Phalarope and terns

The 4th weekend of September at Imazu:

6 Whiskered Terns,  クロハラアジサシ

Young birds with brown scaly markings, already moulting

Common Magpie, カササギ

On to Itoshima, where a Red-necked Phalarope, アカエリヒレアシシギ was taking a bath

Also at the same location: Black-faced Spoonbill, クロツラヘラサギ. Had he just arrived? Maybe not, I've seen a single bird here on another day this summer.

And 1 Spotted Redshank, ツルヒギ. Other waders had just been chased off by a raptor

Looking for color, Higambana 彼岸花, Red Spider Lily (Amaryllis) along a country road.

With this last splash of fire-red the hot days will be over soon. 

Copper Pheasant, アカヤマドリ - again

I went to see this bird in May and was surprised to hear that he was still around in September, regularly coming out of the bush. And that there were young birds, too. Really? I ha to see this, so I looked him up and sure, he did appear, but without his family. I was happy to see him, though.
However, he seemed not pleased with my visit at all and chased me away. At one stage he flew out to my head and tore at my hat as in an attack. I quickly got back into the car, where he followed me to the point that he seemed about to get in as well! Wow!
I shut the doors and windows and waited for him to calm down. Later, when he seemed at ease, quietly picking at some food, I tried again. I got some photos, but he made me run back to the parking lot 3 times!.. :-)

Out on the road the sunlight caught him and turned his feathers a beautiful shiny copper red.

One of the first things he did was eating my little friend the Praying Mantis who'd kept me company while I was sitting on the side of the small mountain road, waiting for the birds to come out.

He snapped it's head right off. Then I remembered that the female mantis does that too to the male when mating. Maybe he didn't feel so bad then after all.

  

His long tail isn't as magnificent as before, when it was spring. But he looked still great and majestic.

 

After the typhoon 2

The next day after work I returned. The number of Common Snipes had increased and they seemed to be having a party, jumping, dancing, very active.

 About 6 Pacific Golden Plovers in a nearby field cheered me up. 

One them, grey colored with a rather plain face, must be a Gray Plover, 

The group photo with a Common Snipe among them makes them seem so sociable

On the way home, it was getting darkish, I noticed 2 terns at the usual ponds. Stopping briefly, just to take a quick photo doesn't work with these... 

Whiskered Tern, クロハラアジサシ ?

Common Tern, アジサシ ? 

After the typhoon 1

On the 18th of September - it was a national holiday T and I set out with a load of expectations.
We started in Imazu where our Long-tailed Shrike was soon spotted.

He was with a bunch - sorry, flock - of White-cheeked Starlings, ムクドリ feeding near a fence. T discovered the odd one out: Chestnut-cheeked Starling, コムクドリ. Just 1

We didn't notice any new ducks and when we checked out the river there were very few, next to no birds. Ehh?? It wasn't quite high tide yet, so we decided to continue towards the fields in the west.
And wherever we went we got the same surprise: very very few birds. Many had left, riding on the Northern winds and no others had arrived to fill the gaps... ?

One lonely Ruff, エリマキシギ

While watching the bird preening we noticed 2 more pairs of watchful eyes: Common Snipe, タシギ

Despite the small number of waders, or maybe thanks to this we saw more Snipes, mostly Common,  but also a Swinhoe's in flight.

In the end we stopped at a small field where just one Broad-billed Sandpiper, キリアイ was feeding, occasionally accompanied by a Common Greenshank, アオアシシギ and a Green sandpiper, クサシギ. We spend a long time here, so this post still got a lot of photographs.

  

Common Greenshank, アオアシシギ

Green sandpiper, クサシギ

  

What a strange day.