Some New Year's Eve Bramblings

I had a spare couple of hours so I thought I'd check the local park for Waxwings...................

So that was 2017.................

A Brent Goose in Hakodate today and probably my last photo of the year.....................

Harlequin Duck, Goldeneye, Whooper Swan and Scaup were also around but it was a very quiet day. Today saw the best weather in ages (and tomorrow is looking good too) but of course we had/will have other stuff to do. New Year here is basically the same as Christmas in the west.

I took a lot of photos in 2017. S**tloads. I don't know why that happened but it did. I can't see myself taking so many next year but you never know.

264 posts in one year! Sometimes I wish I spent as much time on more important things as I do with this blog............

Thanks to the people who regularly visit this blog and leave comments. I hope you all have a great 2018.

Last Eagles of 2017

We went up to Yakumo today and saw the eagles for the last time in 2017............

The blizzards return............

The nasty weather returned on Christmas Day. Very windy with sleet turning to heavy snow. Out east there were still lots of Black-legged Kittiwakes on the coast. There must have been at least 1 Red-legged among them but if there was I couldn't find it.

7 other gull species were around as were Harlequin Duck, Brent Goose and Black-necked Grebe.

Some christmas eagles................

The weather was milder on christmas eve................

On this day (December 24th)...............

December 24th 2013.

A female Crossbill in the local park 4 years ago today. It was part of a small flock. I don't usually see this species until late winter so it was a bit of a surprise to see them so early...........

On this day (December 21st)...............

December 21st 2011.

An Iceland Gull in Preston 7 years ago today.

This was a lifer at the time (although it seems to have been lumped with Kumelins and Thayers Gull seubsequently and I've seen the latter in Japan).

Note it's on ice: the usually mild NW of England was in the middle of a very nasty cold spell at the time. This was at Preston Marina, a pace which normally doesn't freeze over in winter at all AFAIK.

More snow.....................

A male Goosander, one of 5 on the local river yesterday...................

Still snowing. Other stuff around included Peregrine, Brown Dipper, Dusky Thrush and Kingfisher.

I hope the snow doesn't ruin my 8 days off coming soon................

On this day (December 18th)...................

December 18th 2014.

A Bean Goose at Onuma 3 years ago today. Stragglers from the big goose flocks which winter further south are sometimes seen in winter in south Hokkaido. This one joined the Whooper Swan flock in December that year and stayed all winter.........................

Another slow weekend

The wintry weather is unrelenting this December...............

A snowy week

Not much in town this last week. A lot of snow fell on Tuesday but a big influx of birds never happened.

There were 3 Great Egrets on the river as well as Brown Dipper, a female Daurian Redstart and several Dusky Thrush. No Waxwings in town at all yet despite the berry laden trees everywhere.

On this day (December 15th)............................

December 15h 2013.

A Ural Owl at Onuma 4 years ago today. This was in one of 3 owl holes near the road............sadly all the trees have been blown down since then. I'm sure the owls are still there..................just not in trees facing the road anymore.

2017 Best of #9

A final batch of photos from this year.................

A sleety Monday

A mild rainy Monday meant horrible light for photography..............

A lot of Kittiwakes..........

A lousy week weatherwise but on Sunday there were lots of Black-legged Kittiwakes out east..............

On this day (December 5th)....................

December 5th 2014.

A female Merlin just outside town 3 years ago today. This is a regular winter visitor but usually we only see them flash by across the road and then disappear into the fields.............this one was obligingly atop a streetlight................

Some Monday sunshine...........

It was sunny this morning and we headed north............

A quiet start to December

It's been snowing a lot the last 2 days but there was a break this afternoon. No car today so I took a short walk down the river where I saw the above Great Egret.

I was hoping for some Waxwings but nothing doing there. Other stuff around included a few Dusky Thrush, a male Daurian Redstart, a lone Wren, a drake Goosander and a female Wigeon....................

A quiet end to November

I just had 2 days off but the weather was pretty nasty...................

Red-throated Diver

A nice find in one of the ports near Yakumo..............

Some Monday eagles.............

The eagles were all present and correct at Yakumo this morning.....................

Another grey Sunday

Some Rooks just outside town this afternoon. A crappy picture but there was almost nothing to photograph today. Another grotty day...........all my days off seem to be blighted by nasty weather recently.

Not much around anywhere. Onuma was very quiet although 2 White-tailed Eagles were there: presumably the same pair that overwinter there every year. At Kamiiso the usual ducks and gulls were around but not much else...............

A snowy Friday

A crappy record shot of a Japanese Waxwing just outside town this afternoon................

Not much else around: the usual ducks (about 12 species), gulls (6 or 7 species), Hawfinch and Great Egret etc. Nearer my flat this week there was a late Red-flanked Bluetail and a Brown Dipper but not much else............

2017 Best of #8

Some more photos from earlier in the year................

November blizzards...........

A load more snow today scuppered my plans to photograph the eagles up in Yakumo...................

Winter 2017/18 begins

The first real snow hit town this morning.....................

A bit of sunshine

After some snow flurries yesterday it was clear and sunny for a couple of hours this afternoon.............

2017 Best Of #7

Some more photos from earlier in the year, these are all from a trip to north Hokkaido in late June...................

Some early Brent Geese.............

It was raining heavily in town on Monday................

Some Crossbills in the rain........

It seems to have been raining every Monday for ages....................

Another quiet Sunday

A Glaucous Gull near Oshamanbe this afternoon................

2017 Best Of #6

Some more shots from earlier in the year.............these are from late May to late June...........

2017 Best Of #5

Some more shots from earlier in the year, these are from spring.................

A rainy Monday.............

Absolutely awful weather today..................

A grey Sunday in late autumn

A Eurasian Starling to the north of town this morning..............

A quick Saturday stroll............

The Great Egret was still on the local river............

On this day (November 3rd)...................

November 3rd 2013.

A drake American Wigeon near Hakodate 4 years ago today. Only the second time I'd ever seen this species (and I haven't seen one since) and my first outing with my new 7D Mark 2.

I check the wigeon flocks every year in the hope another one turns up. Maybe 2017 will see one appear locally again.............

2017 Best Of #4

Some more shots from earlier in the year: these are all from March and early April...............

Like moving house.............

Some Harlequin Ducks to the east of town this morning....................

A quiet Thursday in October

I took a quick walk this lunchtime............

One good tern.................

Another typhoon hit Japan this weekend.................

On this day (October 22nd)......................

October 22nd 2013.

A young Red-legged Kittiwake 4 years ago today at Yakumo.

A heavy crop and not a great photo but this is a rare bird in Japan and I was very happy to find one. It was with a large flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes and to be honest I wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't been flying around on its own and fairly close for a bit.............it was obviously different from the others.

2017 Best Of #3

Some more eagle shots from last winter...................

An autumn staple

Every autumn there are Great Egrets on the river (stream?) near my apartment. This year there are 2 (there may be more downstream).

There must be enough fish to support several individuals: sometimes they remain all winter. There were several salmon in the river too..............it would make a nice photo if one of the egrets tried to catch one.

Not much else around though and everything was grey.. A few Grey Starlings, a lone Grey Heron. 1 Grey Wagtail.

An autumn camping trip

We just got back from a 2 night camping trip..................

2017 Best Of #2

Some shots from Jan/Feb this year.............

2 of 3

Not much in town this week..................

2017 Best Of #1

Well we're in the last quarter of another year............

A short walk near my apartment............

One of 3 species of heron on the river near my flat today.................

A quiet Sunday in early October

A Common Buzzard near Yakumo today................