Ecology Park

There were quite a few visitors to the lake in the Ecology Park on 13/July, despite the bad weather.

a Great White Egret (Daisagiダイサギ)

a Grey Heron (Aosagiアオサギ）

a very young Black-crowned Night Heron (Goisagiゴイサギ).
There is a particular name for young BC Night Herons in Japanese: Hoshigoiホシゴイ, meaning a spotty BC night heron, which is easy to know why:)

a male Kingfishers (Kawasemiカワセミ)

a Little Grebe (Kaitsuburiカイツブリ)

a juvenile Moorhen (Banバン)

more than 50 crows came one after another to have a bath

many Thick-billed Crows (Hashibutogarasuハシブトガラス) and a couple of Carrion Crows (Hashibosogarasuハシボソガラス)

Rare visitors: Raccoon Dogs (Tanukiタヌキ)

dragonflies

empty shells of young dragonflies (nymphs) on the pole















a Japanese Sand Wasp (Nippon Hanadaka-bachiニッポンハナダカバチ)

the wasp's nest

very quiet looking lake but full of life

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.