Some swans from Onuma the other day………….
Take-off
Tag: Bewick’s Swan
A foggy morning in Onuma
On Monday morning we went back to Onuma to check the huge geese/swan flocks.
But it was foggy……………
Some of them were resting on the lake.
Also around were lots of ducks including large numbers of Pintail, 2 Steller’s Sea Eagle, 1 White-tailed Eagle, several Great Egret and a pair of Japanese Wagtail.
The American
Whilst it didn’t turn out to be the very rare Trumpeter Swan, the American race of Tundra Swan was pretty interesting to see.
Bewick’s
There were huge numbers of Bewick’s Swans near Onuma, in addition to the huger numbers of White-fronted Geese.
This is only a passage visitor to Hokkaido. Whooper Swans are common here in winter (and there were plenty of those around too ) but Bewick7s are always worth a second look in Hokkaido.
Whistling Swan
Some more pics of the North American race of Tundra Swan from the other day at Onuma.
An ID Error
Oops. I thought I’d found a real rarity today at Onuma. This black-billed Swan was one of many Swans at Onuma today. I thought, wow……………….it’s a Trumpeter Swan. I even told some people there about it. And then I came home and double-checked the ID.
Oh no. It’s the North American race of Bewick’s Swan, sometimes called Whistling Swan. Cygnus columbianus columbianus. In my defence, I have no experience of this subspecies.
So if you are one of those Japanese birders I talked to today about the ナキハクチョウ all I can say is sorry I made a mistake. It is a アメリカコハクチョウ. Still interesting but not as interesting as I’d thought.
Oh the shame.
ナキハクチョウ じゃないです!!!
アメリカコハクチョウです
Swans
There were lots of Swans at Onuma this last couple of days. Mainly Whoopers but also quite a few Bewick’s too…………
Both species are passing through now although Whoopers are also common winter visitors to Hokkaido.