Drum roll please....300 has been surpassed

The nerves were jangling as Neil and I sat down for a well deserved beer on the ferry following a 3 hour journey from Kyoto to Nagoya, involving three train changes, and then a 30 minute bus ride to the ferry terminal. I couldn't wait for sunrise, couldn't wait to get out on deck and feel the cold, oh so cold wind. Thankfully the room we were sleeping in (carpet floor with a futon each of about 18 inches wide and a sheet) only had 4 other occupants so it was not crowded. I didn't sleep well though. Arising at 4.45am was a struggle but we knew we had to be on deck just before dawn. Thankfully we were...


Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, at 5.40am (JST), Wednesday, March 21, 2007, I connected with and correctly called a Laysan Albatross off to port flying south (how was the lingo C?)...a dream bird for achieving species number 300 in Japan, exactly 4 weeks short of my 2 year anniversary here. Perfect...I couldn't have asked for anything better. 300 species is not bad for someone who only birds at weekends and has not gone anywhere near the islands that contain the endemics and specialites of Japan. Anyway, I digress. In amongst the couple of Laysan were also Black-footed Albatross, thousands of Streaked Shearwaters (see above), and a large number of kittiwakes. We powered on up to Sendai, arriving at 5pm, the birding over for the day but not before we were treated to a massive mixed flock of 4000 Black and White-winged Scoters before entering Sendai harbor. A fantastic way to finish a successful day's birding. Other birds on the first day were a handful of Rhinoceros Auklets, a dozen or so Brunnich Guillemots, a Spectacled Guillemot and a couple of Pom and Arctic Skuas. Now it was time for a bath, some food and a beer before hitting the floor at 8pm for some shut eye.

The next days trip was to Tomakomai in Hokkaido was quiet, with a single Red-throated Diver and more auks being the highlights on the water. Streaked Shearwaters were present in only a handful instead of the constant stream of thousands in more southern waters. The wind got icier and the snow capped moutains were incredibly scenic. The ice-capped volcanoe entering Tomakomai harbour, with smoke rising from small fissures on the top, was breathtaking (see right). Under the water, and from dawn to 11am when we docked in Tomakomai, all we saw were the violent wake of Dall's pospoises as they powered their way through the water at speed in chase of prey. It was just incredible. Everywhere we looked we could see little pods of Dall's. Amongst the small interludes from the Dall's we also saw a couple of minke whales and an amazing group of hunting Northern Fur Seals in deep water, breaking out of the waves in sleek fashion and at incredible speed. That was something I'll never forget. We also saw small groups "jug handling" on the water's surface (see below). Above the water, we were lucky to watch a couple of large flocks of Bewick's swans migrating over open ocean, heading north to their breeding grounds. One group numbered close to one hundred. They flew very close to the boat and it was mad watching this massive white "V" shaped flock coming towards us. Brilliant.

The return leg from Tomakomai to Sendai the next morning was incredible. Non-stop birds from dawn to dusk. Literally thousands of Ancient Murrelets (see below), hundreds of Rhinoceros Auklets, Kittiwakes, a handful of Crested and Least Auklets, a couple of Pom and Arctic Skuas and a single South Polar Skua. Stars of the day were a single Japanese Murrelent close to the boat, and a single Horned Puffin which is a rare winter visitor to Japan from the eastern and northern Pacific reaches. A lifer for Neil and his only lifer of the trip. He was delighted. We had a period of time for about 20 minutes at one stage when there were divers (Pacific and Black-throated) and grebes (Red-necked and Great Crested) flying up off the water and we just didn't have time to check all the auks that were flying out and away from the boat. It was mad. The whole day was busy with birds flying by and the end of the day was just as exciting as the begining.

I picked up yet another Laysan Albatross in the quickly fading light at about 5pm. This was quickly followed by a Black-footed Albatross (see below), and 8 more after that. It was just perfect, almost too perfect a way to end what was an amazing day for bird numbers and species. Watching a Black-footed Albatross just cruise along the waves with the sun setting and the wind a mere gentle breeze will always stay with me as a reminder of what a crazy, stressed-out and overly fast-paced life we lead. To be able to just cruise on by with little effort wasted and yet still get to where you want to go quickly must be idyllic.

The last leg of the journey was quiet and 2 hours shorter than expected as the ferry made some good time overnight due to the incredibly calm conditions. However, even on the approach to Nagoya bay (it takes over an hour to get to dockside) we were still seeing Ancient Murrelets in good numbers and thousands of Black-tailed gulls streaming towards land from open ocean, obviously attracted to something the fishing boats were discharging. The Black-tailed gulls were fantastically tame in Sendai, allowing us to feed them out of our hands, which permitted very close photographs being taken (see below). Madness. The closing scene from the ferry trip were small parties of Finless porposie in Nagoya bay, presumably a resident group as there were also there when we arrived back in to Nagoya the previous time we took the ferry last August. A nice way to end the trip (see my flikr page for lots more photos, avian and non-avian).

All in all, my list expanded to 306, and with news that the shrike on Shikoku is now accepted as a Red-backed (due to moulting into adult plumage), is now at 307. Oh roll on spring, and it's rolling in fast. The swallows arrived in big numbers on Sunday and the cherry blossoms suddenly exploded this morning. I dread and look forward to the spring because around the corner is the onset of 5 months of hot and humid city life...yummy. My folks arrive in this week so I will post again before the week is out...just to get off the birdy theme that has no doubt bored some of you, in which case you won't have read this last sentence...

Carmo's Birds: LAYSAN ALBATROSS, Black-footed Albatross, Red-throated Diver*, Common Guillemot, Spectacled Guillemot, Bruinnich's Guillemot, CRESTED AUKLET, RHINOCEROS AUKLET, LEAST AUKLET, JAPANESE MURRELET, ANCIENT MURELET, HORNED PUFFIN, South Polar Skua, Streaked Shearwater, Sooty/Short-tailed Shearwater, Red-necked Phalarope, Pacific and Black-throated Diver, Asian Rosy Finch...the list just goes on

Carmo's Diet: This week, I have mostly been eating roast beef sandwiches

Carmo's Birds for Byrdy: Kiele Sanchez