Happy New Year 2019

Last birds of the year, part 3

Several Nightherons have come to Imazu. The other day I counted 4, 2 Juveniles and 2 adults

Black-crowned Night Heron, ゴイサギ

Water Pipit or Buff-bellied Pipit?, タヒバリ

Eurasian and Black-faced Spoonbills, ヘラサギ, クロツラヘラサギ

A Common Teal, コガモ in late afternoon light

Just a few Shelducks, ツクシガモ this year.

Always around, Eurasian Magpie, カササギ. What did he steal this time???

Merlin, コチョウゲンボウ

Not the tinyest of all falcons, nonetheless a very small sized bird, but a fierce raptor. It sent a large flock of ducks flying off to seek shelter. Respect for this female.

Enlargement to show the claws

Flying over Itoshima

Last birds of the year, part 2

Some of my favorite winter birds. I'd hate this season without them

male Red-breasted Merganser, ウミアイサ

female Red-breasted Merganser, ウミアイサ

She kind of looks hystirical with those dark eyes and punky feathers 

Saunders's Gull, ズグロカモメ

Black-headed Gull, ユリカモメ

I wonder if wild birds make friends with other birds of a different kind.

This Black-headed Gull, ユリカモメ seems to like this Great Cormorant, カワウ

Panning with slow shutterspeed... Osprey, ミサゴ

The Black Kite,トビ below clearly had enough of that crow bothering him.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk, ハイタカ

Not often we see this bird in Imazu, just resting in a tree, taking its time to stretch and preen.

Last birds of the year, part 1

The last few weeks of December were remarkibly warm, as if winter wasn't going to happen. That was wishful thinking of course. I went to the Cowneck dam to see the Rose finches, but was out of luck. That day the weather was so good! Sunny, warm, pleasant. A real bad day for birding. But it wasn't only the weather. A hawk flying over frequently didn't help eiher...
So I played with the Daurian Redstarts for a while.

female Daurian Redstart, ジョウビタキ

male Daurian Redstart, ジョウビタキ

Black-faced Bunting, アオジ

One extremely shy Pale Thrush, シロハラ

Long-tailed Tit, エナガ

Female Yellow-throated Bunting, ミヤマホオジロ

A flock hung around nearby, but would not come close. 

Birding update Imazu 今津 December 9th

The cold has come! Still not used to it I felt reluctant to go out, but Sundays come only once a week. There are days that birding is so slow, you wonder where everyone is hanging out and you might as well go back home. But it's never been as bad as today. No thrushes, not even 1. VERY few shrikes and redstarts, no bulbuls to speak of, and also very few ducks. And it wasn't even sunny! I looked up at the sky and saw 1 falcon just briefly. Above the river however Ospreys were hunting in groups. I counted 10. High tide covered the mud. I didn't go there. I walked around out of habit. Suddenly something jumped. I saw brown tail with a white tip.... A Fox!!! Never thought there would be any in Imazu.

Red Fox, キツネ 

The western lake is drying out again. The only lively scene today.

Ospreys, ミサゴ

10 + birds hunting together

Our Mute Swan, コブハクチョウ wondering were all the people had gone on this cold and windy day.

Another animal: Japanese Weasel, イタチ taking his time, not expecting me

Among the regular ducks like Wigeons, Pochards, Mallards and Spot-billed ducks were 2 Tufted Ducks, キンクロハジロ...

... and 8 Gadwalls, オカヨシガモ  (male and eclipse?) 

(female and eclipse?)

Oriental Greenfinches, カワラヒワ replacing the leaves of the tree.

The only bird I saw plenty of, though the flock really was not that big

Coming from the Netherlands it always surprises me to see flowers in December