Another week of snow.................
18 February 2018
16 February 2018
A lull
A really really slow week. Still snowing and the snow lies deep everywhere. There was a flock of Crossbills in one of the local parks but they were a bit flighty and anyway it was impossible to get close due to the knee/thigh/waist deep snow......................
I hoped they would come close enough for a shot but they didn't. The only other birds in the park were a few Coal and Great Tits and they didn't come close either. The Tree Sparrows (one above) did.
12 February 2018
A Freezing Monday
Wow, today was cold. In Hakodate it's been snowing heavily all day and there has been a bitterly cold wind blowing in from Siberia.
The roads and weather were too nasty to head up to Onuma so we went east again where the weather always seem to be better. And indeed it was (although it was even colder there on the coast). Even blue skies sometimes.
The local Stellers Sea Eagle flew around a bit and there were a couple of White-tailed Eagles, a Common Buzzard, 2 Peregrine and the usual common ducks and gulls.
Did I say it was cold?
11 February 2018
On this day (February 11th).....................
February 11th 2014.
A male Pine Bunting at Sawara 4 years ago today. This species is a scarce winter visitor, generally occurring the coast and very mobile as they move from one snowy windswept beach to another so perhaps a but overlooked.
This was part of a small flock and proved a nice sideshow to that winter's Gyrfalcon on the same location.
10 February 2018
On this day (February 10th).....................
February 10th 2014.
A male Crossbill in town 4 years ago today. This was the start of a huge invasion that year.............
8 February 2018
In the bleak midwinter..............
I can't believe how much snow has fallen this winter..............
On this day (February 8th)..........................
February 8th 2015.
A female Peregrine at Sawara 3 years ago today. It was surprisingly tame and I could get very close as it devoured whatever species of bloody duck is in its talons.
6 February 2018
Some grey visitors
Onuma was pretty quiet yesterday but the Whooper Swans briefly had some company...............
5 February 2018
Another Monday in the ports.........
We visited several ports to the east of Onuma this afternoon.................
Some February Kittiwakes
The ports to the east of town still held quite a few Black-legged Kittiwakes on Sunday.................
4 February 2018
3 February 2018
The last stragglers
The last group of Waxwings I saw in town were a few days ago...............and now they appear to have all left.
On this day (February 3rd)........................
February 3rd 2012.
An immature Rough-legged Buzzard just outside Hakodate 6 years ago today.
There was a big invasion of this species into southern Hokkaido 6 years ago. I saw them in 3 or 4 places that year but hadn't seen any before and haven't seen any since....................
2 February 2018
1 February 2018
Some backstreet Waxwings...........
Yesterday I found a small flock of Waxwings on a quiet backstreet.....................
31 January 2018
More downtown Waxwings
The Waxwings are still putting on a show in the middle of Hakodate...............
30 January 2018
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