The Three Companions

So this post is gonna be another post to clear up photos in my stock. These shots were all taken around Beppu Ropeway area. Tits are the most common yet very cute birds around here. I went to see the Varied Tit's nest I've found last time but seemed like the birds had already left it. However, another pair of Varied Tits was seen carrying some food into another nest box in the park near the cable car station.

This set of photos is the best I've ever get from the Varied Tit. There was another bird behind the one here. That individual had some kind of food in its beak but it was strangely doing a begging gesture towards this one. I've no idea what kind of message that bird was trying to say.

More from the same bird

Apart from the Varied Tit, I also got a very nice opportunity to photograph the Coal Tit which you might have seen earlier in this post. A pair of this bird tried to investigate me and my white Canon lens. They came in very close and I just had to put my camera down and watched them with bare eyes when they came too close for my lens to focus. One of the bird, which should be the male, was very busy finding food for another one. The male bird was also the one that often sings.

The last species of tit family I photographed that day is the super cute Long-tailed Tit. It was probably the most numerous species at the summit of Mt.Tsurumi. I always see a flock of this bird moving around in the forest behind the cable car station. However, I couldn't get many photos because it was too dark and the birds also moved very fast. So here are the only 2 acceptable shots I've got.

Other than the tits, birds around the park near the cable car station were very good. The same pair of Asian Brown Flycatcher was still staying around. I saw one bird brought food for another one. Not too soon, they must be nesting somewhere around here. A flock of Ryukyu Minivets was flying around as well. The birds kept staying only on high canopy, so I couldn't get any photo of them though. Japanese Grosbeak was quite numerous and all of them were moving in pairs. I saw a flock coming down to take bath at the waterhole too, but these birds are always too shy for me to get any shot at close range.

Asian Brown Flycatcher

A Japanese Grosbeak to finish off with.

Too Close!

These photos of Coal Tit were taken near the summit of Mt. Tsurumi last Sunday. I've only been to the summit once in autumn and I wanted to know how it'd look like in spring, so I decided to pay 1,400yen to get on the cable car. There were not so many birds around the summit though. Only few common species like Meadow Buntings, Long-tailed, Japanese and Coal Tits, and Bull-headed Shrikes were found. However, a pair of Coal Tit seemed to be intrigued by my appearance and for some reason came very close to me. The closest they came was like only a foot away from me. So here are some giant Coal Tit photos for all of you.

Coal Tit in Japan has small black crest.

This was the first photo I took.

Which later all shots became like this!

Lively Spring

Sorry for posting multiple entries altogether but I just don't want to keep them for so long. So here are some bird photos I've taken in the forest around Beppu Ropeway last Saturday. The forest was full with birds and their sweet songs. The Blue-and-white Flycatcher's song was the main soundtrack of the day, combining with the songs of Eastern Crowned Warblers, Winter Wren, Japanese Thrush, Coal Tits and Oriental Cuckoos! Another new experience for me birding in this small Beppu.

Blue-and-white Flycatchers were numerous and very vocal.

Male Siberian Meadow Bunting

An Oriental Cuckoo; nice distance, but terrible surroundings.

And here's a very nice surroundings with terrible distance!

Red-billed Leiothrix

Juvenile Long-tailed Tits

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Male Japanese Thrush

I found lots of new species for my Beppu list as well as one personal lifer, a Japanese Thrush. The additions to the list include one female Siberian Thrush, Eyebrowed Thrush, Oriental Cuckoo, White-backed Woodpecker, Eastern Crowned Warbler and Eurasian Jay.

A chubby-looking Black-eared Kite

Eastern Crowned Warbler with prey

And some singing shots

More Blue-and-white Flycatcher

A record shot of the Eyebrowed Thrush

Japanese White-eye

Coal Tits were also actively singing.

They also have small crests too. Reminds me of the Taiwanese subspecies I've seen.

The bird on the left is a female. It kept begging another bird for more preys,
even though it could also catch preys for itself.

And a nice view of Beppu city to end this entry.