More winter returnees

One of 6 Brent Goose over in the harbour near Hakodate Dock a couple of days ago. It's been a very low key last 10 days or so, mild grey wet weather has resulted in not many photos to upload. The Geese were definitely the highlight.







They're not exactly shy but can be a little wary. Unlike swans or most of the commoner ducks they don't respond to tidbits of food either, unless I had some fresh seaweed in my pockets.







Earlier in the week there were 6 species of Gull and 3 species of Heron on the river but I didn't get a single shot worth posting. A Kingfisher has appeared almost daily but is nowhere near as co-operative as this time last year.

Other stuff locally has included Long Tailed Rosefinch, Hawfinch and Brown Dipper. Stil waiting for the first lenghty cold snap which usually results in some new birds coming through. Here's an adult Glaucous Winged Gull I snapped whilst I waited in vain for some Harlequin Ducks to swim closer.



Business is bit down these days, the last couple of months have been very poor. It is inevitable I suppose (it always fluctuates). I ditched the chance of a successful well paid career in the summer of 1990. I was poised to go for an interview for one of the big accounting firms in London (can't remember which one. Peat Marwick something or other?). I'd just graduated with a pretty good grade and the day before the interview I called to cancel it. I'd seen acquaintances join these firms and they were mostly complete d**ks. Plus they had another 3 years of study and exams to look forward to. Nah, I thought. No f***ing way. Plus I didn't have a suit to wear to the interview.

Now it's 18 years down the line and those same d**ks are no doubt rich and financially secure and I'm scrabbling around just about earning enough to get by in a small town no-one has heard of outside Japan and with no savings to fall back on. Luckily I'm not a bitter person. Stupid perhaps.

A year with my lens

A Varied Tit at Onuma last Sunday.

Well it's been a year since I got my 100-400 lens. And if you hark back to this same date last year you'd see I'm taking pretty much identical pictures, the same birds in the same trees even.

There was some nice light at Onuma for an hour or so and the usual species were as tame and photogenic as ever.







The Varied Tits even stayed relatively still allowing me to snap a series of poses.











A Great Tit and a female Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker were also about.







Not much chance for any scenery pictures as the weather soon closed in.......



Pretty quiet around Hakodate, here's a Wigeon and a Hawfinch from the last few days............the Hawfinch flew off before I realised my camera settings were all wrong.





So November 25th was when Franck lent me the 100-400 lens (which I eventually bought the following spring). I've taken approx 20,000 shots in the last 12 months and I'd say 90% were with this lens. I'm now realising the limitations of my 400D but money being the way it is it'll do me another winter for sure.

What else has happened during the last 12 months? Pound sterling has dropped by about 30 or 40% against the ¥. I went back to England for a visit in spring before this happened of course. This time last year I was bemoaning England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, at least they seem to be sorting themselves out now. Liverpool? Still not the finished article and too many mediocre foreigners. But again better than this time last year. I got a new imac. We got a new fridge and my wife got a new camera. The car started making funny noises and the window on the passenger seat side doesn't open anymore.

My blurb book was too dark so I re-edited the pics and uploaded the revision. In the intervening 3 weeks (since I ordered the original) they changed the postal rates so now it costs $19 instead of $7 to mail it to Japan! I sent an angry e-mail and got the usual automated response which of course just made me angrier. 'It's beyond our control, thanks for your understanding, please contact me if you have any further questions' type crap. Still it's cheap if you live in Europe or North America.

The next 12 months? Why I'll get and rich and famous after I sell lots and lots of books. Perhaps we can actually get the car fixed. Hey you gotta dream.

Winter begins..................

Heavy snow and subzero temperatures hit Hakodate yesterday, a little earlier than normal.

Just before the snow hit I walked down to the area around Hakodate docks to check if the Brent Geese had arrived (they hadn't). Not much around in the harbour area except these Harlequin Ducks......





The day before I'd been in Goryokakau Park, the Coot was still there as well as several Long Tailed Rosefinch which all flew off every time I got near.





The temperature was a bit higher today so I went back to Goryokaku park. 3 Wigeon were poking around on the moat.



The rest of the time I was trudging through the slush and playing hide and seek with some Buntings. 2 species including this superb male Yellow Throated.





Keeping it company were 2 Rustic Buntings.





So my book arrived. The colours were OK (I calibrated my screen) and the pics are sharp enough but about 50% of the photos are too dark. I guess this means my screen is too bright. Luckily I'd saved all the edited photos so could easily brighten them slightly. Now I have to decide if any of my pics from the last 3 weeks (since I ordered my sample copy) are worth putting in the revised edition. Once I'm happy with the revised edition I'll put it on sale. I've sold 13 of my calendars so far, thanks if you've bought one. The website is only in English I'm afraid, I guess that means no-one in Japan will buy it then.

Looking forward to the finale of the Shield next week. Can't wait in fact. I hardly ever watch TV shows these days but this one has had me hooked these last few years.