Whilst I was waiting for the Brown Shrike to appear in nice light there were several other common species more obliging…
Midsummer Road Trip 2023 #3
Tag: Black-browed Reed Warbler
Midsummer Road Trip 2023 #1
We took a short 4-day trip around the Sapporo area earlier this week…
I got a half-lifer on the way up as we drove north at night. A Siberian Thrush singing. Unfortunately it was still pitch black so I couldn’t find it…so that will have to wait to make it onto my J-list.
We arrived in the Mukawa area in the early morning and the usual species were present.
Most interesting birds were a pair of Japanese Crane (presumably with chick) but they were impossible to photograph well due to them being in the long grass as well as the harsh summer light.
A failed Spoonbill chase
2 Eurasian Spoonbills were seen at Yakumo so we went for a look. I saw one standing in the middle of the river, went back to the car to get my camera (with 2X T/C attached) but the bird flew off. I snapped the above warbler and then got the portable 600 f/11 and walked around trying to relocate the spoonbill but no joy.
Quite a lot of birds around though…
A lens I struggle with for BIFs.
Other stuff around included Pacific Swift, Mandarin Duck, Garganey, White-fronted Goose, lots of singing Sakhalin Leaf Warblers, Common Cuckoo etc…
But no spoonbill pics.
More car park birds
In addition to the Rubythroats there were many birds……………..
Middendorf’s, Lanceolated and Sakhalin Grasshopper Warblers, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Northern Hobby, White-tailed Eagle, Sand Martin, Northern Hobby, Latham’s Snipe, Wryneck, Long-tailed Rosefinch…………………and these 2 common species.
Summer is here
Summer is here. Not much chance of finding rare birds around but lots of summer stuff in full song everywhere at least, like the above Black-browed Reed Warbler.
Other stuff around included Eastern Marsh Harrier, White-tailed Eagle and all the common summer grassland birds in Oshamanbe and Yakumo.
North Hokkaido 2019 #11
These are 2 common species which were both present on the Ohotsku grasslands although in slightly smaller numbers than down near Hakodate.
Black-browed Reed Warblers
Another very common summer visitor to the grasslands is Black-browed Reed Warbler. There are lots of them singing at Yakumo and other places this year………..
