Another four nights on Hegurajima

 Sometimes ferry sailings align perfectly with plans, not so often in autumn it has to be said when the Japan Sea is far more restless than in spring, but last week was just such an occasion. A ferry sailed on Tuesday morning as I'd hoped then there were none until my planned return the following Saturday. That there isn't another expected until next Friday at the earliest means at least 10 days with only one sailing. As if I wasn't lucky enough, the winds that prevented further sailings were constant full-of-promise north westerlies throughout my stay.

There were no spectacular falls of migrants as there had been earlier in the month but there was a sense of expectation and an obvious daily turnover of birds. Ultimately I was very satisfied with 76 species seen at this time of year and though the total recorded by all the birders out there was higher I think Japanese Quail was the only notable bird I missed. Unlike earlier in the month when I managed to miss the Hair-crested Drongo; I'm not going to forget that in a hurry.

Because I have so many interesting images of so many birds I'll post separately for some family groups such as buntings, finches and so on, and I'll deal with some of the oddities and the total species list here.

One of the hardest birds to catch up with was a Northern Shrike which was found at the southern tip of the island one morning. The majority of birders/photographers were keen to see it so naturally the rest of the island wasn't getting much coverage so I decided my time might be better spent trying to find what else might have arrived overnight. 

As luck would have it, I was the next person to see the bird after the finder, it having moved right up to the northern tip of the island. I sent a message to the crowd down south not that I held out much hope of it sitting around waiting for them. Remarkably the bird did stay, in fact it remained as if glued to the perch until the lead birder of the now strung-out pack hove into view. Just as he rounded a bend through the last of the houses the bird took flight not to be seen again that morning. You have to be sympathetic, don't you? Really, we've all been on the receiving end at one time or another, but I confess there was a funny side I needed to suppress as the stragglers continued to trickle in. 

By evening it was back in its original area, it may have been there the whole day as far as anyone knows as it rarely showed itself even when it was definitely in that location. It was still there the following morning too though I don't know whether it was seen subsequently apart from a report that it had been spotted briefly at the northern end again.

Northern Shrike spotted from the corner of my eye while watching Crossbills.

One rarity often leads to another as more pairs of eyes gather in one area. Late afternoon I received a message that a Great Bittern had been found, seemingly tired and going to roost, in a pine tree near the Shrike spot. This was an island tick for me, and my third bittern species on the island.

It's never easy to judge the health of migrant bitterns, they can be so tame and/or in odd settings, but presumably this bird was merely tired after its flight and in need of any place to roost. I believe it wasn't seen the following morning.   

One of the most outstanding memories I'll take away from this trip was Sadogashima! Yes, a different island. In all the years I've been going to Hegurajima I have never seen this 'neighbouring' island which I'd guess to be about 130km to the west, almost double the distance to the Noto Peninsular. After about an hour it had disappeared from the horizon so I'm really glad I took a couple of record shots...

Sadogashima from the northern tip of Hegurajima.

The cropped version, this is definitely an island. 

Apart from the mysteriously appearing island another highlight of the trip was the number of Siberian Accentors. For a long, long time this was a major bogey bird for me. Birders would tell me how vocal they were and that I couldn't possibly miss them. Well that may be but the fact is you can't see or hear something that isn't on the island and for some strange reason our paths simply never crossed, the timing was never right. The classic bogey bird, this went on for years... wait, this went on for (2) decades.

This time I was getting the kind of Accentor experience others must have been familiar with, the kind that led to disbelief that it was possible for a regular visitor never to have seen one. There were about three birds along the north west coastal path when I arrived and another a little further south, these birds duly left during my stay left but on the final day were replaced by about five new arrivals along the same stretch of coastal path. 

I also heard their distinctive call several times, but it was only distinctive because I already knew the Accentors were producing the sound. If I hadn't known there were Accentors present would I have realized that was their call or even that of a bird?! Might I not rather have passed it off as an unfamiliar singing cricket? 

Another bird I'd often unaccountably(?) missed in the past is Eurasian Wren. Not so this time, they were flitting about left and right, quite where they had arrived from, or were heading, I have no idea.

Eurasian Wren, great little birds giving great views for once.

If this post has been a bit of a mixed bag, this Grey-streaked Flycatcher will fit right in. A common enough species on migration but full juvenile plumage is a rare sighting in Japan, and on top of that 29 Oct is getting late for any Grey-streaked.

Juvenile Grey-streaked Flycatcher

A couple more Hegura regulars that I feel I never post images of are Rook and Eurasian Sparrowhawk, so I'll set that right now. Most of the Rooks I see on the island are immatures that are always worth checking for Carrion Crow, a much bigger prize, but this one is an obvious adult. Sparrowhawks are the commonest accipiters out there but I also saw a Japanese Sparrowhawk and a Northern Goshawk was also seen.

 

Rook

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Full list of species:-

Mandarin Duck                                                            Brown-eared Bulbul

Mallard                                                                         Japanese Bush Warbler

Eastern Spot-billed Duck                                             Black-browed Reed Warbler

Eurasian Teal                                                                Yellow-browed Leaf Warbler

Tufted Duck                                                                 Warbling White-eye

Streaked Shearwater                                                    Goldcrest

Little Grebe                                                                  Eurasian Wren

Great Bittern                                                                White-cheeked Starling

Grey Heron                                                                  Common Starling

Great White Egret                                                        Eyebrowed Thrush

Pacific Reef Egret                                                        Pale Thrush

Great Cormorant                                                          Naumann's Thrush

Temminck's Cormorant                                                Dusky Thrush

Merlin                                                                          Red-flanked Bluetail

Peregrine                                                                      Daurian Redstart

Black Kite                                                                    Stejneger's Stonechat

Japanese Sparrowhawk                                                Blue Rock Thrush

Eurasian Sparrowhawk                                                 Grey-streaked Flycatcher

Northern Lapwing                                                        Siberian Accentor 

Common Sandpiper                                                      Grey Wagtail

Black-tailed Gull                                                           White Wagtail

Slaty-backed Gull                                                          Tree Pipit

Black Woodpigeon                                                        Olive-backed Pipit

Oriental Turtle Dove                                                      Red-throated Pipit

Common Kingfisher                                                      Buff-bellied Pipit

Bull-headed Shrike                                                        Brambling

Northern Shrike                                                             Oriental Greenfinch

Rook                                                                               Eurasian Siskin

Large-billed Crow                                                          Common Redpoll

Bohemian Waxwing                                                       Long-tailed Rosefinch

Japanese Waxwing                                                         Common Crossbill

Eastern Great Tit                                                            Hawfinch

Skylark                                                                           Japanese Grosbeak

                                            Chestnut-eared Bunting

                                            Little Bunting

                                            Rustic Bunting

                                            Yellow-throated Bunting

                                            Black-faced Bunting

                                            Grey Bunting

                                            Pallas's Reed Bunting

                                            Japanese Reed Bunting

                                            Common Reed Bunting

                                            Lapland Bunting

  

A few early winter birds at Ogura

I didn't get down to Mukaijima station until 10am, a really lazy start, but my main target today was to check out the autumn White Wagtails. More of that later. Just outside the station, coffee in hand I found the first winter bird, a male Daurian Redstart.

Daurians are usually one of the first winter visitors to arrive and I expect to get my first between the 16th and 20th so this one's par. No soon had I left it than I noticed a distant Eurasian Kestrel across the fields cutting through a swarm of Red-rumped Swallows but much closer an accipiter was gliding between the high school and station. No doubt a Eurasian Sparrowhawk... but no, when I got the bins on it there was my first Northern Goshawk of the winter. It landed briefly on a pylon but three Large-billed Crows soon put it to flight again. Though against the sun, I managed a few poor shots as the Crows swooped at it and as I followed it there was suddenly a Northern Sparrowhawk along side. No sooner had it claimed my attention than an Eastern Buzzard drifted into the frame. I was thinking I may as well go home, it was hardly likely to get better than this! Raptor migration here is mainly in September when large numbers of Grey-faced Buzzards and Oriental Honey Buzzards pass through but October sees the arrival of species that can be anticipated throughout winter. Even if these individuals may be headed further south.

Textbook stuff, no doubt about this ID...

... and the perfect comparison.

My first local Eastern Buzzard of the season.

While none of these birds was much of a surprise a Rook most ceratinly was. I often get my first Rook on Hegurajima at about this time but it's normally much later before any filter down to Kyoto.

Carrion Crow, a year round bird out on the fields here. 

An adult Rook, by far the biggest surprise of the day.

Coming back to birds of prey, I was able to get much better views of the/a Kestrel later. Now that they breed in the area it's no surprise to see them at Ogura at this time of year, not that it was necessarily a local bird. While Black Kites are a fixture.

I always think that habitually hovering birds are continental migrants as the local birds almost always chase down birds Merlin-style. Note the single adult male feather in the tail as well as a little grey in the rump.

Black Kite is a bird that will always be cruising the fields at Ogura.

accipiters

I've never heard of Chinese Sparrowhawk in the region but as they are recorded migrating south over Cape Irago they are obviously passing into Mie and hence necessarily through the region, albeit in small numbers. So it's something people need to be aware of but not to expect.

Japanese Sparrowhawk breeds in the forested hills of the region. It's probably reasonable common but sightings are unpredictable. They are far more conspicuous on migration than in continuous mountain breeding habitat and it's even possible to see them in city parks or along major river systems.

Flight shots of an October migrant on Hegurajima.

Seeing one dash by in woodland is one thing, but finding them perched requires even more luck.

 
Eurasian Sparrowhawk can be equally difficult to find in summer but in winter they also move into open country and are far more easily seen. I'll often come across one at Ogura or around Lake Biwa, hunting along hedges, riverside trees or even across open fields.

A spring migrant on Mishima, Yamaguchi.

A typical winter bird sitting in riverside trees at Ogura.

Another island migrant, this time on Hegurajima in Ocober.

Goshawk is also a common winter hawk, often seen in open country, much as Eurasian Sparrowhawk, and they are frequent in the Ogura area. While Eurasian Sparrowhawk is something I often see on islands during migration, Goshawk seems less common out there.

Adult and juvenile Goshawks on a misty winter's morning along the Uji River at Ogura.