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18 months in Shanghai: March 2012 - August 2013 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter McMadd
- Start date
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Poyanggggggg...January 12 & 13th 2013
Local life...ain't easy...
Posing Cisticola...
Now you've seen the file name so you know it's in there...now try it from a hurtling vehicle...
Local life...ain't easy...
Posing Cisticola...
Now you've seen the file name so you know it's in there...now try it from a hurtling vehicle...
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
The look of the Peregrinator is so soft jus like the "Magneto" of X-Men. Love the shot of the Wild Mushroom. By the way what's your China count?
firstreesjohn
Well-known member
I presume you’re referring to the shot in #457, rather than the mostly consumed morsels (rather than morels) in the dish, Dev !
I believe the photo to be of a Bracket fungus, or Polypore. With these, it is often important to note the host tree, as an aid to ID.
However, my fungal novitiate has hardly begun and a quick GoogleImage search didn’t further assist.
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Wotcha John
Doubt these will help other than to establish the host is a stump but feel free to give it a go!
I was after the "arty" rather than the identificational meself ;D
cheers
Mark
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McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Think I'm on about 396...depends on some double checking when I rescue me notebook from the 2008 trip and that's not until September...
cheers
McM
firstreesjohn
Well-known member
As I said, my qualifications for fungal ID are less than minimal ! I believe the ‘stump’ once to have been a tree, but that’s as far as I get.
I quote from a helpful portion of a post re a similar quandary on another thread:
“rule #1 for photographing fungi is to try and photograph underneath as well as the cap.
Other important things to note are substrate (alive wood, dead wood, soil, dung, pine cones etc), trees nearby (many species are associated with specific trees, but just deciduous/coniferous will help), smell, and if your specimen is growing singularly, spread out or many from one base ("trooping").”
I have posted a pic of the front cover of a basic, photographic field guide ($38) to Chinese mushrooms below, in case anyone is interested. There are two other and larger tomes available- one for around $170 and the other for over $350. I’m sure members resident in the Middle Kingdom will know where to source such books.
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Hmm...seems to be an increase in gull numbers on the Huangpo at the moment...anyone think of why this could be so...is there more to scavenge at this time of year...
I mean..checkout this porker...I mean...I nearly dropped me bacon sarnie...err...camera when I saw the gut on this y'un...hence the blurred image!
I mean..checkout this porker...I mean...I nearly dropped me bacon sarnie...err...camera when I saw the gut on this y'un...hence the blurred image!
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Last edited:
Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
Hey! Keep your anti-condite biases to yourself. 8-P
Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
Actually I like the idea of calling the New World vultures "Condors" e.g. black condor, king condor, etc. IMO, it works for all of the species except "turkey condor."
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Panda Poopin' Way Out West...
Seem to be a little wayward with the write-ups but...cast your minds back to early January...Thursday 17th in fact...so far this month had seen trips north to Beijing for good times with good folks and not to mention Mr Pallas's famous rosefinches...a weekend west in Poyang where two Brits, and American and our keen-eyed friend Laolin had spied cranes and other goodies...
Now...following another four hectic days in the office, an early afternoon escape saw me strolling down Caoxi road to meet Jocko at his place of business for a short drive out to Pudong where we managed to convince the nice lady on check-in we were deserving of special treatment and thus a buggy and driver to get us to Gate 98 or somewhere out by Nanhui I think! Flight was en route to Bangalore and after an uneventful, if delayed...yes...again...five from five kept me on my 100% winning streak there...flight we arrived in Chengdu and were met by our driver for this off the wall weekend...a reasonably short wait and a transfer to the other terminal saw us collecting Hong Kong Chris off his, also delayed, flight and departing off into the night to reach “base camp” in Ya'an...”the city with the shortest people in China” to quote an anonymous source...they were too!
Safely in our beds by 0100 with an 0600-ish departure, I caught up on some zzzzz...
Hot shower...breakfast of some description and off we went...leaving the city and our game of “spot the shorty” (I know, I know...but you had to be there...ok?) behind we moved into the countryside and our first good bird was a wire-sitting Little Owl that didn't hang around for our shutters to snap him...
A stop for fuel for the vehicle and us brought goodies with it as we realised the bushes and trees on the surrounding slopes contained a large flock of Collared Finchbills and some hangers on in the form of unidentified phylloscs; three Streak-breased Scimitar-babblers (finally!) and an Eastern Great Tit.
Gradually we climbed through the landscape and patient driving saw us arriving at the entrance to Labahe Park...entrance fee paid and we began winding our way up the gorge to to our final destination. Birds began to flit away away form our approach with Plumbeous Redstarts and my first lifer, White-capped Water Redstart, being most numerous. A forktail was seen well enough to agree lifer number two was Spotted Forktail...this was going well!
Our first stop was at the frozen Tiansi Waterfall where Chris's sharp eyes and patience got me onto my second forktail lifer of the trip as a Little Forktail worked it's way back and firth across the frozen flow...very nice too...across the road the clear waters flowed unimpeded down their gravel-filled route out of the mountains...
Soon enough we arrived at the park centre with the staff and guest accommodations all centred in a small area at the base of hills on all sides. Plan A was put into force and we worked the roadside scrub in our first attempt at one of the trip target birds...would we catch up with the mythical Streaked Barwing as well as our mammalian targets...? Not immediately it would seem but I was happy enough as the lifers continued to arrive...Elliot's Laughingthrush was a smart, if flighty resident around the accommodation area; Chris shouted me to come see a Brown Dipper working the stream (finally got that bugger back on you Andy J!!) and Jocko and I had fleeting views of a Black-faced Laughingthrush but not enough (no face for a start!) to say I'd seen it proper-like!
Our plans were for an ascent and an overnight “camp” up the hill in order to place ourselves in “Position A” for the morning ablutes of our primary target...or so we hoped...here though fate, in the form of a be-leopard-skinned harridan from all your worst nightmares intervened...no, we couldn't go driving up the track or stay up there...more than her job was worth...
While Tibetan Macaques assembled for an obviously regular feed we stood around while the discussions ebbed and flowed...she really was some piece of work...not a local we learned and obviously a b*tch of the first order causing misery her special subject...
A Black Redstart entertained and we decided to not waste any more time arguing but do some more birding up the road which turned out to be reasonably successful in that we chanced up on a feeding flock that contained 4-6 stunning Golden-breasted Fulvetta's; a subtle Green Shrike-babbler; Darjeeling Woodpecker; a treecreeper spp. and a Speckled Piculet. The flock crossed a mini-valley perpendicular to the road allowing us good looks at most of the birds...sadly they wouldn't sit still long enough for this amateur photographer! A Crested Goshawk appeared in the blue skies soaring over the ridge above us...another one on the list for me...
Lower down the road the White Dove resorts bungalows held something good but elusive...finally they, as there was more than one, allowed perched views and the stunning Rufous-breasted Accentor was added to my list...
An ascent to the Silver Cave Sea was by turns breath-taking...a prelude to the struggles this unfit desk-jockey would enjoy over the next two days...and slippery...finally we arrived at a birding desert...nothing to see here...back down the trail we traipsed...
Time was moving on and so we decided to at least explore the road it seemed we would have to walk the entire length of the next day in order to reach our desired area...the macaques were still hanging around with a few scavenging seemingly deliberately placed corn on the track as we walked by...”admiring” the concrete channel to our left...one of the “improvements” that seem to be a hallmark of “wild” China...
Birdlife was scarce but we did encounter a vehicle coming down the “undriveable” track...Chris and our chauffeur flagged it down and got some alternative views to those of our leopard-b*tch-woman's...we would be driving at least some of the way next morning it was clear...Moods buoyed by late-afternoon walk-away views of a Black-faced Laughingthrush pair we faced up to the next round with you know who...
Having decided to postpone our camping escapade until Saturday night we needed to check in to the otherwise deserted grand hotel and...guess who...grabbed a lift with us in order to fleece us...sorry...check us in...yup...leopard lady has many jobs but all involve putting your money in her hands...an outrageous 300rmb a head was the going rate and only after she had our cash safely in her grasping claws did she gleefully announce that as it was close season there was no hot water...bliss! Comfy beds maybe but the modern bathroom sans the needed liquid to soothe the end of day aches was uncalled for...
Then there was the small matter of supper...back to the central admin/workers accommodation area we trooped to find...our bestest friend ready to amputate more wedge from our wallets in return for a hot meal and some beers. To be fair, the chef did a good job even if he didn't want us poking our noses in his kitchen to see what was available (a common enough practice in China but not on his watch it seemed) and we plotted the next days adventure and even arranged for a dozen or so hard-boiled eggs to be cooked for us to take as emergency rations up to the giddy heights next day...
...and so to bed...ready for the big day ahead...
to be continued...eventually...at some point...
Friday 18/01/2013 Labahe
Eastern Cattle Egret
Crested Goshawk
Little Owl
Common Hoopoe
Speckled Piculet
Darjeeling Woodpecker
Green Shrike-babbler
Red-billed Blue Magpie
Large-billed Crow
Eastern Great Tit
Collared Finchbill
Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler
Elliott's Laughingthrush
Black-faced Laughingthrush
Golden-breasted Fulvetta
White-collared Yuhina (Chris only)
Eurasian Winter Wren
Hodgson's Treecreeper
Black Redstart
Plumbeous Water Redstart
White-capped Water Redstart
Little Forktail
Spotted Forktail
Brown Dipper
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Rufous-breasted Accentor
White Wagtail (personata)
Seem to be a little wayward with the write-ups but...cast your minds back to early January...Thursday 17th in fact...so far this month had seen trips north to Beijing for good times with good folks and not to mention Mr Pallas's famous rosefinches...a weekend west in Poyang where two Brits, and American and our keen-eyed friend Laolin had spied cranes and other goodies...
Now...following another four hectic days in the office, an early afternoon escape saw me strolling down Caoxi road to meet Jocko at his place of business for a short drive out to Pudong where we managed to convince the nice lady on check-in we were deserving of special treatment and thus a buggy and driver to get us to Gate 98 or somewhere out by Nanhui I think! Flight was en route to Bangalore and after an uneventful, if delayed...yes...again...five from five kept me on my 100% winning streak there...flight we arrived in Chengdu and were met by our driver for this off the wall weekend...a reasonably short wait and a transfer to the other terminal saw us collecting Hong Kong Chris off his, also delayed, flight and departing off into the night to reach “base camp” in Ya'an...”the city with the shortest people in China” to quote an anonymous source...they were too!
Safely in our beds by 0100 with an 0600-ish departure, I caught up on some zzzzz...
Hot shower...breakfast of some description and off we went...leaving the city and our game of “spot the shorty” (I know, I know...but you had to be there...ok?) behind we moved into the countryside and our first good bird was a wire-sitting Little Owl that didn't hang around for our shutters to snap him...
A stop for fuel for the vehicle and us brought goodies with it as we realised the bushes and trees on the surrounding slopes contained a large flock of Collared Finchbills and some hangers on in the form of unidentified phylloscs; three Streak-breased Scimitar-babblers (finally!) and an Eastern Great Tit.
Gradually we climbed through the landscape and patient driving saw us arriving at the entrance to Labahe Park...entrance fee paid and we began winding our way up the gorge to to our final destination. Birds began to flit away away form our approach with Plumbeous Redstarts and my first lifer, White-capped Water Redstart, being most numerous. A forktail was seen well enough to agree lifer number two was Spotted Forktail...this was going well!
Our first stop was at the frozen Tiansi Waterfall where Chris's sharp eyes and patience got me onto my second forktail lifer of the trip as a Little Forktail worked it's way back and firth across the frozen flow...very nice too...across the road the clear waters flowed unimpeded down their gravel-filled route out of the mountains...
Soon enough we arrived at the park centre with the staff and guest accommodations all centred in a small area at the base of hills on all sides. Plan A was put into force and we worked the roadside scrub in our first attempt at one of the trip target birds...would we catch up with the mythical Streaked Barwing as well as our mammalian targets...? Not immediately it would seem but I was happy enough as the lifers continued to arrive...Elliot's Laughingthrush was a smart, if flighty resident around the accommodation area; Chris shouted me to come see a Brown Dipper working the stream (finally got that bugger back on you Andy J!!) and Jocko and I had fleeting views of a Black-faced Laughingthrush but not enough (no face for a start!) to say I'd seen it proper-like!
Our plans were for an ascent and an overnight “camp” up the hill in order to place ourselves in “Position A” for the morning ablutes of our primary target...or so we hoped...here though fate, in the form of a be-leopard-skinned harridan from all your worst nightmares intervened...no, we couldn't go driving up the track or stay up there...more than her job was worth...
While Tibetan Macaques assembled for an obviously regular feed we stood around while the discussions ebbed and flowed...she really was some piece of work...not a local we learned and obviously a b*tch of the first order causing misery her special subject...
A Black Redstart entertained and we decided to not waste any more time arguing but do some more birding up the road which turned out to be reasonably successful in that we chanced up on a feeding flock that contained 4-6 stunning Golden-breasted Fulvetta's; a subtle Green Shrike-babbler; Darjeeling Woodpecker; a treecreeper spp. and a Speckled Piculet. The flock crossed a mini-valley perpendicular to the road allowing us good looks at most of the birds...sadly they wouldn't sit still long enough for this amateur photographer! A Crested Goshawk appeared in the blue skies soaring over the ridge above us...another one on the list for me...
Lower down the road the White Dove resorts bungalows held something good but elusive...finally they, as there was more than one, allowed perched views and the stunning Rufous-breasted Accentor was added to my list...
An ascent to the Silver Cave Sea was by turns breath-taking...a prelude to the struggles this unfit desk-jockey would enjoy over the next two days...and slippery...finally we arrived at a birding desert...nothing to see here...back down the trail we traipsed...
Time was moving on and so we decided to at least explore the road it seemed we would have to walk the entire length of the next day in order to reach our desired area...the macaques were still hanging around with a few scavenging seemingly deliberately placed corn on the track as we walked by...”admiring” the concrete channel to our left...one of the “improvements” that seem to be a hallmark of “wild” China...
Birdlife was scarce but we did encounter a vehicle coming down the “undriveable” track...Chris and our chauffeur flagged it down and got some alternative views to those of our leopard-b*tch-woman's...we would be driving at least some of the way next morning it was clear...Moods buoyed by late-afternoon walk-away views of a Black-faced Laughingthrush pair we faced up to the next round with you know who...
Having decided to postpone our camping escapade until Saturday night we needed to check in to the otherwise deserted grand hotel and...guess who...grabbed a lift with us in order to fleece us...sorry...check us in...yup...leopard lady has many jobs but all involve putting your money in her hands...an outrageous 300rmb a head was the going rate and only after she had our cash safely in her grasping claws did she gleefully announce that as it was close season there was no hot water...bliss! Comfy beds maybe but the modern bathroom sans the needed liquid to soothe the end of day aches was uncalled for...
Then there was the small matter of supper...back to the central admin/workers accommodation area we trooped to find...our bestest friend ready to amputate more wedge from our wallets in return for a hot meal and some beers. To be fair, the chef did a good job even if he didn't want us poking our noses in his kitchen to see what was available (a common enough practice in China but not on his watch it seemed) and we plotted the next days adventure and even arranged for a dozen or so hard-boiled eggs to be cooked for us to take as emergency rations up to the giddy heights next day...
...and so to bed...ready for the big day ahead...
to be continued...eventually...at some point...
Friday 18/01/2013 Labahe
Eastern Cattle Egret
Crested Goshawk
Little Owl
Common Hoopoe
Speckled Piculet
Darjeeling Woodpecker
Green Shrike-babbler
Red-billed Blue Magpie
Large-billed Crow
Eastern Great Tit
Collared Finchbill
Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler
Elliott's Laughingthrush
Black-faced Laughingthrush
Golden-breasted Fulvetta
White-collared Yuhina (Chris only)
Eurasian Winter Wren
Hodgson's Treecreeper
Black Redstart
Plumbeous Water Redstart
White-capped Water Redstart
Little Forktail
Spotted Forktail
Brown Dipper
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Rufous-breasted Accentor
White Wagtail (personata)
