A few subsequent visits to Tama Reien brought a few new species in. First, what I am pretty sure is the Brown-headed Thrush, though it does not too closely resemble what my field guides show in terms of shape and color shades–but all the signs are there.

Note the white coloring on its belly; that’s one of the telltale signs. Here’s another shot I got the following day, somewhat clearer on the front:

The other new species was, to my surprise, the Japanese Green Woodpecker, though I missed any clear shots of the bird. Still, the black-and-white stripes on the belly as well as the red coloring on the side and top of its head identify it clearly:

With the above, you can catch the belly stripes, and can just see the red spot on the back of its head, both of which might be clearer here:

And then these shots, though much less focused, show the coloring better, and one shows the red spot on the side of its head a bit more clearly.

I also happened to catch other shots of Grosbeaks (previously sighted at Reien) and a Hawfinch (which I’d only seen around Sagami):

The lighting is due to a massive dark cloud, which accompanied strong winds, both of which arrived just as I did. Other photos, taken on the next day, had better lighting, but numerous attempts at sound recording were thwarted by loud ambient noise, such as that produced by a helicopter which chose to circle the area for a full hour. Both of these have been typical nuisances for my trips to Tama Reien, which also include an uncanny knack for passers-by (usually with frisky dogs) and loud sudden vehicles to come along exactly as I’m ready to press the shutter button on an interesting new bird. My perception, I know, but it happens all too often nonetheless…