The Corvid and the Tree

Does anyone know what time it is?

That's right: it's time to post another beautiful corvid—this one being from Ueno park—made all the more striking in black-and-white silhouette form.

If this specimen were featured in Aesop's fable, it would outsmart the fox!

Red-Winged Blackbird

Here is one tiny, but striking reason not to listen to loud music out on a walk (sorry, Japanese rock!).

I wouldn't have noticed this red-winged black bird amidst all the tall grass had it not been for its loud call of the mating variety, I think. The bird spread its wings to reveal the bright red "shoulder pads" every time it did so.

Here are some of the images I've captured.

Orange

When I first captured this image, I meant to darken it to a silhouette, because it has strong lines. Then I realized that this robin's orange chest was one of the first joyful signs of spring!

In Flight

This capture turned out to be, well, weird.

At first, I couldn't quite figure out why it feels that way: after all, the kite in motion is in focus. I suppose it's the fact that I used a shallow depth of field, but it wasn't shallow enough to blur the background further. So, neither the waves, nor the wall is perfectly sharp or substantially out of focus.

However, this is one of my only photos of predatory birds in motion: anyone who's tried to capture them in flight with a heavy (tripodless) telephoto lens knows that it's not the easiest of tasks. Well, maybe just ladies who are wimpier than they look! So, I'll take it. 

For now.

Might require another trip to Japan. ;)

Huginn and Muninn Go on Vacation!

Once upon a time, Huginn and Muninn decided that they were all too worn out from accompanying Odin everywhere and requested a break. To their surprise, the One-Eyed Wiseman was actually quite understanding, granting them an entire week off.

So they left the snow-peaked Scandinavian mountains and headed to sunny Japan for a brief, but deserved vacation. Landing in Ueno Park and causing a bit of ruckus, disrupting the local Zoo's resident herons and geese, the pair interpreted having a relaxing time in an onsen rather loosely.

It's as if they were drunk on...wait for it...mead.

P.S. Crows, not ravens? Corvids! Close enough.

Black on Green and the Un-Home

The thing about returning to this Rocky Mountain paradise from Asia or Europe is not the lengthy flights with multi-hour layovers (which could get quite pesky), but the fact that it—this paradise—is not.

Is not home, that is.

There is one caveat, of course: solitary hikes amidst northern Nature do feel like home. But this is the case just about anywhere for me. And so, this little town next to a mountain, this little town that I do like quite a bit, does not feel like home.

Unsurprisingly, I've lost that feeling almost completely long ago when I graduated college and left my parents' house, though even there, in the Canadian prairies, it wasn't quite right. 

It feels right in Moscow, my birthplace.

And in St. Petersburg.

But it's been a long time since I've lived in Russia, far too long, and things have changed. So much. And so, if I were to relocate to a place that I think would feel like home, it might not—likely, will not—feel like home for quite some time.

This is the plight of rootless cosmopolitans, like me, whose parents opted for immigration, even if for entirely legitimate reasons.

What does all of this have to do with Japan? It sounds contrived, but the old trope about discovering oneself in a foreign country is accurate. The Land of the Rocking Samurai (as I've always called it) shows me my limits, my comforts zones, tells me when it's too late, and when "too late" is a good thing. Japan emphasizes what—and whom—I miss, and what (who) doesn't even register on my radar. 

Beyond intense self-analysis, there are, of course, some of the most generous and wonderful people I've ever met (despite a time or two when the Japanese strike me as being too reserved by my too-open Slavic standards!), whose number seems to grow. And then there is Nature, the main reason for my travels, including certain wildlife specimens whom most would take for granted—ravens and crows.

Like this new friend of mine in Shinjuku Gyoen (again! of course!). 

Isn't he gorgeous?

Pileated Woodpecker

You will think that I'm a total nerd (again!), but I was very excited to finally be able to photograph none other than the pileated woodpecker! What's more, I noticed this creature in a fairly populated area, so I didn't have to climb any mountains.

On second thought, I should probably claim that I climb mountains to stalk animals more often to build up my wildwoman "cred."

My dog was annoyed with an extended stop on our walk--this was his time, after all--but allowed me to observe and photograph this drum performance.

Did I mention that this woodpecker is the size of a crow?

Really huge!