Roost

Tree Sparrows started gathering on the other side of a stream flowing into the lake well before sunset. The number was soaring to a few thousand or possibly over ten thousand. It's a pity that we couldn't quite capture the number and the noise in the video as we were unable to reach their roosting site.

Egrets were flying in in all sort of flock sizes alongside the stream before and after sunset. Many of them were Eastern cattle egrets (Amasagiアマサギ) and Intermediate egrets (Chusagiチュウサギ) but we saw Great egrets (Daisagiダイサギ) and Little egrets (Kosagiコサギ) mixed with them. Grey herons (Aosagiアオサギ) and Black-crowned night herons (Goisagiゴイサギ) seemed loners (and not many in numbers), flying on their own freely:)
 

Although it was time for sunset, there weren't as many swallows as we had hoped. 

Just one here, one over there, flying over our heads. We nearly gave up and headed back home.

But! 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, here they came. 

Hundreds or even thousands of them were everywhere, over the water, over the reeds, high in the sky, literally all around us.

 

 

 

 

The light was so dim my camera couldn't capture the spectacle quite as well as I hoped but you may be able to get the gist. 

We were happy to experience this seasonal wonder of nature again💓