Saturday, 6 December 2014

Accipiters a Plenty

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Fukushimagata, Niigata, Japan

November 30, 2014


Here are some of the results from my walk around Fukushimagata last Sunday. I've been thinking of buying a Nikon D7100 as my full-frame D800 is rarely close enough for the wetlands. Most of these pics are heavily cropped and I've already filled up my 2 terabyte computer hard-drive with photo files in just two years. I usually take RAW files as well but just went down the j-peg path with these...but I'm disappointed with the quality.

Apart from the photos it was a very warm day for that time of the year and birds of all kinds were a plenty.

Today is snowing heavily with a maximum forecast of 2 degrees Celsius so I'm inside doing my blog!



Japanese Green Pheasant

I disturbed 3 pheasants in the long grass under foot...first, one, then I took another step and two more burst out over the water....within two seconds the goshawk below appeared hot on their tails, just failing as they made it to the reeds on the other side of the water.
Northern Goshawk
Waterfowl at Fukushimagata
At first, I thought this largish raptor was a goshawk.
It attacked the large resident peregrine just before I got this shot but now I realise it's a sparrowhawk. Sparrowhawks are not so common in Niigata. 
Northern Goshawk

Adult goshawks are not so easy to get close to, but I saw at least three different ones within a couple of hours.

Eastern Marsh Harrier


lots of harriers too

Eastern Marsh Harrier
scanning over the water for unaware quary

Bean Goose
Mallard

Male



8 comments:

Vicki said...

Russell, your aerial captures are fantastic, despite your misgivings. You certainly have the knack.

Choy Wai Mun said...

Great flight shots, Russell. And so many raptor species!

Russell Jenkins said...

Thank you for the kind words, Vicki.

Russell Jenkins said...

Thanks, Choy. Yes, indeed. There were so many raptors about...just a little out of reach.

Sonja said...

It looks like a great place to visit with lots of action happening. I was hoping to see a Green Pheasant when we were in Japan but didn't manage it.

Phil Slade said...

A good selection of birds there Russell. If your accipiters are difficult then ours are certainly as bad if not worse to get close to with Goshawk so rare and our common Sparrowhawk so shy. I could never go out with the intention of photographing either, it's just sheer luck if it happens.

Stuart Price said...

Some nice BIF shots there Russell..............

EG CameraGirl said...

Wonderful photos of birds flying!!