Russell Jenkins Stoop Files

Pochard

2012-02-09T17:23:00.000+09:00

Common Pochard male
(Japanese: Hoshi-hajiro)
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan
January 2012

female Pochard

Scenes from Nagaoka

2012-02-05T21:59:00.000+09:00

Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan
February 5, 2012
Nikon 1 V1 30-110mm

Wonderfully Wigeon

2012-02-03T23:14:00.000+09:00

Wigeon
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan
Nikon D300 AF-S 300f4

Wigeons are not in the numbers as pintails at Hyoko but there is a sprinkling of them about the place.

These photos taken between December 30, 2011 and January 20, 2012.

This photo and the two below with Nikon D300 and AF-S 70-300mm VR

...again with D300 and AF-S 300f4

Above and below: These two photos taken with Nikon 1 V1 FT1 and AF-S 70-300mm VR

Pretty Pintails

2012-01-26T19:12:00.000+09:00

Northern Pintail
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan.
December 30, 2011
Nikon D300 Nikkor af-s 300mmf4

Northern Pintails have been increasing at Hyoko since I started visiting. They are wild but know they are safe behind a fenced habitat. You can stand on one side of the fence and they carry on with their business just centimetres away. Actually I got stacks of shots of them over a few visits but may as well go mad.. They are beautiful.

January 22, 1012
with 1.4 teleconverter

Black Swans of Bribie

2012-01-21T09:51:00.000+09:00

We first saw these Black Swan cygnets having a swim.

On an excursion with Kay, Kevin and Olive, September 28, 2008.

In think from memory, this is at Buckleys Hole, Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia
Pentax K200 + Pentax SMC ED 400mm f5.6

This post is for Stu and Ayuwat who recently commented their interest in seeing some Black Swan pics. Sorry I don't have any digital BiFs of Black Swans.

These photos were taken at Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia and are of real, wild swans.

I have seen Black Swans in Japan too. The first one was on a city pond in Tokyo but the second time was on the local Niigata TV news. It was the Japanese summer of 2005 and beach goers were crowding around the edge of the surf to watch a pair of Black Swans sitting on the waves. Everybody was excited and amazed as (I believe it was said) it was the first time in 30 years Black Swans had been seen in Niigata. I remember it was very hot and I'd never seen any kind of swan in the sea before. About three months later we were driving between Hyoko and Fukushimagata, Niigata and were surprised to see a pair in a stream between rice fields out in the country. I wondered if it was the same pair on TV. I got some ok pics of them and posted them on my Some Japanese Birds post on this blog. I was worried about them at the time and contacted the Wild Bird Society of Japan who returned a kind letter advising me that there were cases of (introduced) Black Swans now living wildly in some areas in Japan, even side by side with white ones. -I doubt they migrate to Siberia, however.

It's funny; back in the 90s, I often went birding at Westgate Park in Melbourne and a family of Black Swans would come up to me and stick their red faces in my lens. I took some shots but I wasn't so interested as I didn't want to waste my precious film and didn't want to be distracted from finding rare, "wild" birds. I bet I'd use up a few memory cards if I met them now!

I was surprised to see them get up onto a mound at the edge of the lake.

They check its condition.

Above and below: The adult rearranged the nest.

....It was time for "sleepies"

Cygnus Upon the Wind part 3

2012-01-18T19:53:00.000+09:00

Cygnus
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan
January 7 & 8, 2012

Cygnus Upon the Wind part 2

2012-01-14T08:56:00.000+09:00

Cygnus
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan
January 7, 2012

With a touch of water.

Cygnus Upon the Wind part 1

2012-01-09T13:39:00.001+09:00

Cygnus
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan
January 8, 2012

As Common as

2012-01-08T19:49:00.006+09:00

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo japonicus -variation of Common Buzzard)
"Raptors of the World" - Ferguson-Lees & Christie
-Princeton Field Guides, 2005.

Also known as Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus)
"Birds of East Asia - China,Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Russia" -Mark Brazil
-Princeton, 2009.

Photos taken at Hyoko, Niigata, Japan
January 8, 2012

Japanese: Nosuri

Updated: Thanks to John for the comment below!

Went back to Hyoko today. The fourth time in 9 days. This time, however, it was with Mr Honma. I am now just taking heaps of photos of the common birds in Niigata. I took exactly 500 today; swans, ducks and I was excited to get this lucky fly-over of a Common Buzzard. Easily my best shots of this species. After the day had mostly gone at Hyoko we went to Fukushimagata and found that we'd missed a Steller's Sea-eagle. Someone showed me their beautiful photos of the adult eagle sitting in the snow in a rice-field. Niigata only gets one or two Steller's a year so such a visit is akin to royalty.

But anyway, I'd spent my day with the commoners and was still very happy. I'm happy with my Common Buzzard!

Rain, Hail, or Shine

2012-01-03T11:42:00.000+09:00

3pm feeding of the wild birds
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan, December 30, 2011

Hyoko is a small lake in a community on the outskirts of Niigata city. In the winter months the locals give food, (rice husks), to the wild birds. Visitors can also buy packets of rice husks to feed the birds. It happens every day regardless of the weather. I think, from memory, the feeding times are 9am, 11am and 3pm.

White Swans

2012-01-01T00:07:00.000+09:00

Whooper Swan
Hyoko, Niigata, Japan, December 30, 2011
Nikon D300 + Nikkor AF-S 300mm F4

Happy New Year!

Tundra (Bewick's) Swan

Ballet of the Black-shouldered Kites

2011-12-23T09:05:00.000+09:00

Black-shouldered Kite
Umbiram Road, midway between Wyreema and Southbrook, Queensland.
August 26, 2011
Nikon D300 + Nikkor 80-400mm VR

Thank you for viewing and commenting on this blog in 2011.

These photos were taken in a 3 minute period, (between 2:41 and 2:44pm) on August 26 and are of two Black-shouldered Kites. I first saw one hovering behind a tree and we stopped the car to take a look. I couldn't get closer because of the fence along side the road and didn't really think of it as a good photo opportunity. My luck changed when the kite looped around the tree and started hovering closer but with its back to me. Suddenly, it flew off in a blur as another Black-shouldered Kite came from behind me and attacked it. The two flung directly towards the sun tumbling about fighting each other. I was too slow and both birds were too far away so I was almost going to give up and turn around when the attacker, seemingly satisfied with the scolding he gave my original subject, turned back and came directly over me. The last two shots are among my favourites for the year.

Black-shouldered Kites are common but graceful little raptors around grasslands in Australia. I am concerned however about the effects of mining on their populations and niches in general.

Have a good 2012.

A Line of Painted Ladies

2011-12-14T20:24:00.002+09:00

Cockatiels
Darling Downs, Queensland, 2007
Pentax K10 + Sigma 28-300mm

Some snaps of Cockatiels taken just the last few years. A popular pet, it is nice to see them in the wild. Like many parrot species, they are so social.

Your eyes..

Apex Lake, Gatton, Queensland, 2008
Nikon D300 + Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm VR

Cockatiels on a dull day.

Oakey, August 2011
Nikon D300 + Nikkor 80-400mm VR

Mass Camouflage

2011-12-05T18:23:00.000+09:00

Plumed Whistling-Duck
Jondaryan, Queensland, August 23, 2011

Another sighting on the August 23 outing with Kevin Williams. Luckily, not much gets by Kevin and he sighted these Plumed Whistling-Ducks taking shelter by this small dam near Jondaryan. As you can see by the pics, lighting conditions changed dramatically by the moment but I think that adds to the spectacle.

Wild Expectations

2011-11-27T21:01:00.003+09:00

Bean Geese
Fukushimagata, Niigata, November 27, 2011

Today I met up with my friend, Mr Honma for a day of birding at Fukushimagata, Niigata. I've just uploaded what is a pretty normal fine day's birding there, this time of the year.

Common Kestrel above and below

Grey Heron

Peregrine Falcon

Eastern Marsh Harrier

Great Cormorant

White-tailed Sea-eagle Above and below
...all I could get after a car chase from the wetlands.

Lapwing

Greater White-fronted Goose

Eastern Marsh Harrier

Bean Geese

..More Bean Geese

Grey Heron

Northern Goshawk

Whooper Swans

Shapes of Swans

2011-11-21T19:28:00.000+09:00

Whooper Swan
Hyoko, Niigata, November 4, 2007
Pentax K10 + Pentax smc 400mm f5.6

Two common swan species found around Niigata in the cooler months. These photos are consecutive frames taken at Hyoko, Niigata. The Whooper looked so thin after its autumnal migration compared to the compact Tundra Swan below.

Tundra (Bewick's) Swan
Hyoko, Niigata, November 4, 2007
Pentax K10 + Pentax smc 400mm f5.6

Treasures of Irongate Park

2011-11-10T20:33:00.002+09:00

Shining Bronze Cuckoo
Irongate Conservation Park, Pittsworth, Queensland, August 23, 2011

August 23rd saw Kevin Williams and myself catch up for a spot of bird watching. It'd had been a year since our last outing together and Kevin kindly took me out for a squiz along the country tracks around Gowrie Junction, Oakey and down to the Pittsworth area. As usual, it was a memorable day and I got a nice collection of pics to put up on my blog. (I'll put more up another day)

The last place we ended up was Irongate Conservation Park near Pittsworth. It is a small but neat little nature reserve and it was alive with small birdlife. Actually there were so many cool little birds I'm ashamed I didn't get more pics. There were so many Grey Fantails wagging their tails about but I'm too slow and should have got better results. I remember passing the reserve decades ago and thinking it looked like a mysterious place and am glad I finally visited it. Kevin photographed a Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo.

The most significant find for me for the day was my first Koala in seven years, and I actually got my first digital pics of one.

There was a time I recall, looking up and deciding whether to use my precious Provia or Velvia slide film on such an inactive subject. I have so many dusty old slides of big round grey lumps stuck in the forks of trees with grey skied backgrounds. (at a dollar a shot) These days however, even if I was in Oz more often, I don't think I'd find them as much as I used to.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater above and below:

Koala

Grey Fantail

Slightly Silent Autumn

2011-11-03T18:49:00.000+09:00

Whooper Swan
Fukushimagata, Niigata, October 29, 2011

I was surprised by the lack of bird activity when I visited Fukushimagata last Saturday. I had been expecting the place to be bursting at the seams with ducks but the water was fairly vacant. It was a sunny, almost spring-like day. There were no signs of the goshawks I was expecting to see either. I regretted wearing a jacket for my long walk and yellow flowers about the place really made it feel like spring as well.

Brown Shrike

I saw the above Brown Shrike fluttering in a net at the edge of reeds from the roadside at the back of the wetlands. Only metres away from him hung a notice that the nets had been set-up by a renowned research centre. A speaker system was playing finch calls very loudly and the grass alongside the road was alive with buntings and finches making their ways to the location. I was worried about the shrike as he seemed to be easily visible and out in the open. Although I didn't see any goshawks there were Marsh Harriers floating about nearby. I hope the researchers found him before the harriers anyhow. You can just make out the tops of the nets in the pic below.

female Mallard

male Mallard

Eurasian Teal

I think this is a Rustic Bunting. Any other ideas on his ID most welcome!

Northern Goshawk in the rain a week earlier. (October 22, 2011)

Small Miracles

2011-10-27T22:25:00.007+09:00

Red-backed Fairy Wren male
Upper Lockyer, Queensland, August 28, 2011

Michael Atzeni showed me around the Murphys Creek and Upper Lockyer area on August 28, 2011. It was my first visit since the devastating floods of January 10th. Can't believe we were birding there exactly a week before the disaster. I left for Japan on January 9th and learned about it when I finished my journey and put on CNN and the BBC and of course, the internet.

I have visited a property there many times in recent years and I was shocked to see the damage that had been done. Watch this Youtube video of the the actual flood there.

There was a terrible loss of human life in the surrounding areas and irreparable damage done to homes and properties but when I saw this video my thoughts were for the Platypus that I'd seen and photographed just last year. It was such a peaceful little stream (creek) and I thought for sure they couldn't have survived the force of the waters.

Lace Monitor
The photos above and below are from a couple of years ago. Looking down to the stream behind the goanna.

This is a cottage at the property before the floods.
Photograph by Michael Atzeni

Looking down to the creek. The flood well underway.
Photograph by Michael Atzeni

The flood increases..
Photograph by Michael Atzeni

..and increases.
Photograph by Michael Atzeni

The cottage survived. Right on the edge.

Above and below: Aerial photographs by Michael Atzeni of the scars.

The cottage right in the centre.

In the centre of this photograph you can see the stairs that once were surrounded by trees and shrubs. Even the colours have been washed away..
Photograph by me on August 28, 2011

More photos taken on August 28, 2011 below:

Grey Fantail
August 28, 2011

Even with so much damage to the surrounding landscape there were plenty of birds. Some small miracles..

Yellow-rumped Thornbill
and below:

Jacky Winter
ID'd by Michael Atzeni

Scarlett Honeyeater
(want a better pic of one of these)

Buff-rumped Thornbill
and below gathering nesting materials and applying them into the side of a tree..

Platypus
August 28, 2011

It was great to see all of these beautiful birds there but the most exciting sights for the day were not just one,... but two (2) Platypus!!! The first time they had been seen since the disaster.

Let's hope things can heal...

Food for Thought

2011-10-21T21:51:00.002+09:00

Brown Falcon
Hovering at Felton, Queensland, August 18, 2011

It seems that after centuries of gathering knowledge, we have decided to cut the planet into pieces and sell it.

When I was a school student I was ‘educated’ that the Darling Downs region west of Toowoomba was one of the most important agricultural regions in Australia. Nowdays however, farmers and communities are being removed for coal and gas mining. You can see signs of the battle in some farming areas, such as Felton south-west of Toowoomba (Queensland, Australia).

The Australian governments have a savage hunger to get money for Australian dirt.

I guess it's already more than 15 years ago now that I went to a talk about Australian forests. By then we'd cleared 90% of the forests in NSW. It was then claimed by the government that only 10% of the forests were being logged. What they didn't say is that they were logging 10% of the remaining 10% of forests. Interestingly most of the cleared land had become farmland.

I don’t know if the mining boom is related to the massive spending on the infrastructure of the state’s capital, Brisbane. It seems every time I have to visit things have been redeveloped. When I was there in August they opened a new billion dollar bus terminal that cuts 10 minutes off travel time to the local University. I guess that's the one the Queensland lawmakers come from.

A bit off the track, I want A brief WHINGE ABOUT BRISBANE: In 2009 after we travelled from Cairns to Brisbane by train we rented a car (in Brisbane), drove around south-east Queensland before eventually heading across the Gateway Bridge to get to Brisbane airport. It had been years since I crossed the bridge and I was delighted to find that the toll gates had been removed. Anyway once we crossed it we forgot about it, dropped off our rented car and flew to back to Cairns and on to Tokyo. Two months later we got a letter from the car rental company to tell us that our credit card had been docked thirty odd dollars due to our failure to pay for the bridges toll. Somehow we were supposed to know beforehand to call a phone number and pay via credit card for crossing the bridge. Outraged I researched the matter over the internet, tried to make calls from Japan and sent e-mails to several Brisbane City Council offices and received zip in response. Eventually I complained to the Brisbane car rental office that they should advise visitors to Brisbane of such a toll system. Even though they had taken our money and I was using my name in the e-mail, they needed my customer ID number to respond. I then had to ask my wife as she’s the one who manages such paper work and she told me to just forget about it.

My Japanese is terrible but I’ve never had such troubles in Tokyo (An urban area ten times bigger).

Brisbane must make buckets from unsuspecting visitors. I guess they just don’t think there are any overseas or bush visitors.

There are no direct flights between Brisbane and Tokyo.

Spotted Harrier
Between Toowoomba and Wyreema
August 18, 2011

Black Falcon (above and below)
A few minutes after the harrier at Wyreema
August 18, 2011
....appears to have caught something. I kind of find these often enough but I'm never quick enough or it's too cloudy to get good shots.

Australian Kestrel
Between Felton and Greenmount
August 18, 2011
and another below in the same area.

Brown Falcon
Almost at Greenmount
August 18, 2011

It was an Australian Prime Minister who said "Australia is the arse end of the world".
Australia's biggest weakness has been its leaders. They just never had any respect for it.

Duck Season

2011-10-02T17:59:00.002+09:00

young Northern Goshawk
(Fukushimagata, Niigata, October 1, 2011)
Nikon D300 + Nikkor af-s 300mm f4 + 1.4TCII

Ventured to Fukushimagata with the intention of finding young goshawks hunting ducks. Turned out, I wasn't disppointed. All this action happened on arrival. I found them doing the same over the last two years in the same spot from the end of September. Adults should come in a couple of weeks and that should really stir up the mud.. My photos last year and the year before were disappointing but I was happy with these results. Still have to get my dream shot of a goshawk toe to tail with a duck at close range. Guess I'll have to go back.

Bit of a territory dispute

Using a monopod with ballhead does help.

I took a lot of pot shots as the goshawks would just disappear in the numbers.

Lighting conditions changed frequently as conditions went from sunny to cloudy with a couple of squalls but then sunny ten minutes later again. A lot of action happened during the rainy patches.

Hopefully, more ducks will come over the next few weeks so the action should come even closer to the water's edge.

Raptor Migration, Ojiya, Niigata 2011

2011-09-27T19:56:00.004+09:00

Oriental Honey Buzzard female
Also known as Eastern Honey Buzzard
Yamamoto Mountain, Ojiya, Niigata, September 24, 2011

The first time I heard of Ojiya, I was just 19 kilometeres away when it was the epicentre of a major earthquake. On a more positive note, it is where Ken Watanabe (actor in "Inception", "The Last Samurai") was born. It is also famous for a bullfighting festival. (That is bulls being made to fight each other).

Of greater interest to me, was finding an article two years ago in a newspaper about a good viewing area for migrating raptors, Yamamoto Mountain, Ojiya.

Looking north from the viewing platform at Yamamoto Mountain.

We went and had a look two years ago and decided to go back for more this year. After the 15^th typhoon departed leaving a sense of a new season in its wake, we thought it was a good time to look. We arrived about 11:30am on Saturday. Loads of raptorphiles were there well before us celebrating having witnessed 500 individuals consisting of six species just for that morning. We stayed just for 90 minutes but decided to go back for more the next day. Over the two days, they recorded: Japanese Sparrowhawk, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Grey-faced Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Osprey, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Northern Goshawk, resident Black-eared Kites, Common Buzzard, and ten minutes before we arrived on the Sunday, one fourth-year Golden Eagle. The latter seemed to be the highlight of everyone's day. The best chance for photographs was when an individual would fly by on its way to a thermal. We could see good numbers circling around together in the distance. The close ones we encountered were mostly flapping their wings and briskly heading directly to join the thermals.

It is just the start of the migrating season and most of the birds I could ID were juveniles and were mostly what I regard as summer species for the area. (Apart from the Common Buzzards). If we went back in weeks to come we'd see some falcons too. Two years ago, I saw and photographed Peregrines and Oriental Hobbies. They should be around in October.

Ricefields below Yamamoto Mountain

Looking straight out from the viewing platform.

A Common Buzzard (left) gliding below a Grey-faced Buzzard.
Most birds passed very high up and I've had to crop these photos without mercy.

Ok. So I admit, I'm not the raptor person I thought I was. There were so many young Accipiters

and to be honest I have to guess one from the other, namely Japanese Sparrowhawk and Eurasian Sparrowhawk (The latter also known as Northern Sparrowhawk). I think the stripe on this guy's throat means he's a young Japanese Sparrowhawk

Oriental Honey Buzzard Young Male???
I think Oriental Honey Buzzard sounds cooler than 'Eastern' HB

Resident Black-eared Kite stooping.

It looks easy if you study a couple of books but when you get out there, there was nothing for ages then suddenly a batch would come over and there are clouds and sun and glare and people speaking Japanese and everybody is looking at a different subject and trying to confirm what they're looking at, and dragonflies and wind, children running up and down the metal stairs... I'm wondering if .... ....but maybe it's a Japanese Sparrowhawk..

Common Buzzard

Grey-faced Buzzard

The one close-encounter was this Eurasian Sparrowhawk who suddenly seemed to burst-out of a tree beneath the viewing platform. Unfortunately, s/he had to fly into the wind (away from me) to get altitude and I filled-up my camera's buffer with backside shots. She finally angle-out beautifully but my camera was frozen for precious seconds. Actually, this is only my third encounter with this species.

I'm guessing this is a male Northern Goshawk

Grey-faced Buzzard stooping..? It disappeared behind trees.

male Oriental Honey Buzzard

Grey-faced Buzzard

Looking towards Nagaoka.

Raptors aplenty on the thermals. They go higher and higher, then go as far as they can before finding another thermal loaded with more of their kind. So many of them looked like first year birds. I wonder when their parents tell them about it?

I think this is a Japanese Sparrowhawk racing by up against a dark cloud when we just got there on Saturday. It was interesting to see them racing by but you could see the thermal with raptors in the distance in the direction they were heading. ....Actually, now I think it's an Eurasian Sparrowhawk....

I wonder if I should go back there next month?

A Late Summer Walk Through a Japanese Garden and a Japanese Dinosaur..

2011-09-19T19:00:00.001+09:00

Grey Heron
Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, September 18, 2011

Enjoyed a long weekend and went away despite an oncoming typhoon. Actually we ended being lucky weather-wise and had a great trip. First, I was 'like' a big-eyed, little boy at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. It was beyond my expectations and I would have loved more time there. I was mad about dinosaurs when I was a kid and somehow that interest evolved into birds...

The second place we visited was Kanazawa, which has many tourist destinations but we mainly spent most of the morning at the famous Kenrokuen Garden. Below are some snaps from both destinations. (Highly recommended to any one visiting Japan)

An island inside Kenrokuen Garden

Approaching the entrance to Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.

Inside Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.

Fukuiraptor inside Fukui Dinosaur Museum
Fukui Prefecture, September 17, 2011

Backlit Eagle

2011-09-14T20:58:00.004+09:00

A big, black ball plunges from the sun.
Wedge-tailed Eagle in a stoop.
(Middle Ridge, Toowoomba, August, 2011)

I was trying to concentrate on photographing an Eastern Spinebill in a friend's front yard in Middle Ridge, Toowoomba when I was rudely distracted by the serious panic calls of Galahs, Australian Magpies and Crows. Birds were flying everywhere and I thought something must have caused the panic and I turned around and scanned the skies. At first I couldn't see anything but then a big, black ball appeared plunging from out of the midday sun just to the north. I managed to just get one shot off before it disappeared behind some trees lining the neighbour's property across the road. After a few moments the eagle reappeared swooping towards me over the trees and veered left in front of a large pine hedge chased by magpies and crows. It all happened in seconds. It appeared to come out empty handed.

I concentrated on keeping it in focus and had no time to consider the camera settings. I had the camera set to shutter priority at 1/1000 and strangely the camera automatically went to f32 when the eagle flew in front of the hedge. The raw files just came out black and I could only extract the following using imaging software...

Eastern Spinebill

2011-09-05T15:38:00.001+09:00

Eastern Spinebill, male
(Middle Ridge, Toowoomba, August 24, 2011)
-Thanks to Michael Atzeni

I'm not good at photographing small birds. I would have loved to have gotten this guy posing with the flowers but he didn't want me to even though I had a whole day to try! Australia has so many beautiful little honeyeaters that fidget and hope around in beautiful brushy bushes and trees. You have to be good to get them though. As it ended, I was just happy to something of him.

Hawking Falcons.

2011-08-31T20:15:00.002+09:00

Brown Falcon eating an insect
Photo with a Nikon D300 + Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm VR
(Murphys Creek, Queensland, August 28 2011)

Had a great day with birding friend, Michael Atzeni at Murphys Creek, on Sunday. It was my first time there after the devastating flash floods that hit last January. I was shocked to see just a little of the damage. It is a beautiful natural area, however, and is starting to show some regrowth and I hope to show some of the sights I had there in upcoming posts on this blog.

The last thing we came across on the way home was a pair of Brown Falcons performing some curious aerial behaviour. They seemed to be eating something in flight and going to and fro around us. Unfortunately, I missed the best chances when they were nearest when I was using my Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm VR. I usually love this lens for flight shots but it just didn't have the reach and furthermore was failing to focus accuratley. Thankfully I had time to change to the Nikkor 80-400mm VR. I had also had a focussing failure with this lens earlier in the day and decided to use my back-up. Hope my camera isn't on the way out. If you look closely, you can see some insects in some of the shots. A nice little encounter for the last birding event on my last day of my holidays.

Which Canada Goose?

2011-08-09T17:45:00.002+09:00

Cackling Goose (?), or Lesser Canada Goose, (?) Aleutian Goose or B.h. taverneri (?)
-Any ideas by readers much appreciated with many thanks!
(Fukushimagata, Niigata, Japan, October 27, 2010)

I originally thought these were Cackling Geese, but I'm a little confused by my bird guides. These clearly have a white collar (around the base of the neck) but the photos in the only guide I have depicting "Cackling Geese" don't have any hint of white collars. Another older, Japanese guide, has only one goose species that looks anything like this and just has it listed as a "Canada Goose"; and according to the third guide, Birds of East Asia - China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Russia (by Mark Brazil), they are a subspecies of, "Lesser Canada Goose" but again the white-collars of these birds seem to indicate they are more likely "Aleutian Goose" Branta hutchinsii leucopareia and not "Cackling Goose" Branta hutchinsii minima (which is fairly small and again depicted without having a white collar). ....And in hindsight, I thought these were fairly large, which according to the Brazil guide they could even be Branta hutchinsii taverneri, (but doesn't list the common name). I remember a few days after I saw them I asked a Japanese friend what they possibly were and he just gave me a Japanese name which just "vagued me out".

Fukushimagata, Niigata has waterbirds in the tens of thousands in Autumn and I didn't think they were that special at the time.

No one can, like an......

2011-08-04T18:03:00.000+09:00

Australian Pelicans at Toorbul, Queensland, September 2008.

One Chance.

2011-07-31T07:53:00.004+09:00

Post edit: Eurasian Spoonbill

I had believed I had encountered a Black-faced Spoonbill but looking at it again, the distinct face and pinkish bill are of a Eurasian Spoonbill. Thanks very much to Ayuwat from Unravel and Stu from Hakodate Birding for the comments below and keeping me honest.

(Photographs at Fukushimagata, Niigata, January 9, 2006)

I thought this was my only ever encounter with the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill but actually it's my only encounter with an Eurasian Spoonbill. (Still a rare species for here!) The only spoonbill I've seen in Japan. I was taking a stroll with my camera at Fukushimagata, Niigata on a cold day back in January 2006 when I just looked up and saw it coming overhead. There it came, and there it went. Photos were taken with a Pentax *ist DS 6Mb DSLR with Pentax smc 400mm f5.6 lens. Not the best focussing setup but I was happy with it as my first digital SLR. I think a zoom lens with a focussing motor would have been better in this situation.

This "armpit" shot is my favourite.

A Frogmouth on its Nest.

2011-07-21T18:48:00.003+09:00

Tawny Frogmouth on a nest.
(Murphys Creek, Queensland, 2008)

I usually don't like going up to birds in nests but I quickly took couple of snaps of this Tawny Frogmouth sitting on a nest in a tree alongside a country road. The lower picture shows the true angle. Tawny Frogmouths often put their nests in the fork of branches that are fairly horizontal. I have seen and photographed Frogmouth nests that are just a small collection of sticks running almost parallel to the fork. This nest looked quite leafy. (Photos from a nice outing with Mick Atzeni)

Look! A Tanuki

2011-07-13T22:33:00.001+09:00

Tanuki

A standoff with a wild Tanuki back in May 2006 at Sakata, Niigata.
Lucky neither of us had a six-gun.

Tanukis are referred to in English as “Raccoon Dogs”. When I first researched about them ten years ago I found they were not related to either raccoons or to canines. It seems now though, that most reference sites on the net regard them as having a distant relationship to canines. Anyway they are not related to raccoons and are only distantly related to dogs so I’m happy to call them by their local name, “Tanuki”. To me, calling it a “raccoon dog” is a bit like calling a Koala, a “Koala Bear”, a name appointed by folks in the northern hemisphere.

The problem is that Tanukis are also found in Korea and China and hence are known by different names in different places as their range expands across language borders.

There is less confusion when we can just use their native names. Last year I’d just arrived at Fukushimagata to do some birdwatching and was told in English with great excitement that some people had just seen a badger. (There is also a species of Japanese Badger). I was excited too as I’d never seen a badger but I soon realised that the people speaking Japanese around me were talking about, “Tanuki.”

I’m still happy to see a Tanuki if given the chance. I’ve only had this one good encounter apart from a handful of passing glimpses along roadsides at night. Mostly I see them as road kill even in urban areas.

A "Tanukis cross here" road sign along the sea-side road, Niigata City.

Tanukis do suffer from traffic. I remember watching a documentary on Japanese TV years ago that discussed the problem of highways and roads cutting through their habitats and blocking them from territories and natural corridors. One problem discussed was that in many places, the gutters in Japan are too high for Tanukis to climb and escape traffic so they thought about making artificial corridor tunnels under the roads. I seem to remember similar discussions about making such corridors for Koalas between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

When I first arrived in Japan I was told by Japanese friends that I should never trust a Tanuki; that it’ll try to trick me and even transform itself into another being (As old Japanese legends suggest). Maybe I was worried the one I met might have changed into a bear, a dragon, or a samurai, or even something with deep, hypnotic eyes and cherry-like lips. Tanukis are often despised by vegetable farmers for digging up vegetables. Statues of Tanukis are also stood-out in front of pubs and restaurants as a sign that weary travellers are welcome and can be assured of a nice rest and a good feed.

The Tanuki statue in front of the Japanese restaurant at Fukushimagata. (October 2010)

Whistler

2011-07-09T19:30:00.002+09:00

Whistling Kite
(Lake Apex, Gatton, Queensland, September 1, 2008)

Got these pics with a Pentax D200 and Sigma 28-300mm f6.3 lens. Nice and portable but slow auto-focus. Was with some members of the Toowoomba Bird Observers and we were all clicking away happily. I regret that the originals are -j-pegs. I wish I'd set it to RAW.

One Weekend in Summer

2011-07-04T18:34:00.003+09:00

Oriental Reed Warbler
(Fukushimagata, Niigata, July 3, 2011)

Had a warm, humid and cloudy weekend with just a few spots of rain. Visited Junsai-ike on Saturday night to see my first ever fireflies. I thought they were stunning, but I just took my little compact camera for some shots and we didn't spend too much time there so I would like to go again another time.

Also went back to Junsai-ike on Sunday morning hoping to get some shots of the resident Northern Goshawks but only heard them apart from a brief glimpse of a new fledgling. The goshawks have been successful again rearing three this year. Unfortunately one of the young had to be recovered from the roadside after it had left the nest and was taken to the local refuge for wild birds.

After a couple of hours at Junsai-ike, went to Fukushimagata where there are many happy Reed Warblers, various egrets and herons, Black-eared Kites and a few distant osprey.

(above and below) Japanese Bumble Bee
I'm absolutely terrified of these guys. They are so huge! I never saw a bee like this in Australia.
(Junsai-ike, Niigata, July 3 2011)

Skink on cut timber.
(Junsai-ike, July 3, 2011)

Exposed for a few seconds and handheld. Trail of a firefly. There are information signs about the two species of fireflies in the park. I'll have to do my homework and translate the Japanese information....some time.
(Junsai-ike, evening of July 2 2011)

Above is a movie comprising of four clips that goes for about one minute of fireflies.

(Post edit: Hmmmn, didn't upload too well....I recommend full screen!)

Abstract shot looking overhead at night in Junsai-ike. Small, green spots are fireflies.

I've seen about the smallest frogs I've ever seen at the edges of the ricefields in Niigata. It could sit safely on an Australian 5 cent piece, or Japanese ichi yen coin.

Summer view of Fukushimagata, Niigata. (July 3, 2011)

Oriental Reed Warbler

Black-crowned Night Heron et al.

2011-06-23T17:20:00.000+09:00

Black-crowned Night Heron
(Fukushimagata, Niigata, June 19, 2011)

Saw the most Black-crowned Night Herons that I've ever seen at Fukushimagata last weekend. One or two flew over every few seconds. I also saw the other usual species for summer. I usually overlook them but decided most things are worth trying to photograph if the light is right and the photo works. It's usually pretty dull in what is regarded as the best birding months. I like blue skies.

Oriental Turtle Dove

Barn Swallows

A Black-eared Kite chases off a Great Cormorant as it lands.

Black-crowned Night Heron in afternoon light.

Slo Mo Tsubame.

2011-06-20T20:00:00.002+09:00

No problem with your connection. These videos are intended to be slow motion.

"Tsubame" is the Japanese word for "Swallow". It's the baseball season and I heard that the "Swallows" were pretty famous so I went out for a look. They sure look cute and provide good action but I'm sceptical about their baseball skills.

My first attempts at high-speed digiscoping using a Nikon p300 attached to a Nikon ED50 fieldscope. The first four videos are in slow-motion but the last is in real-time and shows the actual speed of parental swallow feeding.

Barn Swallows at Fukushimagata, Niigata, yesterday.

The original for this last one is in full HD.

Whistleblowers of the Bush.

2011-06-08T12:08:00.002+09:00

Noisy Miner
(Toowoomba, 2010)

Noisy Minors are actually a large species of honeyeater. They are not bashful and live in noisy, family groups. I’m not sure whether people in my childhood confused them with other species such as Indian Mynas or Apostlebirds, but I remember some people referring to these birds as “Happy Family Birds”. I have done a couple of fruitless searches about this. Maybe it is a colloquialism confined to region.

Noisy Miners are common and one of the best ways to find raptors in the Australian bush. Whenever there is danger they will sound alarms. (That is, they will make loud, urgent calls) When they do, the alert birdwatcher should scan the sky overhead and look out for a bird of prey. Sometimes I’ve gotten their messages wrong and realised they were worried about a snake in a tree or even someone walking their dog in the park. In any case, they are “busy-bodies” and will alert the world to suspicious activities in their environment.

In the 1980s and 1990s I had the pleasure of spending some time in Capalaba, east of Brisbane. The house was surrounded by a lot of bush near a lake and it was a great place for wildlife, especially koalas and birds, with raptors galore. Every time I went into the house by day I would hear the alarms of Noisy Miners and I would grab my camera and sprint outdoors. Eventually I tried to guess the raptor by the kind of alarm call. It became an interesting study. Some days there would be alarm calls every 20 minutes or so. Lazy, half-hearted calls would tell me that a slower hunter, a Brahminy or Whistling Kite was about. At other times an urgent, wave of calls would come flowing directly up the street and sure enough I’d just get outside to catch a peregrine or two rocketing overhead towards the lake. Other times there were somewhat 3D calls coming from all around me. I’d look up and nothing would appear. It would be puzzling as the calls would increase then soften all around me but remain tense and urgent. Surely enough, if I remained patient, I’d have a close encounter with a Brown Goshawk skulking along the fence line at eye level. Different alarms for different hunter behaviours.

On one occasion there was a very significant reaction by lots of birds calling and racing off. The miners kicked off the session with alarms that were very loud and panicked. I looked around and saw I was standing close to a Kookaburra sitting low in a tree. I walked up so close to him, I could have reached up and grabbed his tail. He remained frozen as the alarms screamed all around us. I followed his gaze upwards to the sky and found a Black Falcon very high up in the deep blue sky. A very eastern location for that species and the only time I ever saw one in Capalaba. I was left with the question from such encounters, “How do the miners and other birds know which species are more threatening especially when some intruders are scarce?” Is it just sense or do they rely on the wisdom and experiences of their elders and follow their reactions?

From memory, the Noisy Miners taught me a lot about the raptors in Capalaba and I would often see the same ones every day, mostly:

1 pair Wedge-tailed Eagles, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Whistling Kite, Osprey, Pacific Bazas (nesting nearby), Brown Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk, an occasional Brown Falcon, a pair of Peregrine Falcons always every day. Maybe some others that I’ve forgotten, and the one record of a single Black Falcon.

Below is a small selection of my Australian Raptor photos from 1989 to, I think 2001.

Brown Falcon
(Cherry Lake, Altona, Victoria, 1990s)

Australian Hobby
(Thomson River, Longreach, July 1989)

Black-shouldered Kites
(Port Melbourne, Victoria, 1990s)

Black-shouldered Kite and Australian Kestrel
(Darling Downs, early 1990s)

Black Kite

Newly fledged Pacific Baza
(Capalaba, 1995)

Australian Hobby with prey
(Near Quinalow and Maclagon, Queensland, 1990s)

Black Falcon hunting pigeons.
(Toowoomba, 2000?)

Australian/Nankeen Kestrel with dragonfly
(Port Melbourne, 1998/9?)

Brown Goshawk hunting Common Starling
(Toowoomba, 2001?)

Brahminy Kite
(Victoria Point, Queensland, forget when maybe 2001?)

Brahminy Kite
(Victoria Point, Queensland)

Black Falcon pair
(Oakey, Queensland, 1990s)

White-bellied Sea-eagle
(Wivenhoe Dam, 2001)

Brown Goshawk
(Bunya Mountains National Park, 2001)

Brown Goshawk
(Toowoomba, 1995)

Brahminy Kite
(Victoria Point, mid-1990s)

Immature White-bellied Sea-eagle
(Wivenhoe Dam, 2001)

Brown Falcon
(Cherry Lake, Altona, Victoria, late 1990s)

Fight between Brown Falcons
(Cherry Lake, Altona, Victoria, late 1990s.)
-I remember the falcon on the right being very agressive on many occassions attacking many different birds and even me.

Collared Sparrowhawk
(Capalaba, 2001)

Young male Collared Sparrowhawk
(Capalaba, 2001)

Collared Sparrowhawk
(as above)

Brown Falcon
(Forgot where, when)

Black-shouldered Kite
(Westgate Park, Port Melbourne, 1990s)

Black-shouldered Kite
(I think Port Melbourne)

Little Eagle rounding-up feral pigeons
(Toowoomba, 2001)

Brahminy Kite
(Victoria Point, 2001)

Wedge-tailed Eagle
(Bunya Mountains, 1990s)

Grey Goshawk
(Bunya Mountains, 2001)

Black Falcon
(Oakey, late 1990s)

Wedge-tailed Eagle
(Near Sommerset Dam, 1990s)

Spotted Harrier and Nankeen Kestrel
(Darling Downs, early 1990s)

Also you can download and/or print pdf files of Australian Raptors from the Toowoomba Bird Observers website from their 'downloads' page here: raptorguides

Lunch.

2011-06-04T19:10:00.000+09:00

Common Kestrel
(Fukushimagata, June 4, 2011)

Today, I was strolling in the middle of the day at Fukushimagata. I was walking in an area with long grass and reeds all around and was thus surrounded by the calls of warblers, sparrows and finches. Suddenly I realised that with a few chirps, all the small birds were fleeing from the grasses towards a clump of large trees ahead of me. It was obviously evasive action yet I scanned the skies for a predator but saw nothing. An eerie quiet took over the area and it took me another two or three minutes to get up on the road that cut through the trees. Once there I looked up and saw a crow chasing this kestrel towards me. The kestrel was well above the trees but I tried to get focus through the branches and managed to just get two shots in a gap between the trees; the first a little out of focus and this one. It's into the sun and overexposed, but still I think its ok in that we can almost see what it was carrying. I thought it wanted to stop in the trees but I think it saw me, did a left, and faded into a dot over the rice fields.

I continued past the trees and followed the road for another 50 metres in the direction from which the kestrel had come. I saw a very young wagtail on the side of the road and one adult. I had seen two adults in the same spot one week ago taking food to a spot in the bank of a waterway next to the road. I wonder if the package the kestrel was carrying was a member of the wagtail family?

White Wagtail, male

White Wagtail, female

Grey Heron

2011-05-29T08:58:00.004+09:00

Grey Heron
Fukushimagata, May 28, 2011.

Grey Herons are common all year round in Niigata, however it seems numbers are highest in the warmer months when there are frogs and things in the rice fields. It's easy to overlook them because they are so common.

Grey Heron
Summer 2010

Also at the moment Carrion Crows are nesting and can be seen chasing away Black-eared Kites whenever they come into sight. Wish the skies were brighter.

Bird-Love-Care Centre at Shuinji, Shibata, Niigata.

2011-05-21T11:34:00.003+09:00

Mountain Hawk Eagle, at Saezuri-mosato, Niigata Prefecture, June 2009.

It's raining again for the weekend so I've been browsing old files... Niigata gets 250 days of precipitation a year according to wikipedia. (Monday to Friday was beautiful).

Strange title to this post but we don't know how else to translate it. "Saezuri-mosato" (Singing-bird-village) is the name of a care-centre for injured birds at Shuinji, Shibata, Niigata. We visited it back in June, 2009.

Link is in Japanese: http://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/aicho/1248724965854.html

There is a park, a museum and an area where birds that have been injured in the wild are brought-in and cared for. I like photographing wild birds but thought the fact that all of these birds are from Niigata Prefecture is interesting. I have seen all of these species in the wild here in Niigata but usually wild encounters are very distant. Especially for the eagles. I don't remember seeing any species other than raptors at the centre and only took a few shots. The 'cages' were very dark and I had to press my lens up to steel mesh barriers. It was also very hot and we were savaged by mosquitos. There was no information on the cages. I can only guess that these birds have been injured in the wild and will spend the rest of their lives here. The owls puzzled me as there was a an apparent clutch of young that must have either lost their parents or/and their tree.

Last year, the female Peregrine Falcon that lived at the Niigata Prefectural Office was recovered with a broken wing and taken to this centre. I often saw her rocket along the river. -I'll have to go back to the centre to visit her soon.

Mountain Hawk Eagle

Golden Eagle

Peregrine Falcon

Young Ural Owl (I think)

Another young Ural Owl

The Briefest Glimpse.

2011-05-16T21:17:00.000+09:00

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher
(Junsai-ike, Niigata, May 15, 2011)

Not my best photos but exciting first encounters for me. Just had the briefest glimpse of the Japanese Paradise Flycatcher high up in the canopy before it made squiggles with its long tail into the shadows. Also Mugimaki Flycatchers seem to be around in numbers and are on everyones' lips. Both at Junsai-ike, Niigata. I only had a couple of hours there. I wonder if I should brave the herds of photographers there next weekend for better shots?

Female Mugimaki Flycatcher. A rarity here.
(Junsai-ike, Niigata, May 15, 2011)

A Welcomed Sight.

2011-05-14T11:12:00.004+09:00

Blue-and-white Flycatcher

Went to Toyanogata looking for birds yesterday afternoon. The first time in a month. I wasn't really expecting to see much as I had a call from a friend on Wednesday night who goes out a lot and he reported that things had been very quiet: "No Blue-and-white Flycatchers in Niigata this year". - Hence, I was surprised to see one within seconds of my arrival. Got just a couple of shots before he disappeared. Also got a glimpse of a Narcissus Flycatcher but no photos.

Toyanogata parklands. A favoured area for young families.

Further into Toyanogata. A pathway alongside the lake.
Waterbirds to the left and passerines in the trees.

Black-eared Kite with annoying power lines in the background.

Black-eared Kite, Milvus lineatus

Worn-out Black-eared Kite.

Wisteria has come-out in the last week.

Golden Lanterns.

2011-05-08T13:43:00.002+09:00

Female Oriental Greenfinch with nesting material at Toyanogata, Niigata, April 17, 2011.

Golden Week has come and gone for another year. I didn't do any bird watching. Last 'bird' outing was at Toyanogata back on April 17. Didn't really see much although we found a couple of Long-tailed Rosefinches almost in the exact spot I photographed one on the 10th last year. I didn't get any good shots this year. A little frustrated by rows of photographers with big 600 and 500mm lenses on tripods. It means you can't stalk subjects without getting in the way. I like portable equipment allowing me to meander, wander, explore and stalk. This allows me to choose the best angles for lighting and good backgrounds. I don't like standing in a line waiting for Monday to get closer.

For Golden Week we just visited some local tourist spots. First we went to the Northern Culture Museum followed by Yahiko Shrine. Buckets of people were flowing through both places on the always busy Golden Week Holidays. I uploaded these photos en mass and they came out in in different order than intended.

Male Oriental Greenfinch, Toyanogata, April 17, 2011.

A walking path at Toyanogata. Photo taken with my mobile phone. April 17, 2011

Azure-winged Magpie, Toyanogata, April 17, 2011.

To the side of the entrance path of the Niigata Northern Museum. (May 4, 2011)

View at the Northern Culture Museum (May 4, 2011)

Inside looking out at the Northern Culture Museum. (May 4, 2011)

Garden at the Northern Culture Museum.

Wisteria just showing signs of awaking at the Northern Culture Museum.

The scenery at Yahiko Park. The blossoms all gone.

Looking towards Yahiko Mountain from Yahiko Park.

Stone stairway at Yahiko Park.

"Toro" - Japanese Lantern at Northern Culture Museum. (May 4, 2011)

At the Northern Culture Museum. (May 4, 2011)

This "Toro" in the grounds of the Northern Culture Museum is about a metre high.

Same as above.

"Toro", in the grounds of the Northern Culture Museum. (May 4, 2011)

A stone "Toro" at the Northern Culture Museum.

A very large stone "Toro" at Yahiko Shrine.

Wooden "Toro" at Yahiko Shrine.

One of two, "Komainu", (They mirror each other)
- a 'Lion-dog' guarding against evil spirits at the entrance of Yahiko Shrine. (May 4, 2011)

Canal at the entrance of Yahiko Shrine.

Long-tailed Rosefinch

2011-04-16T10:05:00.001+09:00

Long-tailed Rosefinch

Long-tailed Rosefinch photographed at Toyanogata on April 10, last year, (2010). I really hate the branch behind the bird and if I could be bothered it would be interesting to paint it out using photo software. (I don't like fake wildlife photos).

The cherry blossoms have come out this last week and after some beautiful weather from Monday to Friday, it's storming with thunder and heavy rain for Saturday morning (now). I've been told that many birds such as Blue-and-white Flycatchers haven't made it to Niigata yet (this spring) although someone saw a Long-tailed Rosefinch a week ago.

Long-tailed Rosefinch

Three Hours Off.

2011-04-06T20:23:00.000+09:00

Japanese Green Pheasant
(Toyanogata, Niigata, April 6 2011)

Took three hours off this afternoon. So glad I did. The light was really beautiful. Went for a walk around Toyanogata, Niigata.

Japanese Green Pheasant

Varied Tit

Black-eared Kite

Common Teal

Daurian Redstart
(male)

Daurian Redstart

Daurian Redstart
(female)

Daurian Redstart
(female)
Actually, this last one was in my camera from a walk in the same area on Sunday, when it was cloudy and a bit dull.