Last of the Persimmons

Day after the winter solstice and a total lunar eclipse which we couldn't observe due to rain. Today is warm, in the sixties, and feels nothing like winter. Yet the birds at dawn have been working over the last of the persimmons, and today the tree is wintry bare. Below, the shrubs have red berries, and the red camelia has started to bloom. Christmas colors!

Many kinds of birds come to eat the persimmons. Jungle crows, sparrows, Japanese white-eye (mejiro), the brown-eared bulbul (hiyodori), and the gray starling (mukudori) are frequent and very noisy diners.

Here we have the sleek female bulbul, and her spiky-headed mate. These two get the prize for being the most outrageous characters, and having the best and loudest song repertory. I love them dearly. 

The bird with its head in the persimmon is a gray starling, who unfortunately only makes typical starling rasping noises. The nesting behavior in spring is kind of endearing, though, as it hops about carrying long strands of straw. I also like the sky blue eggs.