Spring Migration hots up........

An Intermediate Egret near Onuma this afternoon. This is one of 3 egret species that regularly overshoot in spring and it is the first one I've managed to photograph.

It was a pretty productive day which started with some shorebirds at the beach in Kamiso. 2 Whimbrel and 4 or 5 Grey Tailed Tattler.

The Tattlers look much better in summer plumage. Unlike most wader species they are as common in spring as in autumn.

We then headed over to Onuma via Ono. The ricefields haven't been irrigated yet (so no chance of waders) and it is also too early for the Reed Warblers and Night Herons but the Siberian Stonechats were present and getting ready to raise this year's generation.

Lots of Skylarks and White Wagtails here too.......

The Intermediate Egret was feeding in a field just outside Onuma. These photos were all from the car window..........

It was eating worms and other slimy things. God knows what actually. Leeches? Newts?

The forest at Onuma was full of birds. This one is a male Narcissus Flycatcher, one of the commonest summer visitors and also one of the most beautiful.

And this is an Eye Browed Thrush, a fairly common spring/autumn migrant.

A bit of a heavy crop that one, as is this Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Other stuff included lots and lots of Eastern Crowned Warblers, Blue and White Flycatcher, Russet Sparrow and lots of the usual residents including this Eastern Great Tit.

I was hoping for a nice pic of a Mandarin Duck this spring but we couldn't find any. Here's a grainy shot of a Little Grebe instead......

I'll watch the end of the Premier League season, hope Wigan actually turn up and at least make it interesting (although I don't want Man U to be champions).

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So as Britain grapples with a hung Parliament, the Euro plunges in value and ash hangs in the sky over northern Europs I have nothing to worry about over here except deciding which of the 150 or so almost identical egret shots to keep or delete...................

On this day (May 7th)....................

May 7th 2008.


Sakhalin Leaf Warbler in Hakodate. This is one of the 3  Phylloscopus species present in south Hokkaido in summer. It has a weird song, like a creaky bicycle that needs some oil. The other small leaf warblers are the abundant Eastern Crowned and the not quite as common Arctic Warbler. This species is probably the scarcest of the 3.

Golden Week 2010 #3

A very confused male Grey Headed Woodpecker near my apartment a couple of days ago. I'm sure it thought it was behaving normally, sitting atop a grey tree calling for a mate and drumming.

The only problem was it was in downtown Hakodate.

And it was drumming on metal lamposts,. I took some jerky video (difficult handheld with a 400mm lens in a busy street).

It has gotten warmer and the cherry blossoms have finally opened, rather later than usual this year........

I didn't go far in the last few days so all my birding was on the local river. Lots of common spring arrivals like this Oriental Turtle Dove.

2 of the commonest summer visitors are Red Cheeked Starling and Bullheaded Shrike.

The Starlings are pretty wary (except when the young leave the nest in mid June when they seemingly ignore pedestrians). This is the male.

And this is the female.

The Starlings nest along the river in small colonies. The Shrikes nest there too, usually 2 or 3 pairs. These are also tricky to photograph and are as wary as the Starlings. This is the male.

I saw the first Oriental Reed Warbler of the spring today, this is another common/wary breeder along the river.

Other stuff passing through has included Pale and Japanese Thrush, Eastern Crowned and Japanese Bush Warbler, Red Flanked Bluetail and Long Tailed Rosefinch. Some of the winter birds are still hanging on: Dusky Thrush, Hawfinch and a few Teal.

I got up to watch the Spurs/City game, quite exciting stuff and I'm glad it was Spurs who finished 4th and not City.......................Ledley King for England at the World Cup? I reckon so.

Golden Week 2010 #2

An Asiatic Chipmunk and Siberian Stonechat.

We got up very early this morning and drove to the top of Mt Hakodate. It was windy but clear and not too cold. It wasn't a vintage day for migrants but it wasn't so bad; Blue and White Flycatcher, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Siskin, Rustic, Siberian Meadow and Black Faced Buntings, Nuthatch, several species of Tit, Great Spotted and Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Japanese and Dusky Thrush (and other unidentified thrush species), Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, lots and lots of Japanese White-eye, Siberian Stonechat, Japanese Robin (heard only), Red Flanked Bluetail, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Asian Stubtail and Japanese Bush Warbler.

Lots of Bluetails, I'm still searching for the elusive good shot of one.

Black Faced Bunting were everywhere. Another common bird that I find hard to get a good shot of.

There are lots of Chipmunks in the forest that always pose nicely.

Yesterday we went to Asabu, Shiriuchi and Kikonai. I was hoping for some interesting waders. Common Sandpiper, Grey Tailed Tattler, Little Ringed Plover and this Whimbrel were the only shorebirds on show however.

At Asabu there were lots of Skylark, Chestnut Eared Bunting, Reed Bunting and Stonechat. At Shiriuchi I managed to see this species: Whiskered Tern. A new species for my Japan list (I've seen them in Australia and India before).

An awful photo. I only saw it for a few seconds before it flew off. My settings were all wrong so it was horribly underexposed, I didn't even have time to notice the zoom was only at 220mm so it's a 100% crop too.........still, a pretty nice find and the 3rd rare Tern I've found in the last 5 springs (Caspian in 2006 and Gull Billed Tern last year were the other 2).

It was a pretty dark day yesterday, here are a couple more poor underexposed shots. A Little Egret (a species which isn't so regular up here in Hokkaido) and an Osprey.

Other stuff from yesterday included Red Breasted Merganser, Goosander, Harlequin Duck, Red Necked Grebe and Great Egret.

We went back to Kikonai this lunchtime (the Tern and most of yesterday's stuff had gone) and added Pale Thrush to the list of new migrants for the year. This Whooper Swan will probably stay the summer. Is it old? Is it injured? Is it just plain lazy?

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I watched the footy last night. Liverpool were pretty embarrassing, I don't think Gerard's backpass was deliberate but I can understand why some people might think it might have been. Looks like we'll finish 7th, a disaster of a season...............the worst one since the days of Souness. I don't think Benitez will stay but who would want a job at a debt-ridden club with a pretty poor squad and impossibly high expectations?

At least I can start looking forward to the World Cup....................until England start playing that is. More emotional torture in the middle of the night, can my nerves stand it?

Golden Week 2010 #1

Golden Week (a 5 day holiday in Japan) began today and we visited Onuma in the afternoon. The Nuthatches were still tame but looking very very scruffy, it must be spring moult time.

Some Marsh Tits and Great Tits were also around.

Not many summer migrants in evidence at Onuma, some Swallows and Bush Warblers but that was about all. We went to a small pond nearby and it was very reminiscent of the UK. Coot, Moorhen, Grey Heron and these 2 species: Little Grebe and Kingfisher. It was a bit dark and the Kingfisher pic is a very heavy crop.

Earlier in the day we checked Kamiso, not much on the sea at all, here's a summer plumage Black Headed Gull which always feels a bit exotic here in Hokkaido.

I saw another birder here who said he saw a Little Gull (very rare in Japan) 10 years ago in this exact same place....................

We passed through the ricefields in Ono on the way to Onuma. They haven't been irrigated yet and the ditches don't have many reeds in either. Still a few Siberian Stonechat, Reed Bunting and lots of Skylark were about.

I doubt Liverpool will still be in with a shout of 4th place tomorrow but you never know.........

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By the way if you're curious as to how I get so close to the Nuthatches here's the answer.

We cheat.