Some other small birds

Rustic Bunting

In among the Crossbills (and Redpolls) were other winter passerines……….

Bullfinch

Also around were Hawfinch, Brambling as well as various tits and woodpeckers, Eurasian Jay and Dusky Thrush.

Dusky Thrush

Several White-tailed and at least 3 (!) Steller’s Sea Eagles were in the Esan area in addition to Eastern Buzzard, Peregrine and 2 Mountain Hawk-Eagles too.

Mountain Hawk-Eagle

A freezing start to 2021

Rustic Bunting

A very cold icy start to the year saw us heading east. A few small birds were around including Asian Rosy Finch and 3 Rustic Bunting.

Rustic Bunting

Usually in this area there are lots of Black-legged Kittiwakes at this time of year but not this winter. Gulls were surprisingly thin on the ground: a few Glaucous-winged and this lone Common Gull being the only vaguely interesting ones.

Common Gull

Other stuff around included Pelagic Cormorant, Brent Goose, Harlequin Duck, Peregrine, Red-breasted Merganser and Eastern Buzzard.

Rustic Bunting

Rustic Bunting

Lots of birds on the move today including loads of Dusky Thrush and Rustic Bunting. The latter were all looking great in summer plumage but very tricky to photograph. The only halfway decent shots were obscured by the above twig………..

The Spoonbill was still around and was joined by no less than 4 Black-winged Stilts. Other stuff today and yesterday included White-fronted Goose, Osprey, Eastern Crowned and Sakhalin Leaf Warblers, Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Japanese Robin, Wryneck, Wood and Common Sandpipers, Common Greenshank, Black-throated Diver, Shoveler, Great Egret and Grey Bunting.

My bird saw and photographed a Hazel Grouse but by the time I got there, it had gone. Luckily I finally got this bogey species last year. Or I would have been really narked.