Birdcarving #39 Sendaimusikui

This is my #39th art-work of Sendaimusikui.

#38 Flying Kingfisher

This is my Thrity-eighth art-work of Flying Kingfisher.

＃３７ Red-flaｎked Bluetail （Ruribitaki)

This is my #37th artwork of "Red-flanked Bluetail (Ruribitaki).

The Red-flanked Bluetail nests near the ground, laying 3-5 eggs

which are incubated by the female.

It is slightly larger in size than European Robin. As the name implies both

sexes have the blue tail and red flanks. The male adult mail has dark blue

upperpart and white underparts. Females are plain brown above and have

dusky breast.

#36 Bottlenose Dolphin (Bandou Iruka)

This is my thrity-six artwork of "Bottlenose Dolphin (Bandou Iruka).

Bottlenose dolphins live in group typically 15 members, called pods, but

group size varies from single individuals up to more than 1,000.

Dolphins often work as a team to harvest fish schools, but they also hunt

individually. Dolphins search for prey primarily using echolocation, which

is similar to sonar.

#35 Humpback Whale (Zatou Kujira)

This is my thrity-five artwork of "Humpback Whale" (Zatou Kujira).

The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusual long pectoral

fins and knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and

slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song. which lasts

10 to 20 minutes and repeated for hours at a time.

The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a

role in mating.

#34 Largemouth Bass (Blackbass in Japanese)

This is my thirty-four artwork of Largemouth Bass (Black Bass).

The largemouth bass is an olive green fish, marked by a series of dark, sometimes
black blotches forming a jagged horizontal stripe along each flank. The upper jaw of
a largemouth bass extends beyond the margin of the orbit. The largemouth is the
largest of the black basses, reaching the maxium recorded overall length of 29.5cm
and the maxium recorded overall weitht of 11.4 Kg. The fish lives 16 years on average.

#33 Akashobin (Gift to Mrs. Hou Yie for Chinese New Year

This is the gift bird for my Chinese Sister, Hou Yie. You may observe "Happyness"
Kanji on the basement. It is said that lots of happyness will come to the family if you
decorate "福" upside-down as shown above.

#32 Japanese Murrelet (Kamuri Umi Suzume)

This is my thirty-three Birdcarving work of Japanese Murrelet (Kanmuri Umi Suzume).

The Japanese Murrelet, also known as Crested Murrelet, is a small bird that inhabits
rocky islets and reefs in the warm waters of Japan, Russia, and Korea. It has black and
bluish grey upper body and white underparts plumage.

In 1975, this species was designated a natural tresure by Japanese government.

#31 Bull-headed Shrike

This is my thrity-one art work of Bull-headed Shrike.
It is 19-20 cm (approx. 7.48-7.9 inches) long. The male has a brown crown, white eyebrow and black mask. The back is grey-brown while the wings are dark with a white patch. The flanks are rufous and the rest of the underparts are whitish with fine barring. Females are similar but duller and browner with a brown mask and no white wing-patch. The species has harsh grating and chattering calls and will

#30 Ferruginous Pygmy-owl

This is my thirth artwork of Ferruginous Pygmy-owl
The Ferruginous Pygmy-owl is small, typically 15 cm (6 in), and stocky with disproportionately large talons. The crown has elongated white/buff spots or streaks, the wing coverts have white spots, and the underparts are heavily streaked white. There are prominent white supercilia above the facial disc. There are two eyespots on the nape. Otherwise, its overall color is highly variable, ranging from grey-brown with a black-and-white barred tail to rich rufous with a uniform rufous tail. Sexes are similar with females slightly larger and often more reddish. The flight is low to the ground and rapid with long swoops.

#29 Japanese Green Woodpecker (Aogera)

This is my twenty-ninth of art work of Japanese Green Woodpecker.

This species reaches about 30cm in length with bright green wings
and tail, a red or black mastache and crown (as opposed to black
face of the Green Woodpecker), grey head, neck and chest and white
underparts with black markings.

#28 Geart Spotted Woodpecker (Akagera)

This is my #28 woodcraft work of Great Spotted Woodpecker.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is 23-26 cm long, with a 38-44 cm wingspan.
The upperparts are glossy black, with white on the sides of the face and neck.
A black line zigzags from the shoulder halfway across the breast,
then back to the nape; a black stripe, extending from the bill, runs below the eye
to meet this latter part of the zigzag line. On the shoulder is a large white patch
and the flight feathers are barred with black and white. The three outer tail
feathers are barred; these show when the short stiff tail is outspread,
acting as a support in climbing. The underparts are dull white, the abdomen
and undertail coverts crimson. The bill is slate black and the legs greenish grey.
Males have a crimson spot on the nape, which is absent in females
and juvenile birds. In the latter, the top of the head is crimson
between the bill and the center of the crown instead.

#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