Shaken

A Black Necked Grebe in Hakodate today. The EXIF data shows it was taken at around 11.30am, about 5 hours later this area was flooded as a result of the tsunami.

I was home at 2.46pm when the quake hit, it was pretty f**king scary. It lasted 3 or 4 minutes, the building was swaying, things were flying off shelves and water was sloshing out of the fish tank. I switched on the TV and watched the events unfold, wow what shocking images. 

There were several large aftershocks but it looks like Hakodate got off pretty lightly, it is a few hundred KM north of the epicenter and I live far enough from the coast not to panic.

The Back Necked Grebe seemed to have some kind of beak deformity. I've actually been looking for both Grebes and Crossbills this last week, this bird seems to tick both boxes.

There are at least 2 Great Egrets on the local river, they sometimes perch on the rooftops.

The Siskins are still around.

Today I finished off on the beach, a 'Tamiyr' type Gull was there.......note the yellwish legs.

This one had dark eyes, I thought it may have been a Thayers Gull but it isn't. It's just a Vega Gull I think, it had dark wingtips when it flew off.......

I had a couple of semi funny trivial flippant little incidents that happened this week I was going to write about but after the events today in Japan I don't really feel like it.

Ons of the people I sometimes go up to Yakumo with actually lives and works down near Sendai, I hope he's OK.

On this day (March 10th)..........

March 10th 2008.

Asian Rosy Finch in Hakodate.

Winter 2007/2008 saw a big influx of Asian Rosy Finch into south Hokkaido. This was one of a pair that stayed several weeks near my apartment and was often seen in local gardens..........

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A slow March #2

A bit of a quiet Sunday started off in Yakumo, the first time I'd been back since a very productive visit 2 weeks ago. There were no Stellers Sea Eagles, they must have headed north by now I guess. But there were were 6 White Tailed Eagles at the river mouth, 2 adults and 4 immatures. Only a short session on the bridge, here are a couple of shots...........

Am I being greedy when I just think 'meh' when I see immature White Tailed Eagles?

I was with a friend and was hoping to find a Peregrine for him. This young one, presumably the same individual as 2 weeks ago, put in a brief appearance.........

We then headed down to Onuma, I hoped to repeat my luck and find a Black Woodpecker for him. No joy here but the Tits and Nuthatches kept us entertained at least........

I then went back to Hakodate to have a late birthday lunch with my good wife, we had a buffet style one and true to form I absolutely stuffed myself. A walk on the beach at Nanaehama just before sunset failed to produce the Lapland Buntings (they too must have gone north) but there were a couple of Slavonian Grebes reasonably close inshore, a bit too dark and the sea too choppy though for any good shots........

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Hope Liverpool can do Man Utd tonight.........

A slow March

A Nuthatch at Onuma this afternoon. Thanks to Mariko for giving me a ride (in her spanking new car) and buying me a nice sushi lunch too..........

A bit of a quiet week. I've been to most of the local haunts but not much around. Some stuff on the sea: 3 species of Grebe including Great crested, Black Necked and Slavonian. Pelagic Cormorant, the usual common seaducks including large rafts of Scaup, Glaucous Gull, White Tailed Eagle, Harlequin Duck, Buzzard, Brambling, Great, Coal and Varied Tit, Great Egret, Wigeon, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker etc. 

I did bump into 2 people birding on the local river who said they'd just seen a Taiga Flycatcher (in the same place I'd seen one the autumn before last) but I couldn't find it..........

The Grey Headed Woodpecker is still in Goryokaku park but it's tricky to get a good photo, always against dodgy backgrounds in poor light.........

The Brent Geese are building in number.........

And of all else fails there are always the Nuthatches..........

I watched England's epic tie with India, thank god I didn't stay up to watch them lose against the cricketing giants of Ireland.............

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On this day (March 2nd)..........

March 2nd 2009.

Blakistons Fish Owl in Rausu.

In case you're unfamiliar with the set up in Rasuu these Owls (100% wild) are attracted to a pond each night by a free fish supper.

Me and a friend waited in the car for this, we had beer and hot sake handy and a good night was had by all...................

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On this day (March 1st)...........

March 1st 2009

Immature White Tailed and Stellers Sea Eagles in Nemuro.

A bit odd to see these in an urban setting, as you can see they were perching on telegraph poles like crows or pigeons.

Winter 2008/9 was a very poor year for salmon in Hokkaido, perhaps they were hanging around town because of hunger or maybe this is an an annual occurrence, I have to say I don't really know..............

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Black and grey Sunday

An adult Peregrine at Sawara this afternoon. We had intended to go up to Yakumo for one last bash at the eagles but it was a dark grey sleety kind of morning so we gave up on that particular idea and headed over to Shikabe and Sawara instead.

One of the small fishing ports had several interesting species.......

These Black Scoter were outside the port and seemed a bit shy, this is a species I've never really managed to photograph well, these cropped record shots being pretty typical....

There was a flock of Scaup, one or two Goldeneye, 4 harlequin Duck and 2 Black Necked Grebe.

In previous years early March to early April often sees large numbers of this species hitting the local ports, hopefully 2011 will be the same.

I had a look on the beach at Sawara for the Snow Buntings that have apparently been around for most of the winter. I tried a couple of times earlier this winter but was defeated by the snowdrifts. Most of the deep snow has gone now so walking out to the beach was possible. I couldn't find any Snow Bunting  unfortunately, indeed I haven't seen any since a small flock in the mid 1980's in Fleetwood. It was hard work walking around the dunes, my back/leg still isn't right and there was also driving snow. I never seem to see much at Sawara, it always looks like there should be lots of rare and interesting stuff around but whenever I go there I just get tired out traipsing through the black sand dunes.

This location was well-known about 10 years ago for an overwintering Gyrfalcon (which I never saw). No Gyr but there was this adult Peregrine at least...........

On the beach were 000's of Gulls.

There is a foul smelling fish processing factory nearby so there are always loads of Gulls and Black Kites around. I suppose I should have checked the flocks to see if there was anything unusual but it was cold and I was tired and I'm crap at IDing Gulls too.

This Glaucous Gull looked pretty normal but some of the others looked rather small.............

My wife can't understand why anyone could be interested in Gulls.

So that is probably the start of the end of winter.................

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A quiet week in February

A Siskin near my apartment a couple of days ago.

It's been a bit of a quiet week, very mild and sunny for most of the time. The snow has turned to slush finally. Not so many birds around though, I was hoping to find some Crossbills but nothing doing there yet.

The small Siskin flock contained one Redpoll.

There have been several finch species around this week. A flock of Brambling in Goryokaku park, Hawfinch, Oriental Greenfinch and Long Tailed Rosefinch too. But Siskins were the most interesting.....

Not much else to report. Grey Headed and Great Spotted Woodpecker in Goryokaku Park, Sparrowhawk, Wren, Dusky Thrush, Coal and Great Tit.........

This Oriental Turtle Dove near my apartment is a bird I normally don't see in winter, I've seen 1 or 2 on several occasions this year.

5 species of duck on the river including a female Red Breasted Merganser and the Great Egret is still around...........

Only another 4 weeks of construction noise to endure, today they were digging up some of the new road they'd laid last week. Sometimes I think they may as well just bang big drums whilst burning ¥10000 bills: it'd achieve the same results. Lots of noise, lots of money wasted and nothing changes at the end of it.

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