A spring Sunday in Hokkaido

A pair of Red Cheeked Starlings near Yakumo this afternoon, the background is a mishmash of old fishing nets and stinky port stuff.

We got up very early and took lots of pics of this species near my apartment in amongst the cherry blossoms, I'll post those pics tomorrow................

It was warm today and there was an odd mix of winter and summer birds.

These were part of a flock of a hundred or so White Fronted Geese that briefly landed in the soon to be flooded ricefields in Ono. When they flew off I turned the dial on my 7D to 'B' instead of 'C1' (my BIF setting). 'B' is for long exposures, I messed up there.

Cuckoo, Oriental and Black Browed Reed Warbler, Siberian Stonechat, Skylark and Chestnut Eared Bunting were in the same area.

At Yakumo there were still Scaup, Black Scoter and Red Breasted Merganser offshore and elsewhere today we also saw Pintail, Shoveler and Pochard. A few Glaucous Gull were at Yakumo but the most interesting bird of the day was this, an Eastern Marsh Harrier. Here's a record shot.

Not a vintage BIF day at all. Ospreys continue to resist all attempts to get a decent pic...........

At least Black Kites fly closer.

I was hoping for some waders at Yakumo but we only saw Little Ringed Plover, the first Lathams Snipe of the year and Grey Tailed Tattler. The Red Cheeked Starlings were common here too though........

We ended up at Onuma, lots of stuff in the forest as per usual but nothing posing for the camera.

Like Ospreys, Mandarin Ducks avoid my camera........

I'm knackered and am hitting the sack, I'll sort through my Starlings in the cherry blossom shots tomorrow........

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Early morning in Onuma

A male Narcissus Flycatcher at Onuma this morning, one of many in fact.

I got up at 4.45am (!) in order to catch the earliest local train to the east side of Onuma. The forest was once again full of birds but it was a little overcast and this together with the increasing leaf cover meant photography was a little tricky sometimes. May is definitely the best month for birding but not for bird photography.

This Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker was very photogenic though.

This was one of 4 Woodpecker species I saw today, the best was a briefly seen male Black Woodpecker. 

The Pygmy Woodpecker was very tame.

 

I took a couple of short videos of it. This one was with my compact camera.

And this was with the 7D and 100-400 lens, not ideal for a handheld video at all..........

Lots of summer visitors in the forest. Narcissus, Blue & White and Asian Brown Flycatchers, Japanese and Brown Thrushes, Short Tailed Bush, Japanese Bush, Eastern Crowned and Sakhalin Leaf Warblers,  Japanese Grosbeak, Russet Sparrow, Japanese White-eye, Oriental Cuckoo, Common Kingfisher, Grey Heron, Bullheaded Shrike, Oriental Turtle Dove, lots of Swallows and House Martins, Hawfinch, the usual resident Treecreepers, Tits, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers, Little Grebe, Coot, Red Cheeked Starling, Black Faced and Rustic Buntings.........

Here are some shots of male Russet Sparrows, not a bird I often get to photograph......

There were a lot of Marsh Tits too.

Treecreepers are a bird I struggle with, so fast and difficult to focus on.......

And here are a couple of record shots.

Blue and White Flycatchers are beautiful but I have yet to get a decent shot, only heavily cropped ones like this.

A male Rustic Bunting in summer plumage (not something we often get to see in south Hokkaido), shame it didn't come any close, this is another biggish crop.

Black Faced Buntings must be the commonest small bird in Onuma in the summer, here's a female.

The only waterbirds were Little Grebes and Coots...........

And here's a view of Mt Komagadake to finish with.........

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Guess I can start thinking about the World Cup now, only 4 weeks off. I'm old enough and wise enough not to expect much from England but that wisdom is always put to the test during the heat of a game and after a few beers....................

I may watch the FA Cup final this weekend and the 20-20 too (if it's on at a reasonable time). England might win a World Cup this summer after all................

*EDITED TO ADD*

I just approved some comments and they seem to have disappeared, apologies if you left a comment. They have gone somewhere in internetland, perhaps never to return..................

Red Cheeked Starlings in the rain

It's been a quiet week bird-wise. I was busy at first and then when I had some free time the rain came, it's been raining all day today. This wet looking male Red Cheeked Starling posed well for some photos though, with the poor light we can even see the plumage more clearly.........

Here are a couple of shots from earlier in the week when it wasn't raining.............

They are a common but very photogenic summer visitor, especially in early to mid June when the young leave the nest.

Other stuff this week has included Sakhalin Leaf Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher but like I say I haven't been out much.

The end of the Premier League was a bit of an anticlimax, I went to bed at half-time.

I'm enjoying the latest 'Ashes to ashes' series, just wish it wasn't so confusing.

On this day (May 11th)....................

May 11th 2007.

Wryneck at Yunokawa.

Not a great shot but the only quarter decent one I've ever managed of this species. This is a fairly common spring and autumn migrant, I usually see 2 or 3 a year.

This one was in the trees and bushes adjacent to the river in Yunokawa. Sadly a lot of them have been cut down as the city government 'improves' the river...............

Spring Migration hots up........

An Intermediate Egret near Onuma this afternoon. This is one of 3 egret species that regularly overshoot in spring and it is the first one I've managed to photograph.

It was a pretty productive day which started with some shorebirds at the beach in Kamiso. 2 Whimbrel and 4 or 5 Grey Tailed Tattler.

The Tattlers look much better in summer plumage. Unlike most wader species they are as common in spring as in autumn.

We then headed over to Onuma via Ono. The ricefields haven't been irrigated yet (so no chance of waders) and it is also too early for the Reed Warblers and Night Herons but the Siberian Stonechats were present and getting ready to raise this year's generation.

Lots of Skylarks and White Wagtails here too.......

The Intermediate Egret was feeding in a field just outside Onuma. These photos were all from the car window..........

It was eating worms and other slimy things. God knows what actually. Leeches? Newts?

The forest at Onuma was full of birds. This one is a male Narcissus Flycatcher, one of the commonest summer visitors and also one of the most beautiful.

And this is an Eye Browed Thrush, a fairly common spring/autumn migrant.

A bit of a heavy crop that one, as is this Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Other stuff included lots and lots of Eastern Crowned Warblers, Blue and White Flycatcher, Russet Sparrow and lots of the usual residents including this Eastern Great Tit.

I was hoping for a nice pic of a Mandarin Duck this spring but we couldn't find any. Here's a grainy shot of a Little Grebe instead......

I'll watch the end of the Premier League season, hope Wigan actually turn up and at least make it interesting (although I don't want Man U to be champions).

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So as Britain grapples with a hung Parliament, the Euro plunges in value and ash hangs in the sky over northern Europs I have nothing to worry about over here except deciding which of the 150 or so almost identical egret shots to keep or delete...................