Wren family, ミソサザイ

I went to Oita to look for the Pitta, but although one was calling nearby, I could not find it in the woods. After a few hours, I gave up and looked for solace around the river where the Wrens were singing. 

Easy to capture, instant satisfaction.

Where are you going with that morsel of food?

My eyes followed the bird to a niche in a tree where 5 little chicks were huddled together.

Is this your nest? No...

It was right in front of me, at eye level, next to the path where hikers and casual visitors were constantly walking.

Mum and Dad were hovering nearby. I kept my distance, but then I noticed them moving out...

...scuddling to another niche between the moss-overgrown rocks

waiting again for the delivery service

This was maybe their first day out!

Small stuff

Things I find when I walk the trails. I love birds, but butterflies come second. After that anything that moves or grows can take my fancy

Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell, ヒオドシチョウ

White Admiral, イチモンジョチョウ

Lillacine Bushbrown, コジャノメ 

Goschkevitschi's Labyrinth, サトキマダラヒカゲ 

Diana Treebrown, クロヒカゲ

Blue Admiral, ルリタテハ

False Helleborine, バイケイソウ just started to bloom

Black spider covered in orange pinheads. Are they spider babies? 

Somebody says mites...

 Not a butterfly, but a moth

Swallow-tailed Moth, Usuki-tsubame-edashaku, ウスキツバメエダシャク 

Tannasawafutagi, タンナサワフタギ

Okukuruma Mugura, オククルマムグラ?

Kinoko mushi, キノコムシ spec

Looks like one of those stinging caterpillars of Dokuga, ドクガ

Better not touch it.

I found this orange-colored something in a bamboo grove on a broad, not bamboo leave. The color was brightly in contrast with all that green. What could this be? Some kind of fungus, like a Rust Fungus, サビキン I guess

クロハラアジサシ, Whiskered Terns

 2 Birds were flying above the 2 lakes, often stopping on a pole or the fence along the road. 

I hadn't seen them for a while and it felt good to watch them cruising up and down the ponds, skimming the edge, diving for food.

Taking a short break.

What are you holding in your beak? Is that a shrimp?

It was nice meeting you again

Around the west.

After the tanchokai meeting we went to a few shrines to check out the Boobooks

A male Mandarine Duck, オシドリ resting on the riverbank at the island. Are these ducks nesting nearby?

New members were happy to hear and watch the Oriental Reed Warbler, オオヨシキリ

Brazilian Waterweed, オオカナダモ

At the 1st shrine: Northern Boobook, アオバズク

At the next shrine one more

Their ladies could not be seen. Already warming eggs?

Ural Owl, フクロウ parent and child

End of May, I didn't expect to see them this year. But I was wrong. M. kindly sent me a message and I was just in time to see 1 chick and 1 parent. The baby was already high up in the tree, looking down at us with a questioning look.

One of the parents was perched nearby, keeping an eye out for the crows.

I didn't see the other parent at all. Maybe there was another chick in the nest, with Mum attending to it.