Birds, Fish and Butterflies

A shoal of small fish and a big Grey Mullet (Boraボラ)

No wonder there were so many Grey Herons (Aosagiアオサギ) and Cormorants (Kawauカワウ) on the canal!

We saw at least 15 Cormorants on and around the bird island and a few flying over as well.


The quality of the canal water was appalling when I was a kid but clearly it has improved a lot since then, I mean, it has become ok enough to sustain these fish and the birds which eat the fish.

Little Egrets (Kosagiコサギ) and a Great Egret (Daisagiダイサギ) were on the island too.

A juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron (Goisagiゴイサギ)

playing hide-and-seek?


In the bush by the footpath, Grey Starlings (Mukudoriムクドリ) were foraging.

Glad to see 3 different species of butterflies.

Asian Swallowtails (Namiagehaナミアゲハ)

Common Bluebottle (Aosujiagehaアオスジアゲハ）

Indian Fritillary (Tsumagurohyoumonツマグロヒョウモン♂)

Tokyo is still quite warm and sticky and the canal seemed to be teeming with tiny insects just like it would be in the summer, which must be good for some insect eating birds and other creatures. (it could be damaging for other creatures at the same time...)
We are desperately looking forward to the winter though!  

Shitamachi Canal Walk

Hello, hello, hello!!
We are back in Tokyo:)

Went for a walk by the canals in the Shitamachi area to see lovely birds we had missed for half a year.

A flock of very chatty Azure-winged Magpies (Onagaオナガ).

Some of the birds looked young like this one.

Grey Herons (Aosagiアオサギ) were on the roof of the leisure centre!

A juvenile on the railing

On the bird island, there were at least 7 Grey Herons, having a rest and/or preening, and one of them was collecting some twigs and sticks for mending his nest. (but why now??)

Sunbathing? Intimidating?

saw about 8 Spot-billed Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ) altogether but there was no sign of wintering ducks yet.