29th September 2012 Hegura-jima WSW2 Partly Overcast

We awoke to a partly overcast dawn with a light WSW2 breeze. Caught the 9am ferry to Hegura-jima that was accompanied by plenty of Streaked Shearwaters enjoying the wake. We were immediately greeted to Hegura-jima at the Harbour Park by a juvenile Japanese Waxwing proving a very promising start! Migrants were conspicuous with a number of Flycatchers present on the telegraph wires. It was very hot and sunny over midday. We walked the School Field, the drinking pool, the Central Track to the southern tip and temple garden, the SW beach, SW enclosures and north to the Dragon's Pool. We briefly returned to the Mishuku and then to Tsukasa Fields for the evening. A good array of migrants were present on the island including our only Sand Martin of our visit, an Olive-backed Pipit, Grey and Black-backed Wagtails, Siberian Stonechats, a few Eye-browed and Dusky Thrushes, two Middendorff's Grasshopper Warblers, a Black-browed Reed Warbler, 10 Arctic Warblers and a Pacific Warbler, Grey-streaked and Brown Flycatchers and a couple of Little Buntings. We also found a rare migrant in the form of a Greater Short-toed Lark on the SW beach.

Streaked Shearwater 80+
Great Egret 1
Grey Heron 6 Wajima, 6 Hegura
Teal 3
Mallard 1
Spot-billed Duck 1
Pintail 2
Shoveler 1
Black-eared Kite 50 Wajima, 1 Hegura
Snipe 1
Grey-tailed Tattler 1
Black-headed Gull 3 Wajima
Black-tailed Gull 400 Wajima, 300 Hegura
Feral Pigeon 5 Wajima
Japanese Woodpigeon 1
Greater Short-toed Lark 1 that sported a warm rufous was across its breast so was probably of the form dukhunensis.
Skylark 1
Sand Martin 1
Olive-backed Pipit 1
Grey Wagtail 6
Black-backed Wagtail 20
Brown-eared Bulbul 1
Japanese Waxwing 1 juvenile
Siberian Stonechat 2
Blue Rock Thrush 10
Eye-browed Thrush 8
Dusky Thrush 6
Japanese Bush Warbler h
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 2
Black-browed Reed Warbler 1
Arctic Warbler 10
Pacific Warbler 1
Grey-streaked Flycatcher 8
Brown Flycatcher 2
Large-billed Crow 30 Wajima
Brambling 30
Oriental Greenfinch 15
Siskin 4
Masked Bunting 10
Little Bunting 2

Juvenile Black-eared Kite and first-winter Black-tailed Gulls at Wajima

Juvenile black-eared Kite at Wajima

Second-winter Black-tailed Gull at Wajima

Black-eared Kites over Wajima Harbour

Wajima Route Inn (left) viewed from the Hegura-jima ferry

Streaked Shearwaters from the Hegura-jima Ferry

Arriving at Hegura-jima

Grey-streaked Flycatcher on the beach near the southern Temple

...clearly we weren't the only new arrivals to the island!

Grey-tailed Tattler on the SW beach

Sand Martin over the Dragon's Pool