Birding

Air Show at Nanhui, Shanghai, China

June 13, 2019 by Kai Pflug 1 Comment

 

These days, quite a few species are breeding at Nanhui, Shanghai. This involves a lot of flying around, finding food and bringing it back to the chicks. But not all species do this in such a spectacular fashion as the Barn Swallow.

I recently came across 5 chicks sitting on the ground on a fortunately barely-used gravel road. All were sitting within one meter or so from each other. The parents were busy nearby catching insects, but dropping by every minute or so to feed one of the chicks. This was quite impressive to watch. The first sign of an adult bird approaching was all of the chicks opening their bills. Each of them made a (loud) point  claiming it was the hungriest. Next, the adult flew to one of them and delivered some food without even landing, while the chick stayed firmly on the ground. Then, it was back to work for the parent.

Side thought: Seeing bird photos I am often amazed how the birds seem to select a background where they more or less blend in best. One would think that this is not easy for a relatively colorful species as the Barn Swallow. But the chicks (or their parents) managed to find a road that – in a combination of rocks and trash – matches their appearance perfectly.

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 21 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well.He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.