Wildlife: Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha)

Karugamo (カルガモ) in Japan

Also known as the Chinese Spot-billed duck, the birds used to be classified Indian Spot-bills.

Since 2008 the Eastern Spot-billed Duck has been recognized as a separate species.

These photos were taken while walking the length of the Okukubi River in Kin Town.

It was early afternoon on a bright, sunny day and, I was hoping to catch some osprey.

No Sea Hawks dove for fish but, these ducks provided some entertainment.

The birds may be found in freshwater ponds or lakes and brackish waters as well.

The Okukubi River flows from Kin Dam to the ocean at Nature Mirai.

It would be considered brackish; a combination of fresh and seawater.

The ducks, when frightened, may just seek cover in the mangrove forest.

They are used to tourists kayaking the river and often hide, rather than fly.

The best time to walk the length of this river is at, what I call half tide.

That would be about three hours before the full tide.

During low tide, not much activity takes place along the river.

It's so shallow, a person could walk across the waterway and, never get their wallet wet!

Unfortunately, no in-flight photos were made yesterday, the ducks wouldn't cooperate.

But, I have a few images from 2016 if, you're interested.

More About These Birds in Resources:

Handbook of Birds of the World

Wikipedia

Wildlife Okinawa

What Bird

This Will Be a Short Dam Report

End of November

The weather is quickly changing from autumn to winter on this island, dammit.

It was the first time since March, I had to put socks on, along with the flip-flops.

When it gets below 20 degrees Celsius, that's something like the high 60's Fahrenheit.

Socks, bluejeans, flannel shirts and wool-lined jackets, ain't really my style.

But, I had to bundle-up to go work in my freezing office. I don't want to turn the heat on, yet.

All of a sudden, I stepped outside the office and the sun was shining. Whoa, baby!

A backpack got stuffed with cameras, lenses, lunch and a camping chair.

The jacket got chucked and, I hiked to see how the dam birds were doing.

The Ospreys were flying around Kin Dam, looking for fish. It must have been lunchtime.

The birds, don't exactly pose for the camera and, they move fairly quickly.

From the dam, also know an Okukubu, they search the Okukubi River, all the way to the ocean.

It might take 150 snaps of the shutter button, to catch a bird's golden eye.

If, the eye isn't lit up by the sun, just right, I usually throw the photo away.

Things got so busy, for a while, I forgot about eating the lunch I had packed away.

Who wants cheese, crackers, and canned tuna fish, anyhow?  Yuck.

Here's a photo of an Osprey, bragging about the fish it caught.

It would have been much nicer if, the bird was flying in blue skies and looked towards the sun.

Five hours out there with a heavy backpack and, I came home sweaty and sore.

End of the Dam Report

Visit Kin Dam

Wordless Wednesday: Vane or Vain ?

Travel Photo: Kayaking the Okukubi River

Popular Tourist Attraction

 

 

People from all over Japan, come to Kin Town for these excursions.

It costs them 50-60 bucks, to paddle up and down the river and visit the mangrove forest.

When the tide goes out, the mouth of the Okukubi River becomes sort of dry.

So, visiting the mangroves, by kayak during low tide, isn't a good idea.

All the folks in the tourism business, know the best times of day to go kayaking here.

For more information, visit one of these websites:

Kin Town Travel Information (English)

Nature Mirai (Japanese)

Okinawa to Go (English)

Veltra (English)

Yanbaru Club (English)

MORE ABOUT KIN AND OKUKUBI RIVER

Old Okukubi River Bridge Photos

Once a Main Highway Through the Ryukyu Island

 

 

Out today with 420MM of lens on the camera, no birds showed up.

Walking all those miles with a heavy load, I wasn't coming home empty handed.

It took some creativity and, plenty of backing up, to shoot these photos.

A sign near the Kin Dam, shows what the bridge looked like, back in 1931.

A Google search led me to Map It Okinawa's website, where I learned something.

 All that's left of the bridge, is a partial arch, on the east side of the river.

It seems like, the Japanese Army, knew the Americans were going to attack them.

So, they destroyed the bridge, to slow their attackers down.

Somebody must have thought, that sounded like a good idea and said "Let's do it."

Ouch !

Travel Photo: Okukubi River Kayakers and Why I Saved Them

Not the Kayakers -- The Photos !

 

 This image came from a series of river photos, taken a few years ago.

Thousands of my images are stored on three external hard drives on my desk.

And, many of them never get developed, until, I decide I need a particular image.

If the urge hits, I dig back through old photo files and, develop one for a certain occasion. 

Today, I processed two photos, that have never been seen, anywhere, until today.

One of them, will be published in Stars & Stripes Okinawa newspaper, this week.

This is another version of the image, showing Eco-tourists on the Okukubi River.

The egrets, in flight, just happened to be a bonus, as the image was composed.

The shutter on the camera, clicked a few dozen times.

Camera: Pentax KD10

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 190MM

Exposure: f/10  1/250   ISO 100

Location: Okukubi River, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  DEC 19 2008  10:02AM

NOTE: Check Stripes Japan or Stripes Okinawa, to see the story online.

Photography and text were mine.  

But, the hard part, translation, of the story was done by Mami Sakiyama.

Do me a favor and, hit some social media buttons, for her.

If, I can get away with it, I'll shoot the front page of the Stripes newspaper, later this week !

Early September: A Firey Sunrise

We don't get the bright colors of Autumn foliage on this island.

Year round, things are mostly green.

If you're out before sunrise, you may catch scenes like this, looking out towards the horizon.

Something told me, to get outside early today and, I'm glad that I did.

This photo was taken three minutes before sunrise.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 92mm

Exposure:  f/11   1/10   ISO 100

Location: Kin Bridge, Okukubi River, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  SEP 2 2015   6:04AM

GIF of the Week: L'il Red Tractor

Waiting for Moonrise

 

 

The nights I go out to shoot the full moon keep me busy for a few hours.

It's always best to get to the location early, while the sun is still shining.

While waiting for the sun to set and, moon to rise, there are always other things to photograph.

Birds, flowers, bugs and snakes can keep you occupied.

Just a few minutes before sundown along came this tractor, heading towards the bridge. 

From the hillside above, I quickly composed the scene, locked the tripod and, zoomed in.

It took about a dozen clicks of the shutter to get this animation.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 300mm

Exposure: f/4  1/125   ISO 400

Location: Okukubi River, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Related Post:  Images of First July 2015 Full Moon

Travel Photo: Not the Stairway to Heaven

Location: Okukubi River, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date: NOV 6, 2014    Time: 5:05PM

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Sigma 50-500 at 270mm

Exposure: f/11   1/13sec   ISO 100

A Golden Dragonfly Made My Day (GIFs)

Down by the River

 

 

The construction outside my office was a bit noisy.

It's not like, I don't have enough catching-up to do around here.

Taking a few hours hike in the fresh air just seemed to be the best way to spend the day.

There were all sorts of these critters, flying around the Okukubi River banks.

Red, blue, green and black dragonflies were buzzing around the water.

Only one, gold dragonfly, kept showing up.

And, it seemed to be attracted to the same clump of weeds.

So, I spent most of the day goofing off and shooting the critter.

Then, walked back to the office with another thousand images to develop.

Sitting down by the river on a nice autumn day, sure beats working in an office.

Dontcha think ?

Okukuubi River Rocks and Red Dragonfly in a Motion GIF

Early morning on July, 3, 2014, I had a plan.

Up at 4:30AM, I walked the dogs before sunrise and was on the road with a camera by six.

The idea, was to get some wide angle photos of the Kin Bridge and Dam in early sunlight.

All that was done by eight o'clock and it was time to goof off, after that.

Off came the wide angle lens and the Sigma 50-500mm, replaced it.

This Crimson Marsh Glider kept landing on the same rock.

So, I locked the camera in position on the tripod.

And, fired away, to get you this GIF.

The Okukubi River and Some Dragonflies

One Has a Club for a Tail

 

 

It all happened when blue skies showed up again today.

The plan was, to go back and get some photos of the Kin Bridge with water flowing under it.

In the lower, left of the frame, you can see the river.

It bends and winds all the way to the Kin Dam, in the right of the photo frame.

This photo was taken shortly before 9AM, using a wide angle lens.

I had been on top of the bridge before 6:30, taking pictures of the Kin Dam.

After taking this shot, I pulled the 50-500 lens out of my backpack.

 Dragonflies Were Enjoying the River and Hot Sun 

 

They were buzzing around both sides of the river but, you need a big lens to catch them.

It was a relief, to get that backpack off and on the ground.

The little 10-20mm lens went in the pack and the big lens was mounted on a tripod.

 Here are two different types of dragonfly in the same shot.

 The red one, we've seen before.

It's called Akatombo in Japanese (Trithemis aurora).

The English name: Crimson Marsh Glider

The name of this one is going in my pending files.

The closest match, I have been able to make, so far, comes from a website in the UK.

They have an assortment of Club Tailed Dragonflies in Europe.

None are marked exactly like this but, they are close.

Club Tail Dragonflies are common in Europe.

But, there's no mention of them being found in Asia.

If nobody has a scientific name for this dragonfly, yet, I'll help them.

After looking a hundreds of dragonfly and damsel photos, my head hurts.

If we have an entirely new one here, it has to get a Latin name.

Let's just call it a Ryukyu Orionbeer hangoveragainisis !

Viewing the Kin Bridge in Okinawa with a Wide Angle Lens

Which Photo Do You Like Best ?

 

The skies off to the east were looking good today.

A little after 3PM, I decided to take a camera, tripod and a few lenses for a hike.

It was hot and steamy, walking there and I was tempted to hail a taxi.

But, besides being a cheapskate, the exercise would do me good.

Five bucks was saved by walking on the shady side of the street.

Late afternoon is the best time to catch the scene in good light.

But, I didn't want to get there too late.

Once, rush hour traffic begins, plenty of traffic crosses the bridge.

Chrome and glass, from vehicles crossing the bridge, causes glare.

Even, from way back where my camera is positioned.

Using different focal lengths, from 10-20mm, I moved up and down the Okukubi River.

Construction work is being done along the river.

So, I tried to move around and keep earth moving equipment out of the scene.

The next time, I see blue skies like this, I'll check the tide schedule.

The scene would be much prettier, during high tide.

The only other way to make this a postcard perfect picture would be ask for help.

Those guys working the Kin Dam, could open the flood gates for me.

That would fill the river banks up, I bet !

Out of these 8 photos, which angle of the bridge do you like best ?

Let me know and, when the river and light suit me, I go back and getterdun for you.

Sometimes a Kingfisher Loses the Fish

This photo was flipped horizontally, just for aesthetics.

The bird is looking for a fish, it just dropped back into the Okukubi River.

There's no telling, if the fish survived.

But, this sure beat, sitting around in the office all day !

Naomasa Takazato and These Birds Made My Day (Photo Essay)

Along the Okukubi River in Kin Town

 

 

Late this morning, I decided to take a hike with a camera and tripod.

It's been quite awhile since the mangrove forest got my attention.

The river, stretches from the ocean, up under the Kin Bridge, to the dam on a hill.

The tide was out so, no tourists were kayaking through the mangroves.

Somebody was picking up stray fishing gear and trash, across the river from my position.

Later, I would find out, it was Naomasa.

I thanked him, for making this one of my favorite nature spots in Okinawa.

Further, up the river, this Little Heron was having a feast.

Some egrets, entertained me, for awhile.

But, that little Striated Heron, was the most fun to watch.

Did You Know There Are Piles of Garbage Floating in the Ocean ?

 

 

One pile of floating trash is the size of the state of Texas.

Everybody needs to start doing like Naomasa Takazato.

Pick the stuff up, before it goes in the ocean.

And, take it to the dump or landfill.

The birds and fish don't want it.

Amen

March 14th--The "Other" Valentine's Day in Japan

March 14th is White Day

 

Things are done a little differently in Japan.  Guys are the only ones who receive Valentines on February 14th.

Probably, half the candy sold during the year, in this part of Asia, flies off the shelves during February.

Women buy it for the men in their lives.

A month later, the guys are supposed to give gifts to the ladies.

Maybe, another 20% of the year's chocolate sales occurs during the month of March.

Guys tend to forget stuff.  So, here's a reminder.

Last night, I went and bought a bunch of chocolates, on the way home.

Knowing I'd be busy tonight, I started passing out my White Day gifts early.

After I saw about three of the sweethearts, I had enough beer and went home.

Wildlife photographers have to be up early in the morning.

Thank These Love Birds for the Reminder

Walking along the bank of the Okukubi River in Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan I spotted them.

It was March 13, 2013 at 10:36AM when I started taking these photos.

The captions, ahem-ahum, are just my imagination, talking to you.

Him: Hi, Honey.  What's for supper ?

Her: It's White Day and you forgot to bring me a gift.

What's for supper ?  What's for Supper ?  What's for supper ?  That's all you have to say ?

Guess what, you insensitive duck ?  You're swimming in your supper.

  EAT IT !

He tries some and it tastes like fish so, he spits it out.

Him:  OK.  It's White Day.  I'll go get us some pizza.

Her: Don't forget, ANCHOVIES.

Dudes, if you are living in Japan, don't forget, the Other Valentine's Day !

You May Also Like:  These Birds on Valentine's Day Cracked Me Up

Photos of the Things You See Along the Okukubi River

This series of photos was taken in less that two hours along the Okukubi River in Okinawa, Japan.

There's a Grey Heron posed in the corner of this photo so I could show off the blue sky.

A little farther into the mangrove forest was this Coot.

Some real friendly Eco-tourists smiled and waved when I signaled asking to take their picture.

Next, I spotted this Black-winged Stilt and shot him.

Look at that dude in the last kayak.  He's relaxing while she's paddling.

I bet they're on a honeymoon and it just ain't over, yet.

He'll learn.

Soon.

 

It was 2:41PM when that first photo was taken.

These Egrets took off at 4:02PM

and so did I.

Visit my homepage for the PHOTO OF THE DAY