Every spring I visit this mountain, where I can see eagles and summer birds. This time there were no eagles for me and very few other birds. Walking the trails I could hear the calls of flycatchers, thrushes, cuckoos etc, but very few came close.
Early in the morning: White's Thrush, トラツグミ. It was still dark and difficult to see, let alone focus. I was surprised how it turned out. Can you see the bird?
Male Blue-and-white Flycatcher, オオルリ singing from the top of the trees
A female with a dragonfly for dinner. I thought she might be taking to her nest, but instead she ate it herself.
After listening to their calls, one finally descended from the tall trees for 10 seconds, a whopping 25m away, Narcissus Flycatcher, キビタキ
Down in the valley some Jays, カケス were flying around the foliage. I could hear them and see them, but it was so hard to take a picture.
A female Japanese Thrush, クロツグミ catching insects in the sun. It was so far from where I stood, I had to see it on the computer screen to get a positive ID.
I had never seen a female's underwings being so red before. For a moment I was thinking of another thrush, maybe Brown-headed Thrush. Could it be breeding here?
Ruddy Kingfishers were calling from several directions. I wondered how the many photographers at the usual location were doing. I decided to avoid them, though walking in the woods by myself made me feel very lonely.
After all these distant sightings I got tired and cheered myself up with non-moving stuff for a while.
Sekkoku Lan, セッコクラン
Google sensei is very helpful.
Mizutabirako, ミズタビラコ
Laceshrub, コゴメウツギ
Sabano-o, サバノオ
オオバアサガラ
Kind of Skullcap, maybe Mountain Skullcap, タツナミソウ
Japanese Fox Grass, Futari Shizuka, フタリシズカ
Google sensei says this is Sawagurumi, サワグルミ
I'm trying to remember the flowers' names, so I won't have to ask again next year. Will I succeed?
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