What the hell are these things?

Yes I know what these are, one immature and one adult Night Heron on the river this lunchtime.

But I'm not sure about these..........most of these are from Tuesday this week. Lots of flycatchers passing through, but which species.........?

Are they Asian Brown or Sooty Flycatchers? They do look pretty dark (which would suggest Sooty) but I have no idea to be honest.





This is obviously a young one, I think Asian Brown.



This one looks pretty pale, is it just an Asian Brown?



God knows. Here are some more shots.





This one was today (Friday).



And this is from Monday.



If anyone can help me out here with this Flycatcher ID mental block I have I'd be grateful...........

Bad luck comes in threes...........it's true.

Yesterday was very clear sunny weather bang in the middle of the peak of the wader migration season. I had most of the day free and was planning to go to the beach at Kamiso.

But I couldn't go due to an attack of gout, something of a family curse (not helped by my love of beer and seafood). All I can do is hobble around my apartment with a very painful red swollen big toe cursing life in general and the construction noise specifically. I also have had a chronic sore throat the last 3 or 4 weeks and half of one of my teeth fell out last week. F**king hell! If it really comes in threes I've used up all my bad luck for a long while....

I was bored so here are some photos from earlier in the year that never made it onto this blog. They were on my 2 abortive attempts at a second blog, both of which bit the dust.............

This Spectacled Guilemot was in one of the fishing harbours in town in January. It just about managed to swallow that big fish.......







And here is its relative, an Ancient Murrelet also in January out at Menagawa..........



The influx of Crossbills in March/April provided lots of photo opps very close to my apartment........









And here are some Eagle in flight shots at Yakumo last winter where I messed up the exposure..............







And on the ground.............







I don't know why I didn't put this Crane shot on this blog, it's one of my fave ones.....



The Black Necked Grebes in Shikabe were very photogenic in early April.......in both winter and summer plumages..........





I rarely get to take shots of this species: a White Backed Woodpecker in Yakumo in January...........



And here is a Daurian Jackdaw, a scarce winter visitor. This was last winter just outside town.......



Hope there are still some waders around when I can walk properly again in a few days time..............

A bit of a change

 

I had a day off today but the lousy grey weather put paid to any ideas of going to Kamiso to look for yet more waders.

There were 5 or 6 Night Heron on the river though..........

And lots of small birds flitting around in the bushes as the warblers and flycatchers start to pass through....

This is an Asian Brown Flycatcher. I think most of the above mentioned birds were this species although there was at least 1 phylloscopus warbler which I couldn't get a clear view of to ID it (it was probably an Eastern Crowned Warbler).



Or is it a Sooty Flycatcher? Another of my mental bloc ID problems........

Wader Season #3

We were back up at Oshamanbe today and there was a mixed flock of about 40 or so waders. Most of them were Red Necked Stints. There was also 1 Dunlin and about half a dozen Sanderlings. The Sanderlings are much bigger and easy to pick out.





The Dunlin and some of the Sanderlings still has the remnants of summer plumage.......







Red Necked Stints are one of my fave birds. They come very year at the same time. There's a window of 5 or so weeks when there are loads of them everywhere. Shame it was such a grey cloudy day.......





Not much else around. Lots of migrating hirundines and Pacific Swifts.

Only another 4 or 5 weeks of local construction noise (I'm saying that through gritted teeth).

My wife voted in the Japanese General Election today. Looks like Japan will be getting a new government after pretty much 54 years of one party rule. Will anything change? Some anti-noise laws wouldn't go amiss Mr Hatoyama.

Installed Snow Leopard with no major issues and am hoping the 7D will be announced next week. My trusty old Canon 400D/XTi has served me well but now its time to move up a level. I just found out today the flash is broken so I can persuade my wife I may as well get a new model...........

The Liverpool victory was exciting last night but they aren't looking like title contenders. If I was a betting man I'd put a few quid on Man City.

I may watch the 20/20 cricket later today, I've never seen one ever.

Wader Season #2

One of several groups of Red Necked Stints up at Oshamanbe this afternoon.







I couldn't get so close to them, the darn things kept flying away.........



Here is a pic of the maestro at work.........



Other species of wader on the same bit of beach included these 2 species: Mongolian Plover and Grey Tailed Tattler.









I get a lifer today, Long Toed Stint. A group of 3. Here's a record shot.



And here's another record shot of a Greenshank (?) at Kamiso a couple of days ago. This was a local tick that I misidentified as a Marsh Sandpiper at first..............



Bizarre find of the day was this. Some kind of weasel in a railway waiting room (this shot was through the dirty window).



I assume it is a wild creature, it disappeared pretty sharpish when I opened the door.......

I'm watching the cricket, god it's tense stuff. Those 2 run-outs have helped me relax a bit but I'm still a nervous wreck. C'mon England just finish it.