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The Dunnock. Free love and duplicity

10,000 Birds

Of olde, it was known as the Hedge Sparrow to separate it from the House and Tree Sparrows. Confusion with the sparrows is understandable, given the plumage and their tendency to feed from the ground. Familiarity makes them easy to separate from the sparrows, even at a distance. Now it is classified with the Accentors.

Sparrows 165
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Birding Shanghai in November 2022

10,000 Birds

In contrast, the females need to make sure not to get duped into raising actual cuckoos – the buntings are a targeted host species ( source ). Fortunately for the buntings, they seem to detect most cuckoo eggs smuggled in (75% in one study). Maybe there is some justice in this world after all. Better safe than sorry.

Birds 216
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Birding Ruoergai, Sichuan, China

10,000 Birds

After such a mysterious bird, it is time to enjoy the simple pleasure of seeing ordinary birds such as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Finally, the Azure-winged Magpie raises a hen-and-egg question: What was first, the color of the bird or the color of the Tibetan prayer flag? Unfortunately, I did not manage such a photo this time.

China 178
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Birding Shanghai in October 2022

10,000 Birds

Of course, it is hard to resist looking at a paper titled “Host personality predicts cuckoo egg rejection in Daurian redstarts” Basically, the personality of a female redstart (bold or shy) predicts the responses to parasitic eggs – bold hosts are more likely to reject parasitic eggs.

Birds 204
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What to Do at High Island When the Winds are South

10,000 Birds

Seaside Sparrows were singing on both sides and occasionally popped up to give us a view before diving deep back into the Spartina grass, hopefully getting ready to nest. Seaside Sparrow. At the end of the road, we found two Nelson’s Sparrows who quickly flew out to a tiny bit of land in the channel. Eastern Meadowlark.

Houston 220
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Best Bird of the Year 2011

10,000 Birds

For some reason Felonious Jive shared Seagull Steve’s Best Bird of the Year: One of the reasons Seagull Steve went to North Dakota last summer was to spend some time with Baird’s Sparrows. They may be drab, but their pleasant ringing song and close relationship to the prairie make for a very interesting bird.

2011 188
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Beautiful Blue Backyard Bird

10,000 Birds

How do I know of their Gothic moods when they have hidden them so well in an egg-white shell of conformity? Palm Warblers in Central Park Answers to A Diabolical Quick Quiz Cow Birds About the Author Jochen Jochen Roeder was born in Germany and raised to be a birder. It is the claws that give them away, their black nail polish.

2011 165