October birds 2x

The Spoonbills are here! Tired from their flight and mostly fast asleep, I counted 16 birds on the 22nd of this month.

Black-faced Spoonbillss, クロツラヘラサギ

The Terek Sandpipers, ソリハシシギ always seem to be in a hurry, running over the mud flats, hardly stopping to pick up bits of food.

Far-Eastern Curlew, ホウロクシギ (Right) and Bar-tailed Godwit, オオソリハシシギ (left)

The last of the season maybe

2 Bar-tailed Godwits, オオソリハシシギ

Another Kestrel, チョウゲンボウ playing with her catch, or whatever it was

Female Siberian Stonechat, ノビタキ some far away, some very close by.

Looking out over the ponds, Peregrine Falcon, ハヤブサ 

Several Ospreys, ミサオ were hunting. One had his mind set on me and flew straigt at me with piercing eyes. Wow!

The 3 Mute Swans, コブハクチョウ seem happyin their extensive playground, getting bread from the locals, eating small fish in the creek.

October birds 1

The summer is over and birds have come back. Though the migrating season started already over a month ago, October is the month when it gets interesting. The crops are harvested. Frogs and insects are now an easy catch and many birds gather, eager to get their share.

7 Great Egrets, ダイサギ and 1 Little Egret, コサギ

Flocks of Wagtails are roaming the barren fieds. What is this one?

An ordinairy White Wagtail, Motacilla alba, ハクセキレイ  I guess

As every year I take record of the first Kestrel, チョウゲンボウ this time a female in Kanatake on the 16th

And the first Daurian Redstart, ジョウビタキ In Imazu: October 21st

A female, soon followed by a young male

There are many more ducks now. Below a Eurasian Wigeon, ヒドリガモ

3 Northern Pintails, オナガガモ

Several Pochards, ホシハジロ and 2 Tufted Ducks, ギンクロハジロ

Coming back home there were 2 female Daurian Redstarts, ジョウビタキ in the harbor, catching bugs around the nori stacks

Winter is coming

Kanatake Walk October 16th

It was a beautiful day with little wind and pleasant sunshine. Not hot, not cold. I wish all days were like that!

First flower: Isodon, (Yamahakka) ヤマハッカ　

Large Forest Ghost Flower, (O-nanbangiseru) オオ ナンバンギセル

Somewhere there is a bird in there. 10 points for the finder

Green Sandpiper, クサシギ

 On the road a flat dead snake, Tiger Keelback, ヤマカガシ What happened? A car?

There are several wild strawberries in Japan, some sweet, others not. These are good!

Winter Strawberry, (Fuyu Ichigo) フユイチゴ

Asian Jumping Mantis, (Kokamakiri) コカマキリ

It has identifying markings on the inside of the front legs, not visible on the photo :-( 

The second pond we checked had many Mandarin Ducks, we counted 19

I only could take this bad picture, sorry

This is the season for spiders and boy, there are spiders! Everywhere! Webs, too

Joro Spider or Golden Orb-web Spider, ジョロウグモ

Horsehair Worm, (Hariganemushi) ハリガネムシ　

These worms live inside other insects, like Mantis or sometimes Grasshopper and leave their host at one stage to continue living in water. We saw one that had apparently left a Mantis just before. The Mantis was dead. Gruesome but interesting. I have seen Mantis jumping in the water and I wondered why. Apparently the worm can make them do that. Hmmmm

Tea, チャ　チャノハナ chanohana

The leaves resemble a six-pack, said N-san. Haha, not a real six-pack of beer then.

Trying out the six-pack: Chabane Aokamemushi, チャバネアオカメムシ. One of many green Stink Bugs.

Female Bull-headed Shrike, モズ ♀

Buckwheat, (Soba) ソバ

Japanese Broad-winged Katydid, (Satokudamakimodoki) サトクダマキモドキ

Risu Akane, リスアカネ

Japanese Ivy, (Kizuta) キヅタ

Mountain Asparagus, (Udo) ウド

Another dead Tiger Keelback, ヤマカガシ Not flat, no car accident. What happened??? 

Grey wagtail, キセキレイ

What is this? A fly? a bee? a wasp?

Eastern Buzzard, ノスリ

There is that pretty butterfly again, perched on the Water Pepper, ミソソバ

Peacock Pansy, (Tateha Modoki) タテハモドキ, dry season variant (different pattern on the outside from wet season var.)

Asian Comma, キタテハ

 Small Copper, ベニシジミ

マユタテアカネ Mayutateakane ♂