Friday 20 June 2014

Chiba Botanical Garden

I went to the Botanical Garden, not exactly to see birds but to see some insects today.

an immature female Common Skimmer (Ooshiokaratomboオオシオカラトンボ)

a male Common Skimmer (but a different subspecies from the one above)
(Shiokaratomboシオカラトンボ)

a female Sympetrum infuscatum (Noshimetomboノシメトンボ)


an Asian Comma (Kitatehaキタテハ)

a Potanthus flavum (Kimadaraseseriキマダラセセリ)

a Small Copper (Benishijimiベニシジミ)

a pair of Small Coppers, the one was chasing the other around and doing a courtship dance:)
I've read about their courtship dance in a book, in which it said the dance could last hours so I decided not to stay until the end. I don't know if it was a successful one. I hope it was:)


a Common Yellow Swallowtail (Kiagehaキアゲハ)


a young Crayfish (Zariganiザリガニ)


beautiful Hydrangea (Ajisaiアジサイ)


a busy Carpenter Bee (Kumabachiクマバチ)


a rather mysterious looking Japanese Five-lined Skink (Nihontokageニホントカゲ)


a type of Tiger Beetle Cylindera kaleea (Tokyo-himehammyouトウキョウヒメハンミョウ) moving like a ninja!


tiny (about an inch long) Japanese Ricefish (Medakaメダカ)


a Garden with a waterfall and a pond with huge carp

There were very few birds in the garden but lots of insects instead. It certainly didn't feel like the temperature was about 30 degrees in the woods with a gentle breeze blowing. 

Monday 9 June 2014

Seabirds seen from a ferry on 7/June

To see seabirds in the Pacific, we were recommended to go on a ferry from Oarai, Ibaraki, to Tomakomai, Hokkaido, with a guide organised by a travel agency called 'Y-bird' so we booked a return trip on the 7th and 8th of June.


Unfortunately, the monsoon season reached Japan a lot earlier this year than usual so we were basically moving with a low depression... BUT! We were able to see most of the birds we'd hoped to see, thanks to our excellent guide.


Our very first Albatross - a Black-footed Albatross (Kuroashi-ahoudoriクロアシアホウドリ)



A Short-tailed Shearwater (Hashiboso-mizunagidoriハシボソミズナギドリ)

A flock of them
 

















A Great Skua (Ootouzokukamomeオオトウゾクカモメ) 
A Black-tailed Gull (Uminekoウミネコ)



















A Sea Lion


It was very misty and dull all the way to Tomakomai.

On the way back from Tomakomai to Oarai on Sunday, the sea was so rough I was not able to do anything but lie on my bunk... I really don't want to think about any trip on a boat for the moment!!


The birds we saw from the ferry between Ooarai, Ibaraki and Tomakomai, Hokkaido:
Pacific Diver, Laysan Albatross, Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar, Streaked Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Short-tailed Shearwater, Fork-tailed Storm-petrel, Black-tailed Gull, Great Skua, Rhinoceros Auklet

Mammals: Sea Lions and Dall's Porpoises




The Schedule of the tour
1.45 Oarai Ferry Terminal
  ↓
19.45 Tomakomai FT

1.30 Tomakomai FT
 ↓
19.45 Oarai FT

People on the guided tour can be on board at around 22.30 to get some rest before starting bird-watching early in the morning.

the info about the ferry in English
http://www.sunflower.co.jp/english/index.shtml

the birdwatching tour agency (in Japanese)
http://www.ybird.jp/

Sunday 1 June 2014

Young Birds in the Ecology Park

The two young Little Grebes (Kaitsuburiカイツブリ) were hatched about 5 weeks ago and they are really active and always hungry:)

What's for tea?

 A crayfish!

Yum yum


A nest of Thick-billed Crow (Hashibutogarasu)
Only one chick was seen briefly. Both parents were watching me watching them:)