Ruddy Day

I woke up early this morning and biked to Furui-chi before sunrise. Not so many birds around actually. The teals were all gone and the fields looked lifeless without them. No egrets either, but a single Whimbrel did show up briefly before flying out towards the sea. Two very shy Moorhens were feeding along with Common Snipes and Little Ringed Plovers in the newly prepared field. Several new comers include at least 4 individuals of Oriental Reed Warbler which are now occupying every reedbed in the area and 1-2 displaying Zitting Cisticolas. The reed warblers were very active in chasing each others and the fields were filled with their strange ugly songs. All of these, I could only watch in a distance. What appeared to be the most photographable object of the day was surprisingly the Ruddy-breasted Crake.

And what I meant by photographable is exactly just able to photograph. It surprised me how frequent I came across these birds today. I think there were at least 4 individuals in the 2 separated fields, maybe they are pairs. It's almost like everywhere I go, a Ruddy-breasted Crake will come out. As you can see in the photos above, all were taken in different period of time and different locations. The one in the reed was the only individual that let me get quite close. Others were just too shy to get a decent pic. According to my last year's record, I think their chicks will be coming out in only a month or two.