European Golden Plover, ヨーロッパムナグロ

My 2nd attempt to get reasonable images of the foreign visitor in Saga. And they turned out a bit better then 10 days before. Once the bird was located in the crowd it was easy to follow among all the other plovers, the hundreds of Grey Plovers, ダイゼン thanks to the golden color, small head and bill, slender posture. Pretty bird.

The white coloring under the wings distinguishes it from the Pacific Golden Plover, which is colored grey there. Just as well there weren't any of those, the European would be so hard to find!

Our neighbors、ウミアイサ ハジロカイツブリ クロサギ

In the river around the corner. Sometimes they come in the harbor and I get to see them from my bed.

Red-breasted Merganser, ウミアイサ

Black-necked Grebe, ハジロカイツブリ  still in winter dress, so no ears yet

Not at our place, but they sometimes come to visit: Pacific Reef Heron, クロサギ

Imazu in March 3

Checked out some fields further west, where the Pipits usually are. There are not so many right now. Every year is different. -  At the usual place:

8 Little Ringed Plovers, コチドリ

Osprey, ミサゴ with its catch of the day

The Buff-bellied Pipit, タヒバリ that we used to call Water Pipit.

Looked for Little Buntings, but didn't find any, just the look-a-like Chestnut-eared Buntings, ホオアカ

Common Reed Bunting, オオジュリン

Imazu in March 2

There is a lot going on between the 2 genders. Watch these:

Common Kingfisher, カワセミ male

with a mate

2 Bull-headed Shrikes, モズ tollerating each other in their territories...

...coming real close.

The female asking for attention

Mr. and Mrs. Magpie カササギ doing it their way, building 3 nests in a row. I wonder which one they will use.

Look at that stance. The cisticola way

Glad to see the Moorhens, バン Will they make their nest here again?

Next a male Northern Shoveler, ハシビロガモ

Just some shots in flight

Imazu in March 1

With the Corona Virus spreading my workload has lessened considerably. It doesn't seem to be a good idea to visit crowded places, but what's wrong with a walk around the fields?
Hoping to get a glimpse of the Hoopoe I dropped by a number of times. This is what I found these first 10 days of March

Spotted Redshank, ツルシギ

With the Spoonbills, 4 Black-faced, クロツラヘラサギ and one Eurasian, ヘラサギ

Still around, the hybrid American Wigeon, アメリカヒドリ

Female Hen Harrier, ハイイロチュウヒ

Penduline Tits, ツリスガラ. There were about 30 birds actively feeding right in front of me.

Male and female

And suddenly the Common Snipes, タシギ are seen again. But only partly

Baikal Teal, トモエガモ and some of the other ducks at the pond

At the far end, disappearing quickly out of sight.

Male Tufted duck, キンクロハジロ one of many. I was intrigued by the pattern of water drops on its head.

Northern Shovelers, ハシビロガモ doing their thing: feeding in a circle, going round and round... 

At the Nanohana patch

Google won't let me check and publish the English name of this flower. They're censoring strictly. The birds love the seeds. First Warbling White-eye, メジロ

Coming in flocks: Oriental Greenfinch, カワラヒワ

The star of previous visits: Brown-eared Bulbul, ヒヨドリ

Inevitably there: female Daurian Redstart, ジョウビタキ