Dontaku

Finally got my GW photos sorted out. The Dontaku file stayed unopened in my PC. The reason? I don't really like this festival. The season is good for birding and hiking. After 28 years I thought I should check it out once more. If only to take some colorful images to put on the blog...
I didn't see the parade, but hung around at the park where all the groups gathered before the start.

Last practice

Waders around west Fukuoka

Where are they? Where have they gone?
Just a few birds were seen in the last week or 2. One rainy day about 20 Wood Sandpipers stayed in the watered field near the farm. A few Dunlins were still with them, as well as a couple other small birds, 2 or 3 Long-toed Stints, 2 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and a Terek Sandpiper. Then a small group of Greenshanks landed, I noticed one with red legs and bill and I jumped up as if I was seeing a rare migrant!

Dunlin, ハマシギ

 Long-toed Stint, ヒバリシギ...

...seeking protection from the larger Wood Sandpipers, タカブシギ

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, ウズラシギ

Terek Sandpiper, ソリハシシギ on the right

Common Greenshank, アオアシシギ

Common Redshank, アカアシシギ

The Cattle Egrets, アマサギ were still around and they found a 3rd mate. 

Coming back home I had some visitors :-)

Compilation of migrators around the park

It's already 3 weeks ago that I made this post, but I forgot to publish it.... so here is some old news:

I didn't spend much time in the park on the hill, the main location for migrating birds this year. The few times I went there I stayed just a short while at the end of the day. Light decreases fast and most images aren't good enough to show. However, here are a few.

There were many Thrushes, specially Brown-headed Thrushes, アカハラ

I was hoping to find a Siberian Thrush and I thought I saw a female, but my photos only show this bird, A female Japanese Thrush, クロツグミ

I waited for a bird to come out of the Rhododendron, but gave up after a few minutes. Then, on the way out I noticed some movements in the dark. Siberian Blue Robin, コルリ

Hooray for the fence!

Blue-and-White Flycatcher, オオルリ

Narcissus Flycatcher, キビタキ

Lady Ooruri, with a tiny bit of blue above her eye

And who is this?

Ah, Mr and Mrs Oouri

Handsome guy!

At the island, 100 Flycatchers and a Dollarbird, ブッポウソウ

I went to Oro on the 12th. The weather was great. Sunny, warm, hardly any wind and not from the north. It was so very quiet in the morning, I walked around, but heard and saw nothing. Even crows, kites and bulbuls seemed to be sleeping. I had nearly given up, started to walk back to the harbor. A southern breeze had picked up. Suddenly I heard small voices, far but coming closer. Then I saw a Brown Flycatcher, and another one, another one, 2,3, more. There must have been a hundred! 100 or more!

Asian Brown Flycatcher, コサメビタキ

Every tree had 1 or 2. I searched the branches for something different

Far away was a Dark-sided Flycatcher, サメビタキ

And, much further in the distance a Dollarbird, ブッポウソウ

On the side of the road an Olive-backed Pipit, ビンズイ

1 single Intermediate Egret, チュウサギ

At sea: Streaked Shearwaters, オオミズナギドリ