27th December 2009 Beachy Head Cold but sunny

Fulmar 1

Tawny Owl 1 grey phase

Stonechat 2

Song Thrush 4

My parents just east of Belle Tout Wood

12th December 2009 Castle Water, Cold with some rain

Wigeon 100
Teal 80
Pintail 3
Smew 1 drake
Marsh Harrier 2
Herring Gull 100

Drake Smew at Castle Water

31st October 2009 Church Cove, Lizard, Cornwall

Black Redstart 5
Greenish Warbler 1

Yellow-browed Warber 1
Chiffchaff 3
Pied Flycatcher 1
Siskin h
Brambling 3

25th October 2009 Beachy Head WSW5 Clear

Little Egret 1

Golden Plover 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker h

Swallow 5

Skylark 3

Stonechat 1

Whitethroat 1

Chiffchaff 4

Firecrest 2

Goldfinch 15

Redpoll 1

Siskin 3

A late Common Whitethroat in the Beachy Head Hotel Garden

Whilst we considered the above individual didn't look out of the ordinary for communis any late Autumn Common Whitethroats are worthy of scutiny:

Eastern races of Common Whitethroat are not on the British List. Both icterops and rubicola may be identifiable owing to their cold, grey plumage tones (with greatly reduced rufous tones on the wings), while biometrics and moult strategy may offer some support. However, it is unclear whether volgensis, which forms a clinal bridge between the familiar communis and eastern rubicola may resemble icterops and rubicola in certain key characters. Consequently a ringing recovery from breeding birds seems the only way to be certain of racial origin at present. (Racial identification and assessment in Britain: a report from the RIACT subcommittee BB 99 December 2006 619 -645).

Adult female Peregrine over the Beachy Head Hotel Garden

23rd October 2009 Trow Quarry, South Shields

Eastern Crowned Warbler - the first record for Britain

Snipe 2

Lapwing 3

Blackcap 2

Eastern Crowned Warbler 1 ex.

Yellow-browed Warbler 1

18th October 2009 Beachy Head NW1 Clear and cold

Little Egret 2
Dark-bellied Brent Goose 1 Top Fields
Merlin 1
Golden Plover h
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
House Martin 12
Swallow 9
Skylark 3
Grey Wagtail 1
Pied Wagtail 3
Black Redstart 1
Wheatear 1
Redwing 1
Ring Ouzel 1
Chiffchaff 7
Goldcrest 2
Long-tailed Tit 9
House Sparrow 2 Cow Gap
Brambling 2 + 3h
Goldfinch 42
Redpoll 2
Siskin h

Wheatear opposite Shooter's Bottom

Black Redstart in the Old Trapping Area

Ringed Long-tailed Tit along the Cliff Path

Dark-bellied Brent Goose in the top fields opposite Belle Tout Wood

17th October 2009 Beachy Head NW2 Clear and cold

Sparrowhawk 3

Golden Plover 2N

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Skylark 6W

Pied Wagtail 3W

Wheatear 1

Song Thrush 3

Redwing 10

Chiffchaff 5

Goldcrest 1

Firecrest 1

Chaffinch 12W

Brambling h

Greenfinch 35W

Goldfinch 42

Siskin 8

Reed Bunting 4W

Stanwell Moor, Surrey

Brown Shrike 1 juv. cristatus

Didcot tip, Oxfordshire

Gull showing characters of atlantis Azorean Yellow-legged Gull 1 adult

Fox on Crowlink

Clouded Yellow along the Cliff Path

10th October 2009 Wajima

10/10/09 Walked a circuitous route around the river valley to the east of Wajima before again looking along the main river. Took a shared taxi to Noto Airport where we departed at 16.05 arriving Haneda at 17.10. Took the limousine bus to Narita where we stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn before our following morning departure for London Heathrow.

Juvenile Black-eared Kite over the river valley east of Wajima

Adult Little Egret along the main river in Wajima

Temple in Wajima

River valley to the east of Wajima with Wajima Harbour in the background

Species noted:

Japanese Green Pheasant 1 male

Japanese Cormorant 12

Little Egret 1

Black-eared Kite 25

Black-tailed Gull 25

Grey Wagtail 1

Japanese Wagtail 4

Blue Rock Thrush 2

Bull-headed Shrike 2

Tree Sparrow 15

Meadow Bunting 5

9th October 2009 Wajima

9/10/09 Walked to the Lighthouse Point in Wajima for shortly after dawn but disappointingly there were no seabirds moving in the calm conditions. Walked the river valley to the east of Wajima into the forest before again trying the harbour and river area.

Adult Brown Dipper in the river valley to the east of Wajima

Adult Japanese Wagtail in the river valley to the east of Wajima

Species noted:

Japanese Cormorant 12

Little Egret 3

Great Egret 2

Mandarin Duck 40

Teal 1

Spot-billed Duck 4

Black-eared Kite 40

Black-headed Gull 1

Vega Gull 2

Common Kingfisher 1

Red-rumped Swallow 12

Grey Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 2

Japanese Wagtail 6

Brown-eared Bulbul 5

Brown Dipper 1

Blue Rock Thrush 2

Long-tailed Tit 25

Varied Tit 1

Bull-headed Shrike 1

Carrion Crow 2

Large-billed Crow 8

Tree Sparrow 15

Meadow Bunting 8

8th October 2009 Wajima

8/10/09 Typhoon No. 18 duly arrived with hurricane-force northeasterly winds and driving rain. Some spectacular waves were lashing the coast visible from our Hotel. We stayed indoors until the weather improved slightly late afternoon so we made the short walk to the main river in case any storm-blown birds might be sheltering there.

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 5
Japanese Cormorant 12
White-fronted Goose 4
Mandarin Duck 10
Wigeon 1
Teal 1
Mallard 20
Black-eared Kite 20
Black-headed Gull 40
Vega Gull 20
Blue Rock Thrush 1
Carrion Crow 2
Tree Sparrow 5

7th October 2009 Wajima

7/10/09 Walked to Wajima Park and into the river valley to the east in increasingly threatening weather conditions. Spent a while checking the Gulls in the Harbour area. Met Mari who advised us that her parents were closing Minshuku Hakuto-en due to the typhoon and that she would book us into a safe modern Hotel on the seafront.

Juvenile moulting into first-winter Black-headed Gull at Wajima. In first-winter plumage the larger and proportionately longer-winged form involved sibiricus generally has a paler and weaker carpal bar and a narrower and often less clear tail-bar than ridibundis (Olsen&Larsson).

First-winter (foreground and two in background) and second-winter (middle) Black-tailed Gulls at Wajima

First-winter Black-tailed Gull at Wajima

Second-winter Black-tailed Gulls at Wajima

Third-winter Black-tailed Gull at Wajima

Juvenile Slaty-backed Gull at Wajima

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 5

Japanese Cormorant 12

Black-eared Kite 50

Black-headed Gull 4

Slaty-backed Gull 1 juvenile

Rock Dove 10

Black-backed Wagtail 1

Japanese Wagtail 2

Brown-eared Bulbul 5

Blue Rock Thrush 2

Eastern Great Tit 4

Japanese White-eye 3

Bull-headed Shrike 1

Jay 2

Carrion Crow 20

Large-billed Crow 2

Tree Sparrow 20

Meadow Bunting 5

6th October 2009 Hegura-jima

6/10/09 Overcast with a N2 breeze at dawn. No sign of any new arrivals until mid-morning when suddenly there were seemingly migrants everywhere including our first Daurian Redstart and 4 Rustic Buntings of the trip. Unfortunately we had to leave Heagura-jima due to the imminent arrival of Typhoon No.18 fast approaching southern Japan. Booked into Minshuku Hakuto-en in Wajima.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher along the Central Track

personata Black-faced Bunting along the Central Track

Leaving our hosts at Minshuku Tsuki


Minshuku Tsuki boarded-up awaiting Typhoon No. 18


The fish factory closed for Typhoon No.18

Leaving Hegura-jima behind

Streaked Shearwater between Hegura-jima and Wajima

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 200

Japanese Cormorant 12 at Wajima

Great Egret 2

Grey Heron 4

Mandarin Duck 17

Wigeon 3

Teal 2

Mallard 6

Spot-billed Duck 3

Black-eared Kite 15

Sparrowhawk 1

Pacific Golden Plover 1

Snipe h

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Vega Gull 1

Slaty-backed Gull 2

Oriental Turtle Dove 3

Richard's Pipit 1

Olive-backed Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 2

Grey Wagtail 2

Black-backed Wagtail 20

Brown-eared Bulbul 1

Daurian Redstart 1 male

Siberian Stonechat 3

Blue Rock Thrush 10

Pale Thrush 15

Dusky Thrush 2

Japanese Bush Warbler 10

Arctic Warbler 12

Yellow-browed Warbler 2

Dusky Warbler 1

Grey-streaked Flycatcher 2

Brown Flycatcher 1

Chestnut-flanked White-eye 1

Bull-headed Shrike 1

Large-billed Crow 4

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 112

Oriental Greenfinch 20

Black-faced Bunting 15

Rustic Bunting 4

Little Bunting 5

Reed Bunting 1

5th October 2009 Hegura-jima

5/10/09 Calm and overcast at dawn but soon cleared to become sunny and hot. Early morning revealed the Red-headed Bunting and Whinchat were still present and 3 Lapwings arrived from the west. We found a Wryneck and a Radde's Warbler was calling and singing occasionally nearby. A new Richard's Pipit was present along the western shore and a Yellow-breasted Bunting was found nearby.

Lapwings arriving over the western shore

Juvenile Grey-tailed Tattler near the northern shrine

First-winter male stejnegeri Siberian Stonechat near the Dragon's Pool

Adult male eclipse Wigeon on the Dragon's Pool

Wryneck along the western perimeter track

Female Yellow-throated Bunting along the Southern Central Track

Black-backed Wagtail along the western shore

First-winter male Yellow-breasted Bunting on the south western beach

Juvenile Far Eastern Curlew on the south western beach

Seaweed drying near the southernmost point

Shrine near the Dragon's Pool

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit near the northern Shrine

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 1

Japanese Cormorant 1

Eastern Reef Egret 1

Grey Heron 6

Mandarin Duck 23

Wigeon 3

Teal 1

Mallard 2

Black-eared Kite 5

Peregrine 1

Lapwing 3

Snipe 2

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Grey-tailed Tattler 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Slaty-backed Gull 1

Japanese Woodpigeon 1

Rufous Turtle Dove 5

Little Cuckoo 1

Wryneck 1

Richard's Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 2

Grey Wagtail 2

Black-backed Wagtail 20

Siberian Stonechat 3

Whinchat 1

Blue Rock Thrush 10

Pale Thrush 5

Dusky Thrush 1

Japanese Bush Warbler 15

Middendorff's Warbler 1

Oriental Great Reed Warbler 2

Arctic Warbler 3

Yellow-browed Warbler 2

Radde's Warbler h singing!

Large-billed Crow 4

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 53

Oriental Greenfinch 20

Lapland Bunting 3

Black-faced Bunting 20

Yellow-throated Bunting 4

Little Bunting 5

Red-headed Bunting 1