Birds in Urayasu

 It doesn't look so wildlife friendly (nor human-friendly) but wildlife somewhat find themselves quite at home on the water and around it.

Lots of Greater scaups (Suzugamoスズガモ)

Apparently, there was one LESSER scaup somewhere in the area but we didn't spend time on searching for it. Does seem like a mission impossible doesn't it?!

Common sandpiper (Isoshigiイソシギ)

Sanderling (Miyubishigiミユビシギ)

Water Pipit (Tahibariタヒバリ)

Vega gull (Segurokamomeセグロカモメ)

Coots (Oobanオオバン)

Slavonian (Horned) grebe (Mimikaitsuburiミミカイツブリ)

a young Peregrine (Hayabusaハヤブサ)

It was a long walk alongside the embankment but was pleasant in the sun and with lots of birds.

Seville, Spain

Just thought that I'd put up some photos of beautiful Seville (and of some birds seen in the city centre).

la catedral de Sevilla

la giralde (the bell tower)

El Real Alcázar de Sevilla 

the Gardens of the Real Alcazar

a pair of Common Kestrels in the centre

a Rose-ringed (ring-necked) Parakeet (introduced) checking upon the kestrel

nesting Monk Parakeets (introduced)

Collared Doves (resident)

European Serins (resident)

Western Great Tits (resident)

Rose-ringed (ring-necked) Parakeets

Western Jackdaws (resident)

Muscovy Ducks (ornamental)

It was a great holiday and I totally fell in love with Seville:)

Spain IV - Doñana National Park

Raptors in Doñana

Some colonies of Lesser Kestrels (Hime-chogenboヒメチョウゲンボウ) have been established in Doñana.

Each nest box has a number.  females (above, below)

males

A male Lesser Kestrel has gray upperwing coverts - hmm.. hard to see them though!

We saw Common Kestrels at the same spot too. Both Common and Lesser Kestrels are resident birds in Doñana.

Black Kite (tobiトビ)

Black Kites - summer birds in Doñana

Red Kites (Akatobiアカトビ) are resident. (no pic)

This Black-shouldered Kite (Kataguro-tobiカタグロトビ) didn't like something in the bush below, which we weren't able to see, and kept diving at it, making sharp calls at each dive.

Black-shouldered (or Black-winged) Kites - resident in Doñana

a pair of Little Owls (Kokimme-fukuroコキンメフクロウ)

Little Owls - resident in Doñana

Peregrine Falcon (Hayabusaハヤブサ)

 just coughing up a pellet!

Peregrine Falcon - resident in Doñana

Raptors we saw in Doñana - Black-shouldered Kite, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Black Kite, Red Kite, Common Buzzard

Click here for Vicent's Doñana Wings

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:)