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The weather since my return to the UK has been pretty good but unfortunately I haven't felt well enough to make the most of it as I continue to struggle through jetlag and a shitty virus. I did get out for a short walk at Saltram on Tuesday 3rd March where I was pleased to finally see 2 pairs of Mandarin Ducks and the female Red-crested Pochard back on the duckpond for the first time this year but I was also very glad to return home to the comforts of the sofa.

I also took a short walk down to the allotment on Wednesday 4th March which provided me with my first proper butterfly sighting of the year in the form of a Comma sunning itself on a fence before dashing off and out of sight.

Comma

I felt a little better on Thursday 5th March as I headed out to Wembury on the bus for a slow walk, it was overcast and cool after a few days of warm sunshine so there were no reptiles or butterflies to be found but it was good to be back out birding locally after my trip to Japan.

The coast at Wembury has taken quite a bashing while I've been away on my holidays with the seemingly constant wind and rain we have been experiencing so far this year continuing in my abscence. There has been more cliff slippage, the beach has been gouged out in places including the area where the Sea Kale grows (or used to) and I sadly found 2 dead Puffins washed up on the tideline, a trend reflected elsewhere in the UK and around Europe as seabirds have "wrecked" due to the ongoing difficult weather conditions.

Puffin, 1 of 2 washed up along the beach

There may not have been any reptiles or butterflies around on my walk but there was a feel of spring in the air with Daffodils in flower and a pair of Canada Geese prospecting for nest sites on The Mewstone although a Great Northern Diver feeding close inshore just off the beach was a reminder that winter is not yet done.

Daffodils

Canada Goose feeding in the Sheep field

A pair of Bullfinch were feeding together at The Point where the National Trust have undertaken yet more "habitat management" and cleared tracts of Gorse and shrub right through the Dartford Warbler territory, they have also cleared most of the Gorse along the footpath where a colony of Green Hairstreak resides - oh dear.

The Water Pipit was still present along the beach but was showing no signs of moulting into summer plumage. The Siberian Chiffchaff was still present too and feeding amongst 4 collybita Chiffchaffs, its facial plumage was a bit of a mess though so presumably it has been feeding around blossom, probably Sloe blossom, which is beginning to flower in the nearby hedgerows.

I have also received my BirdTrack summary for 2025 from the BTO, always an interesting read and with Wembury and The Plym sharing first place as my most visited birding site for the year.

My BirdTrack Year 2025

Japan Part 5 - Back to Tokyo

It was back on a Bullet train to Tokyo on Wednedsay 25th February for our last 2 nights in Japan with a stay at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Roppongi. The journey was very pleasant although the weather had turned and it was raining but as we whizzed across the countryside we still had a very brief view of the lower slopes of Mount Fuji before it disappeared amongst the clouds.

Bullet Train, Osaka

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo - very, very underwhelming

Fortunately the next day was dry but overcast and cool as we headed out for some final sight seeing around Tokyo and we visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings, Tokyo Central Station, the Imperial Palace Gardens and the Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings -we visited the observation decks on the 45th floor of both towers (for free)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Central Station from the roof of the KITTE Shopping Mall

Tokyo Station Ceiling 

Dragon Mould, Tokyo Station

Monkey and Tiger Mould, Tokyo Station

I was pleased to find some Falcated Duck in the moat of the Imperial Palace, much better views of them than I had in Kushiro, and also present out on the water were Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Mallard, Coot, Little Grebe, Eastern Spot-billed Duck and Cormorant. A Dusky Thrush was also a nice find feeding on the grassy slopes of the moat.

Falcated Duck, Imperial Palace Moat

Teal

Falcated Duck

White Wagtail

Mute Swan 

While David visited the Tokyo Tower I had a walk around the nearby Shiba Park and in just an hour of wandering about I saw Oriental Turtle Dove, Japanese White-eye, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Tit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, White-cheeked Starling, Large-billed Crow and best of all around 10 Azure-winged Magpie which were showy and vocal before disappearing into the leaf cover. I have always hoped to see Azure-winged Magpie on my visits to Spain but have always been out of luck so to see them here in Japan was a nice surprise.

Zojo-ji Temple and Tokyo Tower

Shiba Park

Brown-eared Bulbul

Oriental Greenfinch

Azure-winged Magpie

Azure-winged Magpie

Azure-winged Magpie 

Plum Blossom

It was time to head back to Tokyo Airport for our flight back to the UK on Friday 27th February, the weather had improved and it was clear and sunny, just as it was on the day we had arrived, and we had clear views of Mount Fuji again from the monorail to the airport. We even had views of its snow-topped peak poking out through the clouds as we took off on the plane, a nice end to our visit to Japan. Interestingly we ended up flying back to the UK via Canada and Greenland instead of returning the way we came over Eurasia and so we ended up doing a full circle of the Earth for our trip.

We stayed the night at Heathrow before training back to Plymouth the following morning (Saturday 28th February) where displaying Buzzards and Red Kites were seen in the sunny skies, flowering Daffodils and Blossom were seen in the hedgerows, feeding Roe Deer were seen in the fields and a Great White Egret was seen on the still very flooded Somerset Levels.

And so our trip around Japan came to an end and what a journey it had been. Japan is a fascinating place, very clean, neat, tidy, organised and efficient and the people are polite and friendly too, sometimes a little too polite but probably the nicest people I've ever met. There are no litter bins anywhere but interestingly no litter either, there's no dog shit, no graffiti, no beggars and no rough sleepers (not that we saw anyway) and it was easy getting around on the trains and subways with signage and announcements in English and Chinese as well as Japanese. The food and drink were interesting, tasty and cheap and I enjoyed trying new things, even sashimi, sushi and Whelks (never again!) and overall I loved my time there including the wonderful scenery, snowy landscapes and interesting wildlife although many of the bird species I saw are familiar birds I see in the UK.

While the Japanese are a lovely people they are also a little weird, very childlike in their manner and affectation with high pitched squeaky voices frequently used and they seem obsessed with androgynous teenage boys and over-sexualised teenage girls. There are "cute" animal mascots and puppets everywhere with the evening news weather report and Winter Olympics coverage on the TV regularly including cute animal puppets as presenters, most bizarre, but overall it was a very interesting and fascinating cultural experience. Japan is now one of my favourite places and I would love to return despite the awful 14 hour flight to get there.

I managed to bring back a little surprise from my trip too, a nasty COVID-like bug which kicked in the day after my return to Plymouth and what is now my 3rd cold in 3 months. This one's a bitch though and the worst yet and also not much fun on top of the 9 hour time difference jetlag but never mind.