A Bunch Of Unproductiveness

Even though I have already complained about the lack of birds during this winter in a few other posts, this post is also dedicated to the same topic. Sekinoe kept disappointing me so bad that I have lost my motivation to visit it again. I've been thinking of going to Oita River for a few days now, but I also fear of not seeing any decent bird. This winter seems to be much delayed too, so I am not sure if interesting migrants like the Baikal Teal that I found last winter or the Japanese Waxwing that I missed, have already arrived or not. Anyway, at least I have found 2 Beppu's firsts during this season, which are the Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) that I found both at Hamawaki and Rakutenchi, and the Common Coot (Fulica atra) at Sekinoe and Furuichi.

Juvenile Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) at Hamawaki on December 6, 2011.

Possibly different juvenile Eurasian Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) at Sekinoe

The only Accipiter hawk that I've found in Beppu has always been the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). This winter has been a little bit different because 2 Japanese Sparrowhawks were found in the southern part of Beppu including Hamawaki and Rakutenchi entrance. I was actually unsure about the identification of the bird in the first picture at first, but after sending it to a raptor expert, I was confirmed that it is a juvenile Japanese Sparrowhawk. It has different streaking and barring pattern on the underparts with a much shorter tail. Juvenile Eurasian Sparrowhawk has no vertical streaking on the breast with a much longer tail.

Male Common Teal (Anas crecca)

A flock of Common Teals resting in the afternoon

Eclipse male and female stretching wings

Comparing to other years, the number of waterfowls at Sekinoe is quite disappointing. Normally, a large flock of Common Teals (Anas crecca) would be filling the whole lotus fields by late November. However, this year there were only about 20 birds. There was a pair of male Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) among the flock of Common Teals and a single Common Coot (Fulica atra) swimming in the river.I was so shocked to see the emptiness of the fields. Only a pair of Common Sandpipers, a lone Buff-bellied Pipit, a Grey Wagtail and a pair of Japanese Wagtail were found feeding in the fields at Sekinoe. Things are a little bit better on Furuichi side. I flushed up a single male Greater Painted-Snipe and an extremely shy Ruddy-breasted Crake was seen moving and calling in the grass.

Male Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

Ruddy-breasted Crake (Porzana fusca erythrothorax)

Male Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)

And the female

This year even the Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) which normally passes through Beppu in a large number seems to be fewer than ever. I've always got decent shots of this species during autumn either at Sekino or Beppu Park easily without much effort. However, this year it was more difficult for me to get any decent shot of the birds. Apart from these usual migrants, I also found a single Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) soaring above Sekinoe field and a few Black-faced Buntings (Emberiza spodocephala personata) flicking within the reeds. It's the species that I'm still waiting to get a decent shot of. On my recent visit on December 4, I also found another Common Coot feeding in an open lotus field along with a small flock of Common Teals at Furuichi.

Common Coot (Fulica atra)

Male Bull-headed Shrike (Lanius bucephalus)

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Female Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala personata)

Greater Painted-Snipes

The afternoon of May 11th saw me sitting still for hours trying to get some good photos of the extremely shy Greater Painted-Snipes (Rostratula benghalensis) at Sekinoe. A pair of male and female birds was found staying closely together in the lotus fields. Even though never been so numerous, these birds can be found regularly each year during late spring and summer. Sometimes they can be found during winter too. In fact, I just flushed up a male bird from a flooded grassy field a few weeks ago at Furuichi. Anyway, they're much easier to see during summer since they normally build nests in the lotus fields either in Sekinoe or Furuichi. This year, sadly because my camera dropped into the mud, so I was unable to get some photos of them at the nest. Unfortunately, I heard from Tonai-san, another birder that regularly visited the nest, that the nest failed because the eggs were swallowed by a snake.

Male Greater Painted-Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis)

Male (left) and female (right)

If asking me to make a list of most difficult birds to photograph, this beautiful Greater Painted-Snipe would definitely be in the list. It's just so cryptic and extremely difficult to get good photos. Although some people might be lucky to get decent shots without much effort, these birds have never been so easy for me. It's the bird that I need to try to take photos of it everytime that I come across. Apart from being so shy and camouflaging, these birds have another thing that makes photography even more difficult, their patience. They're the most patient bird I've ever seen. They can sit still, even in water, for hours. I tried to compete with their patience but I've always lost. I've always ended up moving a bit forward, which always consequently made them flush.

Male Greater Painted-Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis)

After sitting still for almost half an hour, the male bird in the above photo decided to relax and stood up but it also decided to fly away shortly afterward. These are my best attempt for May 11th. There was 1 female bird in the fields with at least 2 males. You can see that the female bird, which is strikingly beautiful, is much more hideous than the male. The dull and slightly smaller male bird is also the one that takes care of incubation and the chicks, just like the phalaropes. And even though they look like snipes, they're actually more related to rails!

Female Greater Painted-Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis)

Can you find both of the birds in the above photos?

I went back again on the next day trying to get some better photos, but not only was I unable to get any better shot, my camera and lens also fell off the tripod and dropped into the mud while trying to follow them. I'll surely remember these birds forever. Finally, I'd like to end this post with a photo and video of them performing their courtship display at dusk. These birds are also nocturnal, so they become more active when the sun goes down. I had to push the ISO up to 3200 so please bare with noise. In the video, you can see the birds doing their creepy rituals of nodding their heads and tails, before the male bird climbs up on the female's back and falls off so miserably. My apologies for the size of the birds, but this is the only distance which they feel comfortable enough to move themselves around freely.

In The Reed

January 23 saw me wandering around Sekinoe for the last time before flying back to Thailand. It was a beautiful morning with clear blue sky and nice warm morning light. I initially wanted to get some better shots of the White-winged Scoter, but the bird was still hundred metres away in the sea as usual, so I failed to do so. I then walked along the reedbed and found that there were quite many Reed Buntings feeding in it. I still haven't managed to get a decent shot of this species so I spent time trying to photograph them. Some of the males have already possessed some of the breeding features like blackish feathers on its head and breast.

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

I walked along a small road to the APU's dorm which is sided by a small area of reeds. I surprisingly came across a very tame Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis). It was feeding quietly in the undergrowth on the roadside. I frequently see the species during early spring, when it shows off its flight display over the grassland. Although a fairly common species, I've never been able to photograph it here in Japan before. This time, the bird was kind enough to let me grab a few shots before disappearing into the reeds. The subspecies C. j.brunniceps is the subspecies found in Japan and northern Philippines. It looks really different from the subspecies C.j.malaya which is found in Thailand.

Non-breeding Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis brunniceps)

Oriental Bush Warbler (Cettia diphone)

The geese were still doing well, here's the Tundra Bean (A.f.serrirostris)

This Black-eared Kite seemed to be collecting nesting materials.

I walked to the fish pond near the lotus field and was surprised by a large flock of the Japanese Grosbeaks (Eophona personata) feeding on the lawn on my left. I estimated more than 60 birds, the largest flock I've ever seen. The flock was joined by the Dusky and Pale Thrushes. I didn't know what they were feeding on, but it might be some kind of seeds or berries. However, the birds were extremely shy and never let me get close to them while they're on the ground. I, by the way, got some better shots of them while perching on the trees nearby.

Japanese Grosbeak (Eophona personata)

Some more shots of them while feeding on the ground

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

Brown-eared Bulbul (Ixos amaurotis)