YOUNG BIRDER'S NOTES: BIRDING JAPAN: Hokkaido Day Four

Once more, we left early in the morning for our next destination: Lake Furen Lodge. Along the way we got close views of several species we'd seen in the drive to Rausu: white-tailed eagles, slaty-backed gulls, black-tailed gulls, goosanders and even a few female Harlequin ducks were all seen. A new bird for the trip was a single winter-plumage black-headed gull, in a flock of the previously mentioned gulls. Closer to the lodge, we stopped to see 2 red-crowned cranes and some distant flocks of ducks.

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE Haliaeetus albicilla

SLATY-BACKED GULL Larus schistisagus

BLACK-TAILED GULL Larus crassirostris

RED-CROWNED CRANE Grus japonensis

We settled in at the lodge before I walked up to the nearby dike. The lake held several large flocks of waterfowl, along with many grey herons. I was able to get distant views of Eurasian wigeons, mallards and Northern pintails. While walking back to the lodge, I found a great spotted woodpecker in the garden.

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos major japonicus

Mr. Take, our host, recommended a nearby boardwalk for getting good views of these flocks. We headed out to a surprise: the waterfowl flocks that had previously been feeding in the centre of the lake were now resting next to the boardwalk! Many Eurasian wigeons, Northern pintails, mallards and common teal were present. In the grassland around the boardwalk were a few Pacific golden plovers, white wagtails and buff-bellied pipits, along with some approachable Sika deer.