Asian Rosy Finch

Although I'm now in Thailand, here's still a post about Japanese birds. After finding a flock of the Asian Rosy Finches at the top of Mt. Tsurumi on February 2, I revisited the place again on the next morning. I arrived at the summit around 9AM but there was no sign of the finch. I walked around the area and found nothing but the common stuff like Long-tailed and Willow Tits, Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers and Meadow Buntings. I almost thought that I'd fail seeing any Rosy Finch, but I tried waiting for them until around noon, when the birds were seen the day before. After 12 a single Rosy Finch finally flew up from the hill on the east and perched on the electric pole near the lawn. It then came down to the ground and I could finally get some shots of it in good light. Since the weather was incredibly good, the photos looked much better than the ones I got earlier. The bird didn't stay for long though, because one of the tourists came walking down the yard and chased the bird away.

Asian Rosy Finch (Leucosticte arctoa brunneonucha)

After the first bird has gone, I waited for about half an hour and another bird came. This one was a more colourful male. It has darker blackish face with much brighter pink feathers. Fortunately, it was about the time when the number of the tourists decreased, so I could spend my time taking photos of the bird without being interrupted. This new bird was much more approachable, not tame though. I had to crawl slowly across the lawn and waited motionlessly for it to come closer to me. It eventually came closer than 2 m. though! I was exceedingly happy with the results, well who wouldn't!

There's just no need for cropping!

The bird later moved to another area because of the tourists. I followed and took some more shots of it. It was later accompanied by another female bird which has much drabber plumage. The female was a bit more wary at first, but then came as close as the male. Both of them occasionally stopped feeding to drink some water from the melting snow. Although the number of the birds was much less than the day before, I was very satisfied with the results. At least, I didn't have to waste 1,400yen for the transportation. If I didn't go for it at that time, I would never have the chance again, as I was about to go back to Thailand, and these birds should be disappeared to the north by the time I get back to Japan again in April. I know now the meaning of an expensive bird.

Non-breeding male Asian Rosy Finch

Here's the female

Something New

I've got an idea about taking some wintry landscape shots from the top of Mt. Tsurumi since the last few days. Last Thursday, I decided to take a bus to Beppu Ropeway and got on a cable car up to the mountain top. Unfortunately, the summit was covered with cloud and the snow occasionally fell down to make things worse. So I couldn't take any landscape shot as the vision was very poor. As I was walking back to the cable car station, a flock of dark blackish birds flushed up from the ground. As soon as I recognised them, my heart went thump thump and I said to myself "Asian Rosy Finch!", a bird I've never seen, or even thought I would see, before.

Asian Rosy Finch (Leucosticte arctoa brunneonucha)

There were 11 birds in total. They were all feeding actively in a small lawn behind the cable car station at the top of the mountain. I guessed they were feeding on dry seeds that appeared after the snow has melted. Although they were feeding closely in flock, I noticed that a bird would chase off the other when they came too close, just like in the 2 photos above. I was so excited to photograph them, and was constantly pissed off by the tourists who were walking by and chasing the birds away. They would come back in about 10 or 20 minutes later though. However, they still appeared to be much more approachable than many other kinds of finches around here like the Hawfinch or Grosbeak.

Asian Rosy Finch (Leucosticte arctoa brunneonucha)

I thought there would be no more surprises for the day, but I was simply wrong when a Japanese Accentor (Prunella rubida) literally dashed through the flock of the rosy finches and made them flew away for a while. The accentor perched on the top of a small tree next to the lawn for a few seconds and gave a strange high-pitched call before flying off as I tried to approach. It's a bird that I haven't even hoped to see. I thought it's just way too scarce to be found in Beppu, and again I was wrong. Its brief appearance just made my whole day.

White's Thrush (Zoothera aurea)

Yellow-throated Buntings (Emberiza elegans)

I spent about half an hour checking the park near the lower cable car station before getting on the bus. The sun was shining brightly at this lower altitude. I just wished that it was sunny like this while I photographed the rosy finches. I came across a single White's Thrush (Zoothera aurea) that was feeding behind a small building. Too bad it was just too shy for any decent shot, but that's ok because I've already got loads of photos of this species back in Thailand. There was also a large mixed flock of buntings consisting of the commonest Meadow Bunting along with the Black-faced and Yellow-throated Bunting. I concentrated on taking photos of the latter, but they were all so shy and I couldn't get close to them at all. I still have to work on this one!