Wajima, Japan 10th October 2009

10/10/09 Walked a circuitous route around the river valley to the east of Wajima before again looking along the main river. Took a shared taxi to Noto Airport where we departed at 16.05 arriving Haneda at 17.10. Took the limousine bus to Narita where we stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn before our following morning departure for London Heathrow.

Juvenile Black-eared Kite over the river valley east of Wajima

Adult Little Egret along the main river in Wajima

Temple in Wajima

River valley to the east of Wajima with Wajima Harbour in the background

Species noted:

Japanese Green Pheasant 1 male

Japanese Cormorant 12

Little Egret 1

Black-eared Kite 25

Black-tailed Gull 25

Grey Wagtail 1

Japanese Wagtail 4

Blue Rock Thrush 2

Bull-headed Shrike 2

Tree Sparrow 15

Meadow Bunting 5

Wajima, Japan 9th October 2009

9/10/09 Walked to the Lighthouse Point in Wajima for shortly after dawn but disappointingly there were no seabirds moving in the calm conditions. Walked the river valley to the east of Wajima into the forest before again trying the harbour and river area.

Adult Brown Dipper in the river valley to the east of Wajima

Adult Japanese Wagtail in the river valley to the east of Wajima

Species noted:

Japanese Cormorant 12

Little Egret 3

Great Egret 2

Mandarin Duck 40

Teal 1

Spot-billed Duck 4

Black-eared Kite 40

Black-headed Gull 1

Vega Gull 2

Common Kingfisher 1

Red-rumped Swallow 12

Grey Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 2

Japanese Wagtail 6

Brown-eared Bulbul 5

Brown Dipper 1

Blue Rock Thrush 2

Long-tailed Tit 25

Varied Tit 1

Bull-headed Shrike 1

Carrion Crow 2

Large-billed Crow 8

Tree Sparrow 15

Meadow Bunting 8

Wajima, Japan 8th October 2009

8/10/09 Typhoon No. 18 duly arrived with hurricane-force northeasterly winds and driving rain. Some spectacular waves were lashing the coast visible from our Hotel. We stayed indoors until the weather improved slightly late afternoon so we made the short walk to the main river in case any storm-blown birds might be sheltering there.

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 5
Japanese Cormorant 12
White-fronted Goose 4
Mandarin Duck 10
Wigeon 1
Teal 1
Mallard 20
Black-eared Kite 20
Black-headed Gull 40
Vega Gull 20
Blue Rock Thrush 1
Carrion Crow 2
Tree Sparrow 5

Wajima, Japan 7th October 2009

7/10/09 Walked to Wajima Park and into the river valley to the east in increasingly threatening weather conditions. Spent a while checking the Gulls in the Harbour area. Met Mari who advised us that her parents were closing Minshuku Hakuto-en due to the typhoon and that she would book us into a safe modern Hotel on the seafront.

Juvenile moulting into first-winter Black-headed Gull at Wajima. In first-winter plumage the larger and proportionately longer-winged form involved sibiricus generally has a paler and weaker carpal bar and a narrower and often less clear tail-bar than ridibundis (Olsen&Larsson).

First-winter (foreground and two in background) and second-winter (middle) Black-tailed Gulls at Wajima

First-winter Black-tailed Gull at Wajima

Second-winter Black-tailed Gulls at Wajima

Third-winter Black-tailed Gull at Wajima

Juvenile Slaty-backed Gull at Wajima

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 5

Japanese Cormorant 12

Black-eared Kite 50

Black-headed Gull 4

Slaty-backed Gull 1 juvenile

Rock Dove 10

Black-backed Wagtail 1

Japanese Wagtail 2

Brown-eared Bulbul 5

Blue Rock Thrush 2

Eastern Great Tit 4

Japanese White-eye 3

Bull-headed Shrike 1

Jay 2

Carrion Crow 20

Large-billed Crow 2

Tree Sparrow 20

Meadow Bunting 5

Hegura-jima, Japan 6th October 2009

6/10/09 Overcast with a N2 breeze at dawn. No sign of any new arrivals until mid-morning when suddenly there were seemingly migrants everywhere including our first Daurian Redstart and 4 Rustic Buntings of the trip. Unfortunately we had to leave Heagura-jima due to the imminent arrival of Typhoon No.18 fast approaching southern Japan. Booked into Minshuku Hakuto-en in Wajima.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher along the Central Track

personata Black-faced Bunting along the Central Track

Leaving our hosts at Minshuku Tsuki


Minshuku Tsuki boarded-up awaiting Typhoon No. 18


The fish factory closed for Typhoon No.18

Leaving Hegura-jima behind

Streaked Shearwater between Hegura-jima and Wajima

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 200

Japanese Cormorant 12 at Wajima

Great Egret 2

Grey Heron 4

Mandarin Duck 17

Wigeon 3

Teal 2

Mallard 6

Spot-billed Duck 3

Black-eared Kite 15

Sparrowhawk 1

Pacific Golden Plover 1

Snipe h

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Vega Gull 1

Slaty-backed Gull 2

Oriental Turtle Dove 3

Richard's Pipit 1

Olive-backed Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 2

Grey Wagtail 2

Black-backed Wagtail 20

Brown-eared Bulbul 1

Daurian Redstart 1 male

Siberian Stonechat 3

Blue Rock Thrush 10

Pale Thrush 15

Dusky Thrush 2

Japanese Bush Warbler 10

Arctic Warbler 12

Yellow-browed Warbler 2

Dusky Warbler 1

Grey-streaked Flycatcher 2

Brown Flycatcher 1

Chestnut-flanked White-eye 1

Bull-headed Shrike 1

Large-billed Crow 4

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 112

Oriental Greenfinch 20

Black-faced Bunting 15

Rustic Bunting 4

Little Bunting 5

Reed Bunting 1

Hegura-jima, Japan 5th October 2009

5/10/09 Calm and overcast at dawn but soon cleared to become sunny and hot. Early morning revealed the Red-headed Bunting and Whinchat were still present and 3 Lapwings arrived from the west. We found a Wryneck and a Radde's Warbler was calling and singing occasionally nearby. A new Richard's Pipit was present along the western shore and a Yellow-breasted Bunting was found nearby.

Lapwings arriving over the western shore

Juvenile Grey-tailed Tattler near the northern shrine

First-winter male stejnegeri Siberian Stonechat near the Dragon's Pool

Adult male eclipse Wigeon on the Dragon's Pool

Wryneck along the western perimeter track

Female Yellow-throated Bunting along the Southern Central Track

Black-backed Wagtail along the western shore

First-winter male Yellow-breasted Bunting on the south western beach

Juvenile Far Eastern Curlew on the south western beach

Seaweed drying near the southernmost point

Shrine near the Dragon's Pool

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit near the northern Shrine

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 1

Japanese Cormorant 1

Eastern Reef Egret 1

Grey Heron 6

Mandarin Duck 23

Wigeon 3

Teal 1

Mallard 2

Black-eared Kite 5

Peregrine 1

Lapwing 3

Snipe 2

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Grey-tailed Tattler 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Slaty-backed Gull 1

Japanese Woodpigeon 1

Rufous Turtle Dove 5

Little Cuckoo 1

Wryneck 1

Richard's Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 2

Grey Wagtail 2

Black-backed Wagtail 20

Siberian Stonechat 3

Whinchat 1

Blue Rock Thrush 10

Pale Thrush 5

Dusky Thrush 1

Japanese Bush Warbler 15

Middendorff's Warbler 1

Oriental Great Reed Warbler 2

Arctic Warbler 3

Yellow-browed Warbler 2

Radde's Warbler h singing!

Large-billed Crow 4

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 53

Oriental Greenfinch 20

Lapland Bunting 3

Black-faced Bunting 20

Yellow-throated Bunting 4

Little Bunting 5

Red-headed Bunting 1

Hegura-jima, Japan 4th October 2009

4/10/09 Awoke to WSW 4 with rain at dawn but soon sunny although the strong wind persisted keeping the temperature down. Storms arrived at 3pm that persisted until 5pm with heavy cloudbursts and SW5-6 winds. Identified from photographs and then relocated a Red-headed Bunting near the Dragon's Pool. Found a Pallas's Leaf Warbler at midday and and Amur Falcon along with a Hobby, Kestrel and Peregrine late afternoon.

Lapland Bunting and first-winter Red-headed Bunting feeding together along the western shore

First-winter Red-headed Bunting along the western shore

Rocky headland near the Dragon's Pool along the western shore

The Hegura-jima ferry

Female Yellow-throated Bunting along the Central Track

First-winter male Blue-and-white Flycatcher near the Lighthouse

Pallas's Leaf Warbler along the Central Track

Adult female Tristram's Bunting along the Central Track

Monarch-like Butterfly near the NTT Tower

Adult female Amur Falcon over the School Field

Lighthouse under threatening skies

Juvenile Slaty-backed Gull in the sheltered harbour

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 5

Japanese Cormorant 3

Great Egret 1

Grey Heron 6

Mandarin Duck 10

Wigeon 1

Teal 1

Mallard 1

Black-eared Kite 5

Sparrowhawk 1

Kestrel 1

Amur Falcon 1

Hobby 1

Peregrine 2

Common Snipe 1

Far Eastern Curlew 1

Black-tailed Gull 100

Slaty-backed Gull 1

Rufous Turtle Dove 3

Richard's Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 3

Grey Wagtail 7

Black-backed Wagtail 20

Brown-eared Bulbul 1

Blue Rock Thrush 6

Pale Thrush 5

Japanese Bush Warbler 5

Arctic Warbler 5

Pallas's Leaf Warbler 1

Blue-and-white Flycatcher 1

Grey-streaked Flycatcher 1

Narcissus Flycatcher 1

Large-billed Crow 4

Starling sp. 1

Brambling 25

Oriental Greenfinch 20

Siskin 1

Lapland Bunting 1

Black-faced Bunting 6

Yellow-throated Bunting 2

Tristram's Bunting 1

Red-headed Bunting 1