Sunday 21 October 2012

29 Sept 2012 Wajima & Hegura Day 1

Saturday 29th September, 2012

Woke to a very pleasant warm calm morning which was good news as the ferry to Hegurajima was unlikely to be cancelled this morning. After breakfast we walked to the ferry terminal checking the harbour on the way and was soon on board the ferry which was leaving at 9.00 am. Excellent crossing seeing good numbers of Streaked Shearwaters and we arrived at Hegura at 10.30 am, and as we were making our way to the Mishuku where we will be staying for the next 17 nights we saw a juvenile Japanese Waxwing, my first lifer of the trip, in the Harbour Park. After booking in at the Mishuku we went straight out birding covering virtually the whole Island and seeing plenty of migrants, with the highlights being a Greater Short-toed Lark and 2 Middendorff's Grasshopper Warblers, another life tick. Weather was cloudy but warm and dry with a W. breeze. We birded until 5.30 pm when the light went.

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 wash 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


Grey Heron of the Eastern race jouyi with whiter underparts, on the
quay side at Wajima Harbour 



Decorated fishing boats in Wajima Harbour


Black Eared Kites over Wajima Harbour


Leaving Wajima and heading out towards Hegurajima




Halfway Islands en-route to Hegurajima


 

 



 




 








Various Streaked Shearwaters seen on the ferry crossing to Hegura


Approaching Hegurajima Island


Entering the Harbour




The Mishuku which will be our home for the next 17 nights.







Black-backed Wagtail  lugens sometimes lumped with White Wagtail
but has virtually all white wings and a yellow wash to the face, 
we saw 20+ of this migrant wagtail on our first day.



Brambling up to 30 were already present on our arrival and it proved
to be a very common migrant during our stay.

Pintail with Mallard. Just recorded on 4 dates during our stay.



 

 
 During the afternoon, we found 8 Grey Streaked Flycatchers arriving
on West beach


Single Grey Tailed Tattler on West beach

 

Sand Martin over the Dragons Pool, our only sighting of the trip


Skipper type Butterfly which proved to be quite common on the Island


Dragonfly