Tsuta Onsen continued to entertain with a nest of Japanese Green Woodpeckers. The nestlings' peculiar mumbling noises contrasted with the harsh chatter of the other locally breeding woodpeckers. The adults were also much shier about the nest than other woodpeckers, and I had to use a blind to take photos. This is another species which feeds its young by regurgitation, and so visits to the nest are relatively infrequent.
Incidentally, NHK showed footage of a pair of Black Woodpeckers nesting in Rokkasho, which is only about a half hour's drive north of our home. This was the first nesting record for Rokkasho.
The Great Spotted Woodpeckers I'd been watching on my way to and from work each day finally fledged 5 young over a 48-hour period beginning the 12th. This results in a fledging period of 22 days, which seems rather long to me. One of the fledglings had a run-in with the Red-cheeked Mynas nesting a few trees over, which didn't appreciate its climbing their tree. When the still-flightless runt of the litter headed for the same tree, I decided to break my policy of non-interference and intervene on its behalf, and attempted to shepherd the bird in the direction of its parents. This was an awkward business, and I offered it my hand for perching. It took the offer, but as I started walking to a friendlier tree, it decided it would rather perch on my torso, and then hitched its way up to my shoulder. Soon, we resembled a pirate and his parrot. Eventually, parents and youngster found each other.
One interesting discovery (to us) was a rocky seacoast site about half an hour north of Juni-Ko which is attractive to Japanese Green Pigeons. It seems strange that this wild, deep-forest bird has another side to its personality, one that compels it to descend in flocks to wave-washed rocks exposed by the low tide. For salt? We don't know. We'd seen photographs of this species doing this at another site somewhere in the southern half of Honshu, and half-seriously thought of investigating and going to see it for ourselves. Lucky we can do it closer to home.
Shiriya's Spectacled Guillemot population appears to be holding its own, with roughly 100 birds present, as last year. I made another zodiac trip to their nesting island (well, zodiac is an exaggeration; it's really just a flimsy contraption that holds air temporarily, and could have sunk at any moment). When I returned, the tide had fallen, and the local uni (sea urchin) gatherers stared at me in bewilderment as I paddled along in the knee-deep water.
Two singing Japanese Yellow Buntings appeared again at Shiriya, opposite the Mitsubishi plant along route 6, close to where there were two more widely separated individuals last year. Last year's birds had initially befuddled me; their plumage seemed atypical and the location unlikely. This time I was able to remove all doubt as to identification by direct comparison of their songs with tape recordings. The northern populations of this species are said to be much darker than the southern birds, and I would certainly agree from my limited experience. The birds were also easier to see this year, since they favored telephone wires as singing perches.
The Hobby which appeared in Misawa at an established nesting site was joined by a mate, but disappeared about mid-month to parts unknown.
Hotokenuma was productive, containing calling Schrenk's and Chinese Little Bitterns. It seems the secret to hearing these birds is simply spending a lot of time on foot in the area.
Little Grebe Kaitsuburi Podiceps ruficollis Great Crested Grebe Kanmuri-kaitsuburi Podiceps cristatus Streaked Shearwater O-Mizunagidori Calonectris leucomelas Short-t Shearwater Hashiboso-mizunagidori Puffinus tenuirostris Great Cormorant Kawa-u Phalacrocorax carbo Temminck's Cormorant Umi-u Phalacrocorax filamentosus Pelagic Cormorant (Shiriya) Hime-u Phalacrocorax pelagicus Chinese Little Bittern (1H Hotokenuma) Yoshi-goi Ixobrychus sinensis Schrenk's Little Bittern (2H Hotokenuma) O-yoshi-goi Ixobrychus eurhythmus Black-cr. Night Heron Goi-sagi Nycticorax nycticorax Cattle Egret (6/13(2) Hotokenuma) Ama-sagi Bulbulcus ibis Little Egret (6/13(2) Hotokenuma) Ko-sagi Egretta garzetta Intermediate Egret (6/13(2) Hotokenuma) Chu-sagi Egretta intermedia Great Egret (6/13(3) Hotokenuma) Dai-saga Egretta alba Gray Heron Ao-sagi Ardea cinerea Mute Swan Kobu-hakucho Cygnus cygnus Whooper Swan (3 disabled Shimoda Park) O-hakucho Cygnus olor Bewick's Swan (1 disabled Shimoda Park) Ko-hakucho Cygnus bewicki Mandarin Duck Oshidori Aix galericulata Mallard Ma-gamo Anas platyrhynchos Spot-billed Duck Karu-gamo Anas poecilorhyncha Eurasian Wigeon (1 Shimoda Park) Hidori-gamo Anas penelope Pochard (1 Ogawara-Ko; 1 Shimoda Park) Hoshi-hajiro Aythya ferina Tufted Duck (10+) Kinkuro-hajiro Aythya fuligula Greater Scaup (25+) Suzu-gamo Aythya marila Honey Buzzard (6/13 Shiriya; 6/19 Tsuta) Hachikuma Pernis apivorus Black Kite Tobi Milvus migrans Japanese Lesser Sparrowhawk (/19,20 Tsuta) Tsumi Accipiter gularis Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (6/19,20) Hai-taka Accipiter nisus Northern Goshawk (6/15 Misawa /17 Hoto.) O-taka Accipiter gentilis Common Buzzard Nosuri Buteo buteo Asian Marsh Harrier (2 Hotokenuma) Chuhi Circus spilonotus Peregrine Falcon (nesting Shiriya) Hayabusa Falco peregrinus Northern Hobby (2 Misawa) Chigo-hayabusa Falco subbuteo Green Pheasant Kiji Phasianus colchicus Water Rail (Hotokenuma) Kuina Rallus aquaticus Moorhen Ban Gallinula chloropus Eurasian Coot O-ban Fulica atra Little Ringed Plover (Misawa fishing port) Ko-chidori Charadrius dubius Kentish Plover (Misawa Fishing Port) Shiro-chidori Charadrius alexandrinus Gray-tailed Tattler (6/13(1) Shiriya) Kiashi-shigi Tringa brevipes Common Sandpiper Iso-shigi Tringa hypoleucos Latham's Snipe Oji-shigi Gallinago hardwickii Common Black-headed Gull Yuri-kamome Larus ridibundus Slaty-backed Gull O-seguro-kamome Larus schistisagus Black-tailed Gull Umineko Larus crassirostris Spectacled Guillemot (100+ Shiriya) Keimafuri Cepphus carbo Rufous Turtle Dove Kiji-bato Streptopelia orientalis Japanese Green Pigeon Ao-bato Sphenurus sieboldii Common Cuckoo Kakko Cuculus canorus Oriental Cuckoo Tsutsudori Cuculus saturatus Little Cuckoo Hototogisu Cuculus poliocephalus Ural Owl (6/27(1) near Iwaki-San) Fukuro Strix uralensis White-thr. Needle-t. Swift Hario-amatsubame Chaetura caudacuta Common Kingfisher Kawasemi Alcedo atthis Ruddy Kingfisher (6/19(1H) near Tsuta) Aka-shobin Halcyon coromanda Greater Pied Kingfisher (6/27(1) Juni-Ko) Yamasemi Ceryle lugubris Japanese Green Woodpecker (nesting Tsuta) Ao-gera Picus awokera Great Spotted Woodpecker Aka-gera Dendrocopus major White-backed Woodpecker O-aka-gera Dendrocopus leucotos Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Ko-gera Dendrocopos kizuki Skylark Hibari Alauda arvensis Bank Swallow (6/7-10(100+) Misawa) Shodo-tsubame Riparia riparia Barn Swallow Tsubame Hirundo rustica Asiatic House Martin Iwa-tsubame Delichon ?? Gray Wagtail Ki-sekirei Motacilla cinerea Black-backed Wagtail Haku-sekirei Motacilla lugens Japanese Wagtail Seguro-sekirei Motacilla grandis Olive Tree Pipit Binzui Anthus hodgsoni Brown-eared Bulbul Hiyodori Hypsipetes amaurotis Bull-headed Shrike Mozu Lanius bucephalus Brown Dipper Kawagurasu Cinclus pallasi Wren Misosazai Troglodytes troglodytes Siberian Blue Robin (Tsuta, Iwake-San) Ko-ruri Erithacus cyane Blue Rock Thrush Isohiyodori Monticola solitarius White's Ground Thrush (Tsuta, Juni-Ko) Tora-tsugumi Z. dauma Brown Thrush Akahara Turdus chrysolaus Short-tailed Bush Warbler Yabusame Cettia squameiceps Bush Warbler Uguisu Cettia diphone Japanese Marsh Warbler O-sekka Megalurus pryeri Black-browed Reed Warbler Ko-yoshiki Acrocephalus bistrigiceps Great Reed Warbler O-yoshikiri Acrocephalus arundinaceus Arctic Warbler (6/12(1) Tsuta) Meboso-mishikui Phylloscopus borealis Sakhalin Leaf Warbler (Tsuta) Ezo-mushikui Phylloscopus ?? Eastern Crowned Warbler Sendai-mushikui Phylloscopus occipitalis Narcissus Flycatcher Ki-bitaki Ficedula narcissina Blue & White Flycatcher (Tsuta, Juni-Ko) O-ruri Cyanoptila cyanomelana Long-tailed Tit Enaga Aegithalos caudatus Willow Tit Ko-gara Parus montanus Coal Tit Hi-gara Parus ater Varied Tit Yama-gara Parus varius Great Tit Shiju-kara Parus major Nuthatch Goju-kara Sitta europaea Japanese White-Eye Mejiro Zosterops japonica Meadow Bunting Hojiro Emberiza cioides Japanese Reed Bunting (Hotokenuma) Ko-jurin Emberiza yessoensis Gray-headed Bunting (Hotokenuma) Hoaka Emberiza fucata Japanese Yellow Bunting (6/13(1) Shiriya) Nojiko Emberiza sulfurata Black-faced Bunting Aoji Emberiza spodocephala Gray Bunting (25+ Tsuta and vicinity) Kuroji Emberiza variabilis Reed Bunting O-jurin Emberiza schoeniclus Oriental Greenfinch Kawara-hira Carduelis sinica Red Crossbill (6/12(3) Misawa) Isuka Loxia curvirostra Japanese Grosbeak Ikaru Eophona personata Hawfinch Shime Coccothraustes coccothraustes Eurasian Tree Sparrow Suzume Passer montanus Red-cheeked Myna Ko-mukudori Sturnus philippensis Gray Starling Mukudori Sturnus cineraceus Jay Kakesu Garrulus glandarius Azure-winged Magpie Onaga Cyanopica cyana Carrion Crow Hashiboso-garasu Corvus corone Jungle Crow Hashibuto-garasu Corvus macrorhynchosGood birding, Mike