Kanatake in December

  The day of the monthly walk was cold, windy and snowy. I could not attend from the start and spent just a few minutes walking around. Coming from a country where there is no color in winter I am always amazed by the beauty of white snow on red berries and.

Spider webs with snow are equally astonishing

An impaled cricket, はやにえのコオロギ

I returned on a sunny day after the cold spell. There were lots of small birds up in the tree tops. I could hear a Red-flanked Bluetail, ルリビタキ. It stopped briefly before fluttering away.

An Eastern Buzzard, ノスリ flew low over the tree tops. 

It headed for the trees on the north side,

After a whole lot of nothing in Imazu, this was a real relief

Crested Kingfisher, ヤマセミ in the snow, 雪

 When the snow stopped, I ventured on to the mountains, slowly, carefully, ready to turn around when necessary. Frankie, my tiny Honda, took me to the school. From there I walked. It was cold, but the scenery was interesting and I fell in luck with the 2 Kingfishers.

Icicles after long time no see. (This English is so bad!) 久しぶりのつらら。

Ice, 氷 close-up

Peregrine Falcon, ハヤブサ nr 3

 I wonder how many Peregrine Falcons we have frequenting the west. This one looks different again from previously published birds. They were adults. Here is a juvenile

Not successful yet

Big yawn

hungry?

And then there is another one it seems...

Last from the NE

I knew this place. I had been here with friends to look for a Pond Heron. It was in my "un-ga-warui" days and I wasn't in luck. But this time I saw it. 

Chinese Pond Heron, アカガシラサギ　winter feathers

2 photos from the previous time, when an Oriental Stork, コウノトリ flew by

More from the NE 3

Driving on I found the Teals in a small coal pit. 400-500 birds

Not a place for a good close look, but the sheer number of birds made the visit worthwhile

More from the NE 2

 I had arrived early and was surprised by the flocks of ducks roaming the sky.

The morning mist hung low over the pond

More ducks in the air. I think they were all Baikal Teal, トモエガモ

It didn't take long for raptors to show up. Eastern Buzzard, ノスリ 

Eurasian Sparrowhawk, ハイタカ

Watching me watching you. Female Daurian Redstart, ジョウビタキ

オオカワラヒワ, a subspecies of the Oriental Greenfinch

to be continued