Ohisashiburi no Imazu

End of March. Not much is happening as far as I can tell. My visits to Imazu are short, no chance to look carefully. This is what I found:

The American Wigeon, アメリカヒドリ with his girlfriend still sticking around at the usual location

A Peregrine Falcon, ハヤブサ gets mobbed by the crows

Common Sandpiper, イソシギ in the sun

It felt as if I was looking at a majestic statue on the top of a Japanese roof. Suddenly it took off

Eastern Buzzard, ノスリ

Great Crested Grebes, カンムリカイツブリ are showing summer colors now.

Chestnut-eared Bunting, ホオアカ

The winter flock of Oriental Greenfinch, カワラヒワ is not very big this year. Where are the Bramblings?

Great Egrets, ダイサギ gathered with their heads in the wind

Little Egrets, コサギ are becoming real pretty

Then April came and on the first day new Egrets appeared!

3 Intermediate Egrets, チュウサギ

It's a start

Herons and Egrets

May 6th, the day after Childrens' Day. We stopped at the colony to see the first kids. It was raining on and off. What a wet world! I hoped the rain would stop. It got down to a drizzle, but lasted the rest of the day...  Ah well. Better this than too much brightness and too much sunshine. 

The Great Egrets, ダイサギ were all in some stage of nesting. Many showed their beautiful feathers in display. 

Some were still cuddling

Others had very small chicks

And some had eggs, blueish white, 3 or 4

Guarding the nest is a stressful job. Raising the kids even more so.

Black-crowned Night Herons, ゴイサギ look pretty in their breeding colors. Several had nests, other seemed to just roam around a bit, often annoying parents.

Grey Herons, アオサギ

Their offspring seems rather ugly...

Last beauty

I want to go there again. Maybe I can see Little and Intermediate Egrets and Cattle Egrets. Who knows!

Heron colony

Driving through Kumamoto's country side, I happened upon this place were many herons and egrets were nesting on top of each other on what looked like a small island-type bit of land. Mostly Great Egrets and some Grey herons, but also Nightherons and Little Grebes. Such a lively scene. I could just sit there and watch it all day long...

お久しぶりでした

Chinese Egrets, カラシラサギ

On May 3rd I found the 2 Chinese Egrets, カラシラサギ feeding together in the middle of the mudflats - far away. The tide was out and the birds didn't come any closer. I left to run some errands. 

When I returned it was after midday and the waterline had risen, so I could expect the birds to be closer to shore. I found one near the island...

...and the other one towards the east.

Before the tide was completely in one bird came to rest on the partly submerged concrete slab

Besides the Great Egret,ダイサギ there were Whimbrels, チュウシャクシギ as 1 Far-Eastern Curlew, ホウロクシギ flew in

  The 2nd Chinese Egret arrived soon

All in a row, from L to R: Chinese, Great, Chinese, Great and Little Egret

カラシラサギ、ダイサギ、カラシラサギ、ダイサギ、コサギ

In the meadows were a few Cattle Egrets, アマサギ

other birds included Grey-tailed Tattler, キアシシシギ

...and Common Greenshank, アオアシシギ