A Cold Morning at Furui-chi

So I'm gonna finish up the photos from that visit on Sunday. It was a brilliant morning with beautiful sunlight, yet very very cold. It was so cold that the water in the lotus field was almost completely frozen, the first time for me as well to see frozen water pond. The Japanese Tits (Parus minor) were singing from high branches and electric poles and many Turtle-doves were flying around. Daffodils were everywhere and they really add a beautiful feeling to this already very lovely morning. A small flock of 3-4 Common Snipes (Gallinago gallinago) were gathering together in a small ice-free corner of the field and many were hiding along the dikes. I even saw one flying from nowhere then landed directly in the middle of the pond and funnily slipped on the ice. It must've thought that was water. A flock of about 20 White-cheeked Starlings was also feeding on a fruiting next to the railway, and a pair of male and female Bull-headed Shrike was also presenting around the lotus field.

The same pair of Black-eared Kite from the previous entry

A male Pale Thrush

A closer view of the Black-eared Kite

A group of Common Snipes

These snipes just had to wait until the ice completely melted.

A Japanese Tit (or Great Tit P.major minor)

I walked to the other side of the field to the Sekino-e(関の江) area and found a flock of Grey-capped Greenfinch feeding along with many Black-faced Buntings. I tried photographing them but these finches are always too shy to get good shots. Unlike the Black-faced, the Meadow Buntings around Sekino-e area were very approachable. They were all feeding in a small front yard of a house near the other APU's dorm. A male Black-faced Bunting also came aound but flew out too soon before I could get any better shot as usual. The teals were still around but in small number, didn't know where they've gone to. The surprise of the day was a flock of Reed Bunting in the small reedbed near the main road. This is the first time for me to see the species here in Beppu area.

A male Meadow Bunting

The only acceptable shot of the male Black-faced Bunting
Why can't they be all so tame like those Siberian Meadows?

A male Grey-capped Greenfinch

And a record shot of the Reed Bunting in Beppu!