Some one turned the tap off; no more crossbills or other interesting birds near my flat anymore…
The last 2 days saw beautiful weather with a few birds around west of town. I was waiting for a Red-necked Grebe in summer plumage to come close. It didn’t but some of its common relatives did.
2 Eurasian Spoonbills were seen at Yakumo so we went for a look. I saw one standing in the middle of the river, went back to the car to get my camera (with 2X T/C attached) but the bird flew off. I snapped the above warbler and then got the portable 600 f/11 and walked around trying to relocate the spoonbill but no joy.
Quite a lot of birds around though…
A lens I struggle with for BIFs.
Other stuff around included Pacific Swift, Mandarin Duck, Garganey, White-fronted Goose, lots of singing Sakhalin Leaf Warblers, Common Cuckoo etc…
We had a fruitless couple of days on the west coast. Nothing rare around: the only passage migrants were lots of Dusky Thrush, a few Rustic Bunting and Japanese White-eye and a lone Olive-backed Pipit. There were some summer plumage Black-throated Divers offshore and a load of commoner birds around including Chestnut-eared Bunting, Pacific Swift and Peregrine.
Ospreys everywhere too. The well-known nest is already occupied and the female is sitting on eggs.