A Siberian Stonechat in Hakodate a couple of days ago. On the same patch of waster ground there were also Chestnut-eared and Common Reed Bunting as well as Rhinoceros Auklet offsore.
One closer to home
Category: Hakodate
Blue Rock Thrush
A male Blue Rock Thrush to the west of town yesterday. Summer is starting and just the breeders remain now. Other noteworthy species around included Kentish Plover and a few Rhinoceros Auklet close inshore chasing the sardines. Not quite close enough for any decent photos although one did pop very briefly nearby the port.
Otherwise just the regular summer stuff around: Reed and Chestnut-eared Buntings, Oriental Reed Warblers and lots of Siberian Stonechats.
Back to normal
A Great Spotted Woodpecker in the local park earlier this week.
Not much abut in town: Red-flanked Bluetail, a few Dusky Thrush, some Asian House Martin.
Well I say there’s not much about but some people saw 2 Oriental White Storks a few days ago somewhere in town. It was even in the local newspaper. I haven’t had the chance to look for them and no doubt they’ve gone now.
A lonely Egret
The lone Great Egret was on the river yesterday. No only was it the only Egret, there were hardly any other birds around as has been the case all year in town. Just a single Winter Wren and a couple of Dusky Thrush and the usual sparrows, crows, spotbills and bulbuls.
Rarities
Now is the time to start thinking about spring rarities. Like the above Hoopoe in front of my apartment several years ago. I’ve seen 3 in Hakodate over the years (and also 2 in Onuma). This is quite a common bird in mainland Asia but is a much sought after spring visitor here………..
Barren
A Great Egret on the river near my apartment this morning. Nothing else around, the theme of this winter.
Further downstream the river has been ‘improved’. This means removal of trees in Japan. Yes, Japanese civild servants think a barren concrete garbage strewn river is better than riparian woodland. The stretch they destroyed was where I have seen Night Herons over the last 12 or so years. I will never see them there again. No more singing Oriental Reed Warblers this summer, no more migrants sheltering there in spring and autumn. To add insult to injury the workers who chopped down the trees have left all the garbage that people routinely throw there. Tyres, futons, plastic bottles, beer cans, rice cookers, old TVs etc. Piles of it everywhere. Not their ‘responsibility’ I suppose. I did hear the trees were removed because of fears of flooding (ie the uprooted trees could block the river). I’m not sure about this: I suspect it is just civil servants spending money at the end of the tax year.
The stretch closest to my apartment still has a few trees. I’m sure a civil servant in some office has his inkan poised ready to stamp his approval to remove those. I plan to move next year anyway, I hope I’m not around to see the final trees removed.
Dusky Thrush
A Dusky Thrush near my apartment yesterday. Not many birds in town at all: Wren, Eastern Great Tit, Common Teal…………….only. In Kamiiso there were the usual common winter species with the addition of a couple of Smew. In the sky there were several groups of geese flying north. Bean Goose and White-fronted Goose, nothing rarer. At Onuma there were 3 White-tailed Eagles and a few Pintail in among the duck flock.
Rough-legged Buzzard
An immature Rough-legged Buzzard near Hakodate in 2012. That winter saw a big invasion of them into SW Hokkaido and I saw them in several locations. I haven’t seen a single one since though.
Not this year
A Bohemian Waxwing in town last year. There was a big influx of both species and they stuck around a while giving lots of photo opps, hundreds of them. But Winter 2018/2019 has not provided a single Waxwing amywhere near Hakodate. At all.
Bullfinches
Yet another bird we usually see in town this time of year but is absent so far this winter.
Bullfinches appear in early February most years to nibble on the cherry blossom buds in the trees near my apartment.
The main race is Japan is very different to that in the UK, as you can see from this picture below.
They breed in the high mountains in central Hokkaido and move to lower elevations in winter.
Birds with more red/pink on the breast are invaders from continental Asia and the 2 races form mixed flocks.
There is still time for them to appear in 2019.
These photos were taken 2 years ago.