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!!

Happy New Year 2026!!

Kujukuri

On a very, very hot day, I joined a seabird breeding colony survey in Kujukuri.

Black-tailed gulls (Uminekoウミネコ) with a couple of terns. (Common terns?)

A lone Little tern (Koajisashiコアジサシ)

Hundreds of Streaked shearwaters (O-mizunagidoriオオミズナギドリ) over the sea 😀🌊

I'd never be tired of watching shearwaters... so cool👍

Azure-winged Magpies

A family of Azure-winged magpies (Onagaオナガ) were foraging in the cherry trees near our house. I was just passing by and I didn't have my camera!

I see azure-winged magpies around here only occasionally even though they are not uncommon birds. (probably more often hear them rather than actually see them) I always feel like a treat when I come across a large family like today.

Spring has Sprung!!

 A pair of Oriental turtle doves (Kijibatoキジバト) comes to our garden every now and then to forage and/or bathe 😍

Japanese grass lizards (Kanahebiカナヘビ) have woken up from hibernation and are often making the most of the sunshine to warm up.

I noticed this shell far too late! missed the dragonfly... 😭

a baby Praying mantis - it barely can cling onto the leaves but hopefully will survive and grow into a majestic adult mantis one day.

Kujukuri

Another migration season, another breeding season.

Lesser sand plovers (Medaichidoriメダイチドリ) are resting / fuelling up en route to their breeding grounds.

I believe that the Lesser sand plover has been split into two independent species - the Siberian Sand Plover and the Tibetan Sand Plover. I am not still sure which is which, so please forgive me for using the old English common name.

a Kentish plover (Shirochidoriシロチドリ)

Kentish plovers also migrate but probably not a long distance like only within Japan or to/from the eastern coast of the Asian continent.

Some birds, like this one, just have made a dent in the sand and sat on it as if they were trying to work out the nest was comfortable enough to sit for a long time. 

Quite a few Skylarks were singing over the grassland on the edge of the beach.

Chiba Koen

 It was a lovely day and now is the time for all sorts of flowers and blossoms 🌺🌼

and it's a very busy time for parent birds to bring up their little ones.

Even only a short stay in the park made me smile and feel extremely happy 😍