I went to Kichijoji today, and visited two parks: Inokashira and Kichijoji Parks. Kichijoji Park was new to me, and while there were a lot of ducks and a few other good birds, what I saw there was really just a subset of what I could see at Inokashira. And there were some pretty nice birds there today. Not any new ones for me, but I got some nice photos of ones I’ve seen before.

First, the Common Moorhen. You can spot these easily along the main bridge across the lake, the same bridge where you line up to rent the pedal-boats. The Moorhens are among the ducks taking food from passers-by along the bridge, on the side opposite the boats. The Moorhens tend to hang back. Before, I saw only an immature one; today, a family of three were out (all images today have enlargements when clicked):

The other nice catch was the Mandarin Ducks. These tend to stick to an area close to the west end of the lake in the park. You can usually find them on the last footbridge before the end of the lake. You might have to detour around a small building, taking a dirt path off the bridge, to find their hiding spot. But when you find them, they are close, and they are glorious. First, a mating pair:

Then one from behind; I like the angle, and the color and texture of the water:

It’s also very interesting to catch them preening and fluffing out–you see more about what their feathers are doing:

Maybe some more later, from Kichijoji Park.