There was also a big flock of 60 or so Bohemian Waxwing (no photos)…as well as 6 species of duck, Whooper Swan, 7 Great Egret, a dozen or so Grey Heron, lots of tits and nuthatches…
Common Crossbill
But no White-wingeds in the flock again today (or at least I couldn’t find it).
The crossbills were too high up but there was also a flock of Hawfinch.
And lots of Nuthatch. These have been unusually common this autumn/early winter. Some are a bit more reddish below, perhaps another subspecies? Who knows…
Eurasian Nuthatch
And on a mild day the ice receded and this Great Egret was fishing for tiddlers.
The eagles are back at Yakumo. This one (I think it’s the same one) always occupies the same spot on the river and it’s difficult to get a clear shot of it as it’s usually obscured by twigs. Hence the nickname ‘Twiggy’.
There seemed to be about 20-30 eagles of both species but for the third winter running salmon numbers are very low. As this is their main food supply I don’t think they’ll stick around for long. This juvenile Steller’s was pitifully thin…
Steller’s Sea Eagle
Twiggy did take a dump though; this photo is post-dump pose. Twiggy has eaten something recently at least.
Steller’s Sea Eagle
Other interesting stuff around included Whooper Swan, Crested Kingfisher and Stejneger’s Scoter.