2015 ended

There were 2 Ural Owls at Onuma yesterday. This was in a hole that I thought had been abandoned.............

2015 ending slowly............

The weather relented a bit and we ended up at Onuma in brilliant winter sunshine.............

Fox and Owl

On the way back from Yakumo we stopped at Onuma just before sunset. It was dark and snowing. A pair of Black Woodpecker were around as were 2 staples, Red Fox and Ural Owl.

Christmas in Yakumo

We spent the 25/26 in and around Yakumo.............

On this day (December 26th).....................

December 26th 2011.

A Solitary Snipe at Yakumo 4 years ago today. This is a scarce winter visitor that inhabits frigid winter streams in the hills. I've seen the species several times at Yakumo but this was the only time I ever managed a photo................and even then it was a hastily taken massively underexposed heavy crop too.

Phoned in Xmas eagle

Processed in camera and on phone, these never look good when done on my iphone for some reason.

That time of year again

A Ural Owl at Onuma last weekend. Not feeling very christmassy despite it being Christmas Eve, no snow outside for starters. Maybe I'll feel differently after a few beers and some movie watching..............

Some birds from around town.............

A quiet couple of days in town..................

Some Scaup

Finding solstice in the fishing ports

The shortest day of the year was mild and rainy in Hakodate.............

Still BIFness as usual

Another mild Sunday saw us up in Yakumo..............

Still no winter

A Common Buzzard outside Hakodate yesterday............

Another mild December day

On this Day (December 8th)..............

December 8th 2013.

A Ural Owl 2 years in Onuma. This was in a  huge dead 'chimney' tree with a huge hole for it to rest in. My photos from the last few weeks are of a different individual in a different hole.

Unfortunately the next spring the tree snapped in half during a storm................so the Owl had to move somewhere safer but also away from prying cameras....................

Grey Monday skies

Grey skies again saw us up in Yakumo and Oshamanbe...........

A wintry day at last

Today was a cold dark grey wintry Sunday..............

A full frame Owl..................

Last Sunday at Onuma it got very dark so I switched cameras and borrowed my wife's 6D. This is Canon's entry level full frame camera and althought it lacks in the AF department it is supposed to be a champion at high ISOs. Anyway the Owl wasn't exactly jumping around so AF was not an issue.

The top pic is uncropped and wide open at f4 and I quite like the effect.

The pic below is trimmed a little. It is ISO 1600, something I would only rarely do with an cropped sensor Canon, even the relatively new 7D MK2.

So now I'm thinking should I get the 1DX MK2 or just settle on the 5D MK4. My wife would kill me if she found out I was thinking of such things but luckily she never reads my blog................

My hospital experience is over, on doctor's advice I'm off booze, exercise and spicy food for a week or two and my insides still feel way off.

It's a blizzard outside. Winter has come...................hope the Owl is snug in its treehole.

2015 Best of #4

A last batch of shots from the past year..............

A grey hungry Monday

A grey early winter day saw us pop out for a couple of hours.............

The day before...............

Today is the day before 2/3 days of general unpleasantness...................

2015 Best Of #3

Some more of my fave shots from the last year...............

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

A bit of a surprise as we headed west today...................

More eagles have arrived.............

More eagles arriving at Yakumo but none of them doing anything interesting.

The river full of salmon, some first snow flurries, a pair of Goshawk at the rivermouth plus a few common winter birds at Yakumo but sweet FA at Sawara and in Hakodate................

I won't be in Yakumo for at least 2 weeks, next time it will be probably be all white and hopefully full of eagles on the ground or at least in a tree.

Mild November continues..............

It was about 18 degrees today, short sleeve weather, literally well rolled up sleeves maybe.................dragonflies are still buzzing around and I even got an insect bite. Weird weather we're having..................

A rainy Sunday..............

A very grey misty wet November day in south Hokkaido today...................

On this day (November 13th).....................

November 13th 2013.

A Red-breasted Flycatcher 2 years ago today in Hakodate. A female or immature I guess...............

This is a scarce but probably regular passage visitor and was my second individual after one a few years earlier.

I've also seen the very closely related Taiga Flycatcher in Hakodate but females/immatures are very similar. This was originally identified by me as a Taiga Flycatcher................nut I was wrong.

2015 Best of #2

Some more shots from the early part of 2015.......................

Birds on a wire

In late autumn the resident Carrion and Large Billed Crows are joined by 2 other species............Daurian Jackdaw and (Eastern) Rook. These are winter vistors from the Asian mainland and are much shyer than the resident species.

There seem to be lot of the Jackdaws this year. About a dozen or so mixed in with the Rooks. The above crappy photo shows a grey phase adult with a Rook underneath.

They perch on high wires against grey skies and fly off as soon as you look at them, not ideal photo subjects. I guess I could be more patient but after growing up in the UK it's a little hard to get excited by rooks and jackdaws.............................

Another grey Sunday

A Black Necked Grebe in Kamiiso this afternoon..............

2015 Best Of #1

Well it's approaching the end of another year....................

An afternoon off..............

A rarity these days.............yesterday afternoon I had no classes so I could take a walk down the river for a coupls of hours.

A grey Monday morning..............

A Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker in Hakodate this morning...............

And some squabbling gulls in Yakumo this afternoon.............

Some strays...................

We were out in Sawara and Shikabe this afternoon........................