2011
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Hawking Falcons.
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… Continue reading
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Which Canada Goose?
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)… Continue reading
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No one can, like an……
Australian Pelicans at Toorbul, Queensland, September 2008. Continue reading
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One Chance.
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,… Continue reading
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A Frogmouth on its Nest.
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… Continue reading
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Look! A Tanuki
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,… Continue reading
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Whistler
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… Continue reading
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One Weekend in Summer
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… Continue reading
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Whistleblowers of the Bush.
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”.… Continue reading
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Lunch.
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… Continue reading
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Grey Heron
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… Continue reading
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Bird-Love-Care Centre at Shuinji, Shibata, Niigata.
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… Continue reading
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The Briefest Glimpse.
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… Continue reading