A quiet Sunday out east today, but it’s difficult to get too tired of the common winter species here…
A quiet Sunday again
Tag: Harlequin Duck
Port Staples
The ports are very quiet this winter: not many ducks, grebes or even gulls.
But one port had some Harlequins.
Some Harlequins
I was trying to photograph some skittish Asian Rosy Finch with no luck.
Luckily there were some Harlequin Ducks in the area…
On the clifftop
One of the resident Peregrines out east today.
A quiet Monday: Eurasian Kestrel, Buff-bellied Pipit, Rustic Bunting were among the more interesting species but nothing especially noteworthy. No Waxwings or winter finches yet.
A few raptors were around.
I can’t get sharp BIFs pointing upwards at 700mm.
Several White-tailed Eagles were in the skies but I couldn’t find the local Steller’s anywhere.
Why do male Harlequins never come close like this female?
A grey Christmas Day
Wow it was cold today…
Although east of town doesn’t have much snow.
Back in town there were blizzards.
Another noisy Duck on a rainy day
Topaz Denoise doing its thing well here….
A noisy Duck on a rainy day
Very very dark yesterday afternoon but there were some tame Harlequin Ducks just outside the car window.
This is a female.
Some scruffy Ducks
A very quiet last couple of weeks but I did get out briefly yesterday. There were several duck species around: the resident Spotbills and Goosander of course but also a lone Scaup, several Red-breasted Mergansers and this pair of very scruffy Harlequin Ducks. Not a bird I often see in summer: the latter 3 duck species are presumably non-breeding lingerers.
2021 Late Winter Trip #8
It wasn’t only geese in Mukawa…………….
Japanese Cranes have recently appeared in the area too and have been breeding for a while.
Some cropped Harlequins
I was trying to get some Harlequin Duck BIF shots in one of the small ports. All heavy crops: they were a little shy.
Autumn sunshine
Beautiful clear autumn weather the last few days and a clear change in some of the bird species. Harlequin Duck and Glaucous-winged Gulls gave reappeared on the coasts.
A flock of Whooper Swan were flying south yesterday as were lots of Eurasian Jay. Lots of common ducks on the rivers and Great Egrets are becoming more numerous. Northern Goshawk and Daurian Redstart were other noteworthy species near Esan.
Hakodate is pretty quiet: a flock of Rustic Bunting were in one of the local parks today and There are still some Night Herons on the river.
And the Esan area always seems to have a Peregrine…………..
A break from Waxwings
I headed up to Yakumo yesterday and was amazed to find virtually no Eagles. Only about 6 or so, they’ve eaten all the Salmon they could find and have gone. I was very surprised: in the 19 or so winters I’ve been going up there, this is by far the earliest they’ve dispersed.
Not much else around there either. On the way back one of the ports at least had a few common birds like the above Harlequin and this Great Crested Grebe.
Today we went east of town to the Hawk-Eagle spot and there were 2 of them. This is an immature.
Other stuff around included White-tailed Eagle, Black-legged Kittiwake, Black-necked grebe and Peregrine.
The Waxwings were still in town this morning and I saw some in Yakumo and Esan this weekend too.