Oyumiike

a gorgeous afternoon at Oyumiike

Coots (Oobanオオバン)

Teals (Kogamoコガモ)

Shovellers (Hashibirogamoハシビロガモ)

Kingfishers (Kawasemiカワセミ)

a Grey Heron (Aosagiアオサギ)

a Grey Heron and Little Egret (Kosagiコサギ)

Greenfiches (Kawarahiwaカワラヒワ)

Ecology Park

The number of the ducks in Funadaike, Ecology Park has reached at a record high - more than 50 dabbling ducks!

Ducks were everywhere whichever direction you faced.

The ducks tend to get together with the same species but I don't know why.

The Mallard (Magamoマガモ)

The Gadwalls (Okayoshigamoオカヨシガモ)

The Teals (Kogamoコガモ)

The Falcated Ducks (Yoshigamoヨシガモ)

A lone male Pochard (Hoshihajiroホシハジロ) flew into the pond during the day (but flew off after a couple of hours diving, foraging and preening).

He went closer to a pair of mallards and was rather aggressive towards the female, who is much larger.

 Ouch!

I don't think they were competing for their food but he may not have liked the way she was feeding...!


a Great Egret (Daisagiダイサギ)

a Kingfisher (Kawasemiカワセミ)

my first Dusky Thrush (Tsugumiツグミ) of the season

Shovellers

Nihon Ike

Just like the last two winters, the Shovellers (Hashibirogamoハシビロガモ) have arrived in Nihon Ike and there were 2 females and 6 males, along with 6 Spot-billed Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ) and 1 Coot (Oobanオオバン) when I went to the pond to count them.

Actually, 6 Shovellers were seen last winter and 5 the winter before so 8 is a pretty good number, I think.

The Shovellers are rather small compared with the bulky Spot-billies.


They were feeding using their spatula like bills, skimming the surface of the water.

They look rather dull-coloured but all three of them are male in eclipse plumage.

The males have a black bill 

whereas the females have a brownish one with orange-yellow base and sides.

The lone Coot was minding his own business:)

a pair of Spot-billed Ducks

I rarely see herons and egrets but a Great Egret (Daisagiダイサギ) just flew into the small redbed while I was there.

Two White Wagtails (Hakusekireiハクセキレイ) were fighting for something, possibly for some crumbs left by the locals under the bench on the edge of the water and the male seemed to have won.

All of sudden, all the ducks looked up and I knew why.
A Peregrine Falcon (Hayabusaハヤブサ) was flying just above us. All the pigeons nearby flew up in chaos but it didn't seem the falcon intended to hunt. 

After the falcon had gone, tranquility came back to the pond:)

Autumnal Birds

My first Black-faced Bunting (Aojiアオジ) of the season:)

The Little Grebe (Kaitsuburiカイツブリ), which I think is one of the parents who raised a chick in Ecology Park this summer, has turned into the winter plumage.

Bull-headed Shrikes (Mozuモズ) seem to be doing well. I hear them call quite often.

The heads of male Mallards (Magamoマガモ) have become beautiful green.

Oops, I didn't think it was 'he' when I was taking this photo! Both of them are male and the one on the right, which I thought was female, was still in eclipse plumage.

There are still some dragonflies, bees and butterflies flying around the flowerbeds in the park.

a Painted Lady (Hime-akatatehaヒメアカタテハ)

a Long-tailed Blue (Uranami-shijimiウラナミシジミ)