds, what crested ibis, black-necked goose did not see. However, there are also several common water birds that can be seen near Langmu Temple.
Birds in the wetlands
Spotted geese
A black-necked man with 3 babies on his back
Crested ibis
The red mallard duck is a relatively easy waterfowl to see here. Their brownish-red body color is also easier to observe. During this time period, the male red mallard has a distinct black neck ring that can be distinguished from the female. They also stay on the Tibetan Plateau in winter to brood.
Red Hemp Duck (Male)
The difference between brown-headed gulls and red-billed gulls is that the iris is white.
Brown-headed gull
As a national first-class protected animal, the black-necked crane is the star species here. It generally stays in wetlands that are far away (a few hundred meters) from people, often appearing behind a red alkali canopy. To observe them, you must use a telescope. At this time, parents can be observed feeding together with sub-adult birds (teenagers) with gray fur. If you look closely, you will feel that they also have a little red on the top of their heads. They usually eat vegetarian food, but occasionally eat pika rabbits. (The pika is really loved by everyone!) ）
Black-necked cranes, shooting like this is the limit
Giant eagle with black-necked crane
While observing black-necked cranes, we found hook shrimp, planarians and highland forest frogs in the clear springs nearby. The first two are creatures that can only be found in exceptionally clear water. For the water birds here, these should be very tasty foods.
Hook shrimp, not really shrimp, belong to the order Endopotaur (another type of endpod we may have heard of is cetacean)
Planarians, like hook shrimp, are environmental indicator organisms and appear only in clean water
Highland forest frog larvae
Original pigeons and rock pigeons
Original pigeons
Bird watching in the canyon on the third day was a bit challenging, with quite a few birds that looked similar. The original pigeon and the rock pigeon look almost the same, but the belly of the rock pigeon is lighter in color. Another difference is their calls. As the ancestor of domestic pigeons, the original pigeon's call is no different from that of domestic pigeons, and the rock pigeon's call is a bit like a human burping. As the name suggests, rock pigeons like to nest on cliffs with caves. Original pigeons were also birds that lived in caves, but they now make their home more in humans.
The most confusing thing is their English name: the original pigeon's English name is Rock Pigeon, so what should the rock pigeon be called? Looked it up, and the rock pigeon turned out to be hill pigeon!
Cliff sand swallow, smoke-bellied hairy foot swallow
The two also look alike. Cliff swallows are more common around the river channel.
Cliff swallow
We saw the small nest of the smoke-bellied swallow on the edge of the huge cave. Keep seeing parent birds busy flying in and out. But it was too far away, and I deeply felt that the 600 lens in China was not enough!
Observe the nest of the smoke-bellied hairy-footed swallow
Smoke-bellied hairy-footed swallow
Ochre red-tailed plover and white-capped brook plover
If you look at the "Chinese Bird Field Manual", if you put these two birds together with the northern red-tailed plover, you can play the game of "find the difference". The ochre-tailed plover does not have the white patches of the northern red-tailed plover on its wings, while the white of the ochre-capped brook plover shifts to its head.
However, it is actually not easy to make mistakes in the field. The ochre-tailed plover is noticeably darker in color than the Northern Red-tailed Plover. The White-topped Brook Plover and the Northern Red are all darker than each other. The first time I saw the White-topped Brook Plover, I was almost deceived by the Tibetan driver, who pointed to the Northern Red-tailed Plover in our plate and said, "This is it!" ”
black redstart
White-capped brook Plover
"Huh? Can the Northern Red-tailed Plover have such a big color difference? "Is the Northern Red-tailed Plover in Tibetan areas different from our inland areas?" Then I began to doubt life, thinking that the northern red-tailed plover I had seen before was fake. Fortunately, in the end, Director Chen gave the correct answer. Both birds are very common, and the white-capped brook plover is especially abundant at the water's edge and makes a long, incessant song. Although we have not been here for a long time, in the end we can also distinguish the cries of the white-capped brook plover.
Grey-backed Burrow
On the third day, I saw a lot on the way to the Tiebu Conservation Area, which is probably the most common berau here. There are no special features, very similar to the brown-backed Burrow, but the color is gray, standing in a conspicuous place, and it is a round and rolling lump.
Grey-headed green woodpecker
The most surprising thing, of course, was to see woodpeckers, and they seemed to be nesting in a hole in a dead tree.
Grey-headed green woodpecker, have you noticed that it acts as a tail feather for the "tripod"?
Highland quail
The biggest takeaway on the morning of the fourth day was it. Our car was walking between two pastures along a dirt road that few people took, and it was standing on the side of the road. We excitedly pulled out our cameras, but they didn't even leave immediately, and they opened their mouths and shouted twice before Shi Shiran walked to the fence on the side of the road. According to previous experience, it may be cursing us; it may be that there are other kinds of people on the side, deliberately showing themselves boldness and showing off to them- the psychology of the birds is also very subtle.
Well, good, domineering!
A chicken tops ten birds, and a quail is harder to shoot than a chicken. And it looks so good!
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