Hokkaido V

 We had a storm over night and the sea was raging the next morning

and we found this poor fellow in a sheltered fishing harbour.

This Spectacled guillemot (Keimafuriケイマフリ) looked distressed and weak.  

Hope it will get some rest in the quiet harbour and go back out in the open water where it belongs soon.

Actually, we were not sure what bird it was because it was our first encounter with one! I asked my ornithologist friend (or my mentor, rather) to identify and he told me it probably was a young one which had been born last year as the adults should be in breeding plumage by now. 

We were excited on the spot and feel more excited after learning these facts.

 

a small group of Black scoters (Kurogamoクロガモ) was also sheltering in the harbour.

 

 

Slaty-backed gulls (Oosegurokamomeオオセグロカモメ) & Japanese cormorant (Umiuウミウ)

The rocky cliff facing the harbour is a Slaty-backed gulls' breeding site, we were told.

On another rock was full of Pelagic cormorants (Himeuヒメウ)

Are you sure you're going to lay eggs there?!

Sea otters were in their elements.

(To be honest, they looked like a floating log😁)

The Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a different species from the otters found on the coasts of the UK but live on the coasts of the northern Pacific. I've only seen ones kept in zoos so it was very exciting to see ones in wild!

Hokkaido IV

The ground of the woodland was still covered with thick snow but we had chance to see woodland birds near feeders.

Jay (akesuカケス) - a subspecies found in Hokkaido has a very distinct cinnamon coloured head.

 

We had never seen so many Jays in one place! 

Nuthatch (Gojukaraゴジュウカラ) - a very white underparts compared with the ones we are familiar in Britain.

Great spotted woodpecker (Akageraアカゲラ)

Marsh tit (Hashibutogaraハシブトガラ)

 

Dusky thrush (Tsugumiツグミ) & Jay

 Japanese tit (Shijukaraシジュウカラ)

Long-tailed tit (Shimaenagaシマエナガ) - completely white face

Brown-eared bulbul (Hiyodoriヒヨドリ)

Carrion crow (Hashibosogarasuハシボソガラス)

 

 

Wren (Misosazaiミソサザイ)

All of a sudden, the little ones started to be agitated with alarm calls, and this is why: a beautiful Red fox (Kitsuneキツネ)

 The woodland looks bleak from outside but it surely is getting ready for spring!

Hokkaido III

Lake Furen and Shunkunitai sandbar

A board walk on the sandbar called Shunkunitai between Lake Furen and the Okhotsk Sea

Gulls, ducks, swans, cranes and eagles are thriving among the drift ice.

Black scoters (Kurogamoクロガモ) & Slaty-backed gulls (Oosegurokamomeオオセグロカモメ)(?)

a family of Whooper swans (Oohakuchoオオハクチョウ)

Steller's sea eagle (Oowashiオオワシ)

Red-crowned crane (Tanchoタンチョウ)

White-tailed eagle (Ojirowashiオジロワシ)

a male Red-breasted merganser (Umiaisaウミアイサ)(?)

Hokkaido II

One of the main target birds was the Blakiston's fish owl (Shimafukuroシマフクロウ). This owl is the biggest owl species and endangered due to habitat loss, only found in the northeastern part of Asia - northeastern China, southeastern Siberia, Sakhalin and part of Hokkaido. In Hokkaido, the Wild Bird Society of Japan has been working hard to do conservation work and the number has been increasing, which is great news. It is controversial in a way because the information is not open to the public and there is no official place to visit and see them. If you want to see one, you would have to wander in the wild by yourself or visit one of the two non-official places - the one is a privately run Shiretoko observatory, the other an onsen ryokan (a traditional inn with a hot spring) in Yoroushi. We chose to stay in Yoroushi and had pleasure meeting one!

off he went with a fish in his beak, disappeared in the total darkness. 

It was ENORMOUS! The feathers were so beautiful. 

This inn and its hot spring complex is located alongside a river and has been feeding the owl pair for a long time. I couldn't find much information about the owls in the inn, which I thought was a shame. I know most of the guests were there to relax and enjoy their onsen experience, not knowing anything about the owl but if both the inn and the guests made a little bit of effort, there could be more chance for the owl to survive.

Hokkaido I

After several stressful weeks, unable to decide whether we could travel to and back from Britain, we finally had to abandon the plan and decided to go on a short trip to the Eastern parts of Hokkaido instead.

YES! CRANES! EAGLES! & SNOW! ⛄

 

Our first encounter with Red-crowned cranes (Tanchoタンチョウ)

three White-tailed eagles (Ojirowashiオジロワシ) & a Steller's sea eagle (Oowashiオオワシ)

Sika deer (Ezoshikaエゾシカ)

Red fox (Ezokitsuneエゾキツネ)

 

We came across some amazing wildlife there and would like to share some of it with you:)

Seabirds seen from a ferry on 7/June

To see seabirds in the Pacific, we were recommended to go on a ferry from Oarai, Ibaraki, to Tomakomai, Hokkaido, with a guide organised by a travel agency called 'Y-bird' so we booked a return trip on the 7th and 8th of June.


Unfortunately, the monsoon season reached Japan a lot earlier this year than usual so we were basically moving with a low depression... BUT! We were able to see most of the birds we'd hoped to see, thanks to our excellent guide.


Our very first Albatross - a Black-footed Albatross (Kuroashi-ahoudoriクロアシアホウドリ)

A Short-tailed Shearwater (Hashiboso-mizunagidoriハシボソミズナギドリ）

A flock of them

 

A Great Skua (Ootouzokukamomeオオトウゾクカモメ) 

A Black-tailed Gull (Uminekoウミネコ)

A Sea Lion

It was very misty and dull all the way to Tomakomai.

On the way back from Tomakomai to Oarai on Sunday, the sea was so rough I was not able to do anything but lie on my bunk... I really don't want to think about any trip on a boat for the moment!!

The birds we saw from the ferry between Ooarai, Ibaraki and Tomakomai, Hokkaido:

Pacific Diver, Laysan Albatross, Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar, Streaked Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Short-tailed Shearwater, Fork-tailed Storm-petrel, Black-tailed Gull, Great Skua, Rhinoceros Auklet

Mammals: Sea Lions and Dall's Porpoises

The Schedule of the tour
1.45 Oarai Ferry Terminal
  ↓
19.45 Tomakomai FT

1.30 Tomakomai FT
　↓

19.45 Oarai FT

People on the guided tour can be on board at around 22.30 to get some rest before starting bird-watching early in the morning.

the info about the ferry in English
http://www.sunflower.co.jp/english/index.shtml

the birdwatching tour agency (in Japanese)
http://www.ybird.jp/