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 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)(?)

Birds in Urayasu

 It doesn't look so wildlife friendly (nor human-friendly) but wildlife somewhat find themselves quite at home on the water and around it.

Lots of Greater scaups (Suzugamoスズガモ)

Apparently, there was one LESSER scaup somewhere in the area but we didn't spend time on searching for it. Does seem like a mission impossible doesn't it?!

Common sandpiper (Isoshigiイソシギ)

Sanderling (Miyubishigiミユビシギ)

Water Pipit (Tahibariタヒバリ)

Vega gull (Segurokamomeセグロカモメ)

Coots (Oobanオオバン)

Slavonian (Horned) grebe (Mimikaitsuburiミミカイツブリ)

a young Peregrine (Hayabusaハヤブサ)

It was a long walk alongside the embankment but was pleasant in the sun and with lots of birds.

Sea Ducks

Towards the end of our New Year holiday, we decided to go and see some sea ducks in Urayasu-shi.

It was a calm morning - perfect for sea-watching!

Rafts of ducks, mainly Greater Scaups (Suzugamoスズガモ), covered the water as far as we could see.

 

Some ducks dived and foraged near the embankment. (luckily for us!)

Red-breasted Merganser (Umiaisaウミアイサ)

 Northern Pintail (Onagagamoオナガガモ)

White-winged scoter (Birodokinkuroビロードキンクロ)

Wigeons (Hidorigamoヒドリガモ)

Quite a few people with huge cameras were on the quay and some told us what they could see and thanks to them, we were able to see a Long-tailed Duck very (really!) far out on the sea and some Goldeneyes as well. 

We were observing them so close that we were able to see their red BIG webbed feet😆

South Korea VI The Han River

On the way to Cheorwon, we stopped at several locations where Byoungwoo, our guide, showed us wonderful Korean birds.

The mighty Han River

Byoungwoo spotted a pair of Scaly-sided Merganser (Kourai-aisaコウライアイサ) in the middle of the river, which was too far for a photo. Argh!

BUT! There were plenty of other birds for us to watch.
Whooper Swans (Oohakuchoオオハクチョウ) - a lot of them!

A raft of Goldeneyes (Hoojirogamoホオジロガモ)

 One of them flew towards us and swam away:)

Whooper Swans, Taiga Bean Geese (Oohishikuiオオヒシクイ) and Mallard (Magamoマガモ)

familiar Spot-billed Ducks (Karugamoカルガモ) & Eurasian Teals (Kogamoコガモ)

This handsome male Daurian Redstart (Jobitakiジョウビタキ) was foraging in the shrub by the river.

At another location by the Han

We were lucky to see two species of eagles!

Steller's Sea Eagle (Oowashiオオワシ) taken by Byoungwoo. Awesome!

& a white-tailed eagle (Ojirowashiオジロワシ) with no photo.

In the river below the eagles were some sawbills.
Common Mergansers (Kawa-aisaカワアイサ)

Smews (miko-aisaミコアイサ)

It was only a couple of hours after our birding trip started but we already saw quite a few lovely birds by the river, thanks to Byoungwoo.

Byoungwoo's bird guide site:
https://www.birdingkorea.com/

Spain III - Doñana National Park

a view of a lake in Doñana

At this big lake we had a very good opportunity to observe a Red-knobbed Coot (Afurika(Africa)-oobanアフリカオオバン), one of the Andalucían birds, very closely.

The red knobs at the top of their white shield are only visible in the breeding season so it would be much harder to separate them from the Eurasian Coot especially at a distance.

Red-knobbed Coot - resident in Andalucía

Great Crested Grebes (kammuri-kaitsuburiカンムリカイツブリ) & Greater Flamingoes (Oh-furamingoオオフラミンゴ)

Greater Flamingoes

a Greater Flamingo & a pair of Mallards (Magamoマガモ)

a pair of colourful Red-crested Pochards (Akahashihajiroアカハシハジロ)!!

 Red-crested Pochards & a Great Crested Grebe (& a coot)

all these waterfowl are resident in Doñana

Greylag Geese (Haiiro-ganハイイロガン) - wintering

According to Vicent, our guide, most geese wintering in the area had already left and these geese would follow them in no time.

There doesn't seem to be much happening in the photo but...

Vicent heard Common Cranes (Kurozuruクロヅル) ready for migration to their breeding grounds in the distance.

Yes!

Common Crane - wintering in Andalucía

click here for Vicent's Doñana Wings