2016 wader season continues............

The weather was dull the last couple of days but at least there were waders on some of the beaches.................

Local specialities

Hakodate is famous for seafood and in particular crab...................the Black Tailed Gull above fits in nicely then.

Not much else around, here's some Red Necked Stint, part of a small flock at Kamiiso this morning.

Back through the typhoon #2

The typhoon earlier this week grounded lots of Whimbrel. Hundreds and hundreds of them...............

Back through the typhoon #1

We headed home through the typhoon...............

Ubiquitous

Red Necked Stints are ubiquitous at this time of year....................

Waders arrive at last

Some waders on the local beaches................

Waderless

Typhoons, workload and various minor health ailments have kept me off the beaches this August more than I would have liked.................

Not what I was expecting

Another typhoon hit Hokkaido meaning grey skies and rain.................and we had several (small) earthquakes last night too.

Wader season again

Another hot humid day........................

Moulting

A family of scruffy moulting Goosander are on the river at Kamiiso every summer. They can't fly at the moment and if they need to move quickly they thrash and paddle away in a flurry of stubby wings and splashes........it seems to be effective in a desperate kind of way and they just about get the job done. Probably some metaphor in there somewhere.

The heat/humidity seems to have receded slightly...........hopefully not just a temporary respite.

Summer Pigeons

It's been a quiet hot hot couple of weeks.....................

On this day (July 28th)..................................

July 28th 2014.

A Spectacled Guillemot near Esashi 2 years ago today. Only the second one I'd seen in southern Hokkaido, it must have been blown inshore by strong westerlies. It looks a bit scruffy...........probably an adult beginning its moult. They look great in full summer plumage but I only see them as distant specks off the capes of east Hokkaido then....................

A real struggle

I noticed some unusual Osprey behaviour a few days ago.................

East/North Hokkaido Summer 2016 #9

My final batch of photos from last week's trip..........................

East/North Hokkaido Summer 2016 #8

There are 3 locustella warblers breeding in Hokkaido.............

East/North Hokkaido Summer 2016 #7

The breeding season was in full swing in the grasslands of North Hokkaido................

East/North Hokkaido Summer 2016 #6

We camped for 3 nights on the Ohotsk coast. It was our 3rd consecutive time at this campsite, I chose it because it has Siberian Rubythroats singing in front of the tent..........

East/North Hokkaido Summer 2016 #5

Some birds from the grasslands of the Ohotsk coast of North Hokkaido..................

East/North Hokkaido Summer 2016 #4

2 roadside raptors from last week................

East/North Hokkaido Summer 2016 #3

A Middendorffs Warbler at Kiritappu last week......................