14th October 2012 Hegura-jima NE1

We awoke to a NE1 breeze that switched to S2 as the day went on. Our early morning walk didn't produce anything new and there was a general reduction in numbers of migrants present with few Thrushes on the tracks. A morning walk to Tsukasa added 3 Yellow-browed Warblers and a male Siberian Rubythroat. A check of the earth field yielded 2 Red-flanked Bluetails and a Taiga Flycatcher. Walking to the SW produced an arrival of raptors with an Eastern Buzzard, a juvenile Black-eared Kite, a couple of juvenile Peregrines and a Merlin all new to the island. A pair of adult Peregrines were watched chasing down a Mandarin into the sea off the SW beach. The afternoon produced further views of the Taiga Flycatcher, a Swinhoe's Snipe seen in flight at the earth field, another Yellow-browed Warbler and a/the male Siberian Rubythroat at Tsukasa.

Greater Cormorant 1
Japanese Cormorant 2
Grey Heron 4
Mandarin Duck 1
Teal 1
Mallard 3
Black-eared Kite 2
Eastern Buzzard 1 ex.
Sparrowhawk 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine 4
Coot 1
Swinhoe's Snipe 1
Black-headed Gull 2
Black-tailed Gull 200
Vega Gull 1
Slaty-backed Gull 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 3
Skylark 3
Olive-backed Pipit 3
Black-backed Wagtail 10
Brown-eared Bulbul 6
Siberian Rubythroat 1 male
Red-flanked Bluetail 3
Daurian Redstart 6
Stejneger's Stonechat 5
Blue Rock Thrush 5
Japanese Grey Thrush 1 female
Pale Thrush 5
Eye-browed Thrush 2
Dusky Thrush 60
Naumann's Thrush 2
Japanese Bush Warbler 6
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 1
Arctic Warbler 1
Pallas's Leaf Warbler 1
Yellow-browed Warbler 4
Goldcrest 50
Taiga Flycatcher 1
Japanese White-eye 20
Large-billed Crow 2
Brambling 40
Oriental Greenfinch 15
Siskin 50
Bullfinch 1 female
Japanese Grosbeak 4
Hawfinch 50
Masked Bunting 10
Pine Bunting 1
Elegant Bunting 20
Rustic Bunting 12
Little Bunting 1
Reed Bunting 3

Yellow-browed Warbler at Tsukasa

a very grey-crowned individual

Red-flanked Bluetail at the earth field

Female Daurian Redstart at the earth field

Black-eared Kites had doubled in number!

Eastern Buzzard at Middendorff's Marsh

East to see why Rough-legged Buzzard is considered a confusion species

Hawfinches over the Central Track

First-winter Siberian Black-headed Gull in the Harbour

First-winter Black-backed Wagtail at the harbour

Taiga Flycatcher at the earth fiel

Goldcrest at Tsukasa