6 species of paridae

A clear but blustery day in Hakodate today. I got up early (5.30am) and took the tram down to Cape Tachi-Machi (see attached pics). No going there by car today (I'm ashamed to say I have no driving licence). Not much on the sea-a few Red Breasted Merganser, a lone Red Necked Grebe and lots of Cormorants. There is a small colony of Pelagic and Temincks Cormorant at the cape (on the rocks pictured above-no digiscoping today). Today was the last day the road up to the carpark was closed so from next week there'll be loads of J-tourists chattering or (in the case of the women) squealing about how "cold" it is. A male Blue Rock Thrush and a Siberian Meadow Bunting were the only small birds on view capeside. Lots of birds in the forest. SIX species of paridae-Great/Coal/Willow/Marsh/Longtailed/Varied. Also around were Nuthtach, a pair of Long Tailed Rosefinch, hundreds of Siskin (a bird I didn't even manage to see last year), a Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker and a couple of Buntings skulking around. Probably Rustic Buntings. Not much in the harbour-just 1 bored looking adult Glaucous Winged Gull in amongst the usual Slatybacks and Blacktaileds.

The previous 2 or 3 days in Hakodate had really lousy weather-rain/hail/sleet/snow/high winds so there weren't many birds about. The first summer migrant was a male Bull Headed Shrike on the 28th but nothing else especiallly note worthy except a couple of sightings of Goshawks and some more Yellow Throated Buntings. I went to Yunokawa yesterday simply because of the fact I'd seen a Hoopoe there on the same date last year. A Hoopoe flapping around in the sleet on a rugby field near the airport! It was the joint best bird of Hakodate 2005 (the other being a drake American Wigeon in the autumn). Not only was there no Hoopoe (I wasn't actually expecting to see one) there were virtually no birds at all.

17:24 - 31/3/2006 - post comment