1st October 2012 Hegura-jima NW4 Overcast

A very windy night as the typhoon passed that gave way to a dry dawn with a stiff NW4 wind. We walked the harbour park, school field and Dragon's Pool before breakfast seeing migrants mainly consisting of species seen the previous day but with many species being present in larger numbers. After breakfast we joined a ringer seeing several Pacific Warblers in the hand as well as Dusky and Eye-browed Thrushes. We then walked the SW beach and enclosures, then an earth field near the Antenna Marsh and the Central Track before lunch. Early afternoon we visited Tsukasa and then the Antenna Marsh before again trying the SW. The first Slaty-backed Gull had arrived in the harbour where 3 Common Terns were seen briefly before flying off west over the island. Oriental Cuckoos reached their daily peak of 8, we saw our first Pacific Swift, a Common Kingfisher flew along the Central Track, a Wryneck was found near the Dragon's Pool, an adult Japanese Waxwing was found feeding amongst Dusky Thrushes on berries along the west coast, Eye-browed Thrushes reached their daily peak of 50, we found a Naumann's Thrush feeding alongside Dusky Thrushes on the earth field, an impressive 4 yakutensis Willow Warblers on the SW beach, the first Goldcrests and Japanese White-eyes arrived, 3 Brown Shrikes were found, 25 Hawfinches were present and an arrival of Buntings was especially evident finding 15 Littles, a Yellow-breasted, 2 Chestnut-eared and 3 Pine. At dusk we heard a Gray's Grasshopper Warbler singing from dense bamboo opposite the Doctor's surgery and playback yielded some brief tantalising views before dark.

Streaked Shearwater 50
Great Egret 1
Grey Heron 5
Mandarin Duck 4
Teal 3
Mallard 2
Shoveler 1
Osprey 1
Black-eared Kite 1
Peregrine 1
Woodcock 1
Snipe 2
Common Sandpiper 1
Black-tailed Gull 100
Slaty-backed Gull 1
Common Tern 3
Japanese Woodpigeon 2
Rufous Turtle Dove 7
Oriental Cuckoo 8
Pacific Swift 1
Common Kingfisher 1
Wryneck 1
Skylark 1
Grey Wagtail 8
Black-backed Wagtail 15
Brown-eared Bulbul 8
Japanese Waxwing 1
Siberian Stonechat 5
Blue Rock Thrush 8
Pale Thrush 3
Eye-browed Thrush 50
Dusky Thrush 100
Naumann's Thrush 1
Japanse Bush Warbler 3 +h
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 1
Gray's Grasshopper Warbler 1 singing in evening
Black-browed Reed Warbler 1
Arctic Warbler 25
Pacific Warbler 3
Willow Warbler 4 yakutensis
Goldcrest 7
Blue-and-white Flycatcher 3
Grey-streaked Flycatcher 25
Brown Flycatcher 2
Japanese White-eye 18
Brown Shrike 3
Large-billed Crow 2
Brambling 40
Oriental Greenfinch 20
Siskin 40
Hawfinch 25
Masked Bunting 20
Pine Bunting 3
Chestnut-eared Bunting 2
Little Bunting 15
Yellow-breasted Bunting 1

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

Dragonfly near the Lighthouse

Pacific Warbler P. xanthodryas in the hand on Hegura-jima

Arctic Warbler in the hand on Hegura-jima

Eye-browed Thrush in the hand on Hegura-jima

Osprey along the west shore

Willow Warblers of the form P.t. yakutensis on the SW beach

Japanese Clouded Yellow on the SW beach

Siskin along the Central Track

Willow Warbler of the form P.t. yakutensis along the Central Track

Male Blue Rock Thrush M.s. philippensis at the Harbour Park

Yellow-breasted and two Little Buntings at the Statue

First-winter/female Yellow-breasted Bunting at the Statue

Masked Bunting at Tsukasa

Male Pine Bunting at Tsukasa

Female/first-winter Pine Buntings at Tsukasa

Chestnut-eared Bunting at Tsukasa

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler at Tsukasa

Juvenile Slaty-backed Gull at Tsukasa

Grey-streaked Flycatcher at Tsukasa

Grey-streaked Flycatcher at the earth field

Stejneger's Stonechat at the earth field

Eye-browed Thrush at the earth field

Brown Shrike along the West Shore

Japanese Waxwing near the Dragon's Pool