30th September 2009 Hegura-jima

30/9/09 Out at 5.30am to overcast conditions and NE1 that persisted all day. Quiet for birds although the Wheatear and Whinchat remained, Mandarin numbers increased and a single Yellow Wagtail that flew north was our first of the trip.

Juvenile Oriental Honey Buzzard being mobbed by a Large-billed Crow over Hegura-jima just after dawn

Female Wigeon on the Dragon's Pool.

Yellow-browed Warbler along the Southern Central Track

Arctic Warbler along the Southern Central Track

Olive-backed Pipit near the Northern Shrine

Inscribed Rock near the Northern Shrine

Northern Wheatear on the south western beach

Looking south from Hegura-jima to the Honshu coast in the distance

First-winter personata Black-faced Bunting along the Southern Central Track

Black-backed Wagtail along the west coast

West coast of Hegura-jima

Female Whinchat remaining at the south west of Hegura-jima to the delight of the first twitchers

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 10

Japanese Cormorant 1

Grey Heron 4

Mandarin Duck 22

Wigeon 1

Teal 11

Mallard 3

Spotbill Duck 2

Crested Honey Buzzard 1

Black-eared Kite 5

Peregrine 1

Pacific Golden Plover 3

Swinhoe's Snipe 1

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Common Sandpiper 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Rufous Turtle Dove 4

Common Cuckoo 1

Pacific Swift 1

Common Kingfisher 2

Richard's Pipit 1

Olive-backed Pipit 2

Yellow Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 20

Brown-eared Bulbul 1

Siberian Stonechat 3

Northern Wheatear 1

Whinchat 1

Blue Rock Thrush 15

Pale Thrush 1

Eye-browed Thrush 17

Dusky Thrush 2

Japanses Bush Warbler 10

Middendorff's Warbler 4

Oriental Great Reed Warbler 1

Arctic Warbler 9

Yellow-browed Warbler 1

Grey-streaked Flycatcher 3

Brown Flycather 1

Mugimaki Flycatcher 1

Bull-headed Shrike 2

Large-billed Crow 4

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 13

Oriental Greenfinch 50

Common Rosefinch 1

Chinese Grosbeak 1

Black-faced Bunting 15

Little Bunting 2

29th September 2009 Hegura-jima

29/9/09 Out at 5.15am to heavy low cloud and a NE3 wind being far better than the wet and windy forecast. It remained dry all day with the wind moderating to calm by dusk but still overcast. Highlights included our only Greenshank, our only 3 Brown Thrushes and finding a Whinchat being only the second record for Japan and East Asia. At times the Whinchat was within a few meters of the remaining Northern Wheatear. The Whinchat survived being forced down into the sea by a Black-backed Wagtail!

Divers off Hegura-jima

Our host out fishing for our supper!

Eclipse drake Mallard on the Dragon's Pool

Common Kingfisher along the western shore

Female Bramblings along the Southern Central Track

Juvenile Mandarin Ducks along the Southern Central Track

Female or first-winter Bull-headed Shrike at the School field

Grey Herons over Hegura-jima

Northern Wheatear at the south western beach

Juvenile Far Eastern Curlew at the south western beach

Adult dark morph Eastern Reef Egret along the western shore

Female Whinchat at the southern end of the Central Track - the second record for Japan and East Asia

Drake Mandarin at the Dragon's Pool

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 10

Japanese Cormorant 1

Eastern Reef Egret 1

Grey Heron 10

Mandarin Duck 3

Wigeon 1

Teal 13

Mallard 2

Pintail 6

Black-eared Kite 5

Peregrine 1

Pacific Golden Plover 1

Common Snipe 2

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Greenshank 1

Common Sandpiper 2

Grey-tailed Tattler 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Japanese Woodpigeon 1

Rufous Turtle Dove 1

Common Cuckoo 1

Common Kingfisher 1

Richard's Pipit 1

Olive-backed Pipit 1

Grey Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 40

Brown-eared Bulbul 1

Siberian Stonechat 1

Northern Wheatear 1

Whinchat 1

Blue Rock Thrush 15

Brown Thrush 3

Pale Thrush 3

Eye-browed Thrush 28

Dusky Thrush 2

Japanese Bush Warbler 15

Middendorff's Warbler 3

Black-browed Reed Warbler 2

Arctic Warbler 8

xanthrodryas Arctic Warbler 1

Dusky Warbler 1

Grey-streaked Flycatcher 2

Brown Flycather 3

Narcissus Flycatcher 1

Bull-headed Shrike 4

Large-billed Crow 4

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 8

Oriental Greenfinch 50

Black-faced Bunting 15

Little Bunting 8

28th September 2009 Hegura-jima

28/9/09 Some light rain overnight that persisted into early morning. Calm at dawn. Steady rain by 10am and heavy by 10.30. Then dry with a S2 wind by 2pm increasing S4-6 by 5pm. A flock of 22 Grey Herons were present on the island at dawn. A female Narcissus Flycatcher, a White-throated Needletail zooming back and forth over the island, a Skylark, a Pintail, a Lapland Bunting and an Olive-backed Pipit were new. Both rarities in the form of Lesser Whitethroat and Northern Wheatear remained.

Grey Herons over trees near the lighthouse on Hegura-jima

White-throated Needletail over Hegura-jima

First-winter Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler along the western perimeter track

Northern Wheatear on the south west beach


Adult female personata Black-faced Bunting near the Northern Shrine

Lesser Whitethroat near the Northern Shrine

Snails along the South Central Track

Shellfish harvest on Hegura-jima

The south west beach on Hegura-jima

Adult Richard's Pipit on the south west beach

Juvenile Far Eastern Curlew at the south west beach

First-winter male spodocephala Black-faced Bunting along the Southern Central Track

First-winter Black-browed Reed Warbler along the Southern Central Track

First-winter personata Black-faced Bunting along the Southern Central Track

Arctic Warbler along the Southern Central Track

Northern Wheatear at the south western beach

Juvenile Vega Gull off the south western beach

Adult White-cheeked Starling on the School field

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 20

Night Heron 1

Eastern Reef Egret 1

Grey Heron 23

Mandarin Duck 2

Wigeon 40

Teal 3

Pintail 1

Black-eared Kite 5

Hobby 1

Peregrine 1

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Common Sandpiper 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Vega Gull 2

Slaty-backed Gull 1

Rufous Turtle Dove 1

Common Cuckoo 1

White-throated Needletail 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Skylark 1

Richard's Pipit 1

Olive-backed Pipit 1

Grey Wagtail 12

Black-backed Wagtail 20

Siberian Stonechat 1

Northern Wheatear 1

Blue Rock Thrush 10

Pale Thrush 1

Eye-browed Thrush 13

Dusky Thrush 3

Japanese Bush Warbler 10

Middendorff's Warbler 2

Black-browed Reed Warbler 2

Arctic Warbler 23

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Brown Flycatcher 3

Narcissus Flycatcher 1

Bull-headed Shrike 4

Large-billed Crow 4

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 8

Oriental Greenfinch 30

Common Rosefinch 1

Lapland Bunting 1

Black-faced Bunting 12

Little Bunting 5