Okhotsk Chapter
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Tsubetsu forest		Back to Reports Top

Along a Stream in a Forest near Tsubetsu  (30 June 2013, 8:00~ )

It was a brilliant clear Sunday morning, warm outside but refreshingly cool inside the forest, and the Japanese Primrose was near full bloom along the stream. One of the first calls we heard as we gathered at the entrance to the trail was that of the Eurasian Wren, and in the blue sky high above us a pair of White-throated Needletails flew and glided in wide circles.

One of a pair of White-throated Needletails (Hario-amatsubame; Hirundapus caudacutus)	A few of the total of around 25 of us along the boardwalk in the forest filled with flowering Japanese Primroses (Kurin-sou; Primula japonica) and the soothing sound of the stream
	I would not be surprised if this was the same Eurasian Wren (Misosazai; Troglodytes troglodytes) that we heard before we entered the trail. It stayed in this spot and sang for at least 10 minutes while we watched. The surroundings were very lush and beautiful. (Photo at left is a detail of the one above, unfortunately not well focused.)
This Eastern Crowned Warbler (Sendai-mushikui; Phylloscopus coronatus) was singing in a deciduous tree at a slightly higher elevation from the stream. We also heard but did not see a Japanese Bush Warbler (Uguisu; Cettia diphone), ubiquitous in the mountains of Hokkaido during spring and summer. (I had to apply brightness in this photo to make the bird more visible.)	Further up the mountain trail, we reached a small wooden observatory with views of surrounding mountains and the valley below. The building below is the Mori Tsubetsu Hotel where we started our walk. More information about the hotel in Engish is available here.

Today's list: Japanese Green Pigeon (Ao-bato), Oriental Cuckoo (Tsutsudori), White-breasted Needletail (Hario-amatsubame), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Aka-gera), White-backed Woodpecker (Oo-aka-gera), Black Woodpecker (Kuma-gera), Large-billed Crow (Hashibuto-garasu), Marsh Tit (Hashibuto-gara), Brown-eared Bulbul (Hiyodori), Japanese Bush Warbler (Uguisu), Eastern Crown Warbler (Sendai-mushikui), Eurasian Nuthatch (Gojuu-kara), Eurasian Wren (Misosazai), Brown-headed Thrush (Akahara), Japanese Robin (Komadori), Siberian Blue Robin (Ko-ruri), Grey Wagtail (Ki-sekirei), Black-faced Bunting (Aoji) [18 species]

	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov
Land			5	20, 30	7				3
Sea		5, 8, 15, 19	23, 26, 27	23		1	7	10, 31	14

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