Hegura-jima Japan

12th October 2012 Hegura-jima NW3 Overcast

Early morning overcast with a brisk NW3 wind. It remained cloudy on and off all day that produced a fall of Daurian Redstarts. Tsukasa produced a Common Rosefinch that was quickly followed by finding the only Red-breasted Flycatcher of our trip at the North Cape. The SW enclosures played host to another Common Rosefinch. Early afternoon at the Drinking Pool produced another Gray's Grasshopper Warbler and another visit to Tsukasa and the North Cape two Yellow-browed Warblers.

Streaked Shearwater 40
Grey Heron 3
Mandarin Duck 1
Teal 3
Spot-billed Duck 1
Black-eared Kite 1
Peregrine 1
Common Sandpiper 1
Grey-tailed Tattler 1
Black-tailed Gull 100
Slaty-backed Gull 4
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Skylark 5
Olive-backed Pipit 3
Grey Wagtail 2
Black-backed Pipit 8
Brown-eared Bulbul 10
Red-flanked Bluetail 2
Daurian Redstart 20
Stejneger's Stonechat 6
Blue Rock Thrush 4
Brown Thrush 2
Pale Thrush 6
Eye-browed Thrush 3
Dusky Thrush 60
Naumann's Thrush 1
Japanese Bush Warbler 5
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 1
Gray's Grasshopper Warbler 1
Arctic Warbler 6
Pacific Warbler 1
Yellow-browed Warbler 2+
Goldcrest 40
Blue-and-white Flycatcher 1
Brown Flycatcher 1
Red-breasted Flycatcher 1
Narcissus Flycatcher 1
Varied Tit 1
Eastern Great Tit 1
Japanese White-eye 15
Large-billed Crow 2
Brambling 60
Oriental Greenfinch 20
Siskin 70
Common Rosefinch 2
Japanese Grosbeak 4
Hawfinch 15
Masked Bunting 20
Grey Bunting 5
Black-faced Bunting 2
Pine Bunting 3
Chestnut-eared Bunting 1
Elegant Bunting 12
Tristram's Bunting 4
Rustic Bunting 8
Little Bunting 1
Reed Bunting 1

Male Daurian Redstart at the Harbour Park

Common Rosefinch at Tsukasa

Somebody important overflying Hegura-jima!

Grey-tailed Tattler on the southwest beach

Black-faced Bunting along the Central Track

Gray's Grasshopper Warbler at the Drinking Pool

Pale Thrush at the Drinking Pool

Preying Mantis along the Central Track

Third-winter Slaty-backed Gull and first-winter Black-tailed Gull

Yellow-browed Warbler at Tsukasa

Yellow-browed Warbler at the North Cape

Hegura-jima Lighthouse

11th October 2012 Hegura-jima S3

Awoke to a southerly wing that switched to NW by late afternoon. There was an early morning arrival of Thrushes glimpsing a White's Thrush and seeing two Brown Thrushes and two Japanese Grey Thrushes. We then flushed a Gray's Grasshopper Warbler twice from low vegetation near the lighthouse - brilliant! The rest of the day proved qiueter with few other new migrants in evidence although we found four Vega Gulls accompanied by an adult Mongolian Gull on the harbour wall that proved new for the trip. It was noticeably colder in the evening as a cold front arrived having crossed the Sea of Japan.

Streaked Shearwater 5
Japanese Cormorant 3
Grey Heron 10
Teal 3
Mallard 1
Spot-billed Duck 1
Black-eared Kite 1
Peregrine 1
Coot 1
Snipe 1
Common Sandpiper 1
Grey-tailed Tattler 2
Black-tailed Gull 150
Vega Gull 4
Mongolian Gull 1 adult
Slaty-backed Gull 3
Rufous Turtle Dove 2
Pacific Swift 1
Wryneck 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Skylark 4
Swallow 1
Olive-backed Pipit 6
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 1
Grey Wagtail 2
Black-backed Wagtail 20
Brown-eared Bulbul 6
Daurian Redstart 5
Stejneger's Stonechat 6
Blue Rock Thrush 6
White's Thrush 1
Japanese Grey Thrush 1 male, 2 females
Brown Thrush 2 males
Pale Thrush 10
Eye-browed Thrush 3
Dusky Thrush 70
Naumann's Thrush 1
Japanese Bush Warbler 5
Gray's Grasshopper Warbler 1 ex.
Arctic Warbler 6
Pacific Warbler 1
Goldcrest 10
Blue-and-white Flycatcher 1
Narcissus Flycatcher 1
Varied Tit 1
Japanese White-eye 10
Large-billed Crow 2
Brambling 100
Oriental Greenfinch 50
Siskin 70
Japanese Grosbeak 4
Hawfinch 8
Masked Bunting 12
Grey Bunting 4
Black-faced Bunting 2
Pine Bunting 2
Elegant Bunting 1 male
Tristram's Bunting 1
Rustic Bunting 10
Little Bunting 2
Reed Bunting 1

First-winter Eye-browed Thrush at the Drinking Pool

Vega Gulls on the harbour wall

Vega Gull and adult Mongolian Gull on the harbour wall

Adult Mongolian Gull on the Harbour wall

Stejneger's Stonechat at Tsukasa

Stejneger's Stonechat at the earth field

Japanese Blue at the Drinking Pool

Narcissus Flycatcher at the Drinking Pool

Oriental Greenfinch at the Statue

10th October 2012 Hegura-jima E1 Overcast

We awoke to a easterly breeze that turned south by midday and southwest by the evening when a rainstorm passed offshore to the west. Little was in evidence during our early morning walk to the Dragon's Pool. We then tried the south of the island but it generally seemed quiet although a migrant flock of Grey Herons were followed by a migrant flock of Japanese Cormorants and the only Swallow of our visit arrived. We took a few scenic photos from the tower. A quick visit to the Drinking Pool after lunch was well-timed as it coincided with a Japanese Robin appearing there. We headed to Tsukasa in the afternoon and then around the west coast where a flock of 35 Pacific Swifts arrived and started feeding over the island and back to our minshuku via the Central Track.

Streaked Shearwater 10
Japanese Cormorant 14 S
Grey Heron 15 (10 S)
Teal 1
Mallard 3
Black-eared Kite 1
Peregrine 3
Coot 1
Grey-tailed Tattler 1
Black-tailed Gull 100
Slaty-backed Gull 2
Rufous Turtle Dove 2
Pacific Swift 35
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Skylark 5
Swallow 1
Olive-backed Pipit 8
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 1
Grey Wagtail 3
Black-backed Wagtail 12
Brown-eared Bulbul 5
Japanese Robin 1 ex.
Daurian Redstart 5
Stejneger's Stonechat 4
Blue Rock Thrush 5
Pale Thrush 6
Eye-browed Thrush 1
Dusky Thrush 50
Japanese Bush Warbler 5
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 1
Black-browed Reed Warbler 2
Arctic Warbler 6
Pacific Warbler 1
Goldcrest 20
Brown Flycatcher 1
Narcissus Flycatcher 1
Varied Tit 1
Coal Tit 3
Eastern Great Tit 3
Japanese White-eye 20
Large-billed Crow 2
Brambling 60
Oriental Greenfinch 30
Siskin 100
Japanese Grosbeak 3
Hawfinch 20
Masked Bunting 18
Grey Bunting 2
Black-faced Bunting 1
Pine Bunting 1
Tristram's Bunting 1
Rustic Bunting 15