Last shots from the pool

The last batch of shots from the pool near Shikotsuko............

A Late Spring Trip #7

A final batch of photos from last week...........

And again

The Wrynecks were still in the park today..................

Some common locals

The common local residents were present in Onuma earlier in the week...........

Quiet end to Christmas..........

Crappy weather and a wife under the weather meant little birding..................

Not one but two Lifers............

A Collared (or Japanese?) Scops Owl this morning, my first lifer for over a year..............

My 1000th post

Well it's taken exactly 8 years and 3 months to reach my 1000th post on this blog..................

Not really happening

On Monday afternoon we were in Onuma and Sawara................

A night in Onuma................

We spent Sunday night in Onuma................

Nuthatch feuds

Back in an old hole

A Ural Owl in Onuma this afternoon. It was in an old hole, the first time I'd seen it in there in ages. Out of the 4 holes in Onuma I know this is the one that has the clearest view. These pics are taken on a tripod and with the 1.4 teleconverter. It was also pretty much the only time I've ever used liveview to take photos and whilst I was messin around with the settings the owl barfed up a pellet, the only interesting thing it did and of course I missed it.

Hole #4

A Ural Owl at Onuma this afternoon, the 4th different Owl hole since I started birding in Onuma. Shane it was obscured by twigs but I didn't want to walk any closer...............

Predictable...............

Well it is that time of year again. Summer is very predictable in town, only a few species, 3 of which you see above.....................

Not much to report. It hasn't rained for a couple of weeks. Really, that's all.

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March fizzling out...............

A Nuthtach at Onuma yesterday.

A very quiet end to March, hence all the old photos recently.

The tame tits and nuthatches priovided my only real photo opps over the last 2 weeks..............

The snow is melting............spring is here.

I did get out and about and there were a few interesting birds. The first Ospreys of the year arriving last week, several White Tailed Eagle at various locales, all 5 species of grebe, lots of common wildfowl everywhere including some displaying White Winged Scoter off Sawara this afternoon, Red Throated Diver at Kamiiso, a flock of Crossbills in a park in the east of town this morning...............

One staple of late March is Brent Goose but although I saw lots around they weren't in the usual spot at Irifune so no pics.

This Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker was in the same park as the crossbills and the Glaucous Winged Gulls were at Menagawa.

So that was March.....................let's not talk about England's World Cup prospects or I'll get annoyed.


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Long Tailed Ducks and other stuff

A drake Long Tailed Duck at Oshamanbe this afternoon.

The day didn't start too well. At Yakumo there were still a fair few eagles of both species left but it was too cold to stand on the bridge long (the river was frozen near its mouth) and inland there was a raging blizzard................so we went up to Oshamanbe. The harbour was full of birds: Scaup, Goldeneye, Black Scoter, Black Necked Grebe, Glaucous Winged Gull and a dozen or so Long Tailed Ducks.

They mostly stayed out in the middle but this one popped up in nice light fairly close by (though the photo is still cropped).

Usually the light was behind them..................

We finished the day off at Onuma. There were several Black Woodpecker around including a very vocal pair in the usual spot (making unusual calls, was it courtship?) but they were too far off for a decent photo.

The tame tits and nuthatches posed well just before sunset...................

Great Spotted Woodpeckers are the joint most common woodpecer species (with Japanese Pygmy) but I still don't have a decent photo of one................this was one from today: they just don't seem to like my camera.

So that is probably that for the eagles this winter. I probably won't make it up to Yakumo again for at least 2 weeks and most if not all of the remaining eagles will have gone by then. Not a vintage winter for eagle photos but it wasn't for lack of trying.......................

Blog update, bath, beer, football. My regular Sunday evening..........................

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What a sh***y day that was

We spent the afternoon with the tame wildlife at Onuma.

It was one of those mornings, it happens to us all. I won't bore you with the details but I went to City Hall to do a simple procedure, I knew it would cost me but when they said I have to pay the best part of $5000 it ruined my day. Christ it has ruined the whole damn year. New lens? No chance whatsoever. New Mac to replace my creaky old one? Not much chance of that either. F**k it.

This fox struck some nice poses.

The tame forest birds were around.............

Other stuff in Onuma included Great Egret, Smew and White Tailed Eagle. I checked Kamiiso but yesterday's Red Throated Diver wasn't around, hope it is still OK. Or alive even.

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