Okhotsk Chapter
of the Wild Bird Society of Japan

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2018 Seabirding		Back to Reports Top

2018 Excursion in the Sea of Okhotsk

April 8, from 8:45 a.m.

About 10 of us gathered behind the Michinoeki in Abashiri where the Chipashiri was docked, waiting to take us out to sea for our first seabirding cruise of the season. Kawasaki-san, head of the Okhotsk Chapter of the Wild Bird Society of Japan, chartered the boat, operated by Captain Maeda, before the season of scheduled cruises start on April 20. Drift ice lingered longer than usual this year, but by early April it had unfortunately gone. Weather was sunny and not too cold or windy when we left at about 8:45 a.m. Visibility was not great because we could not see the Shiretoko mountains, but it was good to be out on the water again, quite refreshing after the long winter. A young white-tailed eagle (Ojiro-washi) stood on a concrete piling and watched as we headed out of the harbor. The high point of our 5-hour trip was the many Baird's beaked whales (Tsuchi-kujira) that we saw at various locations during the middle of the cruise. There was also a large number of thick-billed murres and gulls of various kinds. It was still 2-3 weeks too early to see any short-tailed shearwaters ("Muttonbirds" from Australia), which turn up in huge numbers. (The report of 15 April 2014 shows some scenes of remaining drift ice during a cruise.) [photos by DB]

A group of thick-billed murres (Hashibuto-umigarasu). There were very many of these birds today.	Rhinoceros auklet (Utou). Often seen in pairs or small groups.
Thick-billed murre	Baird's beaked whale (Tsuchi-kujira). There were several groups of 5-10 each, a total of about 25. Lots of activity.

Today's list [from the Okhotsk Chapter website; includes birds observed in the harbor]: Gadwall (Okayoshi-gamo), Eurasian wigeon (Hidori-gamo), Greater scaup (Suzu-gamo), Harlequin duck (Shinori-gamo), Common goldeneye (Hoojiro-gamo), Red-breasted merganser (Umi-aisa), Black-throated loon (Oohamu), Shearwater sp (Mizunagidori sp), Pelagic cormorant (Hime-u), Great cormorant (Kawa-u), Kittiwake (Mitsuyubi-kamome), Black-headed gull (Yuri-kamome), Mew gull (Kamome), Black-tailed gull (Umineko), Glaucous gull (Shiro-kamome), Herring gull (Seguro-kamome), Slaty-backed gull (Oo-seguro-kamome), Thick-billed murre (Hashibuto-umigarasu), Common murre (Umigarasu), Crested auklet (Etorofu-umisuzume), Rhinocerous auklet (Utou), Black kite (Tobi), White-tailed sea-eagle (Ojiro-washi), Carrion crow (Hashiboso-garasu). Marine mammal: Baird's beaked whale (Tsuchi-kujira).

Many thanks to Captain Maeda of the Chipashiri and to the Abashiri Tourism Association for making these cruises possible again this season!

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