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Whiskered Terns in Niigata
Whiskered Tern Fukushimagata, Niigata, Japan October 1 and 2, 2016 I believe Whiskered Terns are very rare visitors to Japan. This was my first record for them in Japan. I have seen them in Australia but they were too far away for decent pics. Strange for them to come as far north as Niigata. It… Continue reading
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Out of the Fog
Japanese Sparrowhawk Mount Yamamoto, Ojiya, Niigata, Japan September 24 & 25, 2016 I have a sore neck and tired arms. I had been looking forward to the raptor migration all summer long. I had also been browsing bigger and longer lenses to get me a bit closer to the action. I dreamed about big 500… Continue reading
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Summer Shadows
Summer scenery at Toyanogata, Niigata, Japan August 28, 2016 At least I tried to do a spot of birding and I was even hoping for dragonflies, but I just ended up getting into the summer shadows at Toyanogata to finish August off. I saw a lot of dragonflies on Wednesday but they quickly disappeared. Hopefully,… Continue reading
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Gulls of August
Black-tailed Gull Shinano River, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan August 2016 We seem to get different waves of gulls at different times of the year in Niigata. April is a good time for Black-headed Gulls but at most other times I think it is mostly Black-tailed Gulls and Common Gulls. What I can figure out from… Continue reading
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Cranky Devils
I’ve never been to Tasmania, but was told years ago by a friend that if I went there I’d never come back. The above video was filmed at Lone Pine Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia on August 9, 2016. (The same day as the Australian Online census…I think the devils just got off the computer). Look for… Continue reading
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On the Road
“Maisy” Black-striped Wallaby In the care of Judith and Brendon Gray Jarowair, Queensland, Australia Check their blogs Beyond Our Patch and Jarowair Our Patch August 10, 2016 This spectacular little joey is a Black-striped Wallaby. Sadly, her mum was killed on the road, but she was rescued from her pouch and handed into care. If you ever… Continue reading
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Little Baby Birdy
White Wagtail Niigata City, Japan July, 2016 Went out for a walk with my old D300 the day after my last post and found this baby Wagtail. I also used the old Nikkor 80-400 VR. The lens was released in 2000 and boasted Nikon’s first attempt at image stabilisation. I didn’t get it until 2010… Continue reading
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Shadow of the Wagtail
White Wagtail Niigata, Japan July 18, 2016 Been quiet recently. Very warm and humid. I haven’t been in the mood to go out much. Steamy is a good way to describe it. This White Wagtail I met this afternoon looked as if it had been walking around in the steam. Continue reading
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Rain, Peregrines and website
Last Saturday morning, I discovered that two new peregrines had left the nest at the Prefectural Office. It started raining, however, and I haven’t been able to follow up my discovery with photos or further observations. It’s a nice record anyhow. In the meantime, I’ve started a basic website to display my photos, which include… Continue reading
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Industrial Kestrels 2016
Eurasian Kestrelyoung bird Shinano River, Niigata City, Japan May 2016 I was fortunate to find that the kestrel family again raised 3 young. It seemed to me they had left the nest early….late May. Usually I think it’s been mid-June. I’ve been watching them at the same cement factory since 2005. This time things looked… Continue reading
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Goshawks 2016
Northern Goshawks Niigata, Japan June 19, 2016 Mr Honma and I went for a quick look at the goshawk nest this morning. I have been impatiently wanting to check it out but we have been waiting for the chicks to leave the nest. We were a bit early with two just out of the… Continue reading
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A walk around Fukushimagata
Fukushimagata Niigata, Japan May 15, 2016 It was early summer out there today. I went for bit of a walk around Fukushimagata. Didn’t really find anything new. The bird of the day was “Grey Heron”. They were everywhere. Also spot-billed Duck and Mallard. A small sprinkling of egrets and other small herons but I didn’t… Continue reading
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Wedgetail
Wedge-tailed Eagle Lockyer Valley, Queensland, Australia December 28, 2015 Here are some wedgetail pics from the Lockyer Valley at the end of last year. I often seem to get good wedgtail encounters when birding with Rod Hobson. The photos were with my D800 and are only lightly cropped then massively reduced for web. I like… Continue reading