The Ducks Are Back
I got up a bit early today, and decided to do some birding along the Tama River. Looks like birds are flocking–I saw large numbers of Little Egrets and Great Cormorants, and a fair number of Eurasian Wigeons. Having seen the Wigeons, I figured that the ducks are returning–only the Spot-billed ducks stayed for summer. After work, I decided to drop by Inogashira Park and see what else had returned, and it looks like the whole gang is back–though not in full colors yet for some. However, I did get Northern Pintails, Tufted Ducks, Spot-billed Ducks (of course) and Common Pochards–as well as three Mandarin Ducks (one mating pair, mature, and one immature male). I also spotted the resident Black-crowned Night Heron, usually present at dusk. But the big surprise was a bird that at first I thought was an immature Eurasian Coot, but turned out to be an immature Common Moorhen–chalk up one more species to my life list.
Here are the photos. All have 1000×800-pixel blowups if you click them. Beginning with the new bird, the Common Moorhen (Ban • バン):
The red on the beak and the white wing and tail feathers mark the main difference between the Moorhen and the Coot. Next, a few shots of the Night Heron:
As he’s a regular, any ideas for a name for him? Next, the Mandarins–first the immature, then the mature male.
Doesn’t look too impressive with his feathers like that, does he? Kinda scruffy there. But it does give an interesting look at the structure of the brown tertiary feathers at the back of the wing that give the bird its “mandarin” flap.
In case you live in Tokyo and you’re planning to go to Inogashira to look for the birds, the Mandarins don’t go to the central walking bridge over the lake. Like the Night Heron, they stay on the west side. Look for the Night Heron in the late afternoon just off shore from the walking trail on the north side of the lake, west of the main bridge.
A few more bird photos from today later on.
The ducks are back in Ukima Park (Ukima Funado station on the Saikyo line, 2 stops from Akabane) are back as well. Most arrived in the last two weeks, and stragglers are still arriving every few days.
It is a smallish park, but we have Moorhens, cranes, three or four different types of ducks, etc. and there are always bird photographers with large equipment there to complement the everpresent fishermen.
Our mansion is right next to the park, so we walk through it every day to get to the station, making it easy to keep tabs on the duck population.
I like the new gallery format!
Ukima Park–I’ll have to check it out, thanks! But cranes? I think you mean Egrets, right? Cranes don’t come to this area of the country, more often they’re up north. But the photographers with serious equipment, that’s a telltale sign of a good birding spot, so there must some interesting birds to be found there.
Ishigoya Dam, below Miyagase Dam in Kanagawa – 100+ Mandarin Ducks 2 weeks ago. Also saw 5+ wild monkeys along one of the forest trails!
Maybe you’re right. I only say cranes because they looked like cranes to me. They must be egrets if you say so. I’m not so much a bird watcher as a general park/green space lover.
A plus to Ukima park (again it’s small) is that it’s right next to the Arakawa, which has a large green area there (unfortunately dominated by golf courses) and great running/biking paths that go all the way to Kawagoe in one direction and to the Tokyo Bay (passing Asakusa) in the other. Lots of great day bikes.
Oh, I forgot to mention. There is technically a bird sanctuary in Ukima park, but it’s more of a blocked off area that people can’t enter on one side of the lake back toward the river. The photographers with huge custom-looking zoom lenses on tripods that I see are pointed toward that back end from a small bridge on the right side.
Beautiful photos !