8 March 2014

East Hokkaido 2014 #5


After the eaglefest at Rausu I didn't do so much birding...................





We headed up to the other side of the Shiretoko peninsula and the sea was completely frozen over. Not many birds in evidence except a few eagles here and there.

We headed inland to Lakes Mashu amd Kusharro. Both places had a few eagles and the latter had a flock of Whooper Swans............



And a few Jays foraging in the ice free areas.......................


We stayed in a very nice guesthouse in the forest at Kawayu. the feeders attracted a lot of common birds. 4 or 5 species of tit, nuthatches, woodpeckers and lots of Bullfinch and Hawfinch.....................










There were Jays here too..............



This Red Fox was near Lake Shikaribetsu the next day...............



We stopped at Mukawa on the last day and watched a distant Short Eared Owl being harassed by crows and there were also 3 Japanese Crane, a rarity away from the Kushiro area. There was also at least 1 roadside Rough Legged Buzzard.................

Thanks to Kim for all the driving. And thanks to my wife and aunt for putting up with me and my bird fixation.

We had almost no snow on the trip. Amazing really, it has been snowing heavily the last 3 days here in Hakodate.....................

Here are some non birding photos from the trip......................






12 comments:

  1. Well I have to say that the non-bird shots almost stole the show today. Some great ice and snow scenes but the Red Fox is just amazing and the Whooper on ice brilliant. A cold beer? Looks like you should have had a warming brandy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No hot drinks................it might melt the bar......................

      Delete
  2. Looks like a great trip! Lovelly bird and the fox shot's are really pretty ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, what a gorgeous place! Great bird shots and that fox is fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great fox shots. I love the colours of the male Bullfinch and hope to see one one day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A shame your forebears didn't introduce Bullfinches instead of House Sparrows!

      Delete
  5. Love the new header! I still think those Bullfinches are the smartest and the ginger-headed Jays are nicer than the ones here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But our Great Tits are a bit dull and our Nuthatches are a bit plain................

      Delete
  6. Didn't know there's an ice hotel in Hokkaido. Great shots as always, especially the bullfinch! I didn't see it when I was in Japan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ayuwat.................not a hotel, only a bar! Actually there are quite a lot of them here in winter..............

      Delete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...