Category: ピックアップ

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 7/7 (Additional).

4:11 AM — First arrival of the day

Right on schedule again — arrivals came in at the usual time today.

Today the birds kept glancing up at the sky and never quite got around to hunting. Probably because a recently fledged Black Kite was calling loudly nearby….

The Crested Kingfisher fledglings should be making their first appearances at the base before long — we’re looking forward to it with great excitement! ^^

The chick-rearing season has reached its peak!

Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

Please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 7/6.

4:18 AM — First arrival of the day

Right on schedule again today — arrivals came in at the usual time.

Lately the pattern has been the female arriving first, followed by the male — consistently in that order!

The female is diving from branch #1 at a very high rate, and hovering with impressive frequency! This is a golden opportunity!!

The chick-rearing season has reached its peak!

Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

Please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 7/5.

4:12 AM — First arrival of the day

The birds arrived right on their usual schedule today.

Dives and hunting right from the start — arrivals at branches #3, #2, #1, and Zero.

Today the birds hunted nuptial-colored Japanese Rosy Bitterling twice! Our guest was so satisfied they said “I’m more than happy — let’s head back early and make the most of the travel time,” and set off for home well ahead of schedule. It was wonderful to hear. Feel free to stop by again on your way back from the north! ^^

The chick-rearing season has reached its peak!

Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

Please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 7/4.

This day was the second and final day of the Crested Kingfisher photography session organized by OM System.

Ootake Camera × OM SYSTEM Collaboration Event — Early Morning Crested Kingfisher Shoot, July 3 & 4, 2026

As this was our first time running an event like this, we did a rehearsal two days before and traced through the full two-day flow. We also received feedback surveys from participants, which we’ll put to good use for the next event!

4:06 AM — First arrival of the day

Considerably earlier than yesterday — the bird landed on branch #3 at 4:06 and the shoot was underway.

Once again we had plenty of shooting opportunities from early in the morning. With the heavy-rain turbidity settling down somewhat, the birds even treated us to some dives from branch #3.

Today the birds used branches #3, #1, and Zero.

The chick-rearing season has reached its peak!

Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

If you are interested in photographing Crested Kingfishers, please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 7/3.

This day was the first of a two-day Crested Kingfisher photography session organized by OM System.

Ootake Camera × OM SYSTEM Collaboration Event — Early Morning Crested Kingfisher Shoot, July 3 & 4, 2026

We headed to Wakamatsu a little earlier than usual to pick up our guests, got everything sorted, and made our way to the site. Hoping the birds would show up as always, we slipped into the blind — and waited with some nervous anticipation, as the recent rains had raised the water level considerably.

4:27 AM — First arrival of the day

With rain again this morning, arrivals were slightly delayed, but around 4:30 a bird came in and landed on branch #3 — and the shoot was underway.

There were plenty of shooting opportunities from early on, and at branch #3 the bird showed up holding an impressively large nuptial-colored Japanese Rosy Bitterling!

After that there was a quiet spell of about three hours, then the birds returned and treated us to another enjoyable stretch of action. ^^

Today the birds used branches #3, #5, and Zero.

The chick-rearing season has reached its peak!

Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

If you are interested in photographing Crested Kingfishers, please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 7/2.

4:16 AM — First arrival of the day

Arrivals were right on schedule this morning — around 4:15 as usual. It was a little dark given the rain and early hour, but we got started shooting regardless. Honestly, we were treated to more shutter opportunities than we could keep track of.

Looking back at the key patterns: the male mainly hunted by diving from branch #3, while the female’s primary hunting perch was branch #1. That said, branch #3 was clearly the central hub for both of them.

Today the birds used branches #3, #1, #5, and Zero.

The chick-rearing season has now reached its peak!

Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

If you are interested in photographing Crested Kingfishers, please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 7/1.

3:50 AM — First arrival of the day

This morning a bird arrived very early — so early that one was already perched on branch #3 while we were still setting up. Quite a scramble! (sweat)

Around 4:40, another arrival at branch #3 — a clean catch, fish beaten against the branch, and straight off to the chicks. The chick-rearing is going well by all appearances.

5:02 — the female arrived and landed on branch #3, then moved to #1 to scan for prey. But then something unexpected: what appeared to be another fish-eating bird came through and disturbed the fish, leaving the area empty — and off she went, empty-beaked. ^^; Shortly after, another female passed by, but it was clearly a different individual. This was likely the intruder behind yesterday’s territorial dispute — a sharp observation, and thank you to Mr./Ms. S-mura for catching that!

5:21 — the male arrived again and landed on branch #3, but still no fish to be found, likely due to the earlier disturbance. Goodbye for now. ^^;

7:11 — the male returned to branch #3 and this time put on a splendid hunt! Straight back to the chicks with the catch. Hard-working dad — keep it up!!!

8:01 — the male arrived once more, looked set to land on #3 but made a sudden U-turn to the opposite bank, then came back to #3, coughed up a pellet, and attempted another dive — but missed this time. ^^; He then flew upstream and that was the end of the session. Overall, the male and female alternated arrivals roughly every 30 minutes; when only one was coming, it was about every hour.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us today! ^^

Perches used

Today the birds used branches #3, #1, and #5.

The chick-rearing season has now reached its peak!

Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

If you are interested in photographing Crested Kingfishers, please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 6/30. This report was shot with the OM-1 II / 150-400mm, on loan from OM System.

4:59 AM — First arrival of the day

It started off as a “no arrivals this morning… uh oh^^;” kind of day.

Around 5:00, we heard a call from the left, and the male landed on branch #2 while the female landed on branch #3. Soon after, they both seemed on edge and flew off separately — one to the right, one to the left.

At 6:20, a female arrived from the forest straight ahead, calling loudly, and landed on Zero — but she was beak-open, gasping for breath… It was clear she had been flying hard for quite a while. Possibly chased off by another pair, or perhaps a raptor… we can’t say for certain, but she had clearly been through a lot.

Around 6:50, a female arrived silently at branch #3, and soon after the male passed by from upstream. He then flew up onto branch #1 and dove — successfully hunting a Japanese Rosy Bitterling.

After that, he bathed several times, giving us a lovely finish — many thanks to the Crested Kingfisher for closing things out so beautifully.

We weren’t sure how the morning would turn out, but in the end the arrivals concentrated during the bright hours, so overall it worked out well!!

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us today! ^^

Perches used

Today the birds used branches #3, #1, and Zero.

The chick-rearing season has reached its peak! Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

If you are interested in photographing Crested Kingfishers, please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 6/29. (Yesterday’s data was accidentally deleted, so unfortunately no report went out. Our apologies!)

4:17 AM — First arrival of the day

Today a bird flew in from the left and landed on branch #3 first thing in the morning.

From there it put on a great show, returning roughly every 30 minutes until around 7:30 — a wonderfully enjoyable morning! ^^

Perches used

Today #3 was the main perch, followed by #1 and Zero.

The chick-rearing season has reached its peak! Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

If you are interested in photographing Crested Kingfishers, please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.

Hello! This is Ootake Camera. Here is the Crested Kingfisher Shooting Base Report for 6/27.

4:34 AM — First arrival of the day

There had already been pass-through flights before this, but 4:34 was when one finally perched on branch #3.

Then — an immediate dive! It successfully hunted a nuptial-colored Japanese Rosy Bitterling, moved to branch #1 to beat the fish, then headed left to deliver it to the chicks.

After that, the female came, then the male, and they even interacted as a pair — it was a thoroughly enjoyable shoot. ^^

Arrivals increase at this time of year, but please note: the birds go almost completely silent — most likely to protect the chicks. Keep your ears open and stay alert.

The chick-rearing season is now in full swing! Arrival frequency is on the rise — this is the season with the most opportunities for observation and photography. At the Aizu Secret Base, we share real-time field conditions like these every day.

If you are interested in photographing Crested Kingfishers, please also visit our Yamasemi Guide Page and Availability Calendar.

■ Today’s Highlights　

★★★ We were featured in the opening gravure of BIRDER Magazine May 2026 issue ★★★

On sale April 14, 2026! Available at bookstores and online.

BIRDER Magazine May 2026 Issue

Amazon　Rakuten Books　FUJISAN (Subscription)

★★★ Our photo was selected for the cover of BIRDER Magazine December 2025 issue ★★★

On sale Friday, November 14, 2025!
Available at bookstores or via the links below!

Amazon　Rakuten Books

※Sessions are held rain or shine. A tent-style hide is planned for Crested Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher tours.