Strange Birds Spotted in Kin Town

Helmeted Guineafowl

These birds are natives of Africa but, some are domesticated in locations around the globe.

How and when these characters arrived in Kin Town, Okinawa is a mystery.

For about a week, I've been tracking them down and observing their behavior.

Early morning and late afternoons they may be seen in different parts of town.

 

On a morning walk with the dog and no big camera handy, we first saw the birds.

Thanks to iPhone 7 and a curious dog this scene was quickly composed.

The mutt is normally afraid of his own shadow but, wanted to see what all the racket was about.

The birds, when they saw him coming, squawked, gobbled, honked, and squealed.

They ran around like a couple of lunatics and as the dog got close, flew a short distance away.

When he approached again, they escaped into the forest nearby.

Getting an Identification

Luckily, a young man was leaving his house and saw me taking shots with the cellphone.

He grabbed his phone and began zooming in on the dog and birds, too.

Asking him if he knew what the birds were, he didn't know. First time for both of us.

He walked back to his front door and showed the photos to somebody.

When he returned he said, they were Horohoro tori.

At home, I did some internet research and found out the birds were Helmeted Guineafowl.

It Was Time for a Real Camera and Big Lens

It didn't take long to figure out, Mr. Canine couldn't be with me as I was photographing birds.

As long as they would squawk and run away, he'd chase them, just for fun.

A little kitten, could raise its back, and be ready to scratch, and the dog would get scared.

But, something runs, and he'll chase!

Hunting without the dog and carrying the Pentax, tripod, and 560 MM lens, worked.

A few things learned about these birds leads me to belive they are alright.

A local, described the meat as tasty. And some on Facebook claim the taste as, gamy.

"Horohoro" in Japanese means, a gurgling bird sound.

The critters eat just about anything, including ticks!

To learn more about Helmeted Guineafowl visit eBird and, you can listen to their sounds.

The only way these birds could have arrived in Kin Town, is somebody brought them here.

The closest zoos are miles away so, I don't think they are escapees.

There is a place in Japan raising Helmeted Guineafowl on Yoron Island.

That's more than a few miles away so, it's unlikely the birds flew here. Maybe, they were pets.

Somebody got tired of them and didn't want to eat them, and turned them loose.

They Also Do Crazy Stuff

On another non-camera walk with the dog, I was in an area the birds aren't normally seen.

On a sidestreet overlooking the ocean, not far from a restaurant, the Guineafowl appeared.

The restaurant's chef was ready to chase the birds away with a broom.

My unleashed canine spotted the birds and ran towards them, chasiing them away.

The chef had noticed a bird, looking at its reflection on the side of a black car.

The creature saw another male bird, looking back at him, and began scratching the car door!

This photo was taken with the iPhone, zoomed and in a rush to shoot before the dog ran it off.

Are there any birds like this in your neck of the woods?

 

JAN 2021 Full Moon Setting Plus

A Bird and Some Blossoms as a Bonus 

Clouds and cold weather kept the recent full moon inaccessible for the past few nights.

Waking up at 3 AM gave me a chance to capture the moon setting this morning.

It was bright, setting in the western sky and I climbed up on the roof with the camera and tripod.

Before an image could be composed, dark black clouds rolled onto the scene.

Leaving everything set up for another try, I went down to the kitchen for a coffee break.

It would be after 6 AM before a (somewhat) clear shot could be made. AT 6:16, here you go!

Before Sunrise - A Hike with Backpack and Cameras

It was windy and cold with temperatures in the low teens Celcius. It felt like Alaska.

There weren't many farmers in their fields and few birds were in the skies.

By 9 AM the sun was warming things but, it was still windy. Time to head for home.

At 9:05 this Blue Rock Thrush appeared in a tree alongside the road.

It would be the only bird shot taken today.

Some Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) Encountered Enroute

Had the blue skies and sunshine held up, we may have seen some more birds.

Japanese White Eyes (Mejiro) love these flowers and hang out in the branches.

Clouds blocked the sun and no birds were to be seen in the Cherry Tree.

So, the camera was positioned where a white tiled roof served as the background.

Leaving this scene, the sun peeked through the clouds briefly.

At 9:32 AM a quick maneuver of the tripod and camera captured this scene.

May your January be as exciting (or more so) than mine! 

THE END

April 2019 Full Moon Over Okinawa

Slim Chance of Seeing It Tonight

This image shows the moon at 99.3% full. Around 8 PM tonight it will be at 100%.

The Weather Channel on my iPhone shows clouds all day and tonight.

The moon may or, may not peek through the clouds this evening.

So, when I noticed it appear this morning, I went out behind the house and shot the sucker.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 300 MM with 1.4 converter for Focal Length 420 MM

Exposure: f/11  1/100   ISO 100

Date and Time: APR 19 2019 5:06 AM

Touring the Island

We'll be out there somewhere in Okinawa doing our usual Friday camera day.

It has been determined, the best excursions take place when we have no plans.

So, on Friday mornings, we just hop in a car and head off to locations unknown.

We decide North, South, East or West after the car doors are slammed.

Sometimes we'll hit all four directions in one day!

Tonight as the sun goes down I'll be checking the skies for a moon appearance.

If it decides to cooperate, I'll go out and shoot the sucker again.

Mad Mike Review: Pizza Potato Chips

It's Been Awhile

Product reviews: Not my favorite thing to do. Once in a blue moon, something strikes my fancy.

First, let me explain how this all got started. I'll try to keep it short.

Halfway to the office, early this morning, I stopped at a machine to buy some iced coffee.

That's when I noticed there was no change in my pocket. My wallet was fine.

But, the machines won't handle large denomination bills and, that's all I had.

Another thing: My keys, I keep the small change with, were left at home, too.

Office keys are attached to my cell-phone case, I could get inside the place.

Just, wouldn't be able to open the camera locker. Keep on walking to work.

A cloudy, crappy day, I could get by without the big cameras. Do office stuff.

Suddenly, the Facebook thing went, "BING" and I read this post from a friend.

She asked: "Does potato pizza exist?"

My reply: "Sure. In Japan, they even have pineapple pizza."

The morning was grueling. There's an extra key in this office, for my camera locker.

Cleaning seven desk drawers, did nothing, to help find it. I needed a break.

So, I got back on Facebook and told the gal:

 "Let me see if, the store is open, down the street. They have delicious Pizza Potato Chips."

At the store, I grabbed chips, smokes and iced coffee and got the change in my pocket now.

Back on Facebook

" Got 3 bags and, will take an iPhone photo to show you.

 Damn cameras are locked-up in my drying vault and, I left the keys at home!"

See, I was hungry and those chips are excellent for scooping beans out of Tupperware.

Now, I'm pretty sure, the Japanese language would be difficult for this gal in the USA.

So, I snapped one more photo, to show her the pictures on the potato chip bag.

The images might help explain, what ingredients are used in making these chips.

There's cheese, red peppers, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes and maybe, pepperoni.

Even the dude, at the bottom, says, "YUMMY!"

Visit Calbee Company in Japan for more.

Back to the Review

Pizza Potato Chips from Calbee get a Five Star Rating from me.

They are a bit spicy, crispy, cheesy, crunchy, deliciously scrumptious, to me.

Ridged potato chips are strong enough to grab tuna out of a can or, use with bean dip.

The guy pictured on the back of the bag, ain't lying. They're yummy.

Back to Work

The first bag of chips has been consumed in its entirety.  But, the beans are only half gone.

The gal, in Arizona, who got me going on the Pizza Chips, deserves a big Thank You.

Not sure if I have her mailing address, I'll probably go back to searching for that spare key.

Half an hour or so should be enough time to waste on that project.

If I don't find the key, I could walk home and grab the original, to get to my cameras.

It's early in the day. Keep working and, eat more chips with beans, would be alright, too!

MORE MAD MIKE REVIEWS

Wednesday Travel Tale -- It's True

Cameras Take a Back Seat

The car got loaded up with camera bags, lenses and a tripod this morning and, north we went.

Research on future photo projects always has to be done in advance, to insure success.

Every imaginable type of lens would be handy if, a worthy photographic subject appeared.

Birds, rainbows, twisters, beach bunnies, whatever could show up and, we'd get them captured.

But, the priority today would be, gathering information for future assignments.

Both Doc Graff and I know, sometimes you go south on this island, to get to a northern point.

Part of my research today concerns the southern islands so, we headed north.

If, that confuses you then, you haven't been on the islands long enough. Stick around.

Yanbaru Wildlife Center

A trip I'm planning, will take me to the southern island of Iriomote, sometime next month.

There happens to be a critically endangered wildcat down there and, I want to catch one.

Not, to put in a cage, it's something I'd like to photograph in the wild if, possible.

We could have headed south and found information at a travel office in the city of Naha.

But, I'm not wild about cities and, travel folks down there probably, aren't wild about wildlife.

Up in Kunigami, the Wildlife Conservation Center has unbelievable resources.

The brochures above are a sample of materials, gathered today. All are in English.

We stood there for about 15 minutes, sucking down air-conditioning and gathering freebies.

Finally, a middle aged gal, interrupted smiling and said, "Santasan, Please sign-in."

It's a little tricky if, you don't read or speak Japanese but, we know enough to get by.

Before long, the woman was convinced, we don't speak much Japanese.

Try a bit of Okinawan (Uchinaguchi) and, the young lady started cackling. New friends !

Next thing you know, she gave me a photocopied page of contacts for Iriomote Wildlife Center.

The day would have been complete, having gotten this far.  We could have called it quits.

Another bit I've learned on these islands. Keep on having a good day, whenever one shows up.

Talk to Locals

A drive to the village of Oku was next on the agenda, to gather some information.

The only gas station, in town, a small mom and pop store and, a cold drink were in order.

There's a festival that takes place in the near future, we needed to confirm dates for this year.

This event, isn't something the average tourist would probably, want to attend.

It's not widely advertised and, being the heathen I am, they welcome me.

The gal, in the country store, knew this matsuri would happen during September.

But, wasn't sure of the dates the event would take place, this year.

Inside a building, across the highway, I remembered this photo, was hanging on a museum wall.

It's sort of a wet and wild, traditional festival, which only happens, every other year.

The photo above, was snapped with the iPhone camera and, we waited a few minutes.

Along came a young lady, who works in the office by the museum and, I asked about the event.

She had to make a phone call, to get the specific dates for the matsuri.

The action depicted above (Bin-kui-kui) will take place September 10 2017.

We thanked the girl for her assistance, bowing deeply and headed back down south.

It wasn't until I arrived in Kin Town that a real camera was used to shoot brochures !

See: Shinugu Festival in the Village of Oku for more.

In the Shower - Pentax K1 After 3 Days at Sea

Not an Everyday Event

This is the camera, I used last weekend for shooting the annual sailing sabani races.

We were out at sea on doing island things Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Plenty of sea, sand and salt spray, were experienced along the way.

Once in awhile, salty spray from the ocean waves, would hit my lens and, I had to think quickly.

Rain water, wouldn't be much of a problem because, this camera is weatherproof.

A lens tissue, could wipe fresh rain water off the lens and, I could keep on shooting.

A tropical storm had formed and, our sabani team took a bit longer than, expected to hit Naha.

What normally, would be a 4-6 sea voyage, lasted about 10 hours, for me, aboard a fishing boat.

Whenever the lens got splashed with seawater, I had to rinse it off somehow.

The team, paddling in rough seas, needed water, more than my camera for survival.

So, I reached in my back pocket and pulled out a bottle of ocha, I kept for drinking.

Splash a few swigs of that on the lens and, I'd let it run off then, use a lens tissue.

Once, we safely arrived at a Capsule Hotel in Naha, the camera and I got quick showers.

It would be Monday before, I got back to the office and unpacked my bags.

Then, I placed the Pentax on a tripod and, gave it a good 15 minute hosing.

The photo was taken with my iPhone. You weren't expecting to see me in it, I hope !

NOTE: Don't Attempt This With Any Camera Except Pentax

Wordless Wednesday AUG 3 2016

Photography Tip: Aperture Simplified

Experiment with the Camera Settings

 

It's a little confusing for beginners, to learn about aperture and, how it works.

Sometimes, I get foreigners, asking me to explain and, I needed to figure out an easy way.

On a windy, wet day, I decided to go out and take a few photos, to help with my description.

Under the shelter of a carport, some sample images were created.

 What seems to confuse everybody is those F stop numbers, we use when talking cameras.

f/2, f/5, f/6, f/9 f/11, f/16, f/22 are tricky, for some folks to understand.

They think, it sounds like speed limits and, the higher the number, the faster you go !

But, it's the other way around so, here's how, I'll try to explain it.

Aperture, is a number that tells you how much light is entering your camera lens.

Think of f/1, as a full cup of water and f/16, as one sixteenth of a cup of water.

When there's not much light available, you need to use a smaller aperture number.

That way, more light gets through the lens and, you can shoot at faster shutter speeds.

On a bright, sunny day, you an get away with f/11, f/16 and f/22 apertures and, still shoot fast.

The image above was taken using an aperture setting of f/1.8.

 There are some yellow flowers in a rock garden, ferns in the background and, grain on the right.

 When we only let one sixteenth of a cup of light (f/16) enter the lens, things change.

In photography-speak, we call that, "Stopping Down" on the lens.

Not as much light is getting into the camera and, shutter speed is much slower.

But, look how much more detail, we have in the image, now.

The focus, on both photos, was on the yellow flowers.

Now, the background and, foreground look different if, you take a close look.

Some wire mesh, is visible behind the ferns.

And, the rock has more detail, as well as, the grain of the weed, in the right side of the frame. 

The distance between the camera and the subject has an effect on the image.

And, the distance of the subject, from the background, does, as well.

A lower aperture number, lets more light in faster but, captures less detail.

This comes in handy, when you want to eliminate distractions or, blur the background.

Play with the aperture settings on your camera and, just remember one thing.

The higher the number, you use, the less lighting is entering your lens.

Aperture settings, let you be more creative with your photography and, you should use them.

Somebody swiped my cup of beer. I have to get outta here !  



More Photography Tips

Travel Photo: Out Shooting the Dam with an Old Friend

It's Been a Few Years Since I Last Used this Camera

 

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 got dusted off and taken to Kin Dam today.

The Pentax K3 was mounted on a tripod and, waiting for some birds to fly by.

After a few days of cold weather and rain, it was time to get and get some sun and exercise.

A bit of a chilly breeze started blowing so, I reached in my camera bag for a windbreaker.

That's when, I remembered, I had brought the little Panasonic along.

When, I yanked my jacket out of the bag, the camera went flying and, crashed to the ground.

The poor camera was sent in for a tune-up earlier this year and, came back like brand new.

It cost a few hundred bucks but, I liked that old camera. And, now it's busted, again.

That's what I figured, I deserved anyway. Here's the test photo, I shot.

Exposure:  f/5.6  1/500   ISO 100

Focal length: 7MM

Location: Just off HWY 104 standing above the Kin Dam, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: DEC 9 2015  3:08PM

A similar shot was taken from the same location with the camera at f/11.

But, dark clouds had rolled into the scene so, it's been digitally disposed of; trash.

And, I will have a big decision to make if, this blog ever hits 2 million views.

For the celebration:

Should I give away the Panasonic or, the Cannon G12 ? 

Related Post:

 Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review of a Good Old Camera

15 Photos from Another Kin Town Live Matsuri

Bar Hopping with the Cameras

 

 

Last night this event took place, over in the Ushina part of Kin Town.

It's sort of a seedy bar district, where the best thing to do, is bring along someone to translate.

My accomplice, who's also learning to shoot a camera, came along for the fun.

Mami Sakiyama, the gal standing to the left of the tables, would be my assistant.

She's toting the Canon G12, in AUTO mode, listening to the opening speeches.

Our program said, the event would go from 6PM - 10:40PM.

At 6:29PM, I took this photo, from the entrance to the bar, which had standing room only.

It had been a long day, before we even arrived at this evening festival and, I was tired.

Live bands and entertainment, was what I needed, to keep me going, not speeches.

So, I decided to get out in the streets, to see if anything had started, yet.

We walked the side streets and could smell food cooking on charcoal grills.

Mami tried to take photos of the Orion lanterns, blowing in the wind.

All the camera would do, in AUTO mode, was give her blurry, overexposed images.

Well, she got a quick class on, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and, the use of a tripod.

Now, she's doing everything in Manual mode.  She's going to start shooting like a professional.

 It was around 7:30PM when, we heard the first band, playing Okinawan Mineo.

There are plenty of people, drinking, dancing and, hopping around, in this bar.

Awamori and the lively beat of the drum and sanshin, gets the crowd going.

I stayed at the entrance, to take this shot, knowing a tripod would be worthless, inside.

 I got the to Mama, running the bar,  to let us shoot from behind the counter, too late.

Just as consent was given, for Mami to get back there, the band finished playing !

  Shortly after 8PM we caught this talented individual, wearing his wig.

A comedian, singer and  musician, he's a one man band.

He was mimicking, Louis Armstrong, singing, What a Wonderful World.

This woman is a Japanese Enka singer who's very popular in Okinawa.

By now, you'd think, I would know her name but, I'm terrible at stuff like that.

Let's just call her a sweetheart, for now and, we'll get her name later.

It was so crowded, at this location, I tried shooting from outside, through an open window.

When that, didn't work, I squeezed up against a wall at the front door.

It was going on 8:30PM, cold outside and, I'm getting hungry, at this point.

Inside these bars, people were jumping around and, sweating; it was so hot.

So, off we went to another fine establishment and met Tomomi, this hip dude.

It would have been nice if, we had time to chat with him but, that never happened.

Believe it or not, I first met this character, in a cave, on another island.

And, I was going to have Mami ask, whether he 's got religion or, is just crazy, like me !

 Nobody picks a sanshin and sings traditional Okinawan songs better than Sari.

We've met a few times before and, I always give her a photo.

Waiting to go on stage, she's messing with me and, flipping that peace sign.

This singer croons tunes has CD's of his music out and, posters of him, hanging all over town.

He's known me for years and, we run into each other in bars, sometimes.

He also, owns one of those security companies that, check on your property at night.

He knows my name, too. I should probably, ask him what handle, he goes by. Huh ?

 Shortly before ten o'clock, I finally get to hear Tomomi and Sari on the stage.

It isn't easy, to take photos, under these conditions; you have to be quick.

 Wait for a moment, when no one else, gets into the scene and, shoot fast and steadily.

All the while, I'm watching the subject's movements and, their eyes.

More photos will be deleted than, are processed. That's the way it is and, always will be. 

By 10PM, Mami, told me the battery in her camera, went dead.

So, I let her take the tripod and, my Pentax K3, to see how she'd do, shooting on her own.

Remember, she just began shooting manually, earlier tonight. 

Across the room, I would signal, Sari, to turn towards the camera, occasionally.

It's not necessary to be intoxicated, to do this Okinawan dance.

But, for some people, I imagine, it helps !

The only way, for Mami, to get this shot was alongside the front of the stage.

She had the camera at ISO 400 and lens at 170MM and, got a good one.

Next, she nabbed this image of the drummer wearing his chief's bonnet.

He had called me and, said, "My son's bringing my American Indian hat," minutes earlier.

 The Kachashi dance, is done as as grand finale at any Okinawan event.

It doesn't matter, who you are, they are going to grab you and, have you dance.

So, as soon as, Mami got done taking this photo, I took my camera away from her.

So, she could go, enjoy the fun while, I sneaked outside for a smoke ! 




Related Posts:

Bar Crawl  or Pub Crawl -- Whatever You Call It Photos

Photos from Kin Town Live Matsuri Number Two

Blazing Trails from a King's Grave to a Ramen Shop

 Traveling Without a Plan

 

 

The routine on Friday's, around here, goes something like this.

Camera shooting partner, Doc Graff, usually shows up around 9AM.

We have no idea, where we will be going, until time to hit the road comes along.

Our main objective, is to get out of town. Anywhere, sounds good. Go have fun.

The burial place of Okinawa's First King, seemed like a good place to start the day.

We had been out searching for it about a month ago and, hiked right past it.

It was a  bit easier to locate today because Click Okinawa Dude, made a video about the place. 

 Watch his YouTube show if, you want to get an appreciation for the terrain.

The poor king and his family got kicked out of the castle and, his remains got booted, too.

His final resting place, wouldn't be with the other royalty on the castle grounds.

Friends and family mover his remains from Shuri to Yomitan and, buried him in the woods.

Visit Okinawa Hai! for all the directions and details about the Tomb.

 From the tomb, on the western side of the island, we headed over to the east coast.

We went looking for this cultural asset, called Waitui.

Those folks, in the picture, dug a trail through a mountain, by hand, finishing the job in 1932.

 Not very proficient at direction giving, I Geo-tagged the position.

 

It's located at:  N 26.31739700   E 127.88994700, for those who use GPS thingies.

Thinking about all the hard work, everyone did, I needed a break from the hot sun.

So, we decided to try out a Ramen Shop, we had never been to before.

Whenever, you see a place like this, filled up at lunchtime, you know It's going to be good.

Sitting a table with, my legs stretched out one the floor was a bit challenging.

It looked like a wrestling match between, me, the table and the wall, as I was trying to get up.

The photo had to be taken, before my piping hot lunch, got cold.

Just smelling the food, had my mouth watering and, I was half-starved to death.

The pork dumplings, we call Gyoza, were delicious and, I put some hot sauce on mine.

Somehow, during the night before, they slipped something in my beer, that casued a hangover !

The fried rice was the best, I have ever eaten. And, all that food cost less than 7 bucks.

There was too much, for me, to finish it all. Now, I wish, I had packed the leftovers as a takeout.

For those, wondering where, I got this meal, check TripAdvisor's Review. 

They'll even give you a map. I don't do directions. Remember ?