Makinouchi Dam, Nemuro 1,429

April 26th, 2016

The number of summer breeing birds is increasing these days.
Today, I saw two Japanese Snipes / Latham's Snipes are flying with very loud call.

【Confirmed spices】
Black-faced Bunting
Long-tailed Rose Finch
Common Reed Bunting
Siberian Stonechat
Oriental Greenfinch
Japanese Bush Warbler
Bull-headed Shrike（♂１）
Eurasian Wryneck（１）
White-cheeked Starling
Japanese Snipe / Latham's Snipe（２）
Eurasian Teal
Red-crowned Crane（young2)
Slaty-backed Gull
Black-tailed Gull


アオジ
Black-faced Bunting

ノビタキ
Siberian Stonechat

牧之内

牧之内
Makinouchi Dam Vicinity

Makinouchi

アリスイ
Eurasian Wryneck

＊Taken through the car window.

アオジ
Black-faced Bunting

タンチョウ
Red-crowned Crane

Meiji Park, Nemuro 1,386

April 20th, 2016
<Meiji Park>   By Eagle
Fair。 8℃。It is much warmer today than yesterday.
Attracted by the refreshing air in Meiji Park,  I walked around the park for nearly 2 hours!
The Meiji Park is one of the surest spots for Goldcrests in Nemuro.
They are too frequent and active to miss today.

【Spices confirmed】
Slaty-backed Gull
Vega Gull
Black-tailed Gull
Tufted Duck
Coal Tit
Ｍａｒｓｈ Ｔｉｔ
Eastern Great Tit
Eurasian Nuthatch
Winter Wren
White Wagtail
Goldcrest　（５＋）
Eurasian Skylark
Great Spotted Woodpecker（♂１）
White-backed Woodpecker（１）
Brown-eared Bulbul
Eurasian Jay

キンクロハジロ
Tufted Duck

キクイタダキ
Goldcrest

A message to the suffering readers in Kyuusyuu 1,337

April 17th, 2016　The Kyusyu Districts, especially Kumamoto & Oita prefectures have been continuously attacked by a series of huge earthquakes since April 14th. I would like to express the deepest condolences on victims and their suffering families. The widely spread devastated areas seem to be still very dangerous. To my dearest  readers, please protect yourselves very very carefully, and never lose "hopes".Please believe yourselves and try to overcome this ordeal with dignity  like a phoenix.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(Eagle)

.

Hanasaki Port & Lake Cyouboshi

April 17th, 2016
  Lake Cyoboshi is one the best spots to observe Smews at this time of the year in Nemuro Peninsula.
Today, I confirmed 13 of them. 3 of them were male type which really look like "Panda" bears.

【Hanasaki Port】
Red-necked Grebe（ｂｒ.1)
Temminck's Cormorant
Pelagic  Cormorant
Black Scoter
Harlequin Duck
Greater Scaup
Eurasian Teal
Eurasian Wigeon
Black-tailed Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Gloucous Gull
White Wagtail
Long-tailed Rose Finch（♂br.1）

【Lake Cypboshi】
Common Coot
Little Grebe（br.1)
Black-tailed Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Vega Gull（２）
Gloucous Gull
Greater Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Goosander
Smew（♂３、♀１０）

An old Rassian fishing boat in Hanasaki Port.

 

アカエリカイツブリ
Red-necked Grebe

アカエリカイツブリ
Red-necked Grebe

クロガモ
Black Scoter

Cape Nosattspu 1,308

April 12th, 2016
<Cape Nosattspu>   By Eagle
 Fair, Chilly north wind, 5℃.
   There are at least 2 different sub-species of Pigeon Guillemot, which are very common around Nemuro Peninsula. One is "Cepphus columba snowi" and another is  "Cepphus columba kaiurka".

  The former has no white patches on its covers. The latter has rather bigger and  pretty white patches on its covers. Today, both of them could be confirmed from the hide. They were both in breeding plumage, which were very beautiful. They also made me very happy for rather long time..
   I have also confirmed 2 adult Red-faced Cormorants.

<Record>
 Pelagic  Cormorant
Temminck's Cormorant
Red-faced Cormorant　(ad.2)
White-tailed Sea Eagle（５）
Steller's Sea Eagle（１）　　　＊ young
Harlequin Duck
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck（６）　＊They all are in breeding　ｐlumage.
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Goldeneye
Slaty-backed Gull
Black-tailed Gull
Gloucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Rhinoceros Auklet（５０＋）
Spectacled Guillemot（１０＋）
Pigeon Guillemot（３）　　＊snowi (br.1)   kaiurka(br.2)
Common Guillemot（int.1)
White-cheeked Starling（２）
White Wagtail
Eurasian Skylark

Cape Nosattspu.

クロガモ
Black Scoter

ウトウ
Rhinoceros Auklet

at 50m from the hide.

ウミネコ
Black-tailed Gull

Steller's Sea Eagle (young)

Ochiishi Nature Cruise 1,250

April 10th, 2016
<Ochiishi Nature Cruise>    By Eagle
 The first cruise for the new Japanese fiscal year.
During the last fiscal year, 1,050 customers joined our cruise tours. We have really appreciated their supports and understandings to our business.

Today, we enjoyed an increasing number of Rhinoceros Auklets in short distance. They have just arrived from the south in order to breed on two islands called Yururi & Moyururi.
We also encountered 4 Sea Otters. They were sometimes very close to our boat.

In addition, Spectacled Guillemot, White-winged Scoter, Ancient Murrelet, Pigeon Guillemot were birds of special mention.

<Records>

Short-tailed Shearwater(10+)
Temminck's Cormorant
Pelagic  Cormorant
Greater Scaup
Black Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Harlequin Duck
Long-tailed Duck
Red-breasted Merganser
White-tailed Sea Eagle（４）
Black-tailed Gull
Common Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot（１）　＊C.c.snowi
Spectacled Guillemot（２０＋）
Ancient Murrelet（３）
Rhinoceros Auklet（５＋）

コオリガモ。（夏羽）
Long-tailed Duck

ウトウ
Rhinoceros Auklet

ラッコ
Sea Otter

Lake Cyoboshi+ Hanasaki Port 1,196

April 8th, 2016   ByEagle
Clear up after a little rain. 5℃。Chilly north wind.

Like to see Smew, a regular spring visitor in Lake Cyoboshi .
Successfully met 23 individuals.
They really look like "panda"!


Slaty-backed Gull
Gloucous Gull
Black-tailed Gull
Greater Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Eurasian Wigeon
Harlequin Duck
Black Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Eurasian Teal　(♂１）

＜Lake Cyoboshi＞
Slaty-backed Gull
Black-tailed Gull
Common Coot
Smew（♂１１、♀１２）
Greater Scaup（４００＋）
Tufted Duck（１０＋）
Common Goldeneye（１０＋）
Black Scoter

ホオジロガモ
Common Goldeneye

ウミアイサ
Red-breasted Merganser

シノリガモ
Harlequin Duck

シノリガモ
Harlequin Duck

ミコアイサ
Smew

Cape Nosattspu 1181

April 6th, 2016
<Cape Nosattspu>  By Eagle
Fair. 8℃。
　We can still enjoy a huge flock of Rhinoceros Auklets offshore Cape Nosattspu.
In addition to them, Spectacled Guillemots & Pigeon Guillemots in beautiful breeding plumage could be seen by using a scope with magnification of 20-60 diameters.
  A flock of 7 Brent Geese was passing offshore. they are heading for the Ntsuke Peninsula.
A pair of beautiful Red-crowned Cranes was flying over me on the way back to downtown Nemuro.
They might be heading for what we call "Northern Disputed islands".
 Birds really seem to be in the busy and hard season of migration now.

 【Sighting record】
Red-throated Diver/Loon（young１）
Red-necked Grebe
Pelagic  Cormorant
Temminck's Cormorant
Red-faced Cormorant (3) *2 adults + 1 young
Slaty-backed Gull
Black-tailed Gull
Gloucous Gull
Ｈａｒｌｅｑｕｉｎ Ｄｕｃｋ
Long-tailed Duck
Black Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Greater Scaup
Brent Goose（７）
Red-crowned Crane（２）
Spectacled Guillemot（５０＋）
Pigeon Guillemot（４）　＊C.c.snowi　２　　C.c.kaiurka or columba 2
Rhinoceros Auklet（５００＋）
Ancient Murrelet（６＋）
White-cheeked Starling（２５）
White Wagtail（３）
Eurasian Skylark（２）

ムクドリ
White-cheeked Starling

Kaigarajima Lighthouse

The closest Northern Disputed  Islands

ウミウ
Temminck's Cormorant

コクガン
A flock of 7 Brent Geese

タンチョウ
Red-crowned Crane

Cape Nosattspu 1145

April 5th.,2016
＜Cape Nosattspu ＞　By Eagle
　　　　It is the best season now for watching a large number of Rhinoceros Auklets from the ocean-viewing  hide in Cape Nosattspu. They have returned from the south after a long and cold winter. Today, I watched at least 1,500 individuals from the hide and the number is increasing rapidly day by day.
In Nosattspu, you can command a fantastic view of a large flock of breeding seabirds,  which is one of the most popular and common ones at this time of the year in Nemuro Peninsula.
I also confirmed just one young Steller's Sea Eagle left on  the nearby cliff.

【The list of birds observed】
Red-necked Grebe（３）
Temminck's Cormorant
Pelagic  Cormorant
Red-faced cormorant (1)
Steller's Sea Eagle（jv.1)
White-tailed Sea Eagle（３）
Black-eared Kite
Harlequin Duck（３００＋）
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck（１０＋）
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Greater Scaup
Vega Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Gloucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Gull
Rhinoceros Auklet（１５００＋）
Spectacled Guillemot（１００＋）
White-cheeked Starling（２）

Steller's Sea Eagle（young）

A White-tailed Sea Eagle was flying over the houses in Nosattspu.

Harlequin Duck(♂）

A mixed flock of Long-tailed Duck　and Rhinoceros Auklets was moving
 1 km off Cape Nosattspu.

Rhinoceros Auklet
８００m　offshore

We can watch many flocks of 10-20  Rhinoceros Auklets from the hide.
.

Hanasaki Port、Nemuro 976

April 2, 2016
<Hanasaki Port in Nemuro>   By  Eagle NIIYA
Several Long-tailed Ducks are now changing to their breeding plumage.
Their faces are becoming blacker and blacker.
The Hanasaki Port is one of the best spots for their observation.

<Sighting Records>
Temminck's Cormorant
Pelagic  Cormorant
Greater Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Harlequin Duck
Ｃｏｍｍｏｎ Ｇｏｌｄｅｎｅｙｅ
Eurasian Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Slaty-backed Gull
Gloucous Gull
Black-tailed Gull
White-tailed Sea Eagle
Black-eared Kite
Eurasian Skylark

Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck

Red-breasted Merganser♀

Red-breasted Merganser　♂

Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck　♀