18/10/10 Hegura-jima, Japan

18/10/10: Clear skies with a North 1 breeze at dawn slowly increasing to N3 by dusk. We witnessed a pre-dawn arrival of Thrushes (with a male Japanese Grey Thrush seen on a track near the toilets) and an early morning northbound movement of 800 Siskins. A Mealy Redpoll was present near the drinking pool though a male Red-flanked Bluetail proved the highlight on the walk back to breakfast. We then again tried unsuccessfully for the Booted Warbler although we saw a Black-browed Reed Warbler there and flushed a Short-eared Owl from the west coast marsh and found a first-winter Mugimaki Flycatcher near the lighthouse and 2 Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warblers at the Antenna Field. Then to Tsukasa Fields where we struck gold finding 2 Pallas’s Reed Buntings and also saw our only Russet Sparrow of the trip as well as a vocal Eastern Yellow Wagtail and 20 Siberian Buff-bellied Pipits that proved our maximum count of the species. On a check of the south a Waxwing trilled from atop one of the piles of rocks and a Kittiwake appeared offshore. Daurian Redstarts proved at their peak with 75 present on the island. We again tried the Observation Platform at dusk where a male Japanese Robin appeared in the drinking pool at 4.55pm – a brilliant end to the day that had delivered two new species for us.

Arctic Warbler

Siberian Stonechat in the South west enclosures

Male Siskin along the Western track

First-winter Amur (White-faced) Wagtail M.a. leucopsis at the Lighthouse

Of the forms of White Wagtail occurring in Japan the pale sides to the head and neck and the absence of a blackish eye-stripe eliminate the possibility of this individual being a first-winter ocularis or lugens. Both first-winter leucopsis and baicalensis are very similar but pointers to this individual to being leucopsis are the small blackish spots on the lesser coverts (and the hint of such on the mantle) and its virtually unmarked malar patches (generally prominent blackish in baicalensis). Alstrom & Mild 2003.

Grey Wagtail at Tsukasa Fields

Chestnut-eared Bunting at Tsukasa Fields

Pallas's Reed Buntings at Tsukasa Fields

Partially leucistic Brambling along the South east shore

Male Japanese Robin at the Drinking Pool

 

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 500

Eastern Reef Egret 2
Grey Heron 6
Mandarin Duck 12
Mallard 10
Spot-billed Duck 1
Black-eared Kite 2
Japanese Sparrowhawk 1
Sparrowhawk 6
Peregrine 1
Black-tailed Gull 100
Slaty-backed Gull 1
Kittiwake 1
Japanese Woodpigeon 1
Rufous Turtle Dove 11
Short-eared Owl 1
Skylark 5
Olive-backed Pipit 1
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 20
Eastern Yellow Wagtail 1
Grey Wagtail 2
Amur Wagtail 1
Black-backed Wagtail 2
Brown-eared Bulbul 3
Waxwing 1
Japanese Robin 1 male ex.
Red-flanked Bluetail 1 male
Daurian Redstart 75
Siberian Stonechat 3
Blue Rock Thrush 3
Japanese Grey Thrush 1 male
Pale Thrush 12
Dusky Thrush 65
Japanese Bush Warbler 6
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 2
Black-browed Reed Warbler 1
Pacific (Arctic) Warbler 7
Goldcrest 10
Mugimaki Flycatcher 1 first-winter
Japanese White-eye 4
Eastern Rook 6
Large-billed Crow 4
White-cheeked Starling 2
Russet Sparrow 1 male
Brambling 100
Oriental Greenfinch 20
Siskin 800
Mealy Redpoll 1
Hawfinch 10
Black-faced Bunting spodocephala 1
Masked Bunting 1
Chestnut-eared Bunting 1
Elegant Bunting 30
Rustic Bunting 8
Little Bunting 2
Reed Bunting 2
Pallas's Reed Bunting 2 ex.

17/10/10 Hegura-jima, Japan

17/10/10: The wind had switched to an easterly direction overnight and the sea had calmed. Thankfully the ferry was running and the 90 minute trip was enlivened by the Streaked Shearwaters. We were met at the quay on Hegura-jima by Chris Cook who kindly brought us up-to-date with the island’ bird news and where we immediately saw a European Starling at the park that was proving popular with our Japanese counterparts. Good numbers of Daurian Redstarts, Dusky Thrushes and Siskins were immediately apparent on the isle. We dropped our bags at Minshuku Tsuki and soon made our way to the southwestern enclosures but failed to find Japan’s third Booted Warbler that had been present there for several weeks prior to our arrival and that Chris had seen the previous afternoon. However, we did find a Siberian Rubythroat there and a Yellow-browed Warbler nearby. We then walked the west coast to the northern shrine in a freshening W5 before trying the Observation Platform from where Chris had seen a juvenile Japanese Robin bathing in the drinking pool the previous two evenings. Unfortunately it started raining at 4.30pm and despite remaining until dark the Robin failed to perform.

Wajima Harbour

Grey Heron at Wajima Harbour

Osprey with breakfast at Wajima Harbour

Juvenile Black-eared Kite at Wajima Harbour

Adult winter Black-tailed Gull at Wajima Harbour

First-winter Black-tailed Gull at Wajima Harbour

Streaked Shearwater seen from the crossing to Hegura-jima

Approaching Hegura-jima

First-winter male Daurian Redstart near the quay

Dusky Thrush at the Harbour Park

Black-backed Wagtail at the Harbour Park

Brambling near the Lighthouse

Male Elegant Bunting in the South west Enclosures

Pacific (Arctic) Warbler in the South west Enclosures

Eastern Rook in the South west Enclosures

Rustic Bunting in the South west Enclosures

Male Elegant Bunting in the South west Enclosures

Pacific (Arctic) Warbler in the South west Enclosures

Female Daurian Redstart in the South west Enclosures

Skylark on the South west beach

Dusky Thrush on the South west beach

Female Daurian Redstart on the South west beach

Siskin along the western track

Adult male Daurian Redstart

Hawfinch at the Observation Platform

Species noted:
Streaked Shearwater 100
Grey Heron 3
Gadwall 5 from ferry
Mallard 2
Spot-billed Duck 1
Osprey 1 Wajima Harbour
Black-eared Kite 25
Japanese Sparrowhawk 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Merlin 1
Peregrine 1
Black-headed Gull 1
Black-tailed Gull 50
Slaty-backed Gull 1
Rufous Turtle Dove 4
Skylark 6
Olive-backed Pipit 1
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 1
Black-backed Wagtail 6
Japanese Wagtail 1 Wajima Harbour
Brown-eared Bulbul 2
Siberian Rubythroat 1
Red-flanked Bluetail 2 fem-type
Daurian Redstart 50
Siberian Stonechat 3
Blue Rock Thrush 3
Pale Thrush 6
Dusky Thrush 20
Japanese Bush Warbler 5
Pacific Arctic Warbler 5
Yellow-browed Warbler 2
Goldcrest 12
Japanese White-eye 2
Eastern Rook 6
Large-billed Crow 2
White-cheeked Starling 6
European Starling 1
Brambling 10
Oriental Greenfinch 5
Siskin 200
Japanese Grosbeak 1
Hawfinch 4
Black-faced Bunting spodocephala 1
Elegant Bunting 10
Rustic Bunting 3