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| Hakodate Birding |
Owl in the hole and Nuthatch on the hand. Another day spent with the exceedingly tame birds at Onuma. This is the Hokkaido race of the common or garden Eurasian Nuthatch. They were part of a mixed flock of paridae and similar woodland foraging species. As well as the Nuthatches there were Eurasian Treecreepers, Marsh, Long Tailed, Great and Varied Tits. Eurasian Jay and the 3 commoner Woodpecker species were also present.  These images were digiscoped. If I ever get a place out in the country I'm going to get the most kick-arse bird table/feeding station and set up my (much better than now) Scope/Camera on it all day. The Nuthatch was easy to photograph today but the other species proved a bit trickier. Here's a Marsh Tit.  Both the above 2 species and Varied Tit weren't shy at all and hopped into my hands to peck the seeds we brought with us. Here's a couple of pics of Nuthatches-the first one is my hand (I held the camera with the other hand) and the second is my wife's hand.   The Ural Owl I photographed a couple of weeks ago was present today too and was a bit more conspicious than last time.  It seemed to be a lot more awake today.  A bit less like a cuddly toy.  It flew off just as the sun had gone down (about 4.45pm) and the road began to freeze over. Here's a wintry scene at Onuma. The frozen lake is in the foreground and Mt Komagadake is in the background.  The lake isn't completely frozen yet (about 30% seemed to be ice-free). Global warming? After last winter's extremes in Hokkaido it's a pleasant change anyway. The flock of Whooper Swans was present today. A few individuals have been on the lake for a while but the main group must have arrived in the last 2 or 3 days. They are well fed by the locals (and tourists). They don't really have feral Mute Swans over here so they can get excited by the Swans more than a cynical Brit bider might. The Ashes debacle is a fitting end to a nightmare sporting year for the various teams I follow (with the exception of Carlisle Utd's promotion. My birthplace although I left when I was 5). 2007 will be better won't it? 19:21 - 20/12/2006 - post comment
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