Drive around Hiroshima pref., part2

Scenes around the villages

Kosmos

No birds this year. Stonechats were flying by but didn't stop to perch on the flowers, Finches and Wagtails sometimes landed between the flowering plants, immediately disappearing out of sight.
A Kestrel came close, but not close enough. Starlings, Bulbuls and Shrikes stayed in the background

Old World Swallowtail, キアゲハ

Burned-spot Hummingbird Hawkmoth, (Hoshihojaku) ホシホウジャク

On the fence behind: Redstart, Wagtail, 2 Sparrows and a Shrike. One Stonechat just left...

The closest I came to Kosunobi コスノビ

Goodnight

Drive around Hiroshima pref, part1: Country style Festival

We were driving from Hiroshima to Fukuoka with our newly purchased RV named Billie Bee and stopped for the night at a hotspring village called Sera. Thus we happened upon this small scale matsuri, a thanksgiving type event with ceremonial dances and a procession. We hung around in the morning and watched the preparations and some rituals at a shrine in the woods.

A portable shrine being decorated

The priest in his finery of woven silk robes

Maiko-san 

Red-backed Shrike, セアカモズ

Cruising the fields I came upon a little surprise. Thinking it was a very young regular Shrike at first I nearly gave it a miss! Where did she come from?

Shrike, but whicih?  何のモズ.....?!

Red-backed Shrike,  Lanius collurio, セアカモズ  

October birds 2x

The Spoonbills are here! Tired from their flight and mostly fast asleep, I counted 16 birds on the 22nd of this month.

Black-faced Spoonbillss, クロツラヘラサギ

The Terek Sandpipers, ソリハシシギ always seem to be in a hurry, running over the mud flats, hardly stopping to pick up bits of food.

Far-Eastern Curlew, ホウロクシギ (Right) and Bar-tailed Godwit, オオソリハシシギ (left)

The last of the season maybe

2 Bar-tailed Godwits, オオソリハシシギ

Another Kestrel, チョウゲンボウ playing with her catch, or whatever it was

Female Siberian Stonechat, ノビタキ some far away, some very close by.

Looking out over the ponds, Peregrine Falcon, ハヤブサ 

Several Ospreys, ミサオ were hunting. One had his mind set on me and flew straigt at me with piercing eyes. Wow!

The 3 Mute Swans, コブハクチョウ seem happyin their extensive playground, getting bread from the locals, eating small fish in the creek.