Long-tailed Shrike, タカサゴモズ again - and some more

Intrigued by the possibility of a 2nd Long-tailed Shrike I visited the area 2 days in a row, hoping to catch a glimpse that would put some light on the topic. Are there really 2 birds? The question was not answered, though I did see a short tail as well as a long tail. A convincing 2-shot didn't happen...

The short tail, doesn't it just seem short because of the birds posture?

Is the bird below another one?

Who is this then? 

Other birds in the area:  The first Dusky Thrush, ツグミ  (for me anyway)

The other Shrikes are very loud and actively guarding their territory. Bull-headed Shrike, モズ

Young Common Kingfishers, カワセミ are constantly chasing each other and there is always one in sight somewhere.

Across the river 10 Northern Lapwings, タゲリ were roaming in the mud

Sharing the field with a Marsh Sandpiper,  コアオアシシギ...

...And many Common Snipes, タシギ

A flock of about 20 Water Pipits, タヒバリ flew by. 

And all by itself was one Far Eastern Curlew, ホウロクシギ  again.

Mountain Dew - the real thing!

Continued from previous post

Touring Mt Aso, Kumamoto in October

This post has not many birds, mostly scenery. But that's what we went for this time. We'd left Fukuoka the evening before and camped out on the rim of the huge crater of which Mt Aso is just a small part. This way we had plenty of time for the first scenery shots at dawn.
It was too early for the autumn colors and the suzuki was not in full swing either, but the mist and the clouds were great and lasted a few hours.

 Views from around Daikambo

6:30 am

  6:00 am

 

7:00 am

Grasses were heavy with dew drops 

Clouds burning off at 9:00 am

Once the sun stood high the temperature rose and the day became quite warm. Butterflies added to the feeling of summer.

A Zitting Cisticola, セッカ warming up in the morning sun

with a Meadow Bunting, ホウジロ nearby

We moved on to Shirataki Waterfall near Gokase

Gokase river and village

We drove up to the top of Mt Gokase, where the ski facilities for the coming winter were reconstructed, and visibility was bad. We could here woodpeckers and other small birds, but didn't see any.

Moving on to the Tsujunkyo aqueduct

Yet a little bit of koyo autumn colors in the trees

Nokonoshima Island, 能古島

The collection of Noko Island photo's is growing, time to publish some. I often take the camera when I walk to the school were I work, but then forget to post the results... 

The summer had been interesting, with small flocks of about 15 Stints roaming the beach. 

Red-necked Stints, トウネン

A single Curlew on the rock wall on the south coast. Probably Far Eastern Curlew, ホウロクシギ

A group of Long-tailed Tits, エナガ occasionally flew in and out of the bush near the school

The resident Pacific Reef Herons. I wonder if they had a nest somewhere...

End of summer

I still feel sad about the trees that were cut last year, but their stumps are now colorful with fungi

Hornets became a problem. they built nests that had to be destroyed. Too bad. 

One of the many stray cats enjoying the sunshine one early morning in September. Do hornets sting them too? 

October came and Flycatchers gathered. 

female Narcissus Flycatcher, キビタキ；Grey-streaked Flycatcher, エゾビタキ

others were there but would not pose for me.

On the 14th the first female Daurian Redstart, ジョウビタキ

The view of the city below is not from Noko Island, but it could have been ;-)