A common sight at this time of year is Great Egrets snaffling tiny fish in the local park…
Very springlike mild weather. Oriental Greenfinch and Eastern Great Tit singing everywhere, lots of Dusky Thrush hopping around. In Kamiiso a couple of days ago I had my first Osprey of the year as well 000’s of Common Gull, 3 species of grebe and various passage duck including Smew and Gadwall.
It was raining all the way home…we stopped at a few spots.
A Great Egret in town a couple of days ago. Several species of duck around including a pair of Common Goldeneye, my first Daurian Redstart of the season but not much else.
The first Steller’s Sea Eagle were at Yakumo last weekend but way too far off for a photo. Still very autumnal, wonder when winter will start?
Very autumnal in Hakodate. Some birds around too: 3 Great Egret on the river near my place as well as Brown Dipper, Grey Wagtail and Hawfinch. Lots of common ducks around as well.
And the winter gulls are here…
Some more low-key birding around town…
There were 7 species of duck including a small flock of Pintail and a couple of Shoveler…and the long-staying Whooper Swan too.
And 3 species of heron…
This Slaty-backed Gull had found a salmon-like fish to try and eat. I think its’ a salmon but not sure. I think there are 2 or 3 kinds in Hokkaido.
I just can’t escape geese: this lone straggling White-front was in parkland atop a cape!
The Ospreys have returned…not great pics it has to be said.
And near my apartment all the snow has gone…
Other birds around on Monday in the Esan area were Glaucous-winged Gull, Harlequin Duck, lots of Brent Goose and a lone White-tailed Eagle.
Very bright and sunny yesterday…not so good for white birds on ice/water then.
The light was too harsh for decent photos of this Great Egret in the local park.
It was catching tiddlers…
A very springlike day, I took a long walk down the river to the ocean. Still deathly quiet birdwise: a few Dusky Thrush, a surprise male Pheasant, an injured Whooper Swan, 5 species of duck including Goldeneye and Goosander.
And the male Daurian Redstart was in the same place as yesterday.
And the Great Egret was back on the river too.
Not many eagles at Yakumo now sadly…
And not much else around to be honest. Some interesting ducks on the sea were too far off for photos. I also missed a couple of great photo opps (a bathing Peregrine, a feeding roadside Steller’s). Just one of those days.
I took a walk down the river this morning. A very mild sunny autumnal day with a few birds around. 7 (!) Great Egret were the most interesting and there was also this lone injured Whooper Swan. It’s probably been there all summer: I saw it in the spring.
Other stuff around included 4 species of duck including Pintail, a few buntings in the bushes, a briefly glimpsed Pale Thrush.
Lots of common winter gulls and ducks around now as well as the first swans and geese.
A very quiet last 3 weeks for various reasons, these photos were all just outside town this afternoon.
A couple of winter staple species from the last week: the grebe was in Esan and the egret in Hakodate.
Most of the usual species were in Esan the other day but no good photos were to be had and in Kamiiso today there were lots of ducks in the port but it was snowing too heavily for any pics.