Ranger’s blog before yesterday (Jan. 28th)

A noteworthy feeding behavior was seen in the west side of the park, at the garden space.
The photos below are the feeding shots of a Japanese Tit and a Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker.  Both of them fed eggs in oothecae of Giant Asian Mantis Hierodula patellifera.
 
(A Japanese Tit with an ootheca of mantis)

(A Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker with an ootheca of mantis)
Eggs in oothcae of mantises have high nutritive value for insectivorous wintering birds in the park.

Grass bushes and shrubs in the west side of the park, where mantises lay eggs, were however reduced dramatically in the garden area because of over management and bush clearances. This may cause to increase feeding pressure on eggs and cause to decrease population sizes of the mantis species in the area.

The following is the list of species that park rangers observed today.

Mallard、Northern Pintail、Common Pochard、Tufted Duck、Little Grebe、Great Cormorant、Grey Heron、Eurasian Coot、Snipe、Common Sandpiper、Black  Kite、Eurasian Sparrowhawk、Northern Goshawk、Common Buzzard、Oriental Turtle Dove、Common Kingfisher、Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker、Bull-headed Shrike、Large-billed Crow、Japanese Tit、Brown-eared Bulbul、Japanese Bush Warbler、Japanese White-eye、White-cheeked Starling、Pale Thrush、Brown-headed Thrush、Dusky Thrush、Daurian Redstart、Eurasian Tree Sparrow、White Wagtail、Oriental Greenfinch、Hawfinch、Black-faced Bunting、Reed Bunting
　(34species)

Ranger's Activities
Research : Daily Surveys  and  updating records
Habitat management : Patrol
Education : Providing visiter services at the Ranger Station
Other : Nothing to Report

Ranger’s blog (Jan. 28th)

The park is continuously under severe cold.  Nearly all streams and ponds in the park except “Shio-iri” Pond were frozen over.  They kept off waterfowls thus the park was slightly deserted today.

At East Freshwater Pond in the morning a Great Cormorant attempted to alight on the water. Just before landing the bird realized that the thick ice formed on the water. It turned immediately to climb steeply and flew away.

(“Go around!”)

In another occasion a male Pochard was seen in the pond alone.  There were pieces of ice around the bird.  He could has been tried assault landing.
 
(A lonely Pochard in the frozen pond)

In the afternoon as the northwest seasonal wind began to blow, a considering number of Grey Herons concentrated on the east bank of “Shio-iri” Pond for avoiding the wind.
 
(Grey Herons sheltered from cold wind)

In the west side of the park at the vegetable garden a Rustic Banting was observed. The species is uncommon winter visitor in the park.
 
(A Rustic Banting)

The following is the list of species that park rangers observed today.

Gadwall、Mallard、Common Pochard、Tufted Duck、Little Grebe、Great Cormorant、Grey Heron、Little Egret、Common Moorhen、Eurasian Coot、Snipe、Common Sandpiper、Black  Kite、Eurasian Sparrowhawk、Northern Goshawk、Common Buzzard、Oriental Turtle Dove、Common Kingfisher、Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker、Bull-headed Shrike、Azure-winged Magpie、Large-billed Crow、Japanese Tit、Brown-eared Bulbul、Japanese Bush Warbler、Japanese White-eye、White-cheeked Starling、Pale Thrush、Brown-headed Thrush、Dusky Thrush、Daurian Redstart、Eurasian Tree Sparrow、White Wagtail、Buff-bellied Pipit、Hawfinch、Rustic Bunting、Black-faced Bunting、Reed Bunting
　(38species)

Ranger's Activities
Research : Daily Surveys  and  updating records
Habitat management : Patrol
Education : Providing visiter services at the Ranger Station、Lecture and bird watching tour in the park for university students
Other : Nothing to Report、Monthly Management Meeting

Ranger’s blog yesterday (Jan. 27th)

The photo below is a view of East Freshwater Pond from East Observation Blind.  The pond was frozen over in the morning.

(A view of frozen East Freshwater Pond from the blind)

On bare grounds and foot passes frozen columns also formed in places.

(Frozen columns on a bare ground)

At this time of year visitors may encounter mixed-species flocks of different insectivorous species.  These flocks are particularly common in winter season. Japanese Tits and White-eyes are nuclear species in the park.  A Japanese Pygmy
Woodpecker often joins to flocks as a minority species.

(A Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker in a Mixed-species flock)

In some case, however, if you were lucky you would be able to see three woodpeckers in a flock.

The following is the list of species that park rangers observed today.

Gadwall、Mallard、Northern Pintail、Tufted Duck、Greater Scaup、Little Grebe、Great Cormorant、Grey Heron、Eurasian Coot、Common Sandpiper、Black  Kite、Northern Goshawk、Common Buzzard、Oriental Turtle Dove、Common Kingfisher、Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker、Bull-headed Shrike、Large-billed Crow、Japanese Tit、Brown-eared Bulbul、Japanese Bush Warbler、Japanese White-eye、White-cheeked Starling、Pale Thrush、Brown-headed Thrush、Dusky Thrush、Daurian Redstart、Eurasian Tree Sparrow、White Wagtail、Buff-bellied Pipit、Oriental Greenfinch、Black-faced Bunting、Reed Bunting
　(33species)

Ranger’s blog yesterday (Jan. 25th)

“Scenes in the middle of winter and remarkable birds today”

The park is under unusual severe cold these days. Nearly all ponds and streams froze in the morning.

Below photos show thin ices formed on the water in West Freshwater Pond and the stream in the western side of the park.

On the other hand at warm sunny spots, such as Lawn Square, flowering Shepherd’s Purses Capsella bursa-pastoris were seen as a herald of spring.  The plant is famous in Japan as one of the seven plants consumed in Japanese Spring-time Festival. 

( A flowering Shepherd’s Purses)

In the reed bed near Nature Centre, Japanese White-eyes and Reed Buntings actively moved around and fed insects hidden in the sheaths.

(A Japanese White-eye in the reed bed near Nature Centre)

(A Reed Bunting)

At around the centre in the late afternoon several numbers of remarkable birds shown in photos below were observed one after another

(A Common Kingfisher)

(A Common Snipe)

(An adult Goshawk)

(A Brown Thrush)

The following is the list of species that park rangers observed today.

The following is the list of species that park rangers observed today.

Gadwall、Northern Shoveler、Northern Pintail、Common Pochard、Tufted Duck、Greater Scaup、Little Grebe、Great Cormorant、Grey Heron、Great Egret、Eurasian Coot、Common Sandpiper、Black  Kite、Eurasian Sparrowhawk、Northern Goshawk、Common Buzzard、Peregrine Falcon、Oriental Turtle Dove、Common Kingfisher、Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker、Bull-headed Shrike、Carrion Crow、Large-billed Crow、Japanese Tit、Brown-eared Bulbul、Japanese Bush Warbler、Japanese White-eye、Zitting Cisticola、White-cheeked Starling、Pale Thrush、Brown-headed Thrush、Dusky Thrush、Daurian Redstart、Eurasian Tree Sparrow、White Wagtail、Black-faced Bunting、Reed Bunting
　(37species)

Ranger's Activities
Research : Daily Surveys  and  updating records
Habitat management : Patrol、Cutting Grass in the East Freshwater Pond
Education : Providing visiter services at the Ranger Station
Other : Nothing to Report、Meeting  for events

Ranger’s blog yesterday (Jan. 23rd)

A heavy snow hit Tokyo Metropolitanarea yesterday, and the park as well.
Blessed with good weather, the park was changed into brighten silver white land this morning.

Unfortunately (?), due to the warm weather brought by intense sunshine and south wind accumulated snow already began to thaw in the early morning.

A snowman rangers made in the morning was disappeared in the afternoon.

Besides of snow, a pretty red winter bird lured the park visitors. There was a Long-tailed Rosefinch in a thicket nearNature Centre.

Because of its reddish plumage the bird is slightly vague in wintry desolated thickets. Its characteristic call “Pich-Poch” might be a better indicator than sight to look for the bird.

The following is the list of species that park rangers observed today.Gadwall、Northern Pintail、Common Pochard、Tufted Duck、Greater Scaup、Little Grebe、Great Cormorant、Grey Heron、Great Egret、Common Moorhen、Eurasian Coot、Common Sandpiper、Western Osprey、Black Kite、Eurasian Sparrowhawk、Northern Goshawk、Common Buzzard、Common Kestrel、Oriental Turtle Dove、Common Kingfisher、Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker、Bull-headed Shrike、Large-billed Crow、Japanese Tit、Brown-eared Bulbul、Japanese Bush Warbler、Japanese White-eye、White-cheeked Starling、Pale Thrush、Brown-headed Thrush、Dusky Thrush、Daurian Redstart、Eurasian Tree Sparrow、White Wagtail、Buff-bellied Pipit、Oriental Greenfinch、Black-faced Bunting、Reed Bunting
　(38species)

Ranger's ActivitiesResearch : Daily Surveys and updating recordsHabitat management : PatrolEducation : Providing visiter services at the Ranger Station、Environmental education programOther : Nothing to Report、Interview for TV

Ranger’s blog yesterday (Jan, 20th)

 

It was cloudy and the wind was cold today.  Rays of sunlight were breaking through the clouds occasionally.

(Rays of sunlight from “Isoshigi”Bridge)

At small lawn square next to NatureCentre some overwintering insects were found on trunks of “Konara” Oak Quercus serrata and Sawtooth Oak Quercus acutissima .

 

Those were egg masses of the “Kunugi Kamemushi” Urostylis westwwdi, a kind of oak bug or stink bug and swarms of nymphs of the “Yokozuna Kamemushi” Agriosphodrus dohrni, a kind of assassin bug.

(Swarms of “Yokozuna Sashigame”)

(Egg masses of “Kunugi Kamemushi”)