Aisatsu

Aisatsu

This blog is for family and friends, to share my feelings and photos with and for myself, to support my fading memory. Readers who have my site translated automatically, please refer to the original if necessary. Especially when it comes to identification. Any comments, anonymous or by email name are always welcome!.

Friday, 10 January 2020

Aneha 1

On January 4th we drove to Kagoshima and stopped at the crane reserve in Izumi. This year there was an unusual winter guest, the Demoiselle Crane that I hoped to see, but was reportedly very difficult to spot. However, if you don't swing a bat.... You'll never hit a home bird. Nor a home run

In front of the Observation center birds were busy feeding. An impressive amount of 15161 cranes had arrived this winter. Much more then the few thousand of 30 years ago, when I first came here.
Huge bags of grains are kept here to keep their stomachs happy. 

Note the Black Kite,トビ in the back


The numbers:

 Hooded Crane, ナベヅル 13501
White-naped Crane, マナヅル 1642
Sandhill Crane, カナダヅル 7
Common Crane, クロヅル 4
Demoiselle Crane, アネハヅル 1
Am I going to find the only 1

After lunch I started walking around in the western part of the reclaimed land. I really didn't expect much and was at one stage more looking out for other birders. There didn't seem to be any at that time. Wrong time of the day? Then a young man on a bike lifted his binos. A local? He should know the pattern. I started searching that way, too. And... BINGO!

Demoiselle Crane, アネハヅル






I hurried back to the car to get Jaap and a bigger lens, and on return only had 1 minute before they flew. Just 1! I felt exhilarated, too excited to pay attention to anything else. The light was fading, we walked back to the car. Little by little I started noticing other wings.

Northern Lapwing, タゲリ



Water Pipit, タヒバリ



Not only cranes, lots of ducks come here as well, attracted by the free meals I suppose.



Have to stop for the local residents, Mr and Mrs Daurian Redstart, ジョウビタキ. My respects.





The sweetest girl on wings



That evening...







...we parked Billie B at the lot behind the public toilets, cooked our favorite pasta and slept well!


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