26/10/10 Hegura-jima, Japan

26/10/10: Much colder temperatures that brought 25cm of snow to Hokkaido combined with a strong N5 to 7 wind and high seas. It remained dry for the early morning walk that revealed a number of cold weather migrants such as several distant passing flocks of Wildfowl and also Lapwings and Rooks and our first Kamchatka Gull. It only remained dry for a short time after breakfast when 12 Great White Egrets, 10 Grey Herons, 20 Waxwings and flocks of Thrushes were all seen arriving on the island before the onset of rain until midday. Difficult birding conditions persisted throughout the afternoon although our persistence was rewarded with our only Grey-tailed Tattler and 2 Heuglin’s Gulls of the trip and a new Pallas’s Reed Bunting at Tsukasa where we also found a plain Phyllosc but which was only seen very poorly in the atrocious weather conditions and what was most-likely a new Daurian Jackdaw accompanying a newly-arrived flock of Rooks.

Great White Egrets over the Harbour

Heuglin's, Vega, Slaty-backed and Heuglin's Gull at the Harbour

Heuglin's and Vega Gull at the Harbour

Vega, Heuglin's, Slaty-backed & Heuglin's Gull at the Harbour

Heuglin's Gull and Black-tailed Gulls at the Harbour

Adult Heuglin's Gull at the Harbour

Grey-tailed Tattler at the Harbour

Black-headed Gull at the Harbour

Kamchatka Gull at the Harbour

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 500

Cormorant 5

Eastern Reef Egret 2

Great Egret 12

Grey Heron 10

Gadwall 4

Mandarin 2

Teal 2

Mallard 1

Black-eared Kite 3

Japanese Sparrowhawk 1

Sparrowhawk 4

Merlin 1

Peregrine 1

Lapwing 12

Grey-tailed Tattler 1

Black-headed Gull 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Kamchatka Gull 1

Vega Gull 10

Slaty-backed Gull 10

Heuglin's Gull 2 adults

Rufous Turtle Dove 5

Japanese Green Pigeon 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Skylark 15

Olive-backed Pipit 2

Red-throated Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 15

Grey Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 3

Brown-eared Bulbul 3

Waxwing 20

Red-flanked Bluetail 1

Daurian Redstart 20

Blue Rock Thrush 2

Pale Thrush 15

Dusky Thrush 80

Japanese Bush Warbler 2

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 1

Arctic Warbler 4

Yellow-browed Warbler 1

Goldcrest 25

Wren 2

Grey-streaked Flycatcher 1

Coal Tit 1

Japanese White-eye 25

Eastern Rook 30

Large-billed Crow 4

Daurian Jackdaw 1

Brambling 100

Oriental Greenfinch 2

Siskin 150

Mealy Redpoll 6

Bullfinch 1

Japanese Grosbeak 3

Hawfinch 15

Black-faced Bunting 1

Masked Bunting 2

Elegant Bunting 50

Rustic Bunting 30

Reed Bunting 2

Pallas's Reed Bunting 1