October is a month for rarities and wanderers...................and generally lousy photos of them............
And in the ricefields just outside town I found one. A Eurasian Starling mixed in with a big flock of Gray Starlings on their way south. A very very dark day and the flock was difficult to approach, heavy crops in bad light are never pretty.
Not the most exciting bird to someone brought up in England but it is scarce here in Japan, I saw my first one here only last spring and this bird yesterday was new to my Hakodate list.
It didn't quite fit in..............
Also around were flocks of Rustic Bunting, Rook and Hawfinch and a lone female Kestrel (another scarce bird in south Hokkaido)............
Goes to prove the old adage that exotica is all in the location.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting to add House Sparrow to my Japanese list too............
DeleteYou might have a long wait Stu, House Sparrows are in short supply here now.
ReplyDeleteI noticed lower numbers than usual the last few times I was home.....
Delete"Heavy crops in bad light.." seems to be my winter default position, too. Still, it's warmer down here !
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment John.
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