
Whilst chasing the geese around the fields we saw lots of Japanese Cranes.
The 500 f4 is not really a good choice for this species…………….

On our way back from east Hokkaido we went through Urahoro and turned off the main road onto a quiet road for a ‘short cut’…………….
We noticed some Japanese Cranes in a field so we stopped to take a look.
Then we noticed lots of geese at the back of the field with more arriving all the time. Just White-fronts and Beans I thought. But no…………………
Shiretoko was not very birdy this trip: we saw a few common species such as Brown Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Black and Grey-headed Woodpecker, Japanese Green Pigeon, Eurasian Jay, White-tailed Eagle and Long-tailed Rosefinch.
On the way east we passed numerous Japanese Cranes feeding in the farmland. Harsh light is never good for white birds and these were feeding on a huge pile of manure to boot.