Different birds in a different harbour

I spent a couple of hours in Irifune this afternoon. It was a mild but dark grey day................the slush and melting snow was a real pain to walk on.

Brent Geese are the specialty in this place.............there was a flock of 30 or so pretty tame ones. Most of these photos are uncropped.

My group shots didn't come out too well so all today's pics are of ones or twos.

This was my first visit to the Brents this year................it's good to have such a photogenic species on my doorstep and ther'll be plenty of photo opps in late winter and early spring.

Other birds included several Black Necked and Slavonian Grebes, Harlequin Duck and Scaup. On the river near my flat this week there were 3 Great Egret and lots of Goosander but no more flocks of waxwings in the last 3 or so weeks................hopefully they'll arrive soon.


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Yet more red eyes in the harbour

I went back to Kamiiso a couple of days to get a better close up shot of the Slavonian Grebe and I managed it....................just minutes before I had to dash to catch the train home.

It popped up a few feet away, shame it when the sun was behind a cloud.

I'd been waiting a couple of hours. At first there were only a few Black Necked Grebes. They were catching little shrimps from the seabed.

There were also 3 or 4 Great Crested Grebe.

I wanted a shot of the Slav/Black Necked together but couldn't get it................

Not much else about...................but missions accomplished.

Shame a Red Necked Grebe couldn't have swum in to complete the set......................

Just when I thought Liverpool might just have an outside chance of 4th they throw away a 2 goal lead at one of their main rivals FFS.
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On this day (January 31st)...............

January 31st 2010.

A drake Long Tailed Duck at Oshamanbe 3 years ago today. The port there is fairly large and the ducks usually stay out in the middle but this one was dozing in a quiet corner close to the quayside................

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Sunday eagles and grebes

Some birds from my day out today...............

I went up to Yakumo in the morning (thanks Tomohiro) and there were still good numbers of eagles but most of them have moved downstream.............we discovered this after searching in vain upstream and then not having enough time to do them justice later.

Only distant views of Stellers today.............

This male White Tailed was right next to the road.

The main action was on the bridges near the coast, hopefully I can get back there next weekend.

Not much else around, a pair of Long Billed Plovers being the most interesting.

In the afternoon I was in Kamiiso, there were 3 species of grebe in the harbour again. Half a dozen each of Black Necked and Great Crested (above) and the lone Slavonian from a few days ago was still around.

I wish it popped up close by in good light like the Black Neckeds do.

I tried to get both species together but fialed, apart from this lame effort.

 My wife says they all look the same anyway.


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On this day (January 25th).............

January 25th 2011.

2 Lapland Bunting on the beach at Nanaehama 2 years ago today, they spent several weeks there in fact. These are an occasional visitor to the local beaches in winter, I've also seen them at Yakumo and up at Mukawa too.

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Slav

A Slavonian Grebe in the harbour at Kamiiso yesterday.

I spent the last couple of afternoons in Kamiiso, not a lot about but just enough to keep me occupied. The weather was good yesterday at least and the sea was calm.

Today was milder but darker and somewhat windy.

This species isn't as easy to photograph as the Black Neckeds.............for a start they are much less numerous and they seem a little more wary too. They also dive longer and pop up further away than the Black Neckeds too. And finally they seem to stay out in the middle of the harbour so I have to crop quite a bit which always knackers IQ.

There were several Great Crested Grebe and 1 Black Necked Grebe in the same place as well as both species of cormorant. Other stuff in Kamiiso over the last couple of days included White Tailed Eagle, 10 species of duck, Whooper Swan, Coot, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Long Tailed Rosefinch, Jaapnese Pygmy Woodpecker and 6 species of gull. Surprisngly there are still a few live salmon swimming in the river, the end of January seems very very late to be seeing that.

Not much nearer to home, a female Bullfinch was the only noteworthy bird over the last few days.


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A drive in the sunshine

A Red Squirrel in a park in east Hakodate this morning. There are several feeders which attract lots of tits and nuthatches................there must have been 20 or more Varied Tits.

It was a sunny (even mild..........maybe even above zero for the first time in ages) day and we drove around the coast to Onuma.  A very nice drive in crisp clear light.

Lots of common stuff on the sea and in the harbours................such as Scaup and Glaucous Gull.

The eastern side of the peninsula has lots of hills coming down to the sea meaning it is ion the shade most of the day: on some of the cliffs huge icicles form and it was distinctly chilly out of the sun.

Back at Onuma the Ural Owl was in its hole.

There were several White Tailed Eagle in various spots, a flock of Brambling in the park at Hakodate, some Black Necked Grebe at Esan and the usual gulls and wildfowl on the sea.


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One of those days

A Glaucous Winged Gull in a blizzard in Oshamanbe.

It was one of those days when nothing goes right. I went to Yakumo with a Japanese acquaintance (thanks for the ride Toshio)  but although there were still plenty of eagles around we couldn't get any decent shots. We decided to go to Oshamanbe but the blizzards hit, we headed back to Yakumo where it was still sunny and narrowly missed a great photo opp of several low flying eagles over a bridge..................

And apart from the eagles nothing of much interest anywhere either.

Time for a cold beer and a night in front of the footy.
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