March birds, 色々

Just a compilation of the first 2 weeks of this month

Common Starling, ホシムクドリ 4 birds

Common Reed Bunting, オオジュリン

Common Snipe, タシギ

Red-breasted Mergansers, ウミアイサ

male

Little Grebes, カイツブリ

winter and summer plumage, 冬羽と夏羽

In spring the Spoonbills get these funny punky hairdo's. Good on windy days

Eurasian Spoonbill, ヘラサギ left and Black-faced Spoonbill, クロツラヘラサギ right

Black-faced Spoonbill, クロツラヘラサギ

Dunlins, ハマシギ

Gadwall, オカヨシガモ

A Black-crowned Night Heron, ゴイサギ decided to come out of hiding for a while There seem to be 12 birds

Migrators will start coming soon!

March Raptors

ダイサービス from an Eastern Buzzard, ノスリ

Climbed the hill to see these Eurasian Sparrowhawks, ハイタカ

Peregrine Falcon, ハヤブサ

Hikosan, 英彦山

In early spring we like to visit Mt. Hiko, or Hikosan. However the floods of 2 years ago made it too difficult for a while since many roads were closed and even today a part of the area is barred off. We saw enormous mounts of rubble covering everything in the valey. It will take a long time to clean that all up. As Jaap made his way to the top I hung around to find wings and things

Chinese Hwamei, ガブチョウ

Japanese Grosbeak, イカル

Can you find more than 21 birds?

Ryukyu Ashy Minivet, リュウキュウサンショウクイ

Bullfinch, ウソ

Seriba Oren  Coptis japonica (Thunb.) Makino var. major  セリバオウレン 

Didn't see any deer this time, but found one skeleton

First flowers of the season: Nanohana, Mitsumata, Sumire

After Plum Blossom it is time for Nanohana...

Rapeseed blossom, brassica napus (菜の花) is used for oil and eaten as a Japanese vegetable in spring. The bright yellow fields are like an explosion of spring

... and Mitsumata

Oriental Paperbush, Edgewortia chrysanha (ミツマタ) The wood is used for Japanese paper.

Here with my first butterfly this year: Indian Red Admiral, アカタテハ

Japanese Violet, Viola mandshurica (スミレ)

Sago palm (ソテツ)

Grey-headed Lapwing, ケリ

On the way to a meeting I stopped briefly and saw a few couples in the fields. All of them with ragged feathers. They will be nesting soon.

Later that day a Pale Thrush, シロハラ.

... And a Red-flanked Bluetail, ルリビタキ that quickly retreated in the dark bushes