Onuma early morning

Long-tailed Tit

We spent a couple of early mornings in Onuma this last week. Lots of birds around: the 9 Snow Geese and single White-fronted remained, 5 species of woodpecker, Great Egret, Whooper Swan, Great Crested and Little Grebes, White-tailed Eagle, the usual tits and nuthatches, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Hawfinch, Bullfinch, Rustic Bunting, Japanese Wagtail, Great Egret, Dusky Thrush and Common Crossbill.

Long-tailed Tit

June begins

Red Foxes

The Fox cubs were still around and still cute but it’s gotten pretty warm the last couple of days and there were lots of mosquitoes around (you can see one on the nose of one of the cubs above): I think that may be the last time in Onuma for me for a while.

Red Fox
Red Fox

A couple of lake birds

Little Grebe

A couple of typical summer birds in Onuma………….

Mandarin Ducks are very wary at Onuma and difficult to approach.

Mandarin Duck

Other stuff at Onuma the last few days included Latham’s Snipe, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Siberian Blue Robin, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eastern Crowned and Sakhalin Grasshopper Warblers, Japanese and Brown-headed Thrushes, Great Crested Grebe and Narcissus Flycatcher.

Green in the grey

Japanese Green Pigeon

A dark grey rainy day in Onuma a couple of days ago but there was a bit of colour in the treetops……….

Japanese Green Pigeons are summer visitors to Hokkaido and their weird calls are a common sound in the forests.

Japanese Green Pigeon

I usually don’t see these in the trees much as they hide in the foliage. They are easiier to see when they come down to the sea to drink the saltwater.

Not particularly good photos but as I say i don’t often see them like this.

Japanese Green Pigeon