Summer can be a slightly quiet season birdingwise in south Hokkaido................
When I was waiting in vain for the Ospreys to do something interesting the other day I turned my attention to a pair of Siberian Stonechats who must have had a nest nearby.............
This is the male.
And this is the female.
It's an abundant summer visitor, I can't believe how common they are compared to Stonechats back in the UK.
And here is another common summer visitor, a Bull-headed Shrike:
I hadn't seen many shrikes before I came to Japan. In Europe i've only ever seen 2 individuals: Woodchat Shrike in Majorca was my first (almost 30 years ago) and a Great Grey Shrike in Rufford a few years later. I saw more in my travels through Asia in my late 20's but I didn't have fieldguides or notebooks so couldn't ID them.
Only 1 common species in Japan.....but they sure are common.
Nice job Stu. Well as you know, shrikes are pretty scarce here but Stonechats are very up and down.
ReplyDeleteHi Phil. Actually I can't recall ever seeing any Stonechats near Preston...........
DeleteBull-headed Shrikes are pretty fine birds to have around - the Stonechats are handsome too. Only winter visitors down here...
ReplyDeleteThey may be the same ones for all we know........
DeleteShrikes are a wonderful family. I have been fortunate to have seen and identified 20 species throughout the world. We have only two species here in Ontario.
ReplyDeleteWe have 3 species in Hokkaido, 2 of them are very scarce though........
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