Stints. Lots of them.

We went down to the beach at Kamiso this afternoon. A cloudy humid Monday meant no jetskiers thank god. There were about a dozen or so Red Necked Stint. My wife and I took turns taking pictures (they were quite tame) and I'm sorry to say my wife's pictures were better than mine. Of course where she was taking pictures had better lighting and she was closer blah blah blah.





Not much else around. A couple of Night Heron and a Peregrine yesterday. 4 Goosander and a family of Chestnut Eared Bunting today. Although waders are passing through already the main migration time is generally October. Still, the Stints are pretty cute at least.






Man Utd were pretty lucky last night. Liverpool looking good. I'm dreading the England Euro qualifying games coming up. Just can't see them winning both games (which they have to of course). I mean.............just where are the decent strikers and goalkeeper? I hope they can convert Micah Richards to an all action centre forward to save us from the inevitable recall of Emile Heskey.





The Stints appear every autumn near Hakodate in small groups on little tucked away corners on the coast. they're the 'default' small wader here rather like Dunlin is in the UK.

In amongst the Red Necked Stints was a lone Sanderling.



I remember the first one of these I saw of these. 1981 perhaps. Blackpool beach near North Pier. I went back to my great aunt's house (I would have been 12 at the time) and consulted her Hamlyn Guide and got a firm ID. Seen loads of them since of course but they're not so common in Hokkaido.