Frozen on a Bridge #4

My 3rd visit of the day to the bridge at Yakumo was in the late afternoon. Most of the eagles had gone leaving only 3 or 4 young White Tailed Eagles.

They were a scruffy bunch and unlike the adults they get harassed by the local crows...........

There have only been a few immature Stellers this winter which perhaps indicates a poor breeding season last summer. The White Taileds seem to have had a bumper season however..........

3 of them flapped down onto the ice just near the bridge to squabble over some salmon remains........

They then sat down in the snow and had a bit of a wash, the eagle equivalent of brushing their beaks before bedtime..........

Probably my last time with the eagles this winter, the weather has been very mild the last couple of days and this may well be the spur for them to fly north. But you never know.............

A couple of wintry scenes to finish with............a Red Fox from the bridge at Yakumo and a view of Mt Komagadake on the way back to Hakodate..........

So ended a rather wonderful but cold day on a an exposed bridge in smalltown Hokkaido........

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Frozen on a Bridge #3

This photos (and the Peregrine previously) where on my second visit of the day to the bridge on Route 5 over near the Yurappu river mouth at Yakumo.

This is probably my last chance for eagle pictures this winter, the numbers have dropped in the last 2 or 3 weeks but there were still 15 or so individuals of both species at the river mouth and also about the same number further upstream.

One thing that can spoil the photos is the overhead wires that crisscross the river...........

Although as this individual got closer it wasn't such a problem..........

I was a little too enthusiastic with the continuous shooting at this point and my camera froze for a couple of crucial seconds to empty the buffer and by the time I could shoot again the chance was gone.......

Oh yeah and I forgot to zoom out there too.........

As you can see here they are a common sight for Yakumo residents........

The weather had improved by this stage............

But it was still bitterly cold and exposed. Most of the time not much was happening, this is a typical scene........

99% of the time they are a little too far away.........

These would have been great shots if I'd been nearer, unfortunately it was impossible to get through the snowfields and drifts to the actual mouth of the river where I could see these 2 adult Stellers and White Tailed Eagles squabbling about something..........

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Frozen on a Bridge #2

I was on the bridge at Yakumo trying to photograph the last of the winter's eagles but the star of the day was probably this immature Peregrine which flew very very close...........

As you can see it was right in the middle of town.........

It was accompanied by a group of crows, the Peregrine didn't seem to mind, in fact it seemed to enjoy their attention and was teasing them with its acrobatics.

Indeed it was the one doing most of the chasing.........

It was very fast and tricky to fit in the frame sometimes........

The drama played out over the bridge for 5 or 10 minutes..........

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#3 and #4 to follow soon.........

Frozen on a Bridge #1

From Hakodate Birding

I spent several hours on the bridge at Yakumo on Sunday, 3 separate visits in fact (it was so cold I had to go back to the car to warm up). The weather wasn't that cold (well it was snowing) but the fact I was so exposed made it a real test of endurance (plus in the morning I was getting soaked by the slushy spray from the speeding trucks going over the bridge). But it was worth it...........

The day started at Onuma in brilliant sunshine. The Smew from last week were still around..........

Here's a snapshot from my cellphone........

I heard both Grey Headed and Black Woodpecker but there wasn't much around, a few Hawfinch, Goosander, Goldeneye etc. We headed up to Yakumo and it was snowing by the time we got up there.

My first stint on the bridge produced the obligatory eagle in a tree pic. There were some on the ground too but they were a little too far off. A young White Tailed Eagle flew right over my head.........

There were several Grey Heron and a couple of Great Egret flapping around too..........

Not much in Hakodate last week. A lone Bohemian Waxwing and Great Egret near my flat, White Tailed Eagle and the usual common wildfowl over at Kamiiso but nothing posing for the camera.

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Like I say I went to the bridge 3 times in all, I took an early lunch break after the above photos (scallop curry in case you're curious). 

#2, #3 and maybe even a #4 to follow soon, I filled a 32GB CF card (I blame the BIFs for that).

On this day (February 20th)....................

February 20th 2009.

Common Crossbill in Hakodate.

This female was in the small park near my flat, this is only a very small crop as it was very tame. ISO 800 too, usually a no-no on my old 400D but this one turned out OK.

None of this species in Hakodate so far this year (and none in 2010 either) although I did see a small flock in Onuma last weekend.........

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On this day (February 18th)....................

February 18th 2009.

Ural Owl at Onuma, poking its head around...............

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