2017 Best Of #5

Some more shots from earlier in the year, these are from spring.................

2017 Best Of #4

Some more shots from earlier in the year: these are all from March and early April...............

Some summer plumaged Divers...........

A very warm spring day saw us out west today..................

Mayday

We were out west in beautiful spring weather yesterday...............

A long Monday in early April

We spent a long day out west today.......................

Some more ones still around

Just like the nearby White-billed Diver, the 2 Black-throated Divers were still around on Sunday after we'd seen them a couple of days before............

Another tired waterbird

There were some Black-throated Divers at Esashi last Friday.....................

Long-tailed Ducks and other stuff............

On the way back from our trip we took a quick look at Oshamanbe...................

2015 Best of #2

Some more shots from the early part of 2015.......................

Black Throated Diver

We headed west to Esashi yesterday afternoon to see if the strong winds had bown anything interesting to our little corner of Hokkaido.

On this day (April 8th)

April 8th 2010.

This Black Throated Diver was in the nearest port to my apartment 2 years ago and it hung around a few weeks (I didn't get to see it in summer plumage alas).

A very very quiet week has just passed, nothing around birding wise and it is still pretty cold with high winds and snow flurries. C'mon spring, where the hell are you?

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On this day (August 25th....................

August 25th 2006.


A blurry out of focus Black Throated Diver at Kamiso. I think I saw this individual several times that year, I was very surprised to find it in August in full summer plumage.


This was taken with my ancient digiscoping set-up, this would have made a really nice shot if i'd had a DSLR as it was pretty tame.

Spring 2010 continues

Spring is moving on and more migrants are passing through, the above is a blurry pic of a Japanese Bush Warbler which is one of the commonest. A nondescript bird, it does have a remarkable song. The first Red Cheeked Starling of the season also appeared today, a female. Again, not a particularly good shot but it like I say this individual was the first of 2010.

Asian House Martin have arrived, they nest in colonies under some of the local bridges. Black Faced Bunting, another common summer migrant, have also started singing along the river. Other stuff this last couple of days included Reed Bunting, Red Flanked Bluetail and Bullheaded Shrike.

I took a walk down to the nearest quayside, not much around except for the Black Throated Diver which is still in winter plumage.

I bumped into my father-in-law who was catching crabs off the quayside............some of which will be arriving for dinner shortly.

Gah, I've done something to my back again, dunno what exactly but it's pretty painful.

So for Liverpool to finish 4th this has to happen; Spurs lose at home to Bolton, City draw against Villa and again against Spurs midweek, we beat Chelsea. If that happens all 4 teams will be level on points going into the last round of fixtures with Liverpool having the best goal difference. I can see the 2 City games being draws but can Bolton do Spurs? About as realistic as Liverpool beating Chelsea, ie not very...........

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A bit of spring after a bit of winter...........

A Black Crowned Night Heron on the river near my flat this afternoon, presumably a new arrival.

Today saw bright mild spring weather and in the morning I went down to the nearest quayside (about 25 minutes on foot) to see if anything interesting was on the sea. Last week's Black Throated Diver was still around.

It wasn't as confiding as last week. Whilst I was waiting for it to come closer I noticed what appeared to be a little penguin just a few metres off the harbourside.

It was another Ancient Murrelet, my third sighting in Hakodate in the last 5 months. You have to admit it's cute.

It was very active, diving all the time.

Like I say just like a Penguin except with longer wings.

Other stuff on the sea included Red Necked Grebe, Red Breasted Merganser, Scaup plus both Temincks and Pelagic Cormorant.

A long way out there was an Osprey fishing, here are 2 very heavily cropped images (almost 100% crops in fact).

If today was springlike yesterday most certainly wasn't. I met a nice couple from Colorado, Wayne and Laura, who were passing through Hakodate on a Cruise Liner and had a few hours to stretch their legs onshore. We met at Cape Tachi-Machi and had a walk through the forest at the foot of Mt Hakodate. There were frequent snow flurries and there was a bitingly cold wind. The usual resident Tits and Woodpeckers were around including a female Grey Headed Woodpecker, the first I'd seen in Hakodate for a few years. Due to the nasty weather there weren't so many birds in the forest although we did hear the first singing Japanese Bush Warblers of the spring.

Down in Yachigashira Port I was surprised to find a group of 9 Brent Geese. I thought they would have gone by now, apparently not.

The light wasn't great yesterday, apart from the green seaweed these could almost be monochrome......

There was a  'Tamiyr' Gull on the beach.........

Not much in town. I saw the first Grey Wagtail of the year a couple of days ago, an Osprey flew upstream yesterday, there are still a few Dusky Thrush and Hawfinch around and there were a couple of male Pochard in Goryokaku Park a couple of days ago.

The Night Heron was a nice find today, out in the open in good light for a change.

It flew off pretty quickly though. Shame about the scaffolding in this hot. Damn construction is everywhere.

Flying Night Herons were my first ever shots with the 7D: we have come full circle.

Big weekend of footy coming up, I've given up on Liverpool's 4th place chances so I'll just sit back and enjoy the Manc derby and Spurs v Chelsea.

I lived in North London for 2 or 3 years back in the early 90's. Most of that time was in Arsenal territory (in fact at one stage I lived about 100 metres from their old Highbury ground) but I always had a soft spot for Spurs. One of my co-workers was a big Spurs fan who had connections at White Hart Lane and I sometimes went to games and even went to the Players Bar a couple of times (I saw an injured Gazza drinking with his mates one time). 

The only north London derby I saw was one at Highbury when Spurs won 3-0. It was before an FA Cup game so George Graham put out a reserve side and the Spurs fans I was with went crazy........... if you're a Spurs fan a win is a win. I watched the second half of Wednesday's game, it isn't often Spurs beat Arsenal.

It isn't often Liverpool have beaten anyone this season.

We have a new car! Let's hope the nice weather continues until Sunday (I'm busy tomorrow). The forecast is for rain but weather forecasters are sometimes as accurate as those 'experts' who said  Liverpool would win the League this season.

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Black Throated Diver

A Black Throated Diver in one of the local harbours this morning. It came close to the quayside allowing me to fire off hundred or so shots.

Exposure was tricky, a black and white bird on the sea on a very bright day. Most of my keepers were when the light was behind me of course.

There were loads of little tiny fish around so I guess it was feasting on those.............

I think it's a Black Throated Diver and not the very similar Pacific Diver. It appeared to have the diagnostic white patch on its flanks although you can't see it so well in most of these photos.

A nice addition to my photo collection, it'll go alongside the Red Throated Diver from last month.

Also around was a lone scruffy looking Black Necked Grebe, a few Scaup, several flocks of Red Breasted Merganser and half a dozen Red Necked Grebe.

The weather has been great the last week but until today the birding was very very quiet indeed. An Osprey and a Goshawk were nice flyovers on the river and the first Oriental Turtle Dove appeared last Sunday. The female Gadwall has been sticking around, here are 3 photos from 3 separate days.

And here is a very short video of a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker in Goryokaku Park.

I got up to watch the 2 Champions League games, I wasn't surprised Arsenal lost but quite how Man U could throw it away after leading 3-0 is beyond me.

Liverpool aren't going to finish 4th. Only the Europa Cup then. Should I get up in the middle of the night to watch them against Benfica?

So we may get a car by Saturday, paperwork permitting. I hope the weather holds.

After our car died last month my wife's laptop conked out last Sunday meaning after buying the car we then had to buy her a new PC. Never ever buy a computer made by Sharp.

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