Black kites (milvus migrans) flocking to scavenge food along Kamogawa behind Kyoto Prefectural Hospital, where people are eating lunch on April 12, 2013. These raptors, called TOMBI in Kansai (TOBI in Kanto), are commonly seen in the Japanese countryside, where, as solitary hunters, they prey on bugs, field mice, and other small animals.

In spite of warnings by Kyoto City officials, some people apparently feed them by throwing pieces of food into the air. I’ve watched these magnificent creatures hunt in Shiga many times. It’s disheartening to see them in flocks as scavengers, attracted by people who, failing to respect nature, feed them for entertainment.

This is an audio recording of Yasugawa (river) shallow rapids near the foot of Mikamiyama in Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The sounds we hear are both above and in the water.

Monaural audio was recorded in moderately strong wind with a Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mic covered with a Rycote Softie. I held the mic close to the running water. Underwater stereo was captured with with two Aquarian Audio H2a-XLR-3 hydrophones. Recorder: Olympus LS-100 (XLR inputs).

Yaki Imo Truck: Stoned-Baked Sweet Potatoes on a Cold Winter Night

This is a small truck driving very slowly through my neighborhood in Japan on February 24, 2013, a cold winter night. I dashed out with an Olympus LS-10 recorder just before the truck left the neighborhood.