A few days away............

A Red Necked Stint jogging on the beach and a Sanderling gagging on something............

We went camping near Tomakomai for 3 nights.................


I was hoping for lots of wader pictures, the area has several good spots.

Mukawa was the best site in the area for waders a few years ago but the marshy areas have been completely drained (for absolutely no apparent reason whatsoever) and is now not so great, the nearby Atsuma also seems to be having some sort of similar dumb construction project being forced on it. There is also what appears to be a new trail bike course there too.

Last year we got several good species here but birds were thin on the ground this year: a few very skittish Long Toed Stint, 3 Greenshank and 2 Spotted Redshank.

Not a species I see very often near Hakodate and I have no decent shots of them at all, the above is a crappy record shot on a dark Sunday afternoon...........

Yesterday was very bright and sunny, and in harsh midday light we found some waders on one of the beaches. Red Necked Stints and Sanderlings mainly. Here is one of the latter taking a break from all its running around.

There was also a lone Kentish Plover...............

Other species around included Black Necked Grebe and Black Scoter offshore, a few Eastern Marsh Harrier, Osprey and Goshawk here and there and a few flocks of Japanese Green Pigeon. We stopped at Oshamanbe/ Yakumo on the way there and back. Not much: the first Great Crested Grebe of the season offshore, more Red Necked Stints, a lone Dunlin, lots of Great Egrets and several more Osprey.

The campsite was next to lake with lots of mountain views. Black Woodpecker, Ural Owl and Pergerine were all distant sightings but the campsite would be much better for birds in spring. I don't post many scenery shots these days but here is a sunset taken from in front of our tent (with an iphone) whilst drinking a cold beer after a long day chasing common waders up and down a long beach..............