Wildfowl – Hakodate Birding

Snow Geese

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Onuma, Wildfowl

Not good photos but there has been a small flock of about 20 Snow Geese near Onuma the last week or so. I got to see them this morning.

Dodgy light and I only had a short window of time but I managed to find them and fire off a few record shots in the gloomy early morning conditions.

This is a species that occurs on passage further north and east in Hokkaido but is pretty rare down here. It was a welcome addition to my Japanese list although I had seen one before in the UK: in Pilling about 32 years ago………..

A sunny day in the port

November 10, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Wildfowl, Yakumo

There were a group of Great Scaup in the harbour at Yakumo diving and coming up with what looked like bits of Salmon. I guess some Salmon aiming for the river got lost and ended up perishing in the port………….

The Scaup were joined by a lone Pochard who got in on the act too.

Another winter bird

October 20, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Wildfowl

The Harlequin Ducks have been back for a couple of weeks now………….

There was a group of them east of town sunning themselves on the rocks.

Not much else around in the fine autumn weather: a Mountain Hawk Eagle was the most interesting…………

Golden Week 2019 begins

April 30, 2019April 30, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Gulls, Hokuto, Kikonai, Raptors, Wildfowl

An Osprey at Kikonai yesterday. Not much around: Pacific Swift, Common Sandpiper, Black-throated Diver and Great Egret being the most interesting. Inland the first Eastern-crowned Warbler of the year and a few common species were present but that’s all.

Nearer Hakodate there were a few ducks still around including Pintail, Shoveler, Scaup and Wigeon as well as Great-crested Grebe offshore. 5 species of gull included summer plumaged Black-headed………..

There were also 11 Brent Geese………….

Beautiful spring weather as you can see but when the weather is so clear migrants just pass straight through.

In Yakumo/Oshamanbe yesterday there were 40 or so White-fronted Geese, Great and Little Egret, a dozen or so species of duck including at least 8 Garganey, Eastern Marsh Harrier, osprey, Buff-bellied Pipit, Little-ringed Plover, a lone Whimbrel, and 7 species of gull.

DIFs

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Wildfowl, Yakumo

There were lots of duck species around at Yakumo today. The avove Falcated Duck and a male Garganey were the most interesting and there were also Gadwall, Shoveler and another dozen or so species as well as Mandarin Duck and Smew at Onuma.

All flight shots today.

Spring Geese

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Wildfowl, Yakumo

White-fronted Geese pass through south Hokkaido all the way through spring. Today there was a flock of 40 or so of them at Yakumo…………….

Another old haunt

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in England, Wildfowl

I managed to revisit another old haunt when I was back in the Uk: Saeforth Dock Pools in Liverpool.

You need a permit to get in these days and the reserve has seen better days and is just about clinging on. It is surrounded by new buildings and a lot of the birds seem to have gone. It used to be famous for Little Gulls but apparently they no longer visit.

There were a few common ducks around like the above Gadwall and lots of Shelduck (I’ve only ever seen one in Japan).

There were also a few common waders around: Dunlin, Red Knot, Eurasian Curlew etc.

A rainy Monday

March 25, 2019March 25, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Esan, Wildfowl

A lousy wet windy Monday, at least there were some Harlequin Ducks around east of town. Not much else: my first Skylarks of the year, the usual gulls and ducks and a lone White-tailed Eagle.

Quiet up north

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019 by Stuart Price, posted in Gulls, Oshamanbe, Wildfowl

Oshamanbe is the most northern location we regularly visist. It is particularly good at this time of year but on Sunday we had to endure sleet, hail, snow and rain. Not ideal for photography.

Birds around included Dunlin, Black and Stenjeger’s Scoters, White-tailed Eagle (only 1), Great Egret, Red-necked Grebe, lots of ducks including big flocks of Pintail (above), Whooper and Bewick’s Swans and White-fronted Geese,

The Glaucous and Glaucous-winged Gulls are coming into summer plumage now. Here’s one of the latter.