Hegura-jima, Japan 24th October 2010

24^th October 2010: Heavily overcast skies that persisted all day with a S1 breeze and light rain from 3.30pm. The early morning produced our only Woodcock of our trip walking along a path near the NTT tower, a male Red-flanked Bluetail and a Yellow-browed Warbler. The morning revealed that the Naumann’s Thrush was still present and a flock of 11 Bewick’s Swans flew east past the south end of the island and 8 Japanese Grosbeaks and 2 Japanese Grey Thrushes proved our maximum daily count of those species. A Meadow Bunting was a surprise find at Tsukasa where we successfully twitched a first-winter Mugimaki Flycatcher performing alongside the Minshuku there. A Pine Bunting that was found near the harbour just prior to the ferry’s departure delighted departing birders including Kobutomashi. On the onset of rain the Observation Platform produced a pair of Grey Buntings, a Great and Coal Tit – all new species for our trip.

Red-flanked Bluetail along the Central Track

Goldcrest along Central Track

Daurian Redstart in the Southwest Enclosures

Mugimaki Flycatcher at Tsukasa

Yellow-browed Warbler at Tsukasa

Coal Tit at the Drinking Pool

Japanese Grey Thrush at the Drinking Pool

Pale Thrush at the Drinking Pool

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 20

Cormorant 3

Eastern Reef Egret 1

Bewick's Swan 11

Mandarin Duck 4

Teal 2

Mallard 2

Spot-billed Duck 2

Pintail 1

Black-eared Kite 3

Japanese Sparrowhawk 1

Sparrowhawk 2

Merlin 1

Peregrine 2

Woodcock 1

Black-tailed Gull 50

Slaty-backed Gull 1

Rufous Turtle Dove 5

Japanese Green Pigeon 5

Skylark 5

Olive-backed Pipit 3

Red-throated Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 15

Yellow Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 2

Brown-eared Bulbul 3

Red-flanked Bluetail 1 male 3 female

Daurian Redstart 35

Siberian Stonechat 1

Blue Rock Thrush 4

Japanese Grey Thrush 2 female

Pale Thrush 40

Eye-browed Thrush 2

Dusky Thrush 20

Naumann's Thrush 1

Japanese Bush Warbler 10

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 1

Arctic Warbler 8

Yellow-browed Warbler 2

Goldcrest 30

Mugimaki Flycatcher 1

Coal Tit 1

Great Tit 1

Japanese White-eye 30

Eastern Rook 6

Large-billed Crow 4

Brambling 80

Oriental Greenfinch 10

Siskin 300

Japanese Grosbeak 8

Hawfinch 3

Grey Bunting 2

Black-faced Bunting 4

Pine Bunting 1

Meadow Bunting 1

Elegant Bunting 30

Rustic Bunting 15

Little Bunting 1

Reed Bunting 5

Hegura-jima, Japan 23rd October 2010

23/10/10: A beautiful sunrise with an E1 breeze. The early morning produced our first Wren and Eye-browed Thrush of the trip and another White’s Thrush. The Radde’s Warbler and Daurian Jackdaw were also seen. Rob Edmunds arrived on the ferry but despite touring the island with him in hot and sunny conditions annoyingly we couldn’t relocate the Daurian Jackdaw that would have proved a new species for him. We did enjoy our only Pelagic Cormorant of our trip and a newly arrived Yellow-browed Warbler at the School Field and our last Blue-and-white Flycatcher. We said farewell to Rob and whilst again photographing the Naumann’s Thrush the Goosander put in another appearance. Finally we again saw the male Siberian Rubythroat making the most of the evening sunshine near the southern shrine.

Pale Thrush near the Lighthouse

Naumann's Thrush at the southwest beach

Yellow-browed Warbler at the School Field

Brown-eared Bulbul along the Central Track

Japanese White-eyes along the Central Track

Male Daurian Redstart

Arctic Warbler at Tsukasa Fields

Red-throated Pipit at Tsukasa Fields

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 50

Cormorant 6

Pelagic Cormorant 1

Grey Heron 3

Goosander 1

Wigeon 1

Teal 3

Mallard 1

Spot-billed Duck 1

Pintail 1

Black-eared Kite 4

Sparrowhawk 4

Peregrine 2

Black-tailed Gull 75

Vega Gull 2

Slaty-backed Gull 5

Feral Pigeon 1

Rufous Turtle Dove 6

Japanese Green Pigeon 2

Skylark 6

Olive-backed Pipit 3

Red-throated Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 15

Eastern Yellow Wagtail 1

Grey Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 5

Brown-eared Bulbul 3

Siberian Rubythroat 1 male

Red-flanked Bluetail 1 female

Daurian Redstart 50

Siberian Stonechat 2

Blue Rock Thrush 4

White's Thrush 1

Pale Thrush 30

Eye-browed Thrush 5

Dusky Thrush 25

Naumann's Thrush 1

Japanese Bush Warbler 10

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 1

Arctic Warbler 6

Yellow-browed Warbler 1

Radde's Warbler 1

Goldcrest 30

Wren 1

Blue-and-white Flycatcher 1

Japanese White-eye 60

Eastern Rook 6

Large-billed Crow 4

Daurian Jackdaw 1

White-cheeked Starling 1

Brambling 50

Oriental Greenfinch 5

Siskin 200

Japanese Grosbeak 1

Hawfinch 4

Black-faced Bunting 4

Chestnut-eared Bunting 1

Elegant Bunting 30

Rustic Bunting 15

Reed Bunting 5

Hegura-jima, Japan 22nd October 2010

22/10/10: An East 2 breeze veered to N1 and then calm. High clouds were present at dawn but soon cleared so it was hot over midday. Another early morning arrival of Thrushes was witnessed (including 50 Pale Thrushes that proved our maximum daily count of the species) and there were some high-flying flocks of White-Eyes. Finding an early morning White’s Thrush heralded another good day and a Lapland Bunting on the rocky headland behind the Dragon’s Pool was a reminder of the Beachy Head Autumn we had left behind. Whilst returning to the Minshuku for breakfast we saw a small Corvid arriving in off the sea over the harbour before disappearing over the pines heading towards the south of the isle. After breakfast we headed south west and found a juvenile Daurian Jackdaw had joined a Rook on the beach there and were sharing the beach with the Naumann’s Thrush that now proved far more obliging. We flushed a Pine Bunting from the School field and both the Siberian Buff-bellied Pipits and a Red-throated Pipit performed much better at Tsukasa. We met Asani-san at the Tower, where, whilst we watched a Radde’s Warbler that he had just found he picked out a Pallas’s Leaf Warbler that showed briefly to us amongst the Goldcrest flock there. Good numbers of migrants were seen down south in the late afternoon with a new Chestnut-eared Bunting, a male Siberian Rubythroat and a male Red-flanked Bluetail the best.

Spot-billed Duck and Mallard on the Dragon's Pool

Sparrowhawk over the Southwestern Enclosures

Daurian Jackdaw on the southwestern beach

Masked Bunting and spodocephala Black-faced Bunting in the southwestern enclosures

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit at Tsukasa Fields

Red-throated Pipit at Tsukasa Fields

Masked Bunting at Tsukasa Fields

Dusky Thrush at Tsukasa Fields

Radde's Warbler near the Lighthouse

Bramblings along the western shore

Species noted:

Streaked Shearwater 150

Cormorant 2

Eastern Reef Egret 2

Great Egret 1

Grey Heron 3

Mandarin Duck 2

Teal 1

Mallard 1

Spot-billed Duck 1

Black-eared Kite 2

Sparrowhawk 3

Peregrine 1

Black-tailed Gull 50

Slaty-backed Gull 2

Rufous Turtle Dove 6

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Skylark 6

Olive-backed Pipit 3

Red-throated Pipit 1

Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 15

Eastern Yellow Wagtail 1

Grey Wagtail 2

Amur Wagtail 1

Black-backed Wagtail 4

Brown-eared Bulbul 3

Siberian Rubythroat 1 male

Red-flanked Bluetail 1 male 3 female

Daurian Redstart 50

Blue Rock Thrush 2

White's Thrush 1

Pale Thrush 50

Dusky Thrush 60

Naumann's Thrush 1

Japanese Bush Warbler 20

Arctic Warbler 8

Pallas's Leaf Warbler 1

Radde's Warbler 1

Goldcrest 30

Japanese White-eye 80

Eastern Rook 10

Large-billed Crow 4

Daurian Jackdaw 1

White-cheeked Starling 3

Brambling 50

Oriental Greenfinch 10

Siskin 250

Mealy Redpoll 2

Japanese Grosbeak 2

Hawfinch 6

Black-faced Bunting spodocephala 2

Masked Bunting 6

Pine Bunting 1

Chestnut-eared Bunting 1

Elegant Bunting 30

Rustic Bunting 20

Reed Bunting 6

Lapland Bunting 1