Serious fighting

February 7, 2020

The other day when I was out photographing birds, I noticed some Japanese tits were calling loudly and acting somewhat restless. I thought perhaps they had detected a Northern Goshawk or some other bird of prey nearby and they we alerting each other. I didn’t pay so much attention to them but pointed my camera to them only now and then when they came very close. Suddenly, I saw two birds falling down in front of my eyes. I didn’t immediately understand what was happening but I started shooting the scene. Soon I realized they were fighting. They were fighting seriously kicking and pecking each other.

Afterwards, when I looked at my images, I realized -judging by the broad ‘neckties’- they were both male. Perhaps they were fighting over a female bird, that I also saw nearby. I am not sure whether there was a winner.

この間野鳥を撮りに行ったら、シジュウカラは落ち着かない様子で大声で泣いていました。近く猛禽類を確認して、お互いに警告を発しているかなと思いました。それほど真剣にシジュウカラのことを観察していなかったが、良いところに止まってくれた時、何回かシャッターを押しました。突然二羽は目の前で落ちて来るのに気付きました。何があったが一瞬わからなかったですが、写真を撮り始めました。その後喧嘩しているのを分かりました。本気で戦っていました。お互いを蹴ったり、嘴でつついたりしていました。

二羽は消えた後写真を確認しましたら、両方とも『ネクタイ』が広いオスでした。もしかしたら、メスにめぐっての争いだったかしら。決着がついたかどうか分かりません。

Happy Encounter on a Grey Day

January 28, 2020

I am very happy to have encountered a red-breasted flycatcher again this year. Had it been a male, I would have been even happier. I am yet to see a male that, as the English name suggest, is a bit more colorful with reddish-orange throat.

It was a heavily overcast day and I struggled to have the bird pop out of the greyish background. The trees had hardly any leaves and there were no flowers, nor berries in the park, not much color at all. Only some areas had a little bit of green grass which I tried to include in some the images.

It appears that someone had fed the bird and she was not very shy at all. At times she came rather close to me and looked at me with her beautiful eyes as if saying: I am here. Do you have something for me?

My model stayed most of the time in a rather small territory. Only when crows entered her territory or a group of kindergarten kids came too close, she would either move to nearby woods or would hover by treetops and skillfully catch any flying insects.

今年もニシオジロビタキに出会えて嬉しいです。オスだったらもっと嬉しいです。まだ一度も橙色の喉のオスに会ったとこありません。

空は厚い雲に覆われてどんよりしていました。公園にはお花も、ベリーもカラフルな葉も、色がある物何もありませんでした。地味な色の鳥はどうやって地味なバックグラウンドから際立てられるか、悩んでいました。場所によって少しだけ緑の芝生がありまして、一部の写真に入れて見ました。

しばらく写真を撮っていたら、鳥は餌付けされたのに気付きました。たまに近くに来てくれて、可愛い目で私を見つめて、何かをくれないかと頼んでいる様に見えました。

基本的に狭いエリアの中餌を探しながら動き回っていました。幼稚園生のグループやカラスなどの鳥が縄張りに入った時だけ、近くの茂みに逃げ込んだり、高い所でホバリングして虫を取ったりしました。

Poor little thing

January 22, 2020

I am afraid a long time passed without much shooting. I have only been to the nearest park a few times and during those walks I have mainly tried to capture the goldcrests. At the beginning of the year there were two goldcrests, one with a leg injury and one healthy bird. They more or less stayed together when moving around in the big park. One day, a third goldcrest arrived. After that I have seen the injured one alone a few times. I wonder if the other bird has abandoned it and hooked up with the newcomer. At any rate, the injured one still looks energetic and despite of the injury is skillfully hovering around while feeding.

Besides the goldcrests, I have shot only few other species as below.

あまり写真を撮る機会がなく時間が立っている気がします。最近数回だけ近くの公園に足を運んで、キクイタダキを狙っていました。年明けに足が悪い子と元気な子の二羽に加えて、この間もう一羽が入って来たのを確認しています。3羽になってから、足が悪い子は良く一羽だけで動いている様に見えます。もしかしたら、仲間はずれにされたのかな？どちみち、怪我にもかかわらず、比較的に元気にホバリングをしているから、一安心です。

キクイタダキに加えて他の鳥も少しだけ撮っています。

First Birding of 2020

January 11, 2020

The winter vacation has passed, finally, and I have had a few days out shooting in a garden near my house. I searched whether there are any blossoms in the Japanese apricot trees, but could not find any yet. I believe it’s a matter of day or two till we can see the first flowers.

The bird scene is pretty much the same as it was towards the year end. The female daurian redstart the and male red-flanked bluetail are still around. Anyhow, it appears to me that the stronger and bossier redstart has taken over some of the territory of the weaker bluetail, which seems to be searching for new territory very close by.

In the garden there are also two goldcrests, of which is injured. It doesn’t seem to be able to use one of it’s legs at all. Nevertheless, it looks like it is doing just fine standing or hanging on one foot only. When flying and hovering it looks just the same as the healthy bird. The two birds can at times be seen joining flocks of Japanese white-eyes and long-tailed tits.

冬休みが終わって、やっと近くの公園で野鳥の撮影をまた楽しむ事ができます。梅はもうお花が咲き始めていないかと探していましたが、一輪も見つかりませんでした。きっと明日、明後日ごろ咲き始めるだろうぐらい蕾が膨らんでいました。

相変わらずジョウビタキのメスとルリビタキのオスが出ていました。しかし、ルリビタキはもっと強いジョウビタキに負けて、縄張りの一部を奪われたように見えます。新しい縄張りを探しているようです。

公園にはキクイタダキも二羽がいます。一羽は可哀相に足を怪我しています。驚くほど器用に片足で立ったり、ぶら下がったりしています。ホバリングや飛ぶ時は他の鳥と変わらない様子で、とても元気に見えます。二羽は時に他の鳥、メジロやエナガと混じって動いていました。

Happy New Year 2020!

January 1, 2020

Almost a year passed since I started writing this blog. Writing in two foreign languages is sometimes tough and I am sure there are some mistakes in the texts. I will anyhow continue stubbornly the same way, and I keep sharing images of all the lovely creatures I find, mainly birds and butterflies.

I am grateful to see that there is a constant flow of visitors to my blog. Thank you!

I am not very active photography-wise during the holiday seasons, the year-end being no exception. Recently, I have made only a few short walks in my nearby garden and met with some wintering birds. With these captures I wish you all the best in 2020!

あけましておめでとうございます　

ブログを書き始めてもう少し一年間になります。母国語ではない２ヶ国語で書くのは大変な時もあります。間違いだらけの文章になっているかもしれませんが、これからも頑固に書き続けます。そして大好きな野鳥や蝶の写真をシェアし続けます。

嬉しいことにブログを読んでくれる人はゆっくり増え続けています。ありがとうございます。2020年もどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

ホリデーシーズンはなかなか写真を撮りに行ける機会は少ないです。最近は近くの庭園に数回短い散歩しかできなかったです。庭園で出逢った冬鳥の写真をアップします。

Northern Goshawk ＆Large-billed Grow・オオタカ＆ハシブトカラス

Bath Time

December 21, 2019

I took me several trips to Saitama to finally see and capture a gold crest bathing (13 Dec). It was a cold and dark day. After waiting for several hours a flock of gold crests arrived. There were several of them in the surrounding trees but perhaps due to the fact that there were too many people around, only one dared to come down and bathe. When in the water it first looked at all the photographers carefully, but must have judged the situation safe enough as it took its time to bathe thoroughly.

I was shooting behind a bush and therefore could not kneel down to a better angle. I am not too happy with the images, but I was anyhow exited to see that tiny little bird in such a close distance. I am hoping to get another chance one day, but the holiday season is approaching and I need to wait for some time before I can make a trip to Saitama again.

長い間さいたまに通って、やっとキクイタダキの水浴びを見ることができました（１２月１３日）。寒くて暗い１日でした。午後キクイタダキの群れが近くに来てくれました。周りの木に何羽かいましたが、人が多い為でしょうか、一羽しか水に降りて来なかったです。まずは周りの人々をよく見て、恐らく安心と判断して、時間をかけて水浴びをしました。

座って、なるべく鳥と同じ目線で撮りたかったですが、茂みの後ろに立っていたから、上からのアングルで撮るしかなかったです。写真は満足していませんが、可愛くて、ちっこいキクイタダキを近距離で見れてドキドキしていました。もう一度チャンスに巡れたら嬉しいと思いますが、ホリデーシーズンが近づいているから、しばらくさいたまに行けそうもありません。

The Last Autumn Leaves

December 18, 2019

Last week I spent some time in a garden in central Tokyo hoping to capture some of the last Autumn leaves hopefully together with passerine birds. Many trees had already lost their leaves, but metasequoia and Japanese maple trees still provided some autumn colors.

After entering the garden, I wasn’t careful enough and happened to chase away a pale thrush in front of my feet. But when I continued further into the garden, I detected the thrush on metasequoia. The bird’s feathers matched perfectly with the orange foliage. It was a beautiful view.

The Japanese tits and long-tailed tits were moving around in big flocks sometimes mingling with each other and other birds, such as Japanese white-eyes and varied tits. It was easy to find them by following their direction of their singing. I also heard the singing of a red-flanked bluetail and waited for a long time with hope to see it. When it finally appeared, a male daurian redstart chased it away before I could get a decent capture. It was a female.

先週最後の紅葉を撮りたくて都内のフィールドで二日間歩き回っていました。多くの木は葉が落ちて、裸になっていましたが、メタセコイヤやモミジはまだ色が綺麗でした。

フィールドに入って、少し歩いたら、シロハラを飛ばしてまったのを残念に思いました。しかし、歩き続けたら、メタセコイヤにいるのに気づきました。背中の色はメタセコイヤの赤く染まった葉にマチして、とても綺麗な光景でした。

シジュウカラやエナガは大きな群れで動き回っていて、たまに他の鳥とも混じっていました。鳴き声の方向で探したら、すぐ見つけることができました。何回かルリビタキの鳴き声も聞こえましたが、待っててもなかなか出て来なかった。やっと見つけましたら、オスのジョウビタキに追いかけられて、写真を撮れずすぐにまた見失いました。メスでした。

Gold Crest and Coal Tit

December 12, 2019

Last week I had one very lucky day: I saw both the gold crest and the coal tit to come down to my eye level. The weather was also nice with some thin clouds and the autumn foliage was very beautiful providing some nice backdrops to the birds. Even though I wasn’t able to nail the composition, I am still pretty happy with my captures.

The gold crests were moving around in a big flock. Previously, I had seen 2 or 3 birds, sometimes 5-6 birds, but this time there were around 10 of them. The number of photographers was about the same and the garden became somewhat crowded at times, especially when we tried to capture the birds with Japanese maple tree leaves.

I was however alone when I detected the coal tits. I believe there were two of them. They moved around in a flock with various birds: Japanese tits, long-tailed tits and Japanese white-eyes. They were taking turns in bathing in a very shallow pond. From were I was standing I couldn't really see the bathing itself, but I didn't dare to go closer either in order not to scare the birds away.

先週の金曜日はとてもラッキーな１日でした。キクイタダキもヒガラも高いところから降りて目の前で撮影することが出来ました。空は薄い雲に覆われて光線が柔らかい上に、紅葉も綺麗でした。思うような構図を撮れなかったですが、鳥が可愛く写っているものもあって、嬉しいです。

キクイタダキは大きな群れでやってきました。いつも２−３羽で、多い時５−６羽で動いているのですが、今回は１０羽ぐらいでした。カメラマンの数も同じぐらいで、モミジとのコラボを撮るとき時など庭はは狭く感じました。

ヒガラを見つけた時私は一人でした。恐らく２羽しかいなかったですが、他の鳥と混じっていました。交代でとても浅い池で水浴びをしているところでした。私の立ち位置から水浴びを見れなかったですが、もっと近づけたら、鳥が逃げてしまうかもしれませんから、茂みや石に止まる瞬間だけでも良かったです。

A Nice Surprise

December 5, 2019

After my previous post I have made few more trips to Saitama as I wanted to try my luck with gold crests. I am afraid they are very difficult targets. First of all, they are tiny and therefore difficult to find in a big park. Secondly, they are constantly moving in search for food and thirdly, the most challenging part, they tend to spend time very high on trees. My strategy for capturing them was to wait for them close to a place where they occasionally take baths. I am afraid I haven’t been lucky enough to see them taking a dip but I have had few chances to capture them at rather close distance.

While waiting for gold crests I have turned my lens to other birds and managed to capture a new species, the Ryukyu minivet. It was a nice surprise. I only saw it on on day but I am hoping it is still around and I will have a second chance to capture it.

前回ブログを更新した後、再びキクイタダキを撮るために何回かさいたまに行ってきました。残念ながら、キクイタダキはとても難しい被写体です。まずは、極めて小さいため、大きな公園で見つかるのは難しいです。それに餌を探すために非常に高いところで早く動き回っていることが多いです。そんなキクイタダキを撮る為には、たまに水浴びすると思われるところの近くに長い間待っていました。近くにきてくれたものの、私の前で水浴びを見せてくれなかったです。

キクイタダキを待っている間、別の野鳥も撮影していました。その中に一番嬉しかったのは初めて見るリュウキュウサンショウクイのショットでした。一日しか見ていませんが、また逢えたら嬉しいです。

A Big Flock

November 28, 2019

Every now and then I take a train out of Tokyo to a park in Saitama in order capture birds that I cannot find in my usual parks in Tokyo. This week I headed to Saitama twice. My target was to capture coal tits which I heard had been detected in the park and which I have never seen before. Also I wanted to try my luck and skills with gold crests as well.

When I arrived to the park on the first day, I soon heard chirping of Japanese tits, mixed with other singing that I could not immediately recognize. It was a big flock of various birds. The Japanese tits were least shy and easiest to photograph. With time I could recognize other birds as well. There were several Japanese white-eyes and long-tailed tits. Also, I was exited to find a few gold crests and coal tits. They stayed mostly very high on trees so photographing them was a big challenge. At times the big flock seemed to separate in smaller flocks and on other times several Japanese pygmy woodpeckers joined the flock.

In order to capture the two target birds of mine I tried to wait next to a shallow pond where they sometimes come to take a bath. The weather however wasn't good with some drizzling every now and then so the chances were pretty slim. They didn’t come! On the second the day when I was already about to leave I could finally detect the coal tits and gold crests among with other birds on Japanese apricot trees in photographable distance. They moved too fast and I wasn’t able to get decent captures. I guess it means I will have to take a train to Saitama a few more times.

時々都内の公園に出会ない鳥を探すためにさいたまのある公園に行きます。今週は２回電車に乗ってさいたまに向かいました。目的は公園に出ているヒガラやキクイタダキでした。その内ヒガラは撮ったことも見たこともない鳥です。

到着したらすぐにシジュウガラの鳴き声が聞こえました。耳を済ませば別の鳴き声もかすかに聞こえました。色々の鳥は入った大きな群でした。シジュウガラはたまに地面に降りたりして、一番撮りやすかったです。他の鳥、メジロやエナガなどは比較的に高い所にいました。探せば、念願のキクイタダキもヒガラも見つけました。大分興奮してきましたが、遠くてなかなか写真に納めることができなかったです。

観察するとたまに大きな群が小さな群れに別れて、たまにコゲラは群れに入ることがありました。

念願の２羽を撮るために小さな池の近くに待っていました。時にそこで水浴びをするからです。しかし天気が悪く、たまに霧雨も降ったから、やはり水浴びに来なかったです。

二日目の日、帰ろうとした所、桃林に他の鳥と一緒にヒガラもキクイタダキを確認できました。必死に撮っていましたが、やはり動きが早いですため、良い写真は撮れませんでした。また再びさいたまにいかないと駄目ですね！

As a consolation prize I found two white-bellied green pigeons, both female as well as Japanese bush warbler.

残念賞としてアオバトをやウグイスをなんとかゲットしました。

Autumn Colors (of 2018)

November 19, 2019

It’s a long time since my last blog post. I had a busy few weeks including a one-week long trip to Finland. Since I don’t have any recent pictures, I am uploading some from Autumn 2018.

I spent a few days in a garden in central Tokyo with hope to capture some birds together with Autumn foliage or berries. There were two female durian redstarts in the small garden. They both seemed very keen in Japanese beautyberry, a plant in the mint family with small lilac colored berries. The Autumn foliage were at their best and offered some great backdrop for the two birds.

最近忙しくて、母国のフィンランドにも行ってきまして、ブログの更新は久しぶりです。新しい写真はないため、去年の秋の写真の中から気に入りの写真を何枚かをアップします。

紅葉の時期、都内のある庭園で野鳥を何日かに渡って撮っていました。ジョウビタキのメスは２羽いました。２羽ともムラサキシキブの実を良く食べにきました。紅葉も綺麗だったため、シャッターチャンスは多かったです。

Daurian Redstart

October 31, 2019

I am happy to see that some winter birds have already arrive to Tokyo parks. Daurian Redstart is one of the early arriving birds. I have seen them already in several locations. So far the females have been easier to approach but with time, I believe, when they get used to their new home parks both sexes will get over their shyness a bit. There will anyhow be some fighting over territories when more birds of various species arrive.

楽しみしていました冬鳥の一部はすでには東京の公園や庭園にやってきました。早い鳥の一つはジョウビタキです。何箇所かですでに確認できました。メスの方はオスより近づきやすいですが、新しい新居に慣れてきたら、両方は少し人馴れしてくるかなと思います。しばらくの間新しい個体や種類がやってきたら、あちこち縄張り争いは見れれると思います。

A Very Rare Visitor

October 25, 2019

I owe a lot to some senior bird photographers. They have taught me a lot about birds and bird photography. They have helped me to identify birds and their calling sounds, given me advice on where to find certain species and how approach them. Many times I have followed behind their backs in the field trying not disturb them nor scare the birds away. Thanks to some senior birders, I was able to capture this tiny modest-looking bird, the little bunting. It is a rare visitor to Western Japan during Spring and Autumn migration. It is even more rare in Eastern Japan and it turns out that there is no previous record of this bird in central or 23 wards or Tokyo.

The bird was first seen on 3rd October in a location in central Tokyo. The following day I was tipped that the bird was there again and I joined some senior birders to capture it. We followed the bird carefully as it was seeking food and moving slowly on a narrow walking path. It didn’t seem to be very shy and it let us come rather close. At times it disappeared into some bushes but appeared again and continued it’s search for seeds.

The following few days we were able to find the bird again in the same location. On one cool day after the rain had recently stopped, the bird appeared from underneath some bushes. It stopped on a sunny spot on gravel of a walking path. After some time, it lay down on the path in front of our eyes. We assumed it felt cold and tried to absorb heat from the path. It stayed in the very same pose for almost 15 minutes and let us photograph it during the time. Finally it did some stretching and went on it’s ways.

The last day I saw the bird was 8 October. I am not sure whether other photographers saw it after that. The weather turned suddenly cold and a typhoon swept through Tokyo. It is probable that it continued it’s migration to warmer climates. I wish to see the bird again someday somewhere.

先輩のフォトグラファーにいつもお世話になっています。野鳥や野鳥撮影について色々教わりました。鳥や鳥の鳴き声の識別、鳥の行動、撮影するロケなどなどについて沢山アドバイスをもらいました。先輩の背中を見ながら一緒に撮影をしたりしています。とても感謝しています。先輩達のお陰でコホオアカも撮影することができました。小さくて地味な鳥ですが、日本では珍しいものです。渡りの季節には西日本にたまに見かける鳥ですが、東日本までに迷うのはとても珍しいです。確認したところ東京の２３区以内では初めての記録です。

ある都内のフィールドで初めて確認されたのは10月3日でした。次の日にまた出ていると先輩に教わりました。食べ物を探し小道を進む姿を何人かのフォトグラファーと一緒に追いました。警戒心があまり強くなくて、割と近い距離まで行けました。茂みの中に隠れたり、また出てきたりしました。

その後同じフィールドで頻繁に出ていました。ある涼しい日、雨があがった少し後、コホオアカはまた茂みの中から小道に現れました。太陽の光が当たったところ、目の前に止まりまして、体を地面につきました。恐らく体を温めるためでした。15分近く同じポーズをして、そしてゆっくりストレッチをしてからまた何処かへ飛んで行きました。

私の最後確認は10月8日でしたが、他のフォトグラファーはその後でも確認したか、分かりません。気温が急に下がり、台風も関東を直撃したため、もっと暖かい所へ移動したと思いました。

またいつか何処かで逢えたら嬉しいです。

Signs of Autumn

October 17, 2019

Soon after weekend's destructive typhoon passed the Japanese archipelago, the temperature suddenly dropped for about 10 degrees. With some cloudy and rainy days, it finally feels like Autumn. The foliage are slowly starting to change their colors and birds have been keen in savoring on various autumn berries.

The grey-streaked flycatchers seem to have disappeared altogether and narcissus flycatchers are also getting smaller in number. In the park I often go to there is one newcomer, the eyebrow thrush. It is the fist time for me to see this bird. Unfortunately, the bird is shy and as the park has been somewhat busy with nursery school and kindergarten groups collecting acorns, I haven’t had many chances to capture it. I tried to go back again very early this morning before the kids or the park maintenance staff arrive, only to find out that the park was closed today. I should have known it. What a mistake!

I also heard a white-bellied green pigeon had been heard and seen in the park. I neither heard nor saw it myself. They have excellent camouflage and are very difficult to find among the green or yellow foliage. The picture below is from Autumn last year.

先週末の壊滅的な台風が通った少し後気温が急に１０度ぐらい下がりました。ようやく秋を感じられます。紅葉の兆しも、小鳥の木の実を食べる姿はよく見かけます。

エゾビタキは全然見えなくなりまして、キビタキの個体数も大分減りました。私はよく行く公園にマミチャジナイが入ってきました。初めて見る鳥ですが、公園は保育園や幼稚園児のどんぐり拾いなどで賑やかになっているため、シャイなマミチャジナイを撮るチャンスになかなか恵めれませんでした。今日は朝早く園児や公園のスタッフが掃除を始める前に行こうとしましたが、休園日でゲートが閉まっていました。知っているはずなのに。失敗した！

別の方からの情報だとアオバトも今週出ていましたが、私自身は鳴き声も姿も確認できなかったです。完璧な保護色を持っているため、緑や黄色の中に上手く隠れます。以下の写真は去年の秋に撮ったものです。

Japanese white-eye on Ternstroemia gymnathera・メジロ、モッコク

Narcissus Flycatcher, female on Ternstroemia gymnathera・キビタキ、メス、モッコク

More Flycatchers

October 8, 2019

Recently I have been going to two different locations for migratory birds. I have been hoping to capture the Blue and White Flycatcher, but have had no luck. Instead, in both of these two places there have been several Narcissus Flycatchers and and Grey-streaked Flycatchers. Some of them have been reasonably easy to approach and photograph.

最近二箇所で渡鳥を追っていました。オオルリを探していましたが、残念ながら、今年の秋はご縁がなかったです。その代わり、二箇所ともキビタキやエゾビタキは個体数が多かったです。警戒心が強くなくて、比較的簡単に近づくこともできました。

Spider Lily Season

October 3, 2019

This Autumn, I had hoped to capture various swallowtail butterflies together with red spider lilies. I am afraid this year didn’t turn out to be very successful. When the flowers had reached their peak there were not many butterflies around, at least not on the days I prepared to capture them. All I managed to get this year was a few quick captures of Papilio memnon and Papilio protenor from the time there were only few flowers in bloom. Later on I got some frames of an Asian Swallowtail. The season it not totally over yet, but the flowers don’t look fresh anymore, neither do the butterflies. Therefore, I have given up for the season.

今年の秋彼岸花に訪れる様々なアゲハ蝶を撮るのを楽しみしていました。残念ながら今年はあまり良い収穫ではなかったです。花がピークを迎えた頃、蝶は非常に少なかったです。少なくとも私は撮りに行く日はそうでした。咲き始めの時のクロアゲハとナガサキアゲハ、そしてお花のピークの時のアゲハチョウしか撮れていません。彼岸花の季節は完全に終わった訳ではありませんが、お花も蝶もあまり綺麗ではなくなりました。なので、今年はもうギブアップです。

Two years ago it was totally opposite to this year. The spider lilies bloomed about two weeks earlier and they attracted a lot of swallowtails, including my favourite swallowtail, the Red Helen. There were also some rainy days in the middle of the season providing opportunities for creating some nice bokeh images.

2年前の彼岸花の季節は今年と全然違いました。お花は今年と比べて２週間早もかったです。そして、私の好きなモンキアゲハなどの蝶はとても多く飛び交っていました。雨の日もありまして、水玉をぼかしたりする味がある写真も撮れました。

Flycatchers passing by

September 26, 2019

I have been looking forward to capturing butterflies with red spider lilies. The spider lilies must be in bloom already. Unfortunately the past few days the weather has been too good with clear skies. I would prefer overcast skies when shooting the spider lilies so yesterday and today I went to capture migratory birds instead in one of my favourite parks.

Yesterday morning when I arrived to the park, I very soon detected a male and a female Narcissus Flycatcher. Even though I spent several hours trying to capture them, they were successfully hiding from me and my camera and I didn’t manage to get any decent images. Slightly before it was due for me to leave I saw a glimpse of an Asian Brown Flycatcher. After a few quick backlit captures the bird disappeared. It was only second time for me to see that bird so I was happy with those shots anyway.

Today, I returned to the same park again. Very soon I noticed there were more birds around and they were engaged in territory disputes. There was one male Narcissus Flycatcher, two or three female Narcissus Flycatchers, one Asian Brown Flycatcher and one Grey-streaked Flycatcher. I was especially happy to get another chance with the Asian Brown Flycatcher.

I hope the birds stay for some time before they continue their migration to warmer climates.

彼岸花に訪れと蝶をずっと楽しみしていました。彼岸花はもう綺麗に咲いているはずです。しかし天気が良さすぎて晴れの日が続いています。どちらかと言うと少し曇った日に彼岸花を撮りたいです。ですから二日間渡鳥を撮ろうと決めて気に入りの小さな公園に行ってきました。

昨日公園に着いたら、キビタキのオスとメスがいるのを確認できました。しかし時間をかけて撮ろうとしても上手くカメラから隠たりして、中々写真を撮れせてくれませんでした。帰る時間になったら、一瞬コサメビタキを発見しました。慌てて逆光で２〜３枚カットを撮ったら、鳥が何処かへ消えてしまいました。ここまで一回しか撮ったことがない鳥なので、あのショットでも嬉しかったです。

今朝再び公園に戻ったら、鳥の数が増えていました。縄張り争いをやっていたみたいです。キビタキのオス１羽、キビタキのメス２羽か３羽、エゾビタキ１羽とコサメビタキ１羽がいました！コサメビタキと二度目のチャンスに嬉しく思いました。

鳥たちは旅を続く前にしばらくあの公園いてくれるのを願っています。

Cosmos and Asian Swallowtail

September 16, 2019

Autumn is great time to shoot butterflies. You can find flowers that attract various butterflies and it is getting slightly cooler and hence more bearable to spend time outdoors. I especially like to capture butterflies on cosmos fields and red spider lily fields, that can both be found in central Tokyo.

This week, I spent some time shooting on the cosmos field of Hamarikyu Gardens. Upon arrival I was rather disappointed to see that the typhoon that had recently hit Tokyo, had ruined the cosmos fields. Only few flowers stood strong and straight and the rest were badly bent down. However, they still attracted butterflies, especially the asian swallowtails. I kept shooting for an hour and half until my battery went dead. I had forgotten to bring an extra battery pack so all I could was to leave for the day. I hope to make some time soon to go back, if not earlier, at least when the pink cosmos will also be in bloom, probably in October.

秋の花畑は蝶の撮影に最高です。様々な蝶が見られるし、気温も少し涼しくなってきています。特にコスモスや彼岸花畑での蝶を良く追っています。

今週はキバナコスモスがある浜離宮恩賜庭園に行ってきました。東京を直撃した台風のため、コスモス畑がひどい状態にっていました。大半のお花が倒れていまして、所々だけ強くてまっすぐなお花が立っていました。しかし、あの状態でも蝶が沢山やってきました。特にアゲハチョウはあちこち飛び交っていました。電池切れまで撮りまくっていました。スペアな電池パックを持って来るのを忘れてしまった為、一時間半後位帰るしかなかったです。是非また出直したいです！１０月に咲くピンクのコスモスも撮りたいです。

Japanese sparrowhawk chicks

September 7, 2019

In July I wrote two posts about a Japanese sparrowhawk couple building a nest in a nearby cemetery (Japanese Sparrowhawk Rainy season continues) . I am happy to be able to write that their nesting was successful and they have raised three heathy chicks that have already grown to almost same size as the adults are. I wanted to follow and document the growing up of the chicks but last month was my son’s school holiday and I have been busy traveling and spending time with my family. My friends, however kept me updated on major events. On 11 August I received a message that they had discovered a chick in the nest. I was at the time midway climbing up Mt. Fuji.

First time I saw the chicks personally was was a few days after coming back from Mt. Fuji. I didn’t get a decent capture that time but heard from a friend that there were altogether three chicks in the nest.

Next time I had chance to go and see the chicks was 22 August. I saw all the three chicks, then 11 days old, cute and fluffy with white feathers. I witnessed the mother bringing food for them, tearing the meat in small pieces easy for the chicks to swallow. The nest was pretty well hidden and difficult to see from any direction but I managed to get some pictures anyway.

7月にツミのカップルが近くの墓地で巣を作っていたとブログに書きました (Japanese Sparrowhawk Rainy season continues)。嬉しいことに３羽の雛が誕生し、大人とほぼ同じぐらいの大きさにに成長してきています。雛の成長記録を撮りたかったですが、先月息子は夏休みで、家族旅行などで忙しかったです。幸い友人が大事な出来事をメッセージで知らせてくれました。8月11日雛の誕生のメッセージがきました。私は当時富士登山最中でした。山を降りて東京に帰ってきて数日後墓地に行って、自分もなんとか雛を確認出来ました。雛は3羽だと友人から聞きました。

次雛を見に行ったのは8月22日でした。3羽も確認できました。真っ白で、ふわふわでとても可愛かったです。母親が餌を持って、食べやすい様に小さくちぎって雛にやりました。巣は四方八方から見えずらかったが、なんとか初めて雛を撮れました。

On August 29 a friend e-mailed that the chicks had already been seen out of the nest checking how the world looks like from nearby tree branches. The following day on 30th August, despite of rain, I rushed to the cemetery with hopes of seeing them. I was surprised to see the chicks were no longer white and fluffy but had changed their feathers already. They were flying around restlessly. After few shots it started pouring and I decided to pack and leave. Afterwards, I heard that a northern goshawk had been seen in the cemetery and perhaps that was the reason the juveniles were flying around restlessly.

8月29日に雛は巣立ちした、とのメッセージを受けました。次の日雨にも関わらず駆けつけると、ふわふわで白い雛ではなく、大人とほぼ同じ大きさで、色も着いてきていました。落ち着かない様子で、飛び交っていました。雨が本降りになったから、何枚かを撮ってから家に帰りました。後から近くにオオタカが確認されたとの情報を受け、もしかしたら雛たちの落ち着かない様子はそれだったかな、と思います。

On 31st August the weather was good and I was finally able to spend more time capturing the juveniles. It seemed that one, assumably the first-born had already left the nest. The other two were around the nest. It looked like to me that they were constantly preening their feathers. I guess they needed to get rid of the remaining white baby feathers. Only when they heard their mother calling they would stop preening and return to their nest with hope that they would soon be fed. Their mother did not tear the meat into small pieces anymore, but would have the juvenile do it themselves.

8月31日天気も良く、やっとまとまった時間雛の撮影ができました。第一子はすで完全にに巣立ったみたいです。残りの二羽は巣の近くでした。見る度に毛繕いをしていました。恐らく残りの産毛を取ろうとしていたでしょう。母親の泣き声を聞いたら、毛繕いを辞め、巣に入って、餌を貰うのを待っていました。母親は餌を丸ごとで落とし雛たち自身にちぎらせるようにしていました。

Two days ago, 3rd September, was my last visit to the cemetery so far. The two juveniles were still around. I heard from my friends that they had made some effort to catch their own food, namely they had captured cicadas, but they were still waiting their mother to feed them. When they noticed their mother to be close by, they quickly returned to the nest.

9月3日最後に巣がある墓地に行ってきました。二羽の雛はまだいました。友人からの話で蝉などの餌を自分で撮ったりしましたが、母親が餌を持ってきてくるのをまだ待っていました。母親が近くにいると分かったら、速やかに巣に戻りました。

Kamikochi

September 5, 2019

Last month I made a two-day trip to Kamikochi, a resort in Nagano Prefecture offering some spectacular mountain sceneries. I didn’t climb any of the surrounding mountains but walked along Azusagawa river running through Kamikochi prepared to capture the mountains, rivers, numerous ponds, deadwoods, flora and fauna and whatever would please my eye.

First morning turned out to be a disappointment as there was no fog I had very much hoped for and that I imagine would have turned the beautiful landscapes into magic. Nevertheless, I kept exploring the sceneries and even without the fog there was beauty everywhere to be seen. First few hours I spent capturing the Taishoike Pond, the Azusagawa River and the Tashiro Wetlands.

先月上高地に行ってきました。山登りは出来なかったですが、梓川沿いを歩き、山、川、数々の池、枯れ木などの上高地の美しい自然を撮ってきました。

初日の朝は期待していた霧は無かったものの、見渡す限り、美しい自然が広がりました。大正池や田代湿原を時間をかけて撮っていました。

Even though I was prepared to photograph landscapes, I could not resist changing to my 300 mm lens at times as there were some butterflies that one cannot find in Tokyo. After all, during the daytime, the light would have been pretty harsh for capturing landscapes. I was especially exited when I detected a tiny butterfly species, the Forest Pierrot for the first time ever.

旅の目的は景色でしたが、どうしても300ミリのレンズにも変えたりして、東京に見かけない蝶も撮ったりしました。初めて見たゴイシシミを発見したら、特に興奮してドキドキしながら撮っていました。

The second morning was somewhat better and offered some fog. After some hesitation I decided to go back to Tashiro wetlands again to see how it changed with fog and to observe the sunrise there. The view was stunning and kept changing with the rising of the sun. Also, the hay, the trees and the many spiderwebs were covered with dew drops, that sparkled in the morning sun.

二日目の朝は霧の兆しを感じたら再び田代湿原に戻ることにしました。霧のおかげでどうやって景色が変わるかを見たかったです。日の出もそこで向かいました。景色は素晴らしかったです！太陽が昇るにつれ、景色が変わり続けました。草、木、蜘蛛の巣などに露滴がきらきら輝いていました。

Later on I headed to another favourite spot of mine, the Myoin Pond. It was pretty crowded with tourists and the light was harsh as I got there. I was nevertheless happy to have gone to Myoin Pond as the hike to the pond goes through a forest where I found many butterflies, birds, monkeys and even a bear. It was my first time to see a bear in the wild. There was a time when the bear was looking at me and kept walking towards me. I didn’t know whether I should be worried even though it was just a cub. Luckily, it turned around away from me, so I didn’t need to think how I should act should it come very close.

その後明神池にも行くことにしました。着いたら、観光客で混雑して、光線も固くなっていました。しかし、行ったことは後悔していません。明神池に行く途中、蝶、野鳥、猿の群や熊まで撮れました。野生の熊を見たのは初めてでした。ある時熊が私の方向に歩いてきました。子熊でしたか、心配する必要あるかな、と一瞬思いました。幸い方向を変えてまた森に向かって消えて行きました。対処方法を考える必要はなかったです。