The Fisher King
Or, more accurately, the Kingfisher, or more specifically, the Common Kingfisher (Kawasemi • カワセミ), though its appearance is anything but common. I finally got some great shots of this bird, after several attempts that only gained small, fuzzier images. For a “common” bird, it’s not so easy to catch. But I got two good looks at the little guys yesterday at the Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park.
The first one sat on a post maybe fifteen meters away, in the direct light. This first image has a beautiful 1280×854 blowup version if you click on it–the water reflection behind the bird is just great in the enlargement.
Then this guy flew up within perhaps 8-10 meters of one of the blinds, sitting on a rope across the water put there for just this purpose: to attract Kingfishers. Note the beautiful blue-green stripe down its back.
I think the 1st photo is terrific, especially w/ the background.
I’m surprised they don’t allow one to get closer to the birds, as noted in the previous post re this park.
Here’s a technical idea: I clicked on several photos and only one enlarged. Is there a way to show that a photo supports enlarging? Text that says “click to enlarge”? A blue box around the photo?
I have recently moved to Japan from Canada am a little bit of a casual birder. I was wondering if you knew of a few good birding spots in the kansai area. I live in Nara prefecture but was dissapointed by the bird sactuary in Osaka harbour, as well i have also done a little bit in Nara Park. Any thoughts would be appriciated. Thanks,
Peter Woodruff
YKW: I do tell which ones can be enlarged (at least I think I do), just in text. I don’t like the blue border, it’s visually inelegant. But there is an easy way to tell: move the cursor over the image; if the arrow/text cursor turns into a hand (link) cursor, then it’s enlargable.
Peter: I wish I could help you, but I don’t know Kansai at all. Try doing Google, with keywords that include “birdwatching,” “Japan,” “Kansai”–and alternate vocabulary, e.g. “birding” for “birdwatching,” “Osaka” for “Kansai,” etc.
The results you get will include birdwatching reports–birders like to list birds they spotted at various locations. Look through the lists for locations they used. Otherwise, try finding the Tacho no Kai, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, see if they have a Kansai branch (maybe even a store). They can lead you to books showing birding locations and maybe you can join their bird outings.