First quarter gone...........

Not a great picture but some kind of Marten we saw today........................

A couple of days away..............

I just got back from a short break................

The late March lull

Some years the end of March can be a very exciting time with lots of Crossbills and Waxwings in the parks. geese in the ricefields or grebes and other aquatic birds in the harbours.................

But not this year, today we drove out west to Esaahi where the above Black Tailed Gull was one of the few birds to pose for the camera. the first Ospreys of the year were around at various places, there was a big flock of Rook on the west coast and we saw a couple of Asian Rosy Finch at Esashi too.

Hakodate was very very quiet last week, just a few Hawfinches and Dusky Thrush. Roll on spring................

On this day (March 23rd)....................

March 23rd 2014.

A Eurasian Curlew at Esashi 2 years ago today. I grew up seeing plenty of these in the UK but in south Hokkaido they are surprisingly rare and this is the only one I've ever seen in Japan (the similar Eastern Curlew is a common passage visitor).

Its upper mandible was half missing and it was around very early for a passage wader, I hope it survived its visit to my little corner of the world...............

Still there

The Ural Owl was back in its hole in Omuma and the Pacific Diver was still in its port east of Hakodate..................

Some March BIFs

Nice light meant some BIF photo opps yesterday...............

Spring 2016 begins

A Dunlin near Oshamanbe this afternoon..................

Pacific Diver

I had an unexpected free morning and we headed out east of town where I found a Pacific Diver.................

On this day (March 15th).....................

March 15th 2009.

Some Common Crossbills in Hakodate 7 years ago today.......................

Late winter continues........

Some Smew at Onuma this afternoon..................

Black and White Sunday

Sometimes it really is a case of black or white.............

A quiet week in mid March..............

An out of foocus immature Goshawk on the edge of town today................

It's been a quiet few days.

First signs of spring

2 Glaucous Winged Gulls near Oshamanbe yesterday. In summer plumage too................

Lapwing

Not a bird to get the pulse racing, at least to someone born and raised in NW England. A (Northern) Lapwing, a bit of a scarce bird in Hokkaido. I see about one a year and this individual seems to be the one from 2016.

We just got back from a night at Lake Toya, this was one the way home. It was being harried by crows, not sure why they'd do that but anyway they wouldn't leave it alone and I hurriedly took a burst of BIF shots as it flew by before it disppaered into the snowy fields. About a 50% crop, this rather poor effort is pretty much the only time I've ever photographed a Lapwing.

I can remember them vividly from my youth as they displayed in the fields near where we lived, of course they are much rarer now but I did see a few when I visited the UK last spring. Indeed they were the first real lifer I remember, ID'ed from the 'Observer Book of Birds' on a family holiday to the Lake District circa 1977...............

Black Woodpecker

A male Black Woodpecker to the east of Onuma this afternoon.

It was right next to the road but difficult to photograph as it was in the shade and/or behind twigs. The female was also nearby. They were househunting...............it must be spring.

The coast was pretty birdless except for a few common species in the harbours. At Onuma there were White Tailed Eagle and Smew but both too far off for any pictures.

Winter fizzling out.............

We took a drive out west today, a pretty quiet late winter Sunday................

There were quite a few White Tailed Eagles around, the one above was very close but as is often the case my settings remained the same as the last time I had used the camera and weren't appropriate for today's weather and light. Lightroom rescued them a little but they aren't sharp at all......................

Also around were 3 Pacific or Black Throated Diver (too far off to ID), Bullfinch, Brent Goose, Black Necked Grebe, Great Egret, Whooper Swan as well as the usual common winter ducks and gulls..............

A Monday in a harbour #2

Some more photos from Monday afternoon...............

The stragglers............

Most of the eagles seem to  have left Yakumo..................and only a few stragglers remain.

A Monday in a harbour #1

Most of Monday was spent in a couple of ports north of Yakumo..............

Out east

Sunday afternoon, we ended up in a small port on the southeastern point of the peninsula where we live................