January 5th, 2020 Late Sunday afternoon, I grabbed my camera and leash with the aim to walk along the local Homan River with my dog, Tabi. A modest river that is home to a multitude of bird species, I wanted to see how many I could get decent photographs of within a few hours.
The day was fair with just a few wisps of cirrus clouds high up in the atmosphere. As I entered the rice fields along a small road that led to the river, I tied Tabi’s leash to my belt in order to have my hands free for the camera. Tabi has learned to keep still when I pause to take a photo. She will sit quietly by my side, sometimes for minutes as I wait for the bird to strike the right position. I suspect this is largely due to the small dog treats I keep in my pocket, which I give to her after each stop.
I saw over 25 species, but I only include the ones I was able to photograph decently. Other species seen were Mallard, Cormorant, Tree Sparrow, Magpie, Bulbul, Pigeon, Greenfinch, Japanese White-eye, Bush Warbler, Siskin, Pygmy Woodpecker, and Little Egret. I always seem to spot a Common Kingfisher, but one did not appear until the very end of our walk. I thought to myself, “Not this day…” and then an immature male landed just across the river from us. The tiny Common Kingfisher is always around to make me smile, and is on my business card too!
Bull-headed Shrike, Mozu
Carrion Crow, Hashiboso-garasu
Carrion Crow after bath
Common Gallinule, Ban
Common Kingfisher, Kawasemi
Common Sandpiper, Iso-shigi
Eurasian Kestrel, Chougenbo
Gray Heron, Ao-sagi
Gray Wagtail, Kisekirei
Great Egret, Dai-sagi
Japanese Wagtail, Seguro-sekirei
Ringed Plover, Hajiro-kochidori
Spot-billed Duck, Karu-gamo
Tabi, Shiba-Beagle?
Thanks for visiting!
MOSTLY BIRDS 