A short trip

One of many Black Browed Reed Warblers from our weekend away.

We went up to Noboribetsu for just the 1 night, this is a hot spring resort about 3 or 4 hours drive from Hakodate. It's an OK place but a bit of a tourist trap with all the tackiness that entails.



We stopped at Yakumo both ways. Black Browed Reed Warblers were abundant here.







Also around were all the common stuff plus a lone Tern. On first impressions it was probably just the eastern race of Common Tern but Terns of any species are scarce around here (and normally only occur on passage so one at the end of June was unusual). I got some crappy record shots, I saw a Caspian Tern 3 years ago (before my DSLR days so no pics) which was apparently a first for Hokkaido but of course I had no evidence so I wasn't taking any chances this time though, I'll check it out later on my computer at 200% size to confirm ID. The only half decent BIF shot was this Black Kite.



Further up the coast we explored the wetlands (which weren't wet at all) near Oshamanbe. I'd never been here before but they looked pretty good. Common and Oriental Cuckoos, Black Browed Reed and Oriental Warblers, Stonechats, Chestnut Eared Buntings and Bullheaded Shrikes were everywhere and there were also several of these. Lathams Snipe, a bird with one of the strangest calls you'll ever hear.



And here's a male Long Tailed Rosefinch. I call these type of shots 'bird in habitat' ones (as opposed to 'tiny image of out of focus bird' ones).



We also heard lots of Grays Grasshopper Warblers, an impossible bird to find in the undergrowth. It has a cheeky little song but no songflight and it doesn't sing atop bushes either. It has a very similar call to the Little Cuckoo, another bird we heard but couldn't see........

It was pretty hot, by far the warmest weather of the year so far. With it being the weekend the hotel we stayed at was pretty full. I took a hot spring bath before it got too busy and then got drunk in the hotel room in the afternoon before eating way too much at the buffet and then passing out about 9pm............a good night then.

Here are a couple of crappy snaps from the Noboribetsu area......





And we got back to Hakodate just as the sun was going down.........



The construction work nearby continues, it looks like we're getting a new 2 storey apartment block in the vacant land next to our building. This will mean lots and lots of noise and inconvenience for 3 months. I work from home so I notice this kind of stuff, if I was an office drone leaving the house at 8am and getting home after 6pm I wouldn't even notice it but because of my lazy self employed 'lifestyle' I'm going to have to listen to every bang, clank, buzz and whirr. F***ing hell. I'll have to find some new stuff for the ipod and buy a decent cooler so I can shut the windows when I have to work..............

I'm starved of sports, can't wait for the Ashes to begin. At least England should still be in the series until the football season starts..................

Bird photography is just about over until the waders pass through at the end of August. I may get some young Night Heron shots or some more Reed Warblers at Yunokawa in the next week or 2 but apart from that there's nothing much around............

I can borrow my wife's macro lens and try to get some bug shots though. It'll make a nice change from walking around with the big 400mm at least.