Bird Images: Streaked Fantail Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)

Also Called Zitting Cisticola

 

 

The zitting nomenclature comes from the sound this bird makes.

Somebody thinks its the same noise made by a pair if scissors, going snip, snip, snip.

Maybe, I should get my ears fixed and, maybe, I won't.

Sometimes, I think I've heard enough already.

These little feathered rascals, don't sit still for photographers.

This morning, I started walking before 6AM, planning on finding some of them.

They like to flit around in the wetlands.

Kin Town has these taro imo (water potato) fields that are almost always flooded.

The fan-tailed demons fly around, buzzing the rice paddies and potato fields.

They eat insects and seem to like tall grasses surrounding the farmlands.

After about three hours of walking, it was time to head back to town for some lunch.

Plenty of other bird photos had been taken but, none of this species.

This bird landed in front of me as I was leaving the area.

The light couldn't have been better, even if I was paying for it.

With the Pentax K3 and Sigma 50-500 at 500mm, I fired away.

Exposure:  f/7.1  1/1000   ISO200

References:

A Guide to the Wild Birds of Okinawa P 262

ISBN 4-916224-11-6

Wildlife of Okinawa

Wild Bird Society of Japan

The Coolest Manhole Covers on Okinawa are in Kin Town !

Just Try and Beat This Y'all

 

These awesome colored manhole covers showed up in my hometown a few weeks ago.

Walking to the office one day, I pulled the G12 out of my pocket and shot this for you.

Excuse me, if there's a little road dust on the thing.

Some people have no respect and, just drive over them, as if they weren't a work of art.

Getting the Story About This was the Hard Part

 

 

A lot of my research takes place in the evening hours.

If you want to get the whole story you have to go to watering-holes, sometimes.

So, that's what I did.  I had to find out about that character with the red hat.

He must be somebody important, I figured.

Pull some coins out of your pocket and take a close look.

They have prime ministers, presidents and, all kinds of famous people on them.  Right ?

Well, this dude got himself printed on a manhole cover.

He must be famous.

Not Wanting to Appear Ignorant

The best thing I could do, is walk into a bar near the new manhole covers.

And, order a few drinks, make some small talk and, such.

Then, when everybody is relaxed, pull the G12 out and show them the picture.

"Anybody know this guy?

Everybody But Me Knew Him !

He's Tamuu-kun, the Kin Town Character.

He flies around on a taro (yam) which is one of Kin Town's major crops.

In local dialect, the taro is called taa'nmu.

So, when the village wanted a mascot, along came the cartoon character, Tamuu-kun.

He was designed in 1999 by a cartoonist named Momo Kokoro.

The artist's real name, escapes me, for now.

He published hundreds of comic strips for the Ryukyu Shimpo, a local newspaper.

Anyway, the important stuff:

The little guy with the red hat, buzzes around on his Taamu Jet and looks for people.

If you aren't feeling well, he hooks you up with some healthy yam food.

So, I figure he rates a bigger coin than any president or, prime minister.

Just try and beat that ! 

Resources I'm obliged to:

The Kin Town Bar Association

Okinawa2Go! Project on Facebook

Ryukyu Shimpo