Hokkaido IV

The ground of the woodland was still covered with thick snow but we had chance to see woodland birds near feeders.

Jay (akesuカケス) - a subspecies found in Hokkaido has a very distinct cinnamon coloured head.

 

We had never seen so many Jays in one place! 

Nuthatch (Gojukaraゴジュウカラ) - a very white underparts compared with the ones we are familiar in Britain.

Great spotted woodpecker (Akageraアカゲラ)

Marsh tit (Hashibutogaraハシブトガラ)

 

Dusky thrush (Tsugumiツグミ) & Jay

 Japanese tit (Shijukaraシジュウカラ)

Long-tailed tit (Shimaenagaシマエナガ) - completely white face

Brown-eared bulbul (Hiyodoriヒヨドリ)

Carrion crow (Hashibosogarasuハシボソガラス)

 

 

Wren (Misosazaiミソサザイ)

All of a sudden, the little ones started to be agitated with alarm calls, and this is why: a beautiful Red fox (Kitsuneキツネ)

 The woodland looks bleak from outside but it surely is getting ready for spring!

Feeding Frenzy

The unexpected heavy snowfall was a bit of blessing for me because if I put out little something for the birds in the garden, say, even an apple, it'd definitely attract common but lovely garden birds as feeding birds in gardens is not a popular practice in Japan. It is not just an apple from me though, of course!

the Guard of the Apple😄💂 - Brown-eared bulbul (Hiyodoriヒヨドリ)

what a flexible neck!

Dusky Thrush (Tsugumiツグミ)

I had thought a Dusky thrush would choose an apple but found out they prefer raisins - this one ignored a piece of apple on the ground and went for the raisins.

Don't worry, I cracked ice in the basin so that birds can have access to the water👍

 

Japanese white-eye (Mejiroメジロ)

This is actually a satsuma-shaped feeder 😁 a birthday present from my husband🎁

It has sometimes strawberry jam and at other times chopped-up apple cores in it.

Japanese tit (Shijukaraシジュウカラ) 

They are the same as the Great tit in Britain, who'd eat sunflower seeds, peanuts, dried mealworms and suet. Suet is almost impossible to get hold of in Japan, so, I make my own fat balls from beef fat, which is handed out free in supermarkets in Japan.

Oriental turtle dove (Kijitaboキジバト)

It was not the second day of Christmas🎄 but a pair often visit our garden for seeds.

Grey (White-cheeked) starling (Mukudoriムクドリ)

A starling came to our apples for a couple of days in a row before Christmas but we haven't seen any since then.

I'm hoping the snow will melt quickly so that birds and other wildlife can have a better chance to survive the winter.

Birds in the Southern Part of Boso II

a gorgeous morning of New Year's Eve 

 

a pretty good view of a Brown-headed Thrush (Akaharaアカハラ)

Japanese white-eye (Mejiroメジロ) - very common but hard to take a good photo of

Varied tit (Yamagaraヤマガラ) - wish it was in the light

Black-eared kite (Tobiトビ) again

 

 

not a bird - a lone Japanese Macaque on a field picking up some tiny stuff to eat

South Korea I

It was extremely hard towards the end of the year 2019 for both of us and the reward for ourselves at the end was a holiday (birding, of course!) in South Korea. YAY!

Gwanghwamum

The weather was quite mild in South Korean terms while we were there, and it was very lucky. The temperature could have gone down to -30c!

Tofu hotpot & kimchi & veggies

A meal was always accompanied with kimchi & cooked vegetables/seaweed/bracken  (most of them were as spicy as kimchi) in small bowls for everyone at the table for sharing.

The birds we saw in Seoul were

Naumann's Thrush (Hachijo-tsugumiハチジョウツグミ)

Common Magpie (Kasasagiカササギ)

Chinese Grosbeak (Koikaruコイカル)

Coal Tit (Higaraヒガラ)

Marsh Tit (Hashibutogaraハシブトガラ)

Varied Tit (Yamagaraヤマガラ)

In the city centre, common magpies and brown-eared bulbuls were the two most abundant bird species. Interestingly, there were no crows (thick-billed or carrion) in the centre at all.

Chiba Koen

I decided to cycle to the park as I thought the park would become much quieter after the cherry blossoms had gone, and I was right.

Two Dusky Thrushes (Tsugumiツグミ) were fueling up before their migration for the north.

One of them started to have a bath in a puddle.

A lone Brambling (Atoriアトリ) was foraging under pine trees with Black-faced Buntings (Aojiアオジ).

Some Tufted Ducks (Kinkurohajiroキンクロハジロ) were still seen on the pond and all the resident birds such as Great Tits, White-eyes, White Wagtails and Brown-eared Bulbuls were busy singing all over the park. Spring has sprung! 

Amami Oshima Night Tour

We went on a nature-watching night tour, on which we (or rather I) was expecting to see the endemic Amami Black Rabbit (Amami-no-kuro-usagiアマミノクロウサギ).

We were able to see half a dozen or so of them within an hour. Some sat and froze, some ran for life, some just kept nibbling grass... different characters from each other:)

They were separated from their continental cousins a long time ago and have stayed in quite a primitive form - short hind legs, short ears, small eyes and bulky body.

The rabbits are under threat from mongoose, which were released deliberately by humans to control the venomous snakes, and also from feral dogs and cats. The conservationists and local council have been trying to keep the numbers of those predetors down and the rabbits are doing better than they used to.

Other creatures we saw on the night tour:
Amami Thrush (Ootoratsugumiオオトラツグミ) - endemic to the Amami archipelago

 sorry to disturb you...

Amami Ishikawa's Frog (Amami-Ishikawa-gaeruアマミイシカワガエル)

Ryukyu Tip-nosed Frog (Hanasaki-gaeruハナサキガエル)

Okinawa Pitviper（Himehabuヒメハブ)

We saw several Amami Woodcocks (Amamiyamashigiアマミヤマシギ) being flushed by our car but could not see them so well but one, which stood on the fence by the road. No picture of it, unfortunately, though. We also heard Elegant Scops-owls (Ryukyu-konohazukuリュウキュウコノハズク) calling.

It was a very interesting tour and we were well informed and feel well educated:)