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)

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.

Hot Days Begin

Winter clothes are all packed back in the closet. The weather has been very warm and sometimes very hot for some weeks now. The rain has just come back few days ago, but now most of the clouds seem to have been blown away. Last Sunday I went birding around Beppu Ropeway again and it was very hot in the afternoon. I noticed that there were some small birds coming to a waterhole in the park near the cable car station. I then went looking for a good place to settle and found a nice shady area behind a maple tree. Too bad it was a little too close to the waterhole so some of the warier birds like the Japanese Grosbeak and Red-billed Leiothrix didn't feel comfortable enough to come down to take bath.

This female Japanese Tit was one of the first guests visiting this waterhole.

She must be feeling very good.

Many Meadow Buntings came to use the waterhole.
This is one of the females.

And here one of the males. This one has blackish scales on its upper breast.

This is another male Meadow Bunting.

This female Grey-capped Greenfinch was hopping around looking for food.

A flock of Japanese White-eyes came close to the waterhole, but was afraid to come down.

Tree Sparrow also wanted to take a bath.

This Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker later came down to another waterhole behind a thick bush.

A small flock of Red-billed Leiothrix also came near the waterhole, but they were afraid of me and later moved to the other area. It'd have been a great experience, if they come down to the waterhole.

And here's picture of a species I've been trying to get some good photos of for so long, a Hwamei. Along with the leiothrix, it's an introduced species from mainland China with a very sweet and complex song. This one was singing very loudly behind a building near the parking lot, but I couldn't get any closer than this because the bird was very wary. It is a common bird and I hear its sweet unique song everyday in the campus where these birds inhibit in thick bushes around the university area, but it is very difficult to get a good view of one.