[HokkaidoStu]

Distictly springlike weather has meant quite a few migrants have been passing through town this last week. I had a quick look in the local park on my lunchbreak and was rewarded with a nice female Red Flanked Bluetail skulking in the bushes.

Lots of Dusky Thrush about too. The first Barn Swallows and Asian House Martin have arrived and yesterday there was a female Siberian Stonechat in the bushes by the local "river" (concreted stream). A Bull Headed Shrike was on the telephone wires in front of my appartment. Long Tailed Rosefinch and Hawfinch have been everywhere too.

On the bigger local river there were Wigeon and a summer plumaged Glaucous Gull and also 3 Siberian Buff Bellied Pipit. A pair of Common Pochard was a surprise and there have been several Wigeon at various sites. Loads of Red Breasted Merganser on the sea were joined by a few Black Scoter.

On Sunday I'll be off to the local cape to try and get some new migrants for my local year list (currently at 84). Thrushes, Buntings, Chats, Warblers. Bring 'em on.

[HokkaidoStu]

Sunday produced Osprey, Eastern Crowned Warbler and Pale Thrush............

This morning I got up absurdly early to watch Chelsea mess it up against Monaco before climbing the mountain. Though a touch windy (actually very windy) it was a beautiful spring day and the first Cherry Blossoms are showing the first signs of opening. The woods were alive with birds-a large passage of Japanese White-eye being the most conspicious. There were also all 6 species of Tit in Japan (same as UK minus Blue/Crested plus Varied) as well as the common woodland stuff (Nuthatch, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker etc). Goldcrest and Siskin were also surprisingly common. Buntings included Black Faced and Siberian Meadow.

Best bird were the Red Flanked Bluetail (one male) and Blue and White Flycatcher (also male). Add to this the Blue Rock Thrush on the cape and I nearly completed the blue quartet but unfortunately Siberian Blue Robin won't arrive until next week.

Actually the birds that gave me most pleasure were the Black Headed Gulls. They are the rarest of the 8 Gull species here in Hakodate and the only hooded ones. This was the first time I had seen them here in summer plumage. Dirt common in the UK I'd forgotten how beautiful they were. Thry looked strangely exotic with the Pacific Ocean shimmering in the background and the snow clad mountains in the distance.

Also passing through have been loads of Black Backed Wagtails and Bull Headed Shrike. Both are common here in Japan. The Wagtail looks like another race of White (but apparently it isn't-it's a full species) and The Shrike looks like a Shrike which is pretty cool to someone from England where such birds are pretty rare.

Bring on the Siberian Rubythroat and Japanese Robin (I'd settle for either-both would be a lifer) at the weekend.

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Stu,

Very nice list . . . wishing I could see 'em all

They are the rarest of the 8 Gull species here in Hakodate and the only hooded ones

What about Saunders' Gull & Little Gull? - pretty rare I can imagine, but no records at all?

Michael

[HokkaidoStu]

Originally Posted by Michael Frankis

Hi Stu,

Very nice list . . . wishing I could see 'em all


What about Saunders' Gull & Little Gull? - pretty rare I can imagine, but no records at all?

Michael

Unfortunately not Michael. I think Saunders is mainly seen in southern Japan and Little is a straggler. Of course that's not to say they never occur around Hakodate but as far as I know I'm the only person birding fairly regularly in the whole city and I haven't seen either yet...........................

[Charles Harper]

In spite of a Siberian population, Little Gull is accidental, with at least one summer 1980 Hokkaido record. Saunders's Gull is also an accidental there, with several records between 1908 and 1976 (and probably more recently); it is however a 'locally uncommon winter visitor' in southern Japan (Kyushu southward). I see one or two every winter at Tokyo Bay.

[HokkaidoStu]

Originally Posted by Charles Harper

In spite of a Siberian population, Little Gull is accidental, with at least one summer 1980 Hokkaido record. Saunders's Gull is also an accidental there, with several records between 1908 and 1976 (and probably more recently); it is however a 'locally uncommon winter visitor' in southern Japan (Kyushu southward). I see one or two every winter at Tokyo Bay.

I saw a few Little Gull on my old local patch in the UK. Still 8 species of Gull here in Hakodate is not to be sniffed at (1 more than on my old UK patch).

4 more added to the local year list today-Narcissus Flycatcher (a beautiful male), Oriental Turtle Dove, a finally about time seen and ID'ed Pale Legged Willow Warbler (or whatever split it is these days) and Common Crossbill................and more Bluetails and Stonechat too.

[HokkaidoStu]

Wednesday was awful weatherwise-constant mist and drizzle. I got up early and went down to the cape but didn't bother climbing the mountain. A Rhinoceros auklet on the sea was a year tick and there were lots of common stuff coming in...mainly Brown Eared Bulbuls, Black Backed Wagtails and Dusky Thrush.

I had a quick look in the forest at the foot of the mountain and there were lots of warblers-Japanese Bush Warblers were the most common but there were also Eastern Crowned and Pale Legged Warbler (both similar but the latter is browner) and a Stub tailed Warbler was sneaking around in the undergrowth near my feet (kind of like a cross between a Cettis Warbler and a Wren).

I could hear one Thrush species singing but unlike the UK most Thrushes here don't hop around the lawn or sing from the top of a tree/house. I couldn't find it. It was either a Brown or a Siberian Thrush I'm sure.

97 for the local list this year.

[HokkaidoStu]

Thursday 29 April was the hottest day of the year. A walk up the mountain got me lots of commoner stuff-more Eastern Crowned Warblers, Siberian Stonechats and Blue and White Flycatchers. The commonest bird was Red Flanked Bluetails-everywhere. A Brown Thrush and a singing Grey Thrush were new for the year (it took me ages to locate these). 3 Peregrines playfully chasing each other kept my wife happy whilst I struggled manfully with all the boring little birds flitting about in the bushes.

Friday April 30 brought me up to 100 for this year's patch list. An Oriental Great Reed Warbler on one of the 2 local rivers being chased by Bull Headed Shrike. Little Ringed Plover and Red Cheeked Starling leaves me on 102.

I'm meeting the one and only Mr Charles Harper tommorrow...........are you gonna find me a Siberian Rubythroat Charles? Or are we gonna get rare in Japan but dirt common in western Europe vagrants like Northern Wheatear?

[Charles Harper]

Congratulations! You did it, Stu, the Big One Double Oh!

Should get the Rubythroat.. but, dirt-common birds? That's not the way to think, Stu. Think in terms of subspecies....

Looking forward to seeing what you look like after a bus and three trains across northern Japan. I myself expect a pleasant flight with some friendly flight attendants...