Birding Diary July - December, 2000
Birding Diary July - December, 2000
31 December : Kamikawa River, Chino City (Nagano)
The list of birds we saw today :
Bewick's Swan, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Daurian Redstart, White Wagtail, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Varied Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Tree Sparrow and Jungle Crow.
30 December : Nobeyama, Mt.Yatsugatake Nature Cultural Park and Tateshina (Nagano) (9:30-14:30)
The list of birds we saw today :
Ural Owl, Common Buzzard, Rosy Finch, Meadow Bunting, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Willow Tit, Dusky Thrush, Tree Sparrow, Oriental Greenfinch, Pheasant, Black Kite, Jay and Jungle Crow.
28 December : Karuizawa Bird Forest (7:30-12:00) and Saku City (12:45-14:30) [Temp.(low) 8.6 F ; (high) 37.4F]
We are going to stay in Tateshina through this millennium. It was much colder than usual and we had a snow fall after Christmas. On our way to Tateshina, we made a detour and went to Karuizawa Bird Forest. We expected to see red bird, bigger than Long-tailed Rosefinch. There were many birder who wanted to see Palla's Rosy Finch and I was one of them. To attract Palla's Rosy Finch, people 'built' an elegant bird feeder, so we can see big red beautiful bird, if we are not unlucky. We were very happy to see them for the first time. Next time, we want to see them in other places, where there is no bird feeder. Anyway, we waited, saw and were satisfied. We could not stay long, as we should arrive in Tateshina before dusk. On our way to Tateshina, we drop by Saku city and we could see Greater Pied Kingfisher and Common Merganser for the first time ! Also there were many ducks including Smews (7 male + many females). They were beautiful in black and white. We were very satisfied to see big red bird, black and white duck and dappled bird in this millennium.
9 December : Karuizawa Bird Forest (Nagano) 8:00-9:30, 11:45-14:45
We went to Karuizawa to see Long-tailed Rosefinch, after a month. It was freeeeeezing cold in the morning, the temperature was 18F. We were satisfied to see many of them, some were in beautiful red colors like breeding plumage. They are 'summer bird' in Hokkaido, and we are now planning to go there to see Yellow-breasted Bunting and Long-tailed Rosefinch next season.
To tell the truth, I was not in a good condition. I was so sleepy and I slept for a while sitting on the ground by the trailside and it made my cold worse. Anyway, while I was sleeping, my husband said he saw Eurasian Siskin, Brambling, Rustic Bunting and Dusky Thrush were perching very close on the same tree. Congratulations, first time to see Siskin in this winter. I also wanted to see it. Other birds we saw were Oriental Greenfinch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Japanese Grosbeak, Dusky Thrush, Japanese White-eye, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Common Buzzard, Rufous Turtle Dove and Jungle Crow. We could not see Siberian Bluechat and Palla's Rosy Finch which we expected to. Take another chance.
The next morning, it was very warm and the temperature was 41F. It may because of that, Wren was singing in a loud voice. We also heard the call of Thrush, it might be Gray Thrush or Brown Thrush.
2 December : Sanbanse (Funabashi Bay Park, Chiba) 9:40-14:20
Sanbanse (Tideland) is famous for Oystercatcher, which we can't see Yatsu Tideland or Gyotoku Bird Park. They are very close, about 4 minutes 'flight'. We wonder why they gather only here, and we are anxious about their future, because Sanbanse is the last tideland in Tokyo Bay, and it will vanish ... There were more than 30 Oystercatchers and flew in beautiful formation with voice. They are smart birds in black, white and orange, aren't they ?
It was a fine day. The tide was on the ebb at 2 p.m. On the surface of the sea, we saw a black thick belt. We saw a black belt of White-fronted Goose on Lake Izunuma, and today the black belt was Greater Scaup. There were Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Snowy Plover, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and Black-necked Grebe nearby. We both like Grebes very much because they are small and cute. Among them, we found a hybrid between Eurasian Wigeon and American Wigeon, which had green and yellow head.
I seem to have caught a cold...
17-19 November : Lake Izu-numa & Kabukuri-numa Marsh (Miyagi)
Kabukuri-numa Marsh 11/17 10:30-13:00 11/18 9:00-16:40
Lake Izu-numa 11/17 13:00-16:00, 11/18 5:40-7:10, 11/19 5:30-7:00
Last year, we went to Niigata to see Bean Goose. In the last year of this millennium, we planned a birding tour again to see White-fronted Goose in Miyagi by car. It took five hours from our house to Miyagi via Tohoku Expwy. It also cost 8,000 yen and we were sure that Expwy is the abbreviation for the EXPensive WaY. And furthermore, oil price is rising also in Japan. (105 yen/lit)
Anyway, we were very satisfied to see White-fronted Goose were flying in formation. In the morning at 6:30 a.m., they took off from the lake at once and the spectacular scenery captivated us. Not only the scenery, but also the sound. They flew away just above our head with voice. We were very excited and didn't know which direction to see. It was the coldest day; the first snow fall in this season. After the Geese flew away, we watched Whooper Swan floating nearby. They don't afraid of human so much, so we could see them without anxiety. White-fronted Goose are extremely cautious, so you must not get close if they stop eating and raise their heads. Of course Whooper Swan is also wild bird, so don't get closer too much. There were also Bewick's Swan. The cygnet of Whooper Swan is more gray and bigger than Bewick's Swan's. And the voice of Whooper Swan is more rhythmical than Bewick's Swan's. Practice the trumpet ?? Among them, we found an adult dipped its head in the mud. Wished to be a Black Swan !??
To tell the truth, we didn't see other birds much, 'Geese and Swans' captivated us. Other birds we saw were Goshawk, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Black Kite, Tree Sparrow, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Gray Starling, Bull-headed Shrike, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Jay, Jungle Crow, Carrion Crow and Ducks.
11-12 November: Karuizawa Bird Forest (Nagano) 12 Nov. 6:45-10:00,13:30-16:30 and 13 Nov. 9:30-11:30
We were very excited to see "green birds"(Japanesse Green Pigeon) and "blue birds"(Siberian Bluechat) !
It was the last chance to enjoy fall colors in Karuizawa. Most leaves already scattered. We expected to see red and yellow birds: Long-tailed Rosefinch and Japanese Yellow Bunting. And we could see two more additional colors : ) We have ever heard the voice of Japanese Green Dove, only once, only one phrase. It was difficult to see them in the forest, because they mingled among the trees. We kept watching them for half an hour, and they didn't sing. Both of them seemed to be females.
I recommend you to visit there in the afternoon, you can see many active birds than in the morning. Around 3 PM, many birds came bathing in the stream. We saw a flock of Thrushes, Brown Thrush, Dusky Thrush and Gray-headed Thrush, Japanese Yellow Bunting (2 beautiful males and 1 females) and 3 Siberian Bluechat (in beautiful blue). It was interesting to see Long-tailed Rosefinch calling (not singing) on the top of the tree. Maybe he felt like singing. It was a very beautiful one, in the color of strawberry ice cream. We saw another Long-tailed Rosefinch. It was a female with a good appetite. I am sure you will enjoy to see winter birds in Karuizawa Bird Forest !
Other birds we saw (heard) were Daurian Redstart, Japanese Grosbeak, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Varied Tit, Willow Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Rustic Bunting, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Bush Warbler (?), Pale Thrush (?), Brambling, Jay, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese White-eye, Rufous Turtle Dove, and Jungle Crow.
3-4 November: Nobeyama, Mt.Yatsugatake Cultural Park and Tateshina (Nagano)
It was a good day to enjoy fall colors, the last chance here in this millennium. We enjoyed the autumn leaves much more than birding (~ ~;)
On the first day, a white mist lay over the cabbage field. We found some birds, and they flew away out of our sight. We heard the voice of Long-tailed Rose Finch, we couldn't see them though. There were still Brown Thrush and Gray Thrush, singing and eating. Warblers and Flycatchers left already now. Instead of that, we saw many Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting and Oriental Greenfinch. As it rained continuously, we gave up birding today.
Next day was "perfect fair" weather. We stayed Nobeyama for half a day, had a picnic lunch there. We saw some birds there. Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Jungle Crow. They enjoyed wind surfing.
In the paddy field, rice were reaped already, we found some flocks of Water Pipit and could record their voice.
Other birds we saw were Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker(always with a flock of Tits), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lont-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Rufous Turtle Dove, Brown-eared Bulbul, White Wagtail and Japanese Wagtail.
28 October: Karuizawa Bird Forest (Nagano) 7:00-8:15, 9:30-13:00, 16:30-17:00 [Temp.(low) 33.8 F ; (high) 50F]
We expected to see Long-tailed Rose Finch and we were very satisfied to see not only them but also some winter birds such as Rustic Bunting, Yellow-throated Bunting and Brambling. A flock of Brambling grew bigger. It was more than one hundred and crossing with their characteristic calls. It was easy to find birds flying in the sky, but hard to find them in the bush. We could hear the voices of Black-faced Bunting, Long-tailed Rosefinch and Rustic Bunting, but we needed to watch carefully for a long time to see them. Though both of Long-tailed Rose Finch were females, we were very satisfied and felt happy to see them for the first time in this season. We wish to meet males of Long-tailed Rose Finch and Pallas's Rosy Finch. (Do I ask too much ??)
Other birds we saw(heard) were Gray-Thrush, Brown Thrush, Narcissus Flycatcher (female), Japanese Grosbeak, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Jay, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese White-eye, Rufous Turtle Dove and many noisy Jungle Crows. Today was our 11th wed. anniversary, and we stayed almost all day here in the Bird Forest. It was a good day !
14 October: Mt.Yatsugatake Cultural Park (Hara Village, Nagano) 8:40-12:30
We hoped to see Gray-headed Thrush again. We could see a couple of Thrushes and Flycathcers except Gray-headed Thrush and Gray-spotted Flycather. In a week, it got very colder. We couldn't stay in the shade without clothing heavy jackets. It seemed a flock of Brambling (Click for the voice.) grew bigger and bramblings were here and there. But not all of them were brambling, I found Yellow-throated Bunting(female) up on the tree. It was easy to distinguish by its color. Many birds came to Dogwood. Great-spotted Woodpecker, Blue-and-White Flycather and Gray Thrush came to eat. We were happy to hear the song of Grosbeak and see White Wagtail and Japanese Wagtail were walking together. On the contrary, we dislike to hear the loud voice of Jungle Crow. Other birds we saw were Tits (Long-tailed, Willow, Coal, Varied, Great), Nuthatch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Brown-eared Bulbul, Gray Heron and Jay.
8 October: Mt.Yatsugatake Cultural Park (Hara Village, Nagano) 10:30-14:30
We have been wanted to see Gray-headed Thrush for a long time, and today we could finally see it! This is our first time to come to this park during the top-season. Not good for recording : loud voices and cryings of kids and people who were playing golf-like games. We walked the edge of the park so as to escape such noises, in vain. We could find nothing special, we saw Japanese Grosbeak Brown-eared Bulbul, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Jay, Tits (Great, Coal Long-tailed and Willow) and Woodpeckers (Japanese Pygmy, Great Spotted and Japanese Green). We were tired of hearing the hysterical crying of kids and return the same way we came, but we were caught in the forest of dogwood. We saw Thrushes up on the tree. Brown Thrush, Gray Thrush and Gray-headed Thrush ! And further more, there came Flycatchers (Gray-spotted, Sooty and Brown) !! Since we kept looking up at the tree for about two hours, we had stiff necks. We also saw the flock of Brambling for the first time in this season. Welcome back.
7 October: Nobeyama (Nagano) 7:00-8:30 Yatsugatake mountains were in fall colors.
Today we could hear the voice of Japanese Grosbeak, which is said to have accent. We heard only one phrase and soon it flew away, so we were not sure if it had an accent. Someday we will record its voice.., I hope so.
The weather was nice and we enjoyed birding there, if there were not millions of millipedes on the road. We could not get out of the car. It was a horrible scene... Anyway, we could see many cute birds. Stonechat in winter plumage, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in the field of cabbage. (Click for the voice.) Five Commonly Buzzrards were flying up in the sky in formation and it was very beautiful. Other birds we saw were Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Little Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black-faced Bunting, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Tree Sparrow who was eating millipedes, Brown-eared Bulbul, White Wagtail, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Jay and Jungle Crow. It was a good day to enjoy fall colors. : )
30 September - 1 October: Karuizawa (Nagano) [Temp.(low) 44F ; (high) 66F]
We expected to see Three Amigos again in Karuizawa. We could see them except Brown Flycatcher: the youngest(?) one. Three Gray-spotted Flycatchers always perched the same tree at the same time, very calmly. Their characteristic flying styles helped us to find them easily. I could take some photos which I failed last week. Please see the front page picture. We saw them a lot: flying, perching and calling. Also we could take the call of Sooty Flycatcher. So now, we could distinguish three (Sooty, Brown and Gray-spotted) of them with confidence.
We also expected to see Gray-headed Thrush, so we strained our 4 ears. The buzzy whistles were the calls of Gray Thrush. After calling, he began to sing in a low voice. It was a subsong of Gray Thrush. I couldn't see it, but I was very satisfied to hear it. See you next spring !!
Other birds we saw (heard) were Great Tit, Varied Tit, Willow Tit, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Bush Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Japanese White-eye, Jay, Brown-eared Bulbul and Jungle Crow.
23-24 September: Karuizawa (Nagano)
We went to Karuizawa to take a rest, I was still in a bad condition since Monday though. To tell the truth, we didn't expect to see birds, for the migrating birds are traveling now. It means that we have a chance to see birds who doesn't breed in Japan, if we are lucky. And it seemed we were lucky. We could see "Three Amigos", or, Sooty Flycatcher, Brown Flycatcher and Gray-spotted Flycatcher at the same time. Gray-spotted Flycather doesn't breed in Japan, they are just passing by. They moved very quickly from branch to branch. I tried to take some photos, in vain. I only took the bird's figure in silhouette, or out of focus. Maybe I needed an expensive camera, not telescope+digital camera. Other birds we saw were Siberian Meadow Bunting (kids! See front page picture), Arctic Warbler, Gray Thrush, Bull-headed Shrike, Indian Tree Pipit, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Needle-tailed Swift flying high in the sky. The intense heat was over. We expect to see Gray-headed Thrush and Long-tailed Rose Finch ! Now I feel better.
15 September: Yatsu Tideland, Chiba 9:30-14:30
It was a very humid day, damp weather ! Today was a National Holiday, Respect for the Aged Day. For many people, it would be three consecutive holidays, so the highways to the suburbs and resorts were very crowded. We passed through Akasaka and Tokyo Disneyland and went to Yatsu Tideland to see Curlews, whose long bills were curled downward. We observed the tideland from the nature center, as it started rain heavily. We could see both of them, Curlew and Eastern Curler. We could not tell one from the other.(^^;)
It stopped raining, and it became low tide. We went outside to see the birds closer. Many birdwatchers who had telescopes and expensive cameras were under the shades, because it rained heavily intermittently. We heard some anonymous voices, we could only tell the voice of Fan-tailed Warbler. The tideland was spreading gradually. There were Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Gray-tailed Tattler, Rufous-necked Stint, Ruddy Turnstone, Gray Plover, Snowy Plover, Gray Heron, Great Egret, little Egret and Spot-billed Duck. After all of them flew away, we heard a whistling voice. 5 Black-winged Stilt gathered and began to bully one. The bullied one remained standing for a while, and sat down there. What's wrong?
2-4 September: Kirigamine and Tateshina, Nagano
We escaped from the noisy Tokyo. We felt the refreshing air of autumn in Nagano, on the contrary it was 39.7C(104F) in Kumagaya, Saitama Pref. It was hard to imagine to be in the air higher than the body temperature.
We went to Ikenokurumi, Kirigamine Height to see Stonechat. At first, we found only Black Kite and Common Buzzard. Something was moving in the bush with calls: it was a Bush Warbler. At last we found a flock of Stonechat in winter plumage. We were happy to see them here. In Tateshina, Long-tailed Tit, Willot Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit and Nuthatch are in the mixed flock.
26-27 August: Nobeyama and Tateshina, Nagano
The seasons had changed. It becomes cooler in Nagano, Tokyo is still in the heat though. We have been wanted to hear the song of Japanese Grosbeak in Nobeyama, which is said to have accent. This morning, we drove around Nobeyama to find them, in vain. I hope we can hear them someday, if they don't become extinct.
In the afternoon, we went up the mountains to hear the songs of Japanese Robin, Siberian Bluechat, Arctic Warbler. We could hear only one Arctic Warbler was singing at intervals. Many of them seemed to come down, we saw Crowned Willow Warbler in our garden. A flock of Tits were perching on the electic wire, including a family of Lont-tailed Tit. There were two fledglings who still had gray feathers. They were so cute, also from behind. (front page picture)
It will be a good season to hear the Shrikes and Bullfinch. This winter, we want to meet Long-tailed Rose Finch in snow.
9 August: Tateshina, Nagano 9:00-11:00
We were satisfied with yesterdays birding, and also a little tired, so we decided to sleep without the alarm clock. We both have pedometers of Pikachu and make it a rule to walk 10,000 a day, so we went up the mountains carrying chairs and coffe pot. The dawn chorus were over, of course, it was 9:00 am, still we heard the songs of Siberian Bluechat, Bush Warbler, Arctic Warbler and Robin. Sitting in the chair in the wood made us happy. Then we caught the sight of a bird flying away with "gaw gaw". It must be the voice of a Nutcracker, which we saw 3 years ago in Ontake Mountains. We set the MD recorder to record its voice and waited for 40 minutes. We could record gaw gaw with the alarming voice of Bush Warbler. Sorry! It is going to be thunderstorm in the afternoon.
8 August: In the Forest in Nagano 5:00-7:00
A certain person told us the secret good place for recording, so we got up at 2:00 in the morning(?) and drove into the beech tree forest. We have been wanted to hear the song of Gray Bunting, which we saw in Akigase in winter. We only could record the calls, and eager to hear the beautiful songs. Arriving at the mountain pass, we soon heard the beautiful voice. We stayed there for about two hours just to hear the songs of Gray Bunting, Gray Thrush, Siberian Thrush, Japanese Grosbeak, Bush Warbler and Siberian Meadow Bunting. We will be back here next spring.
5-7 August: Tateshina and its vicinities, Nagano
Summer Vacation ! We escaped from Tokyo, and we are back here in Tateshina again. We can sleep well so it's hard to get up early in the morning. We can see many fledglings here and there. They are Siberian Bluechat, Wren, Bull-headed Shrike and Tits. Some of them are in family unit and call each other. I heard the unfamiliar calls from the bush. It was hard to see their figures, and after 10 minutes observation, I found it was Wren. It is hard to distinguish their voices from their calls. Do you know whose call is this ? It is Gray Thrush. They are flying in the dark forest and without their songs, it was hard to know that they are Gray Thrush. There is a long way to go.
Every day, we have a thunderstorm in the afternoon. We gave up recording because of thunderstorm and noisy Cicadas. How do we spend the rest of summer vacation ? Sleep well and take a walk. - to be continued
22-23 July: Tateshina and its vicinities, Nagano
We stayed in Tateshina for two days, and enjoyed bird listening. We tried to find Japanese Grosbeak in Nobeyama, which we have been wanted to hear its voice, in vain. We heard its voice in Karuizawa, Tateshina and everywhere, but never heard in Nobeyama which is said to have accent. Someday, we add it to "Bird Songs", maybe someday.
Birding depends on luck. Last week, we could see Siberian Thrush and Latham's Snipe. This time, we couldn't see both of them, even their voices. Instead of that, we could record the voices of Goldcrest and Red-cheeked Myna, which we didn't expect to. When we noticed the song of Goldcrest mixed with Siberian Bluechat, Arctic Warbler and Japanese Robin, we couldn't distinguish it. We tried to find the figure, but couldn't find, neither. We confirmed it after returned to Tokyo. There is a long way to go. We love the song of Arctic Warbler, which make us cool. On the contrary the buzzing noise of flying bug gets on my nerves^^;
We will be back to Tateshina in early August again. What kind of songs can we hear? I will report again.
20 July: Tokyo Sea Life Park, Kasai, Tokyo 10:30-14:00 Intense heat!
We came here to see two chicks of Thin-billed Murre. Today is a National Holiday, and also the first day of Summer Vacation for school kids. The rainy season is over, and it is said that 10 days after that, the sky will be clear. This morning, we woke up late, so we gave up going birding. But we saw a picture of Murre with chick on the paper ! We suddenly decided to go, they are not wild birds, though. There were two chicks of Thin-billed Murre, the first babies born in this park since 1989. It is a coincidence that we've got married on the same year, so I can understand the joy of the people in the park, and we sincerely hope these chicks will grow, healthy and happy. After seeing the chicks for an hour, we went to see Penguins, my favorite! There were Humboldt Penguin and Fairy Penguin under the sun. We envy them swimming in the water. We recorded their voices, the hissing sound(?) of Humboldt Penguin and the voice of Fairy Penguin which sounded like barking of the dogs. The wild birds we saw outside Sea Life Park were Eurasian Wigeon, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Herring Gull, Common Sandpiper, Gray Heron, Egrets (Great, Intermediate and Little), Spot-billed Duck and Fan-tailed Warbler.
15-16 July: Tateshina and its vicinities, Nagano
It's the season to see cute fledglings here and there. On 19 July, last year, we could see the 'nursery' of Stonechat in Kirigamine Height but we have to wait one more week, this year. OK, we will be back next week again. Instead of that, we could see Siberian Thrush for the first time. We went up the mountains to hear the songs of Siberian Bluechat, and we heard the whistling sound across the river. We looked each other with a big expectation. It must be the one we have been wanted to see for a looooo---ooong time. Yes, that's right. We confirmed his clear white eyebrows. At first we thought he was a Nutcracker, because his chest was motley in black and white. He must be a young bird. The tinkling voice of Siberian Bluechat made us cool, feeling good. Now, we have to go back to Tokyo, a sizzling frying pan. Help me.....
8 July: Inokashira Park, Tokyo 15:00-16:00
We came here to see the fledglings of Little Grebe, and we could see them! There were 3 chicks swimming after their mother in the pond, ...among the boats. It was just like they were crossing the heavy traffic road. And people chased them crying "How cute!". Yes, they are very cute, but please don't tease them, chase them... I hope they won't be involved in a traffic accident. And furthermore, there were so many Jungle Crows. Will the chicks survive? I hope so. One Pintail was still in this Park. I don't know what happened to him. I miss the flocks of Pintail and cool air... Can we survive this summer???
2 July: Tokyo Port Bird Sanctuary, Tokyo 9:10-13:30
It's very hot today, intense heat! (The temperature was 32 C, and 70 C in the car!) The Nature Center is air conditioned so you can bird watching comfortably. It is worth paying 300yen for admission ticket. Today, we wanted to see young Dabchick. We were happy to see it, it was a little..older(?) than we expected though.
The avifauna was different from the one when we came here in March. There were no Pintail, Smew and Bull-headed Shrike. Instead of that, we could see Chinese Pond Heron, without expectation. It was in beautiful breeding plumage, and flew away soon. We were almost satisfied to see it, and furthermore, we could see cute sleepy Black-crowned Night Heron. (Please see the picture below.) After a big yawn, he went to his bed. Have a good sleep. Other birds we saw were Little Tern, Little Swift, Herring Gull, Gray Heron, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Cormorant and Spot-billed Duck.
