Kitsuki

Now here's the photos from that trip to Kitsuki I mentioned in the previous post. The weather was extremely good, sunny though a bit too windy at the sea. It took just about 20 minutes or so from Beppu to Kitsuki by train, and the scenery along the way was pretty spectacular. The rice fields were all looking beautifully golden, and the sky was so blue. I enjoyed taking lots of landscape and other non-bird shots a lot. Here's a selection.

Cold autumn breeze with warm morning light made my morning walk perfect.

The river looks really nice, though there were not so many birds.

Non-breeding Intermediate Egrets (Mesophoyx intermedia)

Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

Male Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides)

Birds along the river were good in number, but not quite so in variety. There were lots of Intermediate and Little Egret perching on the river banks and Skylarks. A few couples of Zitting Cisticolas were also flitting in the rice paddies, as well as the numerous Meadow Buntings. A few Mallards and Spot-billed Ducks were floating in the river, with lots and lots of wigeons. Black-eared Kite was not surprisingly the only raptor seen.

Non-breeding Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea)

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
A flock of female Common Teal (Anas crecca)

Kitsuki Castle is probably the most famous thing in this city.

A flock of Eurasian Tree Sparrows

Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

Red Admiral