Thursday, 22 October 2009

Hegura-jima, Japan 23rd September 2009

23/9/09 Out by 4am looking unsuccessfully for Owls for an hour before dawn. Classic conditions being NW1-2 with heavy cloud and light rain from dawn to 11am that prompted an arrival of 475 Eye-browed Thrushes in flocks spiralling out of the sky at the southwest end of the island and a good southward passage of 115 Grey Wagtails and 50 'White' Wagtails and a couple of small flocks of Little Buntings. It then remained cloudy until 1pm by which time the wind had swung round to E2. By late afternoon it was sunny and calm. With many birds arriving mid-morning it was no surprise many species were seen for the first time during the trip including Common Kestrel, Pacific Golden Plover, Richard's Pipit, Siberian Stonechat, White's Thrush, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Oriental Great Reed Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese White-eye, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, White-cheeked Starling and Reed Bunting. Grey-streaked Flycatchers reached their trip peak of 7. We saw the Wood Warbler for the last time.

A dawn encounter with a juvenile Lesser Cuckoo at the School


Adult winter Black-tailed Gull at Tsuki
The south west end of the Central track where many birds were seen arriving today
First-winter personata Black-faced Bunting at the south west end of the island
Oriental Great Reed Warbler at the south west end of the island
Adult Black-browed Reed Warbler at the south west end of the island

Fisherman off the south west end of the island
Grassy plain along the south west of the island
White's Thrush near the Observation Platform
Adult White-cheeked Starling at the School field

Near the north shrine
Butterfly resembling a Painted Lady Butterfly on Hegura
The Central track on Hegura-jima
Common Kestrel near the NTT tower

Our final encounter with the Wood Warbler near the NTT tower


Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 10
Japanese Cormorant 1
Eastern Reef Egret 1
Grey Heron 4
Teal 1
Black-eared Kite 4
Kestrel 1
Peregrine 1
Pacific Golden Plover 1
Snipe sp. 3
Common Sandpier 1
Grey-tailed Tattler 4
Black-tailed Gull 100
Vega Gull 3
Japanese Woodpigeon 1
Rufous Turtle Dove 7
Little Cuckoo 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Richard's Pipit 1
Grey Wagtail 115
Black-backed Wagtail 50
Siberian Stonechat 1
Blue Rock Thrush 20
White's Thrush 2
Eye-browed Thrush 475
Japanese Bush Warbler 10
Middendorff's Warbler 2
Black-browed Reed Warbler 1
Oriental Great Reed Warbler 1
Arctic Warbler 10
Wood Warbler 1
Grey-streaked Flycatcher 7
Brown Flycatcher 3
Chestnut-flanked White-eye 1
Japanese White-eye 2
Large-billed Crow 2
White-cheeked Starling 1
Oriental Greenfinch 20
Chinese Grosbeak 2
Black-faced Bunting 6
Little Bunting 14
Reed Bunting 1