A Bird in Hand .....

Got some holiday at last so managed to get on the bike and explore my usual haunts with the bonus of bright sunny weather to speed me on my way. Lots of insect and other wildlife about due to the sudden warmth but got a surprise today. Was wandering through a grassy field full of nanohana (rape flowers) when suddenly there was a loud scream from a bush a few meters in front of me. I stopped dead and tried to see what it was I'd disturbed. I could see the outline of a bird but hadn't a clue what it was. I tried edging around the bush, but it was careful to move around the other side. I was just deciding whether to make a rush at it to try and flush it out when I got some help from an unexpected quarter. An old woman farmer was working her field and getting closer and closer to the bush. This forced the bird to edge away and into the light so I caught my first glimpse of it - a pheasant!

First time I've seen one of these in Japan so I was very pleased to be in the right place at the right time. I managed to take a few more photos of it with difficulty. It had an amazing ability to just fade into the grass. At one point it just sat down and disappeared. I knew the exact spot it was but it still took me ten minutes to find it. I was almost on top of it when it decided to make a break for it and find a less busy place to relax. Just goes to show, a bird in hand is better than one in the bush : )

Sakura

Japan is world famous for it's sakura (cherry blossoms). There are many varieties coming to bloom at various times from late March through the end of April with the main one being some-yoshino. This is the one that signals the beginning of spring in Japan with a week long burst of light pink that acts as the go light for a succession of daytime and night time cherry blossom viewing parties known as 'hanami'. Families, companies, schoolfriends, basically everyone gathers beneath the trees and a great time is had by all, until the day comes when the wind or rain returns and the petals and parties slowly disappear until the following year. This year was somewhat delayed but well worth the wait when the warm weather returned. Spring, at last, is here : )