Natsume-no-seki (Haccho-seki Reservoir)

One of the famous places for wintering ducks & swans in Chiba is Natsume-no-seki 夏目の堰 Reservoir in Tonosho-machi. The reservoir itself is not so large and located in a rather remote area from any train lines or major roads, which could be one of the factors why birds gather there. 

You can see all the tiny dots on the water, all of which are ducks!! 

The sign board by the water written a few years earlier says there are approximately 3,000 waterfowl wintering here but the number must have gone up to 10-fold, estimated around 30,000 birds on the water this winter.

Lots and lots of Mallard (magamoマガモ), Pintail (Onagagamoオナガガモ), Eurasian wigeon (Hidorigamoヒドリガモ), Baikal teal (Tomoegamoトモエガモ), fewer Spot-billed duck (Karugamoカルガモ), Northern shoveler (Hashibirogamoハシビロガモ), Common pochard (Hoshihajiroホシハジロ), Smew (Mikoaisaミコアイサ), Tufted duck (Kinkurohajiroキンクロハジロ), 

and Great-crested grebe (Kammuri-kaitsuburiカンムリカイツブリ), Little grebe (Kaitsuburiカイツブリ), Eurasian coot (Oobanオオバン)... 

Bewick's swan (Kohakuchoコハクチョウ)

cygnets too😍

Sometimes birds of prey, such as a Goshawk (Ootakaオオタカ) and a Buzzard (Nosuriノスリ) flew right over the water and the ducks were spooked by them. 

If you are a uk birdwatcher, you'd think the birds in this photo are Starlings...

but actually they are Baikal teals.

The way Baikal teals fly is totally different from the ones other ducks do.

very interesting!!

As the day went by, more and more swans were coming back from their feeding grounds,

and the ducks, which were resting during the day, were becoming more and more restless.

About half an hour after sunset, there was a whoosh sound in the almost darkness, which meant the ducks flew up at the same time heading for their feeding grounds at night. 

Interestingly, on that day, the Baikal teals went first, then the Pintails and the last was the Mallard. 

The swans stayed behind on the water.

I didn't know this coming in of swans and going out of ducks are happening every dawn and dusk! 

so fascinating!!

Reedbeds

The Japanese Swamp Warbler (Osekkaオオセッカ) and the Japanese Reed Bunting (Kojurinコジュリン) are endemic to East Asia and found in local and restricted areas even in Japan. One of their few breeding grounds is the reedbeds by the Tonegawa in Chiba, so off we went to appreciate those rareities.


This kind of vast reedbeds are as rare as the birds as most of the riverbanks in Japan are embanked with concrete and the reedbeds were cut and drained for agriculture or housing.

The Japanese Swamp Warbler

Without their display flight, it would've been impossible for us to spot them but thankfully they were everywhere in the reeds and flew up singing their hearts out.

I was just waiting for one or two to land on a reed closer to us for a shot:) (Well, most of them landed miles away from us though.)

We moved to Kojurin Koen (literally means 'Park of the Japanese Reed Bunting') - the park is in the middle of nowhere and we got lost in the vast paddie fields. We drove on a tiny path between the fields and eventually got there. phew!

And there he was!

a male Japanese Reed Bunting

A male has a completely black hood down to his lower neck unlike the common reed bunting (which is a winter visitor around here).

Very lucky for us, he was feeding a fledgling on a path and left the young there on its own.

The young one looked a bit like a Black-headed Bunting (Aoji).

It hopped into the grass, which seemed very wise. On the path it was too exposed! 


We also saw/heard many, many Oriental Reed Warblers (Oyoshikiriオオヨシキリ), Black-browed Reed Warblers (Koyoshikiriコヨシキリ), Zitting Cisticolas (Sekkaセッカ), Skylarks (Hibariヒバリ), Great Egrets (Daisagiダイサギ), Little Egrets (Kosagiコサギ), Grey Herons (Aosagiアオサギ), Barn Swallows (Tsubameツバメ) and Sparrows (Suzumeスズメ), and some Cormorants (Kawauカワウ), Spotbilled Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ), Little Ringed Plovers (Kochidoriコチドリ), Grey Starlings (Mukudoriムクドリ), Japanese Bush Warblers (Uguisuウグイス), and a Great Crested Grebe (Kammurikaitsuburiカンムリカイツブリ), Moorhen (Banバン) and 3 unidentified raptors, which we think were Japanese Sparrowhawks.


Black-browed Reed Warblers

a lone Great Crested Grebe

a Grey Heron landed near a fisherman:) cheeky!

Skylarks