The weather in
the region had been continuing rainy and cloudy until yesterday, but today it
turned sunny and clear.
So I
immediately went out to photograph the 179 cherry trees on the bank of the Tone
River in the neighboring town of Tone.
The cherry
blossoms had already started to fall, and the petals were blowing in the north
wind, forming a flower snowstorm, signaling the end of spring.
Meadow buntings are the only ones that perch there.
This year’s spring,
I tried again to photograph Meadow bunting perched on a stem of a Brassica
campestris (Brassicaceae) in full bloom on an embankment.
I went to a nearby embankment about 30 times, making several round trips along the 1 km each way, that was full of blooms, and finally managed to capture it on camera.I have been following this encountering during the flowering season of this cruciferous flower for three years and for some reason only Meadow bunting perch on cane of these flowers.
The number of migratory birds in the region has been declining year by year, and the Long-tailed Rosefinch is one of them.
In
the same area as last year, it was feeding on willow flower buds.
Homecoming is imminent.
This
species can be found in Japan, China, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, and
Russia.
In Japan, it breeds as a summer bird in Hokkaido and the Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture, and migrates south of Honshu as a winter bird to overwinter.
A female
For the first time, I photographed
this wild bird locally yesterday, but it is difficult to believe that it was
inhabited in the wild.
It appears to have either escaped from an establishment where it was kept as a pet, or was released, as it appears to be unafraid of humans and crows.
This wild
bird, said to have been a favorite in Japan since the Heian period (794-1185),
has a wide breeding distribution in the frigid zones of the northern hemisphere
and is seen as a winter bird in Japan, but is most commonly observed north of
central Honshu.
This year it has migrated again to a park in a neighboring city.
I immediately
went to that park today and captured it with my camera.
Several birds
usually fly to this park, where they are known to fly in, but today's
observation showed only one bird, which repeatedly stopped to rest on a twig a
few metres above, after eating the berries of its favorites plant, the Liriope muscari
Japan's largest doll festival
A Dazzling Doll Display | Katsuura Big Hina Matsuri
2024
Dates: February 23 – March 3
Main
Display: Tomisaki Shrine, Katsuura
Every year on March 3rd, the Hina Matsuri, or Doll Festival, is celebrated
all over Japan. On this occasion, also known as Girls’ Day, families display
ornately decorated dolls as an expression of hope for the healthy growth of
girls.
Some localities, like Chiba’s Katsuura City, hold community-wide events.
During the festival period (February 23 – March 3) you’ll find spots all around
town that are beautifully decorated with Hina Dolls, with the main attraction
being the 1,800 Hina Dolls that adorn the steep staircase leading up to
Tomisaki Shrine. It’s a stunning sight you won’t want to miss if you’re in the
Tokyo area during this time. Here’s how to get here by train from Tokyo:
Tomisaki
Shrine is about a 10-minute walk from JR Katsuura Station.
JR Katsuura Station can be reached from Tokyo Station in about 90-minutes
by a limited-express Wakashio train.
⇩ google search
https://maruchiba.jp/event/detail_10874.html
This time,
it is a wild bird of the heron family called "Mizogoi", which breeds
only in Japan.
There are
seven species of wild birds in Japan with "goi" at the end of their
bird names in Japanese, and this bird is one of them.
This bird is found in low mountain forests
and is listed as an endangered species on the Red List of the Ministry of the
Environment of Japan due to a drastic decline in its population since the
latter half of the 20th century. It is estimated that there are currently fewer than
1,000 birds worldwide. (Wikipedia summary)
Pictures were taken for evidence on February 3rd, 2024.
The weather in the region had been continuing rainy and cloudy until yesterday, but today it turned sunny and clear. So I immediately went...
