A few warblers on Hegura last week

It's possible to visit Hegura in October and find the place swamped with Kamchatka Leaf Warblers but not this time, there were surprisingly few considering the numbers of birds passing through. That said the selection of warblers, whether phylloscs or otherwise, was pretty good with eight (probably nine) species seen.

The 'probable' mentioned was a Middendorff's flushed from the track side and glimpsed diving into cover, everything about it fit the bill but I wasn't able to get a confirming view. Middendorff's is a species which can occur in good numbers on occasion... or so I suspect. There have been times over the years when I've seen several individuals in a single day which must translate into great many more of this skulker on the island. 

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler is even more of a skulker and, unlike Middendorff's, I've yet to see one sit up. I lucked into a very typical sighting on this trip, flushed from rank grass in a favourite cove of theirs. Stumbling through the tussock grass and overgrown rocks, trying to avoid sudden pools, this is where I've flushed all but one of my PG Tips on the island. This one flew a full 20 metres (a record?) before arrowing directly into cover. Normally they drop sooner into what might seem like less substantial cover but they're never to be seen again. This bird made directly for the type of cover their whole world population could have disappeared into. Why did I even bother to follow?

Black-browed Reed Warbler, on the other hand is an amateur skulker by comparison, I was able to see two birds quite well.

And that brings us to the phylloscs. The first day on the island the Kamchatkas were keeping close to or on the ground, yet despite my human sensibilities being unable to detect any significant change in weather they were up in the trees, but nevertheless still silent, by the third day. 

I only had one Dusky Warbler during my stay (usually a few) though I know from other birders there were certainly more on the island. Perhaps, like the other phylloscs, they were less vocal than usual and therefore less obvious. 

Returning to the minshyuku one evening I became aware of two small birds creeping through the sparse vegetation poking through the pebbles next to the path on the seaward side of the harbour-front houses. One of them flew across the path and down the side of a house. It was clearly either a Radde's or Dusky, fortunately the other bird stayed in the open giving itself up as the sole Radde's of the trip. It's likely the other bird would also have been Radde's but it'll have to go down as Radde's/Dusky.

Sakhalin Leaf Warbler may never be as common as Kamchatka Leaf but the single bird I saw was also an unexpectedly low count, even if most will have already passed through. Strictly speaking I suppose this bird should be considered either Sakhalin or Pale-legged, who knows how many, if any, Pale-legged pass through Japan in Autumn; and which part of Japan if they do. I had three Pale-legged on Tsushima in spring this year and I've had a couple of spring birds on Mishima in the past too. Clearly they are scarce but regular in western Japan in spring, when singing birds are easily found. 

This bird never called whereas in most years they call freely and are easy to locate but then the Kamchatka Leaf are also very vocal normally yet I didn't hear a single call this year; very strange. The weather really didn't seem as though it would keep birds quiet and the Yellow-brows were all as vocal as ever, half the birds I recorded were heard only. The bush warblers, thrushes, etc were also as vocal as ever. Inexplicable.

Oddly, considering how remarkably low phylosc numbers were in general, Yellow-browed weren't too far below par and I had four individuals on two of the days I spent on the island.

The big surprise was a Pallas's Leaf Warbler. I really don't think Pallas's Leaf is considered a rare migrant in Japan but I hardly ever see them. I honestly don't even remember the last one I saw and it's not as though they're inconspicuous, is it?

   

Pied Wheatear and Bluethroat

 Deflated isn't the way I'd expect to feel after a three-night stay on Hegurajima, last week (Oct 13-16), during a period when huge numbers of birds were on the move. But there we are; failing to connect with a Hair-crested Drongo has that effect on me it seems. What made this particular dip even harder to bear was that I got the info about the bird via a friend on Tobishima rather than from people actually on Hegura! Back at my minshyuku in the evening, that no one else there had seen the bird either was of zero consolation. 

Do drongos tend to move on quickly? I've seen three Ashy Drongos on Hegura, two of them were only seen by me(!), and the third, though twitchable by everyone already on the island was also a one-day bird. On the other hand several spring Black Drongos I've seen on Tsushima all hung around for days. Maybe it's Hegura they don't like. 

The first three days on the island were marked by significant NW winds and partly cloudy conditions with only a few light showers. The result being a high turnover of migrants. Thrushes could be seen leaving the island each evening and new arrivals dropping in through the day. There were three distinct waves of Daurian Redstarts with numbers fluctuating wildly. I counted fewer than 10 on one circuit of the island but at the other extreme they were absolutely everywhere on two separate occasions. By everywhere, just to take the small 'park' in the harbour as an example, there were 10 on the scrap of lawn, another 12 lined-up as if at an arcade shooting gallery on the low wooden fence at the back of the lawn, and enough to seemingly occupy every available perch in the small unkempt area the other side of that fence. This density was perpetuated throughout the island and two of the three waves resulted in massive numbers like this.

The highlight of the week, barring that Drongo of course, was Pied Wheatear. 

I'd returned to the minshyuku for breakfast, during which someone came in and showed me his camera asking which wheatear he'd photographed! As I'd just completed my Japan wheatear set a month earlier there wasn't quite the frisson of excitement there would otherwise have been but as all wheatears here are rare, and such fantastic birds too, I was guilty of first answering his question with two of my own WHEN? and WHERE? It transpired Pied was a tick for him so he was delighted and settled down to his breakfast while I bolted the last of mine and rushed off. 

When I first saw it in front of Tsukasa (minshyuku) at about 8am I thought it was a young male because it seemed so dark on the lower scapulars and malar as though there was concealed black but seeing it again in the afternoon, after it had relocated to the northern headland, and in different light it was so much paler I changed my mind. In fact for a second I thought it was another individual, so different did it look!

There were other good birds that day such as Japanese Quail, which I see surprisingly often in October on Hegura, and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, both of which are flush specialties. However, for me, Bluethroat, a first autumn female I think, was the other standout bird of the day. It's actually only the third Bluethroat I've seen in Japan.

September Common Terns (minussensis) and Garganey

Between my September trips to Ogasawara and Hokkaido I squeezed in a single visit to Mie. Ordinarily I'd be getting anxious about what I was missing there if I didn't get across as much as possible during peak wader passage so it didn't help that a Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been reported in the area, even though I didn't know exactly where it was. I've already posted about the Latham's and Pintail Snipe I saw that day but there were a few other interesting birds too.

There's usually the odd Garganey to be found during spring and autumn passage, singles or twos and threes usually mixed in with the arriving Eurasian Teal but flocks of over 20 on a couple of occasions kept to themselves. I only found one bird mixed in with a party of Eurasian Teal on this visit, though there may have been one or two more in with them, it was hard to say for sure as the Teal spent most of their time hidden on pools in the reeds.

Another good sighting for me was Common Tern. They aren't rare by any means but they aren't easy to get decent views of in this area either, tending to be distant fly-bys or way out on exposed sand bars at low tide, so it was good to have to have a couple on a coastal lagoon. According to Brazil (East Asian Field Guide), minussensis is less common in Japan than the more eastern longipennis. I'm uncertain how much less common it should be but these birds, like many I see appear to be minussensis with extensive red in the lower mandible and bright red legs.     

Garganey (and Eurasian Teal) with very rusty breast just visible above the water line. 

Presumably the same bird later in the day.

Common Tern, subspecies minussensis. 

Typhoon-blown Leaches & Fork-tailed Petrels

The typhoon not only pushed the amazing Red-legged Kittiwakes into harbours but also large numbers of  Fork-tailed and Leaches Petrels as well as flocks of skuas; Richard Carden also estimated 400 skuas per hour past Cape Nosappu. This was a truly great birding experience and one that's impossible to plan in advance, requiring the kind of flexibility work doesn't normally allow or the luck of being in the right place at the right time.

Red-legged Kittiwakes

I often wondered whether I's pick out a Red-legged Kittiwake on a northern ferry route, how difficult would they be to pick out? Not so difficult after all it seems. At least the first of many typhoon driven birds I saw in harbours around eastern Hokkaido last week stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. Did I overlook any adults? All the birds I saw were either 1CY or 2CY (I think) suggesting either the adults aren't this far south, they can ride out the storm without seeking shelter in harbours or I missed them all completely. I hope not the latter but I don't think so.

We made our first typhoon-check stop of the day at Kiritappu. The other half of the 'we', by the way, being the same Richard Carden I visited Tsushima, Hokkaido (the first time), Tateyama and Ogasawara with this year. The expansive bite of the bay lay directly in the path of the wind and funneled the scooped-up birds straight into the harbour. The first Red-leg I got onto was dropping-in to join a small flock of Black-legged sitting on the water well into the harbour, right by the main road bridge into the port village. It didn't give a great view before landing and I was shocked just how easy it was to identify, it really does suggest a Sabine's Gull rather than a Kittiwake. Once on the water I thought it would be more difficult, but no. The only difficulty was trying to keep on the bobbing gulls due to the rough conditions.

First winter Red-legged and Black-legged, not even remotely similar. The familiar immature Black-legged with a Sabine's wannabe.

The underwing is no less distinctive; I might have hoped for a wedge-tailed appearance here!

Looking over the outer breakwater there's a lot more weather going on. There were large numbers of skuas and petrels out there.

Stuart Price arrived while Richard and I were watching the Gulls (and petrels) and it was he who located a group of nine Red-legs further round in the harbour. If anything these birds were too close for photography because of the constraints imposed by the car (the angle to avoid getting flooded by the horizontal rain and airborne seawater) and the impossibility of getting out and being able to point the camera in the right direction, let alone hold it steady. I know because I did try a couple of times.

Juvenile/1st winter.

This is what I believe is a 2CY bird because of the paler areas developing in the bill, a much cleaner head and neck as well as less black showing on the leading edge of the folded wing. There isn't a vast amount of information on moult timing but September is surely far too early for a 1CY to have this appearance even though I might have imagined more yellow on the bill of a 2CY at this time of year. 

The presumed 2CY is the bird on the right in this group shot.

We crossed the peninsula and stopped off at two north facing harbours, Onneto and Horomoshiri, before reaching Nemuro city, plus one more beyond the city. They all held more Red-legged Kittiwakes! Just threes and fours rather than the 12 at Kiritappu but how many Red-legs must there be off Hokkaido at this time of year? Or at least how many immatures. These birds must have already been at this latitude because the north moving typhoon, though massive locally, didn't yet extend its influence into the waters north of Japan where I'd have expected these birds to be.