So thankful I managed to nail Yellow Bunting yesterday evening as today has been a total washout. I woke at 5am to see heavy rain from my hotel window in Karuizawa and as I write this at 9pm from my hotel room at the base of Mount Fuji it is still raining. And it hasn't eased up all day! I did have a little walk along one of the forested tracks in Karuizawa Bird Sanctuary, but got really soaked. Still, I admit I did enjoy just birding with binoculars, having left camera and scope in the car. It was a real joy to listen to all the different birdsong and reacquaint myself with Blue-and-white and Narcissus Flycatcher songs.
 |
| Karuizawa... home of Copper Pheasant... Allegedly!! |
I did get my bins on several of each species, which wasn't easy in the dense foliage with raindrops making every leaf move. Lesser Cuckoo, Brown-eared Bulbul and Japanese Bush Warbler added to the chorus. I semi-hoped the weather would increase my Copper Pheasant chances...... But it didn't. So I dipped this one and it wasn't unexpected to be honest.
As we are on a recce for next year's tour, birding isn't entirely the all-consuming pastime it normally is. There's other logistical considerations to be made, and finding the right hotel and restaurants is also very important. So on this note, Mrs B and I had a very productive meeting with a hotel owner that we now intend to use for next year's tour. I mean, getting a full english breakfast here is going to be a treat. And the dinner options are amazing, including a fantastic vegetarian option as well. With hotels nailed, supermarkets and restaurants nailed, we were flying and decided to hit the outlet mall where I had my lifer Japanese Wagtail as well as a delicious club sandwich and fries. Yes, you can still keep your sushi...! Anyone who knows me personally understands I don't do fish!
 |
| View from hotel room at Mount Fuji. And yes it is raining... |
From here, it took a good 3 hours to reach the next hotel at Mount Fuji, arriving 6.30pm and just in time to get an Azure-winged Magpie before it went to roost. And that's all for today.
No comments:
Post a Comment