A little ringed plover was running around the riverbank, singing. I was able to capture the moment they took off and a brief flight.
White-cheeked starlings chasing a tractor and pecking at insects.
A tractor was plowing the rice field. The white-cheeked starlings were following the tractor and pecking at the insects that appeared.
White wagtails preying on mayflies.
In the Ope River in the town of Moroyama, white wagtails and Japanese wagtails were preying on mayflies that had eclosed on the surface of the water. Mayflies are preyed upon immediately after they eclose on the surface. Some mayflies escape into the forest without being preyed upon. Some of the mayflies do not eclose properly and are unable to fly. I observed them from April 15 to around April 25.
Two wild wisteria flowers.
There were two wild wisteria flowers blooming, about 30 meters apart from each other. May 4, 2021.
Eclosion of mayfly on the surface of water.
I noticed the eclosing of the mayflies because of the constant fling of the wagtails. However, it was difficult to see them eclosing. Even when they do eclose, most of them are soon preyed by the wagtails.
A mayfly was attacked by a water slider.
Before sunset, the mayflies were eclosing on the surface of the water. Even after they eclosed and flew away, most of them were preyed upon by water sliders. Although rare, I saw two cases of mayflies attacked by water striders in five days. The mayfly that was attacked could not fly. The water sliders are sucking the mayfly’s bodily fluids.
A brown-eared bulbul swallows a cherry.
The brown-eared bulbuls were swallowing cherries whole.
Oriental greenfinch
April 21, 2021. Two oriental greenfinch went down to the riverbank. One of them started bathing.
Tulip field in a mountain village in Moroyama Town.
A tulip field in Tsuzuranuki, Moroyama Town, Saitama Prefecture. Two years ago, the scale was doubled. It is said that there were many more varieties that were planted. It was said that it was not taking care now. BGM is a song played with a synthesizer.
Pruned weeping cherry tree that is worth seeing
Pruned weeping cherry tree. It was worth seeing. I didn’t take any pictures, but from a distance, the beautiful weeping branches stood out.