Kujukuri

On a very, very hot day, I joined a seabird breeding colony survey in Kujukuri.

Black-tailed gulls (Uminekoウミネコ) with a couple of terns. (Common terns?)

A lone Little tern (Koajisashiコアジサシ)

Hundreds of Streaked shearwaters (O-mizunagidoriオオミズナギドリ) over the sea 😀🌊

I'd never be tired of watching shearwaters... so cool👍

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.

Birds in the Southern Part of Boso I

Black-eared Kites (Tobiトビ) are seen almost everywhere, inland or on the coast in Boso, Chiba.

Resting Temminck's Cormorants (Umiuウミウ) and Great Cormorants (Kawauカワウ)

It's almost impossible to tell them apart from a distance! 

A Glaucous-winged gull (Washikamomeワシカモメ) with 3 Black-tailed gulls (Uminekoウミネコ)

The Glaucous-winged gull was on our list of birds which we wanted to see on that day. Yay! 

These were the only gulls seen in the small fishing port then and it felt very strange with so few gulls by the coast. I don't know if it's just this winter or it's normal in the area.

A Grey heron (Aosagiアオサギ) was standing on top of the rock like a lord😆

Osprey (Misagoミサゴ)

I love Ospreys! They are really magnificent (in my opinion!).

 

A Big Round Trip

For the first time in many, many months, we got out of Chiba and headed for Hayama, Kanagawa and made a 'd'-shaped trip around the south part of the bay by car and ferry.

A lot of Black-eared Kites (Tobiトビ) welcomed us at the both ends of the ferry ride.

and Black-tailed gulls (Uminekoウミネコ) as well.

(this one had no foot... poor thing)

It took only 40 minutes from Kanaya, Chiba to Yokosuka, Kanagawa by ferry. We saw quite a few shearwaters shearing the water surface but sadly they were too far away for phototaking. 

 

The sea was very calm, maybe too calm for shearwaters?

At Enawan-higata (江奈湾干潟) in the Miura Peninsula (三浦半島), the mudflat we had expected to see was under water but it was a pleasant place just to walk around.

An old lady who was selling fishing bait threw something outside her hut, then as many as 30 kites were circling above her and swooped down to the ground to get their share.

Some decided to stay on the ground, pecked like a chicken and waited for another batch to come from the lady.

The harbour was an ideal place for White Wagtails (Hakusekireiハクセキレイ) and Blue Rock Thrush (Isohiyodoriイソヒヨドリ).

Near the reed beds, quite a big raft of ducks (Pintails (Onagagamoオナガガモ), Wigeons (Hidorigamoヒドリガモ) and Mallards (Magamoマガモ)) were calling and foraging. They must have arrived quite recently from their breeding grounds.

 

It was just so nice to get out of the house and feel fresh air, especially with birds:)

 Another beautiful morning in the Miura Peninsula🌞

After walking in the woods in the heart of the peninsula to see/hear Chinese Hwameis (Gabichoガビチョウ) (and we found them plenty!), we headed for a pond where someone posted about the sighting of grey buntings the day before. 

We weren't sure what sort of place it would be but it turned out to be a small but well managed nature reserve👍 

A female Daurian Redstart (Jobitakiジョウビタキ) was claiming her winter territory. 

lovely hedges which small creatures would love

We were looking for the habitat where grey buntings may/would find comfortable - in thick bamboo bushes.  Bingo! We heard them calling each other with a very subtle calls. There was no photo as the light wasn't good and they were just seen in between bamboo shrubs but we found them. Yay!

The other side of the bay was similar but different and we would like to come back again in different seasons.