Ohdo-Ike

October is thought to be a lovely month here in the Kanto area, I mean weather-wise after a long, hot and humid summer, but it isn't the case this year. A couple of typhoons have hit or nearly hit the pacific coast of Japan in the last 3 weeks and they have brought so much rain. Not good for birding! When I had found a few hours before the rain started on my day-off, I hurried to a pond in a park, which I had noticed on a local map a few days earlier.

Although a local railway is running through the park, the trains run only 3 times an hour, which makes the park quite a quiet place.

On my arrival, I was welcomed by these three...

from the left: a male Shoveller in eclipse plumage (Hashibirogamoハシビロガモ), a Moorhen (Banバン) and domestic duck (Ahiruアヒル)

I saw 3 Shovellers on the lake and all three were males in eclipse plumage. Where are the missuses? 

A young Moorhen (Banバン) was watching me walking on the shore. 

Spot-billed Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ) have a lovely blue-green coloured speculum and very bright orange legs. 

Moorhens, a Shoveller and a Coot (Oobanオオバン) 

I heard the calls of wagtails but they didn't sound quite right for white wagtails.

They were Japanese Wagtails' (Segurosekireiセグロセキレイ). 

There were 5 of them around the pond, fighting for their territories? 

White Wagtails (Hakusekireiハクセキレイ) were seen too. 

The Japanese Wagtail looks slightly larger and more plump than a White Wagtail. 

This juvenile White Wagtail was chased away by a Japanese Wagtail. What a bully! 

The sky was getting darker and when I decided to leave the park, all the crows went mad on the other side of the pond.

A Goshawk (Ootakaオオタカ) appeared from nowhere, 

kept being mobbed and eventually seemed to give up... 

The same for me. Time to go home!

Flocks

When we were about to leave our house just after 4 in the afternoon a few days ago, this big flock of birds were flying high above us. We only managed to recognise them as herons or egrets but were not sure exactly what.

Grey Starlings (Mukudoriムクドリ) had started building up their number before they went into their roosting places around Chiba Parco. Those Grey Starlings don't murmurate like their cousins in Europe but the number and noise was astonishing.  

Yatsu Higata

A couple of typhoons have hit Japan recently when we were off from work, which kept us from going bird-watching. Those typhoons finally brought an autumnal atmosphere and gradually we have heard news about birds arriving to winter here in Japan.

On a sunny Saturday morning, we paid a brief visit to Yatsuhigata to see if any migrant birds had arrived there.

The fresh water lake was full of ducks!

They were mainly Teals (Kogamoコガモ) and Pintails (Onagagamoオナガガモ), busy preening and...

eating...

and eating!

We saw only one Coot (Oobanオオバン) on that day amongst the ducks.

On the mudflat, a lot of herons and egrets were pushed into a narrow area in and around the reedbed as the tide was very high.

A couple of Black-winged Stilts (Seitakashigiセイタカシギ) and

Common Sandpipers (Isoshigiイソシギ) were resting or looking for food on a carpet of seaweed. The seaweed here has been causing a bit of problem as it grows over the water surface and suffocate any creature underneath, and generates stench as well.

4 Black-tailed Godwits (Oguroshigiオグロシギ)

I'm not here! A Grey Heron (Aosagiアオサギ) was standing as if it was a part of the reeds...

On the tops of the wooden poles were resting

Grey Plovers (Daizenダイゼン),

Cormorants (Kawauカワウ) and

Black-tailed Gulls (Uminekoウミネコ). Are you comfy enough?

We only stayed there for an hour and a bit and the high tide didn't help us see as many birds as we could have at the low tide, but still it was a lovely walk and it is always worth a visit.