On a very, very hot day, I joined a seabird breeding colony survey in Kujukuri.
A lone Little tern (Koajisashiコアジサシ)
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I'd never be tired of watching shearwaters... so cool👍
Showing posts with label shearwaters & petrels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shearwaters & petrels. Show all posts
Friday, 4 July 2025
Kujukuri
A lone Little tern (Koajisashiコアジサシ)
Monday, 5 April 2021
Albatross
During a ferry trip to the Izu Islands, we saw our first Short-tailed Albatrosses (Ahodoriアホウドリ)!
The left one is a young Short-tailed albatross with a Laysan albatross (Ko-ahodoriコアホウドリ) (the smaller white headed one on the right).
I wish I could have taken photos of them flying gracefully but got too excited to take my eyes off them every time they were close to the ship.
These are Black-footed albatrosses (Kuroashi-ahodoriクロアシアホウドリ), which are breeding on some of the islets and islands in the Izu Islands, so we saw more of them than the other two albatrosses species.
Streaked shearwaters (Oomizunagidoriオオミズナギドリ) are the most abundant species in the area and can be seen almost all the way to Hachijo-jima Island.
There is no photo but we saw Parasitic & Long-tailed skuas, Japanese murrelets, Leach's storm petrels, Black-tailed gulls, Japanese cormorants and a Grey heron (Aosagiアオサギ).
The trip was led by an excellent guide, Mr Minowa, who is an ornithologist, naturalist and wildlife illustrator. It was fascinating to know about seabirds and actually see them in their element.
Mr Minowa's new book―"The Handbook of Seabirds" has detailed information with pictures of all the seabirds which are likely to be seen around Japan. Very handy indeed!
Thursday, 13 June 2019
Kujukuri Beach
On a sunny but windy day, I drove to Kujukuri hoping to see some interesting seabirds.
YES!!
There were three juvenile Black-winged Terns (Hajiro-kurohara-ajisashiハジロクロハラアジサシ) among nearly 100 Common Terns (Ajisashiアジサシ).
My first ever sighting of this species:) Yay!
Lots of Common Terns
I was a bit confused because they didn't look like what I had known as Common Terns with a red beak. I learnt that the ones seen in the UK and these are a different subspecies and the colour of their beaks is the biggest difference between them.
A male Little Tern (Koajisashiコアジサシ) was trying hard to attract his mate:)
Over the water, hundreds or even thousands of Streaked Shearwaters (Oomizunagidoriオオミズナギドリ) were shearing over the water.
It was a glorious day!
YES!!
My first ever sighting of this species:) Yay!
Lots of Common Terns
I was a bit confused because they didn't look like what I had known as Common Terns with a red beak. I learnt that the ones seen in the UK and these are a different subspecies and the colour of their beaks is the biggest difference between them.
A male Little Tern (Koajisashiコアジサシ) was trying hard to attract his mate:)
Over the water, hundreds or even thousands of Streaked Shearwaters (Oomizunagidoriオオミズナギドリ) were shearing over the water.
It was a glorious day!
Monday, 9 June 2014
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)
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)
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
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19.45 Tomakomai FT
1.30 Tomakomai FT
↓
19.45 Oarai FT1.45 Oarai Ferry Terminal
↓
19.45 Tomakomai FT
1.30 Tomakomai 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/
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