![](http://www.hakodatebirding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/MG_4575.jpg)
A typical early spring local arrival…
And in some years some of these. As you probably noticed.
![](http://www.hakodatebirding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/MG_4551-Enhanced-NR.jpg)
![](http://www.hakodatebirding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/MG_4513-Enhanced-NR.jpg)
A typical early spring local arrival…
And in some years some of these. As you probably noticed.
We were in the Mukawa area checking for geese. There were a few White-fronts around but too far off to photograph. A bit quiet birdwise to be honest. This Bull-headed Shrike is a typical sighting in this part of the world.
And the Tomakomai area is the only place in northern Japan to see Magpies.
Yesterday was a grey misty Sunday. The spring migration season has just about fizzled out: a bit of a quiet one this year.
Some muted birds on a somewhat muted day.
Other stuff around included Cattle Egret, Green Sandpiper, lots of Grey-tailed Tattlers, a small flock of Falcated Duck, Eastern Marsh Harrier and newly arrived Black-browed Reed Warblers.
Another very common roadside bird of summer is Bull-headed Shrike.
The one above is a male.
The only other 2 Shrike species likely to be seen in Hokkaido are the rare Brown Shrike (which I’ve only ever seen twice, another summer visitor) and Great Grey Shrike, a rare winter visitor. I haven’t seen the latter although many years ago I did see a Shrike swoop in front of the car one January. Bull-headed Shrikes are almost absent in winter. Wish we’d stopped the car and checked that individual……..