Autumnal Day

on a beautiful autumnal day in Mitsuwadai Park, Chiba

Can you see a grasshopper?

A flock of Eastern Great Tits (Shijukaraシジュウカラ) was busy foraging.

the answer:)

Aoba no Mori Koen

The migratory season has arrived and I went to the park early in the morning, expecting to see/hear some birds on migration.

Yippee!! I heard 2 Narcissius Flycatchers singing!! Although I could not get close enough to them to take a photo, it was worth getting up at an ungodly hour:)

There were plenty of birds singing or foraging just after dawn.

Hawfinch (Shimeシメ) - they were everywhere in the park, nibbling new shoots (and whatever was good for them!), to get enough energy before they start their journey to the breeding grounds.

Some Bramblings (Atoriアトリ) were among the Hawfinch. I thought they all had already gone, so it was a great surprise.

A Japanese Wagtail (Segurosekireiセグロセキレイ) was busy hunting insects on the grass.

A pair of Little Grebes (Kaitsuburiカイツブリ) had some eggs in their nest!

Very noisy calls came from the bamboo thicket and there they were!
Long-tailed Tit (Enagaエナガ) fledglings.

It was warm even before 7 in the morning and when it got warmer lots of insects started buzzing around.

a beautiful Old-world Swallowtail (Kiagehakiキアゲハ)

Tateyama Yacho no Mori

In the middle of the Minami Boso National Park, Tateyama Yacho no Mori covers about 55 acres of forest and has a couple of nature trails within its borders.

The climate in the Boso Peninsula is mild all year round so most trees are broad-leaved evergreens.

The leaflet shows quite a lot of birds in the forest but we saw more birds in the open area by the visitor centre than in the thick forest;)

The birds we saw/heard: Spotbilled Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ), Oriental Turtle Doves (Kijibatoキジバト), Bull-headed Shrikes (Mozuモズ), Thick-billed Crows (Hashibutogarasuハシブトガラス), Carrion Crows (Hashibosogarasuハシボソガラス), Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers (Kogeraコゲラ), Black-eared Kites (Tobiトビ), a House Swift (Himeamatsubameヒメアマツバメ), Eastern Great Tits (Shijukaraシジュウカラ), Varied Tits (Yamagaraヤマガラ), Japanese White-eyes (Mejiroメジロ), Long-tailed Tits (Enagaエナガ), Japanese Bush Warblers (Uguisuウグイス), Grey Starlings (Mukudoriムクドリ), Brown-eared Bulbuls (Hiyodoriヒヨドリ), White Wagtails (Hakusekireiハクセキレイ), Japanese Wagtails (Segurosekireiセグロセキレイ), Daurian Redstarts (Jobitakiジョウビタキ), Black-faced Buntings (Aojiアオジ), Oriental Greenfinches (Kawarahiwaカワラヒワ), Tree Sparrows (Suzumeスズメ)
& Peafowls in the enclosure (Kujakuクジャク)





an Oriental Greenfinch (Kawarahiwaカワラヒワ) by the visitor centre

a Praying Mantis (Kokamakiriコカマキリ)














　　　　

the common Puffball （Hokoritakeホコリタケ)?　　

the Sickener (Dokubenitakeドクベニタケ)?

A view from the hill - we spotted a house swift and a few black-eared kites from there.

Information about Tateyama Yacho no Mori (in Japanese)
http://www.chiba-forest.jp/yachou/info.html



After the walk in Yacho no Mori, we saw a Kestrel (Chogemboチョウゲンボウ) perching on a wire by a field.

and two female Greater Scaups (Suzugamoスズガモ) were floating on the choppy water, a bit far out in the sea. They were diving many times but it was too far for us to see if they caught anything at all.

Big flocks (sometimes as many as 50 birds) of Cormorants (Kawauカワウ) frequently flew over Tateyama. Wonder where they were heading to...

Ecology Park

In the Ecology Park on the 2nd and the 9th of October

Ducks arrived!

Mallards (Magamoマガモ) & resident Spotbilled Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ)

Teals (Kogamoコガモ)

4 female Falcated Ducks (Yoshigamoヨシガモ) were there on the 2/Oct before the typhoon but none on the 9/Oct after the typhoon.

All the male Mallards looked different as they are in eclipse plumage.

To see about the eclipse, go to the RSPB site:  http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/funfactsandarticles/watchingbirds/identify/eclipse_plumage.aspx


3 Grey Herons (Aosagiアオサギ) were seen by the pond, which was quite unusual. They seemed to keep some distance from one another.

 Oops!

A young Coot (Ohbanオオバン) came out from the reedbed and disappeared in there again.

Hikagecho (literally means a butterfly in the shadow, which sounds a bit sad, but they are found in shaded places:)

A Ladybird

Can you spot a well camouflaged Praying Mantis?

It's on the top of the pic in the middle:)

Another typhoon is coming towards Japan for the next weekend. Hope it's not going to cause much damage...

Oyumi Ike

I took a detour on the way to a shop to see if any ducks have arrived in Oyumi Ike but there were only Spotbilled Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ), who are resident around here.

Grey Starlings (Mukudoriムクドリ) were eating berries in one particular tree. There must have been more than 50 individuals and they were really chatty!

Somebody was moving in the mud very busily.

Can you see who...?

A lone Great Egret (Daisagiダイサギ)

A White Wagtail (Hakusekireiハクセキレイ) spotted me watching him:)

Two Japanese Wagtails were flying around but I couldn't get a pic of them.

Two Bull-headed Shrikes (Mozuモズ) started their distinct shrieking calls to claim their autumn territories on the both sides of the stream.

While one was still calling on an aerial, an Oriental Turtle Dove (Kijibatoキジバト) landed on the same aerial and he just started singing next to him! 

The shrike looked as if it were saying what the hell you are doing in my patch to the turtle dove but...

gave up in the end! The turtle dove didn't look bothered at all and kept singing all that time. Funny thing!


Insects were still around too.

This grasshopper looked like it was laying eggs, inserting her lower abdomen in the ground between the pebbles. Interesting!