Terns in Saga, コアジサシ

I visited the mudflats of the Ariake Sea and found 7 of them resting on this log. Happy!

Little Tern, コアジサシ

Bathing time, 水浴び　among the Dunlins, ハマシギ

Other birds will be shown in the next post

Last birds of Q1 - and some small stuff

March is over - the cold days, too? I hope so. After the snow in the 3rd week of March everything happened at once. Suddenly the swallows arrived and the cherry trees were in bloom. 2 Little Ringed Plovers roamed on the grass next to the dock in the harbor. The Blue Rock Thrushes are singing their heart out, till late at night. Checking my various points in the west:

Juvenile Sparrowhawk, ハイタカ - gender unknown

A White Wagtail. Motacilla alba leucopsis, ホオジロハクセキレイ? or lugens, ハクセキレイ without an eye line? Looking at the bill and shape of the head, I think the latter 

A Rustic Bunting, カシラダカ in Imazu. 

The American Wigeon, アメリカヒドリ has been here all winter

A female Bull-headed Shrike, モズ waiting for her mate

Little Ringed Plovers, コチドリ in the harbor

At the damlake the Mandarin Ducks, オシドリ were very active - preparing to leave.

I didn't see these flowers last year, nor the year before. So I made an effort.

Tsukushi Shojobakama, ツクシショウジョウバカマ

Japanese Ophiorrhiza, サツマイナモリ 

Corylopsis (Witch Hazel family) トサミズキ

Japanese Knotweed Leaf Beetle, イタドリハムシ 

Not many butterflies yet. Sujiguro Shirocho, スジグロシロチョウ - Pieris melete

The first chicks, Brown Dipper, カワガラス

Walking along the river I could hear them calling, parent and child. I waited untill they came in view.  From a bridge, I could safely watch these 2.

A parent rushing in, bringing food

The baby blended perfectly in the background of the river. I saw it only when it moved

Getting some more

The chick could fly a little and hopped from stone to stone. It dipped its head in the water, but did not find much.

It heard the parent coming back. Mama, papa, I'm hungry!!!

I saw only 1 parent and 1 chick, but there seemed to be more around the bend.

At the same location: Amana flowers, アマナ

Wild flowers in spring

A collection of wild flowers from March 24th in Kumamoto prefecture, near Mt Aso

Forked-stem Adonis, フクジュソウ   Adonis ramosa

Seriba-ohren, セリバオウレン   Coptis japonica var. major

bisexual flower

male flower

male flower

Yamaneko no Mesou (Wildcat's Eye Grass), ヤマネコノメソウ

Chrysosplenium japonicum

White-flowered cat's-eye, シロバナネコノメソウ   Chrysosplenium album

Narrow-leaved Fritillary, ホソバナコバイモ   Fritillaria amabilis

Higokobaimo, Kyushu's Fritillary, ヒゴコバイモ   Fritillaria. kiusiana

Tsukushi-shojo-bakama, ツクシショウジョウバカマ   Heloniopsis orientalis

Haru Toranoo, ハルトラノオ   Bistorta tenuicaulis

Blue Violet (Aoisumire), アオイスミレ   Viola hondoensis

Blunt-lobed Spice bush, ダンコウバイ   Lindera obtusiloba

Japanese Hazel, ツノハシバミ   Corylus sieboldiana

Drooping male inflorescence and female flower

Oriental Paperbush, ミツマタ   Edgeworthia chrysantha