The Juni-Ko area, in the southwest corner of Aomori Ken, consists of very good forest, and holds a few nesting birds which we hadn't found elsewhere in Aomori, such as Jungle Nightjar, Oriental Scops Owl and Gray Thrush. It's a four-hour drive for us, but it's mostly a pleasant run through rural areas. Besides, we're from California, and four hours' driving is nothing.
Another July highlight was finding proof that Japanese Yellow Buntings nested at Shiriya. On the fifth, I watched a pair feeding a fledgling, and to my delight managed to get some good photos of one of the adults. These birds were still present and singing at the end of the month. In the same location, a pair of Brown Shrikes, which we'd scarcely seen before in Japan, appeared to be nest-building. Three weeks later, they were still at the same location, but were being quite furtive. This nearly-endemic race of Brown Shrike (superciliosus) has the possibility of being split some day.
Late in the month, there was an influx of migrating shorebirds (all adults). The size of this movement was modest, but considerably exceeded last year's movement of adult shorebirds, both in sheer numbers and in variety of species. Most of these birds were in fairly heavy molt, but a few individuals thought it was still May. The rarest shorebird was a Little Stint on the 24th, but a Curlew Sandpiper on the 26th was also scarce, and both were firsts for me for Aomori.
One surprising lowlight: not a single egret of any kind!
Symbols: "->" after a date means "onwards"; "->" before a date means "until".
Little Grebe Kaitsuburi Podiceps ruficollis Great Crested Grebe Kanmuri-kaitsuburi Podiceps cristatus Laysan Albatross (7/5(1) Shiriyazaki) Ko-ahodori Diomedea immutabilis Northern Fulmar (7/16(1)) Furuma-kamome Fulmarus glacialis Streaked Shearwater O-Mizunagidori Calonectris leucomelas Short-t Shearwater Hashiboso-mizunagidori Puffinus tenuirostris Great Cormorant Kawa-u Phalacrocorax carbo Temminck's Cormorant Umi-u Phalacrocorax filamentosus Pelagic Cormorant (7/5(1) Shiriya) Hime-u Phalacrocorax pelagicus Chinese Little Bittern (1H Hotokenuma) Yoshi-goi Ixobrychus sinensis Black-cr. Night Heron Goi-sagi Nycticorax nycticorax Gray Heron Ao-sagi Ardea cinerea Whooper Swan (2 disabled Shimoda Park) O-hakucho Cygnus olor Bewick's Swan (1 disabled Shimoda Park) Ko-hakucho Cygnus bewicki Mandarin Duck Oshidori Aix galericulata Spot-billed Duck Karu-gamo Anas poecilorhyncha Eurasian Wigeon (1 Shimoda Park) Hidori-gamo Anas penelope Pochard (1 disabled Shimoda Park) Hoshi-hajiro Aythya ferina Tufted Duck (10+) Kinkuro-hajiro Aythya fuligula Greater Scaup (25+) Suzu-gamo Aythya marila Harlequin (7/5(1) Yagen Valley) Shinori-gamo Histrionicus histrionicus Honey Buzzard (7/17(1) near Towada-Ko) Hachikuma Pernis apivorus Black Kite Tobi Milvus migrans Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (7/17(1)) Hai-taka Accipiter nisus Northern Goshawk (7/18(1) Hotokenuma) O-taka Accipiter gentilis Common Buzzard Nosuri Buteo buteo Asian Marsh Harrier (2 Hotokenuma) Chuhi Circus spilonotus Peregrine Falcon Hayabusa Falco peregrinus Eurasian Kestrel (7/16 Misawa, 7/25 Shiriya) Chogen-bo Falco tinnunculus Green Pheasant Kiji Phasianus colchicus Water Rail (Hotokenuma) Kuina Rallus aquaticus Eurasian Coot O-ban Fulica atra Little Ringed Plover (Misawa fishing port) Ko-chidori Charadrius dubius Kentish Plover (Misawa Fishing Port) Shiro-chidori Charadrius alexandrinus Mongolian Plover (15+) Medai-chidori Charadrius mongolus Ruddy Turnstone (7/31(1)) Kyojo-shigi Arenaria interpres Red-necked Stint (7/5(1),7/23->(65+)) Tonen Calidris ruficollis Little Stint (7/24(1) Misawa Fishing Port) Yoroppa-tonen Calidris minuta Dunlin (7/24-26(1)) Hama-shigi Calidris alpina Curlew Sandpiper (7/26(1)Misawa Fish port) Saruhama-shigi Calidris ferruginea Sanderling (7/25(1),7/26(1)) Miyubi-shigi Crocethia alba Gray-tailed Tattler (7/15(1)->) Kiashi-shigi Tringa brevipes Common Sandpiper (7/26(1)) Iso-shigi Tringa hypoleucos Bar-tailed Godwit (7/31(4)) O-sorihashi-shigi Limosa lapponica Far Eastern Curlew (7/25(1),7/27(2)) Horoku-shigi Numenius madagascariensis Latham's Snipe (7/15(1) Misawa) Oji-shigi Gallinago hardwickii Slaty-backed Gull O-seguro-kamome Larus schistisagus Black-tailed Gull Umineko Larus crassirostris Spectacled Guillemot (20 Shiriya) Keimafuri Cepphus carbo Rhinoceros Auklet (7/5 Shiriyazaki) Utou Cerorhinca monocerata Rufous Turtle Dove Kiji-bato Streptopelia orientalis Japanese Green Pigeon (100+ near Fukaura) Ao-bato Sphenurus sieboldii Common Cuckoo Kakko Cuculus canorus Oriental Cuckoo (7/10(1H) Juni-Ko) Tsutsudori Cuculus saturatus Little Cuckoo Hototogisu Cuculus poliocephalus Jungle Nightjar (7/10(4) Juni-Ko) Yotaka Caprimulgus indicus Oriental Scops Owl (7/10(2) Juni-Ko) Konoha-zuku Otus scops (?) White-throated Needle-t. Swift Hario-amatsubame Chaetura caudacuta Pacific Swift (7/11(50)) Amatsubame Apus pacificus Common Kingfisher Kawasemi Alcedo atthis Ruddy Kingfisher (7/5(1H) Yagen Valley) Aka-shobin Halcyon coromanda Greater Pied Kingfisher (7/5(1) Yagen V.) Yamasemi Ceryle lugubris Great Spotted Woodpecker Aka-gera Dendrocopus major White-backed Woodpecker (Tsuta, Juni-Ko) O-aka-gera Dendrocopus leucotos Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Ko-gera Dendrocopos kizuki Skylark Hibari Alauda arvensis Bank Swallow (7/24->) Shodo-tsubame Riparia riparia Barn Swallow Tsubame Hirundo rustica Asiatic House Martin Iwa-tsubame Delichon ?? Gray Wagtail Ki-sekirei Motacilla cinerea Black-backed Wagtail Haku-sekirei Motacilla lugens Japanese Wagtail Seguro-sekirei Motacilla grandis Olive Tree Pipit Binzui Anthus hodgsoni Brown-eared Bulbul Hiyodori Hypsipetes amaurotis Bull-headed Shrike Mozu Lanius bucephalus Brown Shrike (7/5->(2) Shiriya) Aka-mozu Lanius cristatus superciliosus Brown Dipper Kawagurasu Cinclus pallasi Wren Misosazai Troglodytes troglodytes Blue Rock Thrush Isohiyodori Monticola solitarius White's Ground Thrush (Tsuta, Juni-Ko) Tora-tsugumi Z. Dauma Gray Thrush (7/11(1) Juni-Ko) Kuro-tsugumi Turdus cardis Brown Thrush Akahara Turdus chrysolaus Short-tailed Bush Warbler Yabusame Cettia squameiceps Bush Warbler Uguisu Cettia diphone Japanese Marsh Warbler O-sekka Megalurus pryeri Black-browed Reed Warbler Ko-yoshiki Acrocephalus bistrigiceps Great Reed Warbler O-yoshikiri Acrocephalus arundinaceus Eastern Crowned Warbler Sendai-mushikui Phylloscopus occipitalis Narcissus Flycatcher Ki-bitaki Ficedula narcissina Blue & White Flycatcher (Yagen, Juni-Ko) O-ruri Cyanoptila cyanomelana Long-tailed Tit Enaga Aegithalos caudatus Willow Tit Ko-gara Parus montanus Coal Tit Hi-gara Parus ater Varied Tit Yama-gara Parus varius Great Tit Shiju-kara Parus major Nuthatch Goju-kara Sitta europaea Japanese White-Eye Mejiro Zosterops japonica Meadow Bunting Hojiro Emberiza cioides Japanese Reed Bunting (Hotokenuma) Ko-jurin Emberiza yessoensis Gray-headed Bunting (Hotokenuma) Hoaka Emberiza fucata Jap. Yellow Bunting (7/5,17,25(4) Shiriya) Nojiko Emberiza sulfurata Black-faced Bunting Aoji Emberiza spodocephala Gray Bunting (10+ Towada-Ko and vicinity) Kuroji Emberiza variabilis Reed Bunting (Hotokenuma) O-jurin Emberiza schoeniclus Oriental Greenfinch Kawara-hira Carduelis sinica Japanese Grosbeak Ikaru Eophona personata Hawfinch Shime Coccothraustes coccothraustes Eurasian Tree Sparrow Suzume Passer montanus Red-cheeked Myna Ko-mukudori Sturnus philippensis Gray Starling Mukudori Sturnus cineraceus Jay Kakesu Garrulus glandarius Azure-winged Magpie Onaga Cyanopica cyana Carrion Crow Hashiboso-garasu Corvus corone Jungle Crow Hashibuto-garasu Corvus macrorhynchos
Good birding, Mike