Oita in April

 A few days away from the city. We started off with rain, but the weather improved fast and we didn't have much to complain about except that Jaap could not do the full course on Mt Yufu because of strong winds. I was fine at the foot of the mountains and at Oike looking for birds, flowers and other stuff.

Hikers on  Mt. Yufu

Looks barren and boring, but it's the place where the yellow Violets grow

Flowers at Yufudake: Kisumire, キスミレ (Viola orientalis)

ツボスミレ (Viola verecunda)

タチツボスミレ  (Viola grypoceras）

Below a tiny Iris, 

Sakuraso, サクラソウ (Primula sieboldii), in a swampy area nearby

Moving on to Oike for the night, so we can have an early start the next day. Cold!

Yamafuji, Wisteria brachybotrys (ヤマフジ)

Japanese wisteria (フジ)

When we stopped at Choojabaru it was raining. The Tadewara wetlands were black, they had just been burned. No flowers there, but a surprise in the bird department: A flock of about 30 Buff-bellied Pipits were feeding there, moving quickly. On migration I suppose, but I would never have expected them here at such an altitude.

Chestnut-eared Buntings, ホオアカ had arrived already. 

The rain didn't last long, we moved on to Oike.

Flowers at Oike: Hitorishizuka, ヒトリシズカ（Chloranthus japonicus）

Paeonia obovata (ヤマシャクヤク)

The start of pink mountain sides: Miyama Kirishima (Kirishima Azalea)

Tube flowers, blue, purple, red

Below: Mountain Corydalis Tuber, ヤマエンゴサク（Corydalis lineariloba)

You know it's nearly summer when hoppers start photo-bombing your flower pics

Jiro Bou Corydalis Tuber, ジロボウエンゴサク（Corydalis decumbens)

No idea what these are, but it will come one day ;-)

Mamushikusa, マウシクサ (Arisaema serratum) native Japan

Harurindo, ハルリンドウ（Gentiana thunbergii)? or Fuderindo, フデリンドウ

(Gentiana zollingeri )?

Yotsumon Kamemushi, ヨツモンカメムシ

A Japanese Thrush, クロツグミ was singing from the top of the highest tree

Coal Tits, ヒガラ darting from tree to tree

Loudly marking its territory: Eurasian Wren, ミソサザイ

Equally noisy, but quickly out of sight: Eurasian Jay, カケス

The mystical world of fungi

A spongy kind of fungus at its prime

This place is supposed to be a so called power spot. Probably because of the spring of natural bubbling water. For me the power comes from things like this: Big trees on top of rocks, their roots cracking them like a nut. The power of life.

On the way out: Nihon Anaguma, Japanese Badger ニホンアナグマ