Hokkaido

I spent the last few days in Hokkaido looking (unsuccessfully) for bat roosts. Interesting sightings included: more than an hour of scope views of a pod of karasu beaked whales from 44.100423N 145.245909E, lots of Steller’s sea lions along the shore from that location to Rausu, scope views of spotted and ringed seals from 44.089448N 145.009923E, East Asian field mouse near the boardwalk at 44.140093N 143.709723E, a sable at the bird feeders at Yoroushi Daiichi Onsen (43.590002N 144.722237E, seen at noon after less than two hours of waiting; stays near the wall and is easy to miss), another sable tracked and eventually seen at 43.023924N 142.433800S, a Siberian flying squirrel across the road from the parking lot at 43.115553N 142.398039E, a Hokkaido raccoon dog (almost perfectly spherical in winter fur) at 43.083806N 142.393935, and a gray red-backed vole at 43.527989N 143.156086E.