Izumi (and Fukuoka) in Kyushu

On October 18 the first three White-naped cranes of the winter 97-98 have been observed at their usual winter roost near Izumi in Kyushu. Yoshio Naoyoshi-san of Izumi member of the International Crane Foundation told me this when I met him at the minshuku of Matano-san. On November 1 Naoyoshi-san counted the following numbers of cranes: 

Hooded crane		5597	 (world population 9.500)
White-naped crane	1317	 (world population 5.000)
Common crane		1 	 (world population 200.000)
Sandhill crane		1	 (world population 650,000 birds)

Hybrids Common x Hooded 1	 (above estimates are from ICF)
This was my second visit to this beautiful area. I saw essentially the same numbers of cranes: but like last time I did not see any hybrids and instead of the Sandhill crane I saw a beautiful immature Common crane accompagnied by two Hooded cranes. Early in the winter the juvenile plumages are more pronounced. Young White-naped birds and old Hooded cranes can be deceivingly light if one is searching for a Sandhill crane. In contrast to my visit at the end of Januari, when I observed that "The fields there are muddy and dirty looking, and have more the aspects of an old fashioned zoo", this time in early November the rice was not yet completely harvested. The green and yellow fields provided a beautiful background for the colorful cranes. The week befor my visit the weather had been uncomfortably cold with snow in various places along the north and north east coast of Japan.

Highlight of the trip was a spot close to the Pig farm south east of the Crane observation tower (see map in Brazil's Birdwatchers guide to Japan). The north bank of the curved canal ending in the pigfarm is a dyke with a dirt road on top. The canal was almost dry. On the bottom a mixture of muddy plates, shallow water and bushy vegetation. Near the small marshy pond of the pigfarm I could find a spot with many wader and rail species. (Best way to approach is to walk in the irrigation canal on the other (north) side of the dyke, and then very slowly peep over the top of the dyke in the canal at the place where there is a house on the opposite side, some 100 meters from the marshy pond.) I could watch in closeup and for a long time Waterrail, Rudy Crake, Dunlin, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe and Green-winged Teal.

Regarding snipes: the best book I know off at the moment for explaining the details between the various snipes one can see in Japan is the guide of the Japanese Society For Preservation Of Birds. The trick is to look at the details of the feathers on the back: the median coverts (if I have the name correct, see picture at page 12 in WSBJ guide) the big feathers on the border of wing and back. Swinhoe's snipe has feathers which are greyish where they peepout under the lesser coverts and only the end part is colored with brown and black and white. The large grey part of the feather seems to be diagnostic. Ikenaga-san explained me that Swinhoe's snipe migrates roughly speaking before the Pintail Snipe. Middle of October begin of November versus middel of November. So identification of Swinhoe's snipe supports or is supported by this extra bit of migration info.

Other interesting species around were: Greenshank, (Eurasian) curlew, the Merlins accompagnying the Swallows migration: House martin, Bank swallow, and especially the numerous Red-rumped swallows and Barn swallow. Stonechat could be seen anywhere as well. In total there were some 64 species around, which is---I guess---a high number for Japanese standards certainly in a period after migration and before winter season. (In particular if it is the general opinion among japanese birdwatchers that this year the returning winter migrants are rather late...)

Peregrine hunting Jungle crows in Fukuoka, Kyushu

October 30, 1997

In Fukuoka harbor near the Hawks stadium there is a tiny tree covered island which serves as a roost for Egrets, Cormorants and Jungle crows. On October 30 an immature Peregrine was attacking the Jungle crows for at least 15 minutes. It was both attacking the roosting birds as well ambushing the birds that arrived from the mainland. Being a much better flyer it seemed to be each time an extreme narrow escape for the crows.

Cranes in Izumi, Kyushu

November 1-3, 1997

  1. Little grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]
  2. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u]
  3. Spot-billed duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]
  4. Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos [Ma-gamo]
  5. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo]
  6. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo]
  7. Northern Pintail Anas acuta [Onaga-gamo]
  8. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo]
  9. Pochard Aythya ferina [Hoshi-hajiro]
  10. Tufted duck Aythya fuligula [Kinkuro-hajiro] **
  11. Brown booby Sula leucogaster [Katsuodori] **
  12. Black-tailed gull Larus crassirostris [Umineko] **
  13. Black-crowned night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax [Goi-sagi]
  14. Green-backed heron Butorides striatus [Sasa-goi]
  15. Cattle egret Bubucus ibis [Ama-sagi]
  16. Little egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi]
  17. Great egret Egretta alba [Dai-sagi]
  18. Gray heron Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi]
  19. Common crane Grus grus [Kuro-zuru]
  20. Hooded crane Grus monacha [Nabe-zuru]
  21. White-naped crane Grus vipio [Mana-zuru]
  22. Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban]
  23. Water rail Rallus aquaticus [Kunia] **
  24. Rudy crake Porzana fusca [Hi-kunia] **
  25. Long-billed ringed plover Charadrius placidus [Ikaru-chidori]
  26. (Northern) Lapwing Vanellus vanellus [Tageri]
  27. Sharp-tailed sandpiper Caladris acuminata [Uzura-shigi] **
  28. Dunlin Caladris alpina [Hama-shigi] **
  29. Green sandpiper Tringa ochropus [Kusa-shigi]
  30. Common sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos [Iso-shigi]
  31. Greenshank Tringa nebulara [Aoashi-shigi] **
  32. (Eurasian) curlew Numenius arquata [Dai-shaku-shigi] **
  33. Common snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi]
  34. Swinhoe's snipe Gallinago megala [Chuuji-shigi]
  35. Osprey Pandion haliaetus [Misago]
  36. Black kite Milvus migrans [Tobi]
  37. Common buzzard Buteo buteo [Nosuri]
  38. Merlin Falco columbarius [Ko-chougenbou] **
  39. Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus [Chougenbou]
  40. Rufous turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]
  41. Rock pigeon Columbia livia [Do-bato]
  42. Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis [Kawa-semi] (One ex had a rather whitish breast)
  43. Skylark Alauda arvensis [Hibari]
  44. House martin Delichon urbica [Iwa-tsubame] **
  45. Bank swallow Riparia riparia [Shoudo-tsubame] **
  46. Red-rumped swallow Hirunda daurica [Koshi aka-tsubame] **
  47. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica [Tsubame] **
  48. Gray wagtail Motacilla cinerea [Ki-sekirei]
  49. White wagtail Haku-sekirei [Motacilla alba]
  50. Water pipit Anthus spinoletta [Tahibari]
  51. Brown-eared bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis [Hiyodori]
  52. Bull-headed shrike Lanius bucephalus [Mozu]
  53. Daurian redstart Phoenicurus auroreus [Joobitaki]
  54. Stonechat Saxicola torquata [No-bitaki] **
  55. Blue rockthrush Monticola solitarius [Iso-hyodori]
  56. Siberian meadow bunting Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro]
  57. Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica [Kashiradaka]
  58. Oriental greenfinch Carduelis sinica [Kawarahiwa]
  59. Tree sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume]
  60. Gray starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]
  61. Daurian Jackdaw Corvus dauricus [Kokumaru-garasu]
  62. Rook Corvus frugilegus [Miyama-garasu]
  63. Carrion crow Corvus corone [Hashiboso-garasu]
  64. Jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu]
Back to previous page Last modified: November 5, 1997. Fer-Jan de Vries, ferjan@etl.go.jp