#27: Daurian Redstart (Jyobitaki)

This is my twenty seventh birdcarving artwork of Daurian Redstard (Jyobitaki).

Like all Redstarts, they are strongly sexually dimorphic. Breeding males have a grey crown and nape with lighter forehead and crown-sides, a black face and chin, brownish mantle and wings and a large white wing patch; the chest, lower back and rump are orange, and the tail is black with orange sides. Juvenile males are similarly patterned but much duller and less clearly marked.
Females are warm brown above, paler below, have an orange rump and tail sides, and have a large white wing patch similar to the males. Bill, eye, legs and feet are black in both sexes.
Daurian Redstarts favour open forests, forest edges, agricultural margins, and are also commonly found in parks and urban gardens. They are reasonably confiding and often allow humans to approach quite closely before moving off.

#26: Brown-eared Bulbul (Hiyodori)

This is my twenty sixth birdcarving artwork of Brown-eared Bulbul(Hiyodori).

Most Brown-eared Bulbuls still move south in winter, often forming huge flocks during migration. In summer, Brown-eared Bulbuls primarily feed on insects, while they primarily take fruits and seeds in the fall and winter.
Reaching a length of about 28cm, Brown-eared Bulbuls are grayish-brown, with brown cheeks (the "brown ears" of the common name) and a long tail. While they prefer forested areas, they readily adapt to urban and rural environments, and their noisy squeaking calls are a familiar sound in most areas of Japan.

Bird Carving #25: Goldcrest (Kikuitadaki)

This is my twentyfifth Birdcarving Artwork of Goldrest. (Kikuitadaki)

The Goldcrest is the smallest European bird, measuring from 8.5 to 9.5cm

and weighing as little as 5g. It is dull greenish above, with buff/white

underparts, two white wingbars, and a plain face with a conspicuous black eye.

The crown has black sides and a narrow black front, and a bright central

crest, orange in the male and yellow in the female, which is displayed

during breeding. It is a restless species, constantly on the move as it

searches for insects.

Bird Carving #24: Azure Tit (Rurigara)

This is my twentyfourth Birdcarving artwork of Azure Tit.

This 12-13 cm bird is unmistakable. The head, tail corners,

wing bars and underparts are white. There is a dark line

through the eye, and the upperparts are blue.
This is the eastern counterpart of the common European Blue Tit.

Bird Carving #23: Ruddy Kingfisher (Akashobin)

This is my 23rd Birdcarvingwork of Ruddy Kingfisher. (Akashobin)

The Ruddy Kingfisher is a medium-sized tree kingfisher which is widely distributed
in east and southeast Asia.

Reaching approximately 25cm, the Ruddy Kingfisher has a very large, bright red bill
and equally red legs. The body is rust red, generally deepening to purple at the tail.
Like other kingfishers, Ruddy Kingfishers generally feed on fish, crustaceans, and
large insects, though in areas with less running water, they are known to take frogs
and other amphibians.

Bird Carving # 22 : Bohemian Waxwing (Kirenjyaku)

This is my 22nd Birdcarving work of Bohemina Waxwing. (Kirenjyaku)

Its　English name refers to the bright red bead-like tips
of the secondary feathers on its wings, which look like
drops of sealing wax, while 'Bohemian' refers to its
(presumed) origin from Bohemia (at the time,
a relatively unknown but "distant, eastern" place).

It is larger and greyer than the Cedar Waxwing and
has bright yellow tips on its tail feathers and a yellow
or white stripe along the wing feathers.

Under tail coverts are a deep rust color. Both beak
and feet are dark and the brown eyes are set in a
narrow black mask underlined with white.

Bird Carving # 21 : Narcissus Flycatcher (Kibitaki)

This is my twenty-first birdcarving work of Narcissus Flycatcher (Kibitaki).

Narcissus Flycatcher males are very distinctive in full breeding

plumage, having a black crown and mantle, a bright orange throat

with paler chest and underparts, an orange-yellow eyebrow,

black wings with a white wing patch, an orange-yellow rump,

and a black tail. Non-breeding males have varying levels of yellow.

Females are completely dissimilar, with generally buff-brown

coloration, with rusty-colored wings, and a two-toned eyering.

2008-5-27

Bird Carving # 20 : Varied Tit (Yamagara)

This is my twenthty birdcarving work of Varied Tit. (Yamagara)

It is 12–14 cm long and weighs 16–18 g. The wing length is 6.0–7.8 cm. In the nominate race P. v. varius the crown, the bill, the throat, the upper breast and the nape are black. Forehead, face, and cheeks are white. Back, wings, and tail are bluish grey.

Mantle, lower breast, belly and undertail coverts are chestnut coloured. From the crown to the nape runs a thin white central line.

23-5-2008/25-June-2008

Bird Carving #19 : Great Reed Wabler (Ooyoshikiri)

This is my 19th birdcarving work of Great Reed Warbler. (Ooyoshikiri)

This is a large Song Thrush-sized warbler, 16-20cm in length. The adult has an unstreaked brown back and buff underparts. The forehead is flattened, and the bill is strong and pointed. It is very like a giant Reed Warbler, but with a stronger supercilium.

The song is very loud and far carrying. It is a slow, chattering jit-jit-jit with typically acrocephaline whistles and mimicry added.

Bird Carving #18 Bonin White-eye (Meguro)

This is my eighteenth birdcarving work of the Bonin White-eye (Megoro).

The Bonin White-eye is a small yellow and grey bird endemic to the Ogasawara Islands (formerly Bonin Islands) of Japan. Until recently it was considered part of the Meliphagidae family of honeyeaters and was called the Bonin Honeyeater.
A distinctive feature of the bird is the white rim around the eyes, which is then surrounded by black masking. Presently its habitat is restricted to Haha-jima Island. Until several years ago it could also be found on Chichi jima Island. Because of the bird's small range of habitat, its status is listed as "Vulnerable".

Bird Carving #17: Great Tit (Shijyukara)

This is my 17th birdcarving work of Great Tit.

Great Tits are easy to recognize, large in size at 14 cm, with a broad black line (broader in the male) down its otherwise yellow front. The neck and head are black with white cheeks and ear coverts. Upper parts are olive. It has a white wingbar and outer tail feathers. In young birds the black is replaced by brown, and the white by yellow.

Bird Carving #16: Willow Tit (Kogara)

THis is my 16th Birdcarving work of Willow Tit.

Length is 11.5 cm, and wings range from 60-70 mm.

The commonest call is a nasal zee, zee, zee, but the notes of the bird evidently

vary considerably. Occasionally a double note, ipsee, ipsee, is repeated

four or five times.

Bird Carving #15: Winter Wren (Misosazai)

This is my 15th birdcarving of Winter Wren (Misosazai). She is also a very small bird.

The Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), also known as the Northern Wren, is a very small bird, a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. It is the only one of nearly sixty species in the family which occurs in the Old World; in Europe it is commonly known simply as the Wren.

Birdcarving #14: Japanese White-eye (Mejiro)

This is my 14th birdcarving of Japanese White-eye. A small lovely bird whichI like her small white eye.

The Japanese White-eye is about 4 to 4.5 inches in size, with a yellow forehead, a greenish back, and dark brown wings and tail outlined in green. Like other white-eyes, this species exhibits the distinctive white eyering that gives it its name (mejiro also meaning "white eye" in Japanese). It is omnivorous, feeding primarily on insects and nectar.