31/10/10 Hegura-jima, Japan

31/10/10: An East 3 wind with rain at dawn and on several occasions throughout the day. Heavy cloud persisted all day although the wind dropped to calm by mid-afternoon. The early morning revealed a fall of migrants clearly of Japanese origin that was perhaps not too surprising give the easterly wind. 15 Grey Buntings and 50 Masked Buntings predominated but also 7 Reed Buntings, 4 Chestnut-eared Buntings and 8 Meadow Buntings all proved their daily peak numbers and single Short-eared Owl and Long-tailed Rosefinch were seen. An early afternoon visit to the Dragon’s Pool produced three new species for the trip in quick succession in the form of a Common Sandpiper, a Pacific Swift and an Asian Rosy Finch. A daily total of 3 Siberian Accentors were seen.

Hegura Snail - an endemic ssp. that grows anticlockwise rather than clockwise as with all other Snails!

Long-tailed Rosefinch near the Lighthouse

Juvenile Vega Gull at the Harbour

Slaty-backed Gull in the Harbour

Pallas's Rosefinch along the Central Track

Male Merlin along the Central Track

Japanese Grosbeak near the NTT Tower

Grey Bunting at the Harbour

Skylark at Tsukasa

Common Reed Bunting at Tsukasa

Based on the shadow of a dark bib this is a male and its smallish bill with convex culmen points towards a E.s. pyrrhulina of a south-eastern Siberian origin.

White-cheeked Starling at Tsukasa

Eastern Rook at Tsukasa

Meadow Buntings near the Northern Shrine

Chestnut-eared Bunting near the Dragon's Pool

Common Sandpiper near the Dragon's Pool

Blue Rock Thrush near the Dragon's Pool

Masked Bunting near the Dragon's Pool

Pacific Swift over the Dragon's Pool

Siberian Accentor near the Dragon's Pool

Korean Bullfinch at Tsukasa

Siberian Accentor near the Southern tip of the island

Eastern Great Tit at the Drinking Pool

Red-flanked Bluetail at the Drinking Pool

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 20

Cormorant 18
Eastern Reef Egret 2
Great Egret 3
Grey Heron 4
Mandarin Duck 1
Mallard 4
Pintail 1
Scaup 1
Black-eared Kite 1
Sparrowhawk 3
Merlin 1 male
Peregrine 1
Snipe 1
Common Sandpiper 1
Black-tailed Gull 50
Vega Gull 1
Slaty-backed Gull 3
Kittiwake 1
Feral Dove 1
Rufous Turtle Dove 5
Short-eared Owl 1
Pacific Swift 1
Skylark 15
Olive-backed Pipit 1
Red-throated Pipit 1
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 8
Grey Wagtail 1
Black-backed Wagtail 5
Brown-eared Bulbul 4
Waxwing 6
Siberian Accentor 3
Red-flanked Bluetail 2
Daurian Redstart 20
Blue Rock Thrush 3
Pale Thrush 3
Eye-browed Thrush 1
Dusky Thrush 70
Naumann's Thrush 1
Japanese Bush Warbler 8
Goldcrest 25
Wren 2
Red-breasted Flycatcher 1
Coal Tit 3
Eastern Great Tit 4
Japanese White-Eye 45
Eastern Rook 4
Large-billed Crow 4
White-cheeked Starling 2
Asian Rosy Finch 1
Brambling 75
Siskin 200
Mealy Redpoll 15
Pallas's Rosefinch 2
Long-tailed Rosefinch 2
Korean Bullfinch 2 males
Japanese Grosbeak 1
Hawfinch 155
Grey Bunting 15
Masked Bunting 50
Meadow Bunting 8
Chestnut-eared Bunting 4
Elegant Bunting 50
Rustic Bunting 25
Reed Bunting 7
Lapland Bunting 1