First off, let me say hello to all the birders who post here on the China forum and thank you all for the information and photos that you so generously share. They are immensely helpful in planning my upcoming visit to Shanghai.
I also want to give a hat tip and really big thank you to McMadd who has helped me add a lifer to my Shanghai list almost two years after my last visit there. It was all due to his UNIQUE photographic ability to capture a bird almost exactly as I had seen it.
In December of 2012 I was in Gongqing Forest Park on an overcast, drizzly day and doing pretty well considering. Until, that is, I came across a flock of starlings high up in the trees and some distance from the path that completely perplexed me. Reddish legs and reddish bill, short dark tail, white patches in the wings, and malar stripes below the cheeks. Easy peasy, or so I thought. Just whip out my copy of Birds of East Asia and... Wait... the only picture of any starling with those field marks was Red-billed, but no malar stripe was shown on either male or female. And, according to the book image and discription, the male had this bright white head, which not one of the birds in the flock seemed to possess.
Well, I scratched my head and thought how sad I couldn't even ID what must be a pretty common bird and had to make do with just writing down the field marks, hoping I could figure it out at a later time or see them again on a bright and sunny day. Of course, I never saw them again during my stay and decided I would need to wait until my next visit.
It was in preparation for this next visit that I stumbled upon the China forums and excitedly began reading each thread, learning new and wonderful things from each of the generous posters. I was particularly impressed with the stunning images many posters included, knowing that I was in the presence of truly talented and gifted individuals.
However, it was the single image that McMadd posted that caused the 'eureka!' moment and transported me back two years to that dark and dingy day and the starlings that had gone un-ticked. For, in his '18 months in Shanghai' thread on page 15 post #356 was an image that made me shout out, Ah Ha! That's the bird! And another lifer is added to my list. Thank you McMadd! :t:
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=412446&d=1351869831
Now for the question. Is this malar stripe actually pigment or just a shadow caused by feather arrangement? Is it something that both sexes show in winter or just the females. It certainly is distinctive, even at distance and I wonder why it isn't shown in the field guide (although MacKinnon does show a hint of it on the female). Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks again to everyone on the forum,
Bruce
I also want to give a hat tip and really big thank you to McMadd who has helped me add a lifer to my Shanghai list almost two years after my last visit there. It was all due to his UNIQUE photographic ability to capture a bird almost exactly as I had seen it.
In December of 2012 I was in Gongqing Forest Park on an overcast, drizzly day and doing pretty well considering. Until, that is, I came across a flock of starlings high up in the trees and some distance from the path that completely perplexed me. Reddish legs and reddish bill, short dark tail, white patches in the wings, and malar stripes below the cheeks. Easy peasy, or so I thought. Just whip out my copy of Birds of East Asia and... Wait... the only picture of any starling with those field marks was Red-billed, but no malar stripe was shown on either male or female. And, according to the book image and discription, the male had this bright white head, which not one of the birds in the flock seemed to possess.
Well, I scratched my head and thought how sad I couldn't even ID what must be a pretty common bird and had to make do with just writing down the field marks, hoping I could figure it out at a later time or see them again on a bright and sunny day. Of course, I never saw them again during my stay and decided I would need to wait until my next visit.
It was in preparation for this next visit that I stumbled upon the China forums and excitedly began reading each thread, learning new and wonderful things from each of the generous posters. I was particularly impressed with the stunning images many posters included, knowing that I was in the presence of truly talented and gifted individuals.
However, it was the single image that McMadd posted that caused the 'eureka!' moment and transported me back two years to that dark and dingy day and the starlings that had gone un-ticked. For, in his '18 months in Shanghai' thread on page 15 post #356 was an image that made me shout out, Ah Ha! That's the bird! And another lifer is added to my list. Thank you McMadd! :t:
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=412446&d=1351869831
Now for the question. Is this malar stripe actually pigment or just a shadow caused by feather arrangement? Is it something that both sexes show in winter or just the females. It certainly is distinctive, even at distance and I wonder why it isn't shown in the field guide (although MacKinnon does show a hint of it on the female). Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks again to everyone on the forum,
Bruce
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