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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dandsblair" data-source="post: 3360324" data-attributes="member: 107571">Cape Nosappu and KiritappuSorry for delay - we are now home and hopefully posts will be less full of typos and I can post a few photos that haven't come from the phone. I will post a consolidated trip report with some information on accommodation including costs, some more detail on directions and what we might have done differently.So after a quick stop for coffee we arrived at Cape Nosappu, we intended to do a sea-watch but minor tragedy struck almost immediately, I left the scope as I made a scan of the rocks to find the Red-faced Cormorant, a huge gust blew the scope over, Sarah almost caught it but missed it and I feared the worst when I heard a crack on the concrete, the good news was the scope was undamaged, the bad news was the tripod footplate retaining clip and mount had broken so using the scope was going to be difficult, due to lack of steadiness, in fact we struggled to find anything just by scanning with the scope and the only additions were a couple of Pigeon Guillemot and we failed to find any of the Murrelet that were meant to be around. (the good news on return was £49 bought a replacement part for the tripod).So we headed West to Cape Kirripapu via Lake Furen where they were feeding the Steller's and White-tailed Sea Eagles these birds are just magnificent; of the 3500 photos I took the bulk were Sea Eagles and Cranes.We then found a nice flock of Bullfinches (see the grey breast) near Hamanaka Town before we got to the Cape Kiritappu peninsula road. The cape is famous for two birds Rosy Finch and Rough Legged Buzzard. The finches are usually found by the bushes near a feeder on the first house on the right as you head to the cape. We had been warned not to try to enter the garden or nearby field. You can tell you are at the right house when you see a horned puffin sign but there were no birds around and the home owner was clearing the snow from his drive so we decided to try again later. On the way to the cape we stopped for a Red Fox and spotted the Rough Legged Buzzard on a fence post. At the cape it was blowing a gale and wobbley scope wasn't much good for any distant sea-watching so we made do with some Black Scoter, Harlequin Duck, Scaup, Goldeneye and Pelagic Cormorant.WE decided to take a different tack for the finches on the way back, we parked on the main road level with the garden and feeder and stayed in the car until a nice flock of Asian Rosy Finches flew into the bushes near the garden. Having seen the birds OK we decide to try to scope them for better view but no sooner had I got them in the scope than householder saw us and chased the birds off, so we weren't going to get great views or photographs. We did see a larger tour group nearby and it appears that the guy is just fed up with people watching his birds, so if possible much better to go in the week when he is hopefully at work.We actually spoke to the tour leader who was staying in our hotel later and he described him as extremely cranky and a little dangerous - he has pulled a shotgun on a tour group before.Anyway we saw the birds so decided to head back to the nature reserve near Furen to try again for the Ural owl. On the R44 just before the lake I saw three birds on wire, I thought at first Waxwings from a brief drive by view but fortunately I was able to turn around and parking in the Namuro Canoe car park took a closer look and found a flock of 14 Pine Grosbeak, lighting wasn't great but managed a few record shots as this was a lifer for Sarah. I gave details to the tour group as there hadn't been may sighting this year.In the woods there was no sign off Ural Owl and we made do with Deer, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Tree Sparrow.Overnight at East Harbour Hotel in Nemuro City.</blockquote>

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