Here are some of the birds we observed on Teuri Island in May 2024.
This is a busy time of year for migratory birds on the island. One week, one species of bird is in certain parts of the island, the next week it is nowhere to be found and another appears in its place. Teuri Island in May happens to be on a migratory route, making it a real joy to explore every day.
First are the birds that arrive in early May, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
Cherry blossoms bloom in May on Teuri Island. A Japanese white-eye and Eurasian bullfinch were hard at work looking for food.
Japanese White-eye（Zosterops japonicus）Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
In coniferous forests, blue-colored birds such as the blue-and-white flycatcher and red-flanked bluetails shine.
In a slightly more open area, we spotted a hawfinch.
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes）
The Eurasian siskin, common redpoll, rosefinch, and brambling also come to the island to feed, as seeds here are plentiful. The brambling can be seen throughout the island, but they only stay for about a week.
We observed red-necked phalarope in a puddle on the shoreline.
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus）
A purple heron made a visit to the back of a house.
Perple heron（Ardea purpurea ）
In the meadow, the call of the common cuckoo echoes out.
Common cuckoo（Cuculus canorus)
We also spotted harlequin ducks along the shoreline.
Harlequin duck（Histrionicus histrionicus）
Birds visit Teuri Island one after another! This year, rosy starlings also dropped by!
Eyebrowed Thrush（Turdus obscurus）Asian brown flycatcher（Muscicapa dauurica）Japanese Thrush（Turdus cardis）Mandarin duck（Aix galericulata）
Rosy Starling（Sturnus roseus）
From the second half of May to the first half of June, birds that come to Teuri Island to breed are busy searching for mates and preparing their nests.
It is also a relatively easy season to observe the latham’s snipe which arrive from Australia without making any stops to feed along the way.
Latham’s Snipe（Gallinago hardwickii）
In May, when many migratory birds arrive on Teuri Island, the variety of birds that can be observed changes almost daily. Visit Teuri Island in May for a chance to meet those beautiful birds!
On April 15, 2024, the first herring spawn in 70 years was observed on Teuri Island, Hokkaido. The islanders were excited to photograph and then harvest the herring. At an island inn, stewed herring and herring roe were served. No one on the island today knows what it was like in the heyday of the herring harvest.
Here is some of the wildlife we observed on Teuri Island in the spring.
On the route from Haboro Port to Teuri Island, black-throated divers (surprisingly common), ancient murrelets, rhinoceros auklets, and spectacled guillemots were seen.
Eight species of seabirds breed on Teuri Island: the common guillemot, spectacled guillemot, rhinoceros auklet, black-tailed gull, slaty-backed gull, Japanese cormorant (Temminck’s cormorant), pelagic cormorant, and ancient murrelet. By April, they have already begun their breeding season.
Black-tailed gulls are breeding and expanding their territory on the Kurosaki coast, and around April 20, mating (or pseudo-mating) has already started taking place throughout the area.
Black-tailed gulls mating (or pseudo-mating)Kurosaki Coast, where the breeding grounds of black-tailed gulls are expanding
When I looked at the Japanese cormorant breeding site from the seabird observation hut, they were already feeding their chicks. The Japanese cormorant is a seabird that starts breeding early, and it seems to be getting even earlier. Slaty-backed gulls were breeding and mating on the upper slope of the bluff. There were many rhinoceros auklet nesting sites in this area as well.
Japanese cormorants nesting on a bluff. Most of the nests had chicks in them.
Red-breasted mergansers are seen near Maehama Fishing Port. Red-breasted mergansers migrate to Teuri Island as winter visitors. They will soon be heading north as well.
A Red-breasted merganser pair
And then there are the harlequin ducks. They are the most common ducks on Teuri Island. I often saw them near Maehama Fishing Port and Lombaba Beach. Harlequin ducks can be seen all year round on Teuri Island, but they are definitely easier to see—and more beautiful—during the winter months.
Harlequin ducks at Lombaba beach
On one morning when the wind had calmed a bit, we went out to the sea on the Keimafuri-Gou, a small boat operated by island photographer Takaki Terasawa. The view from the boat was that of Teuri Island in spring!
A steller sea lion we met as soon as we left the harbor. They migrate to Hokkaido from the Kuril Islands in winter. This young male was all alone. Teuri Island, where herring now spawn, attracts wildlife as well as people. It is a symbol of the richness of the sea.
Steller sea lions will soon be moving north.
From the boat, we observed the black-tailed gull breeding grounds on the Kurosaki coast and then headed in the direction of Akaiwa. We did not see any common guillemots at the breeding site, but we did see four common guillemots flying over the sea in the vicinity.
The reef was teeming with some very dry and fluffy spotted seals.
Spotted seals watching our boat
The beautiful sound of spectacled guillemots chirping at each other echoes out to sea. On a rocky shore, an adorable pair is seen in a courtship gesture.
Spectacled guillemot courtshipA flock of Spectacled guillemots at sea near nesting cliffsLovely spectacled guillemots showing off their red legs
Lastly, please take a look at this herring spawn, photographed on April 15 by the staff of Saiyu Travel’s Teuri Office (Teuri Island Naturelive).
The herring spawn turning the sea white and murky, viewed from Lombaba beach.
Spawning occurs in spring, when females lay their eggs on seaweed in shallow waters less than one meter deep, and males release sperm to fertilize the eggs. This spawning causes the seawater to become white and murky.
Pacific Herring laying eggs in seaweed
A herring dish served at the Yorozuya Ryokan（ 萬谷旅館）where I stayed. The fresh herring was so tasty.
Simmered herringHerring roe Kazunoko
I myself had just returned from a trip to Sitka, Alaska, in search of the wildlife that gathers there during the herring spawn. In Alaska, the “Herring Run” is a very popular wildlife tour where you can encounter humpback whales, gray whales, bald eagles, steller sea lions, and other creatures that congregate in the waters of Sitka.
Will Japan’s herring spawn one day be referred to as Hokkaido’s “Herring Run”? Before that, it is important to first restore the richness of the sea where herring come to spawn every year. I sincerely hope that the herring will return next year too.
Image & Text: Mariko SAWADA & Midori KUDO
Observation: April 2024, Teuri Island, Hokkaido
