June 25, 2017 The last few mornings found me at the top of Mt. Shiogi , courtesy of a student of mine. He told me there were a few bird photographers at a pond photographing some common kingfishers, (one of my favorite birds) at a pond there. He managed to take a few photos himself with his cellphone. I had been to this pond a few times before. (The last picture in this post is of a tiger keelback I had photographed there a few years ago.)
Turned out to be a juvenile male that appeared while I was there. In all his attempts, I never once saw him catch a fish, unlike the adults, who are much more adept at it. It appears to be a skill they have to learn, but the parents continue to feed them until they can catch enough fish for themselves.
Music by Faure; Berceuse for violin and piano, opus 16
A few other creatures who inhabit the small pond up on top of Shioji mountain. A peaceful place to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
A water strider or amenbo in Japanese
A curious turtle checks me out
Tiger keelback or yamakagashi in Japanese. A venomous species, with a few documented deaths here in Japan.