Snow fall

Much snow fell in Sapporo, it changed white in this morning.

A flock of Tree Sparrow fed on seed of grass in front of my flat.

Sapporo, Hokkaido. 29/Nov/2010.

Onece more Sarobetu

Last Sunday, my friend said that wanted to see Red-necked Grebe's chick, I went to Sarobetu again with him.

At first, we were forward to Toyotomi to see Yellow-breasted Bunting etc., but we couldn't see the Bunting.

Chicks of Stonechat.

Tree Sparrow.

Barn Swallow.
Japanese subspecies of swallow has white belly, it seemed to be a Eurasian subspecies.

We moved to Horonobe for our main target.

Though there were over 20 birders to see the Grebes, we could see at short range.

According to a person stood by here before our arrival, a chick hatched in this morning.
We were lucky.

The grass impeded us to see chick, we could see chick on parent's (mother?) back, and observed feeding from father (?) to chick.

Reed Bunting.

TOEF

Facilities of Tomakomai Experimental Forest set bird house on the wall. Russet Sparrow has its nest in this box.

The parents are busy for feeding to their chicks.

Black-faced Bunting breeds in Hokkaido.
When I lived in Tokyo, I recognized this species was winter visitor.

I walked around trail of Tomakomai Experimental Forest after birding of Yuhutu, and found a spot of sighting for Japanese Grey-thrush at short range.

They sang on the top of tree.

All photos in Tomakomai. 19/Jun/2010.

Arctic Warbler in my campus

Many Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) sing in my campus,  so I got up early and tried to take photo of them before going to my labo.

But they moved so high region of tree to take photo.

I gave up and aimed other birds.

Grey Starling had something.

Large-billed Crow

 ate a dried earthworm.

Tree Sparrow breeds under roof of dust house.

These photos in Sapporo, Hokkaido. 9/Jun/2010.

Brants

I've never seen Brant Geese (Branta bernicla) at a close range, I only saw them from very far  away through a scope.
Recently I found a Brant spot where I can go close to them.

They were in a fishery harbor eating algae.

At some distance, other group of Brants fed on attached algae.

At full tide, they were upside down to eat algae.

Dunlin (Calidris alpina) stayed at the same fishery harbor.

Tree sparrows seemed to be cold in falling snow.

All photos in Shiraoi, Hokkaido. Jan/2010.