The cranes were at the far side of the fields from the minshuku in the early mornings. About 7:30 or so, two feeding trucks went in to spread grain along the dikes, stopping about 50 meters short of the fence. The cranes would then start working along the feed trails and stop at the last bit of the feed. But on Sunday morning, in addition to the trucks, they employed 10 people on foot to hand spread the grain in the fields nearer the fence. As a result, the cranes were much closer on Sunday. There were more Hooded than White-naped, although we thought White-naped was more elegant looking with longer bustle and blue-grey color. Their flight patterns were also more striking. We saw one young Common with significant facial smudges, and different grey, and when it flew, we could also see the black trailing edge of the wings. Three days later, we saw an adult from outside of the fenced fields taking off. It was not a clear look, but we saw the difference in facial pattern. There were also a couple of Hooded X Common hybrids.
In the vicinity of the reserve were several other birds exotic to us, most notably Ruddy Crake, Water Rail, Painted Snipe, Long-toed Stint, Red-throated Pipit, Little Bunting and Daurian Jackdaw. We couldn't find the Eurasian Spoonbill which had been in the area (tidal?). We made half-day trips south to see the Greater Spotted Eagle and Black-faced Spoonbills, both of which were spectacular. The Eagle was soaring and calling, at times being chased by the kites. At one point it landed in the fields. We quickly drove toward it, and got good looks as it tookoff again, but circling low over the fields. The spoonbills were below the footbridge as we were told. At first they were far and were all sleeping with bills tucked in. But as we drove around to find better viewing spots, the tide came in, some of them started to feed near the beach, did a little flying and stretching. while most of the group, a total of 10 individuals, remained resting for most of the time. We ran out of time and couldn't find any of the starlings or Pallas's Reed Bunting. We went North to see the Saunder's Gulls (but couldn't find the Greater Black-headed Gull). We also couldn't find Chinese Penduline Tit, but aren't sure where they are.
I am struck by the ecological similarities of Saunder's Gull to our American Gull-billed Tern. Both are birds of salt marshes, and both seem to specialize in crabs. The gulls patrolled back and forth over newly exposed stretches of mud, and every so often plunged down to pluck an unwary crab from the entrance to its burrow. Gull-billed Terns have evolved an oversized bill for this purpose, but Saunder's Gulls possess a proportionately smaller-than-average bill (and the bird is small to begin with), so perhaps they only specialize in crabs while we're watching them.
Here's the bird list:
Little Grebe Kaitsuburi Podiceps ruficollis Great Crested Grebe Kanmuri-kaitsuburi Podiceps cristatus Great Cormorant Kawa-u Phalacrocorax carbo Temminck's Cormorant Umi-u Phalacrocorax filamentosus Black-cr. Night Heron Goi-sagi Nycticorax nycticorax Green-backed Heron Sasa-goi Butorides striatus Cattle Egret Ama-sagi Bulbulcus ibis Great Egret Dai-saga Egretta alba Little Egret Ko-sagi Egretta garzetta Gray Heron Ao-sagi Ardea cinerea Black-faced Spoonbill (10) Kurotsura-herasagi Platalea minor Mute Swan Kobu-hakucho Cygnus cygnus Mallard Ma-gamo Anas platyrhynchos Spot-billed Duck Karu-gamo Anas poecilorhyncha Common Teal Ko-gamo Anas crecca Gadwall Okayoshi-gamo Anas strepera Eurasian Wigeon Hidori-gamo Anas penelope Northern Pintail Onaga-gamo Anas acuta Northern Shoveler Hashibiro-gamo Anas clypeata Common Goldeneye Hojiro-gamo Bucephala clangula Osprey Misago Pandion haliaetus Black Kite Tobi Milvus migrans Common Buzzard Nosuri Buteo buteo Asian Marsh Harrier Chuhi Circus spilonotus Peregrine Falcon Hayabusa Falco peregrinus Eurasian Kestrel Chogenbo Falco tinnunculus Common Crane (2) Kuro-zuru Grus grus Hooded Crane Nabe-zuru Grus monacha White Naped Crane Mana-zuru Grus vipio Water Rail (1) Kuina Rallus aquaticus Ruddy Crake (1) Hi-kuina Porzana fusca Moorhen Ban Gallinula chloropus Eurasian Coot O-ban Fulica atra Painted Snipe (2) Tama-shigi Rostratula benghalensis Little Ringed Plover (2) Ko-chidori Charadrius dubius Kentish Plover Shiro-chidori Charadrius alexandrinus Black-bellied Plover Daizen Pluvialis squatarola Northern Lapwing (25) Tageri Vanellus vanellus Long-toed Stint (1 Arasaki) Hibari-shigi Calidris subminuta Dunlin Hama-shigi Calidris alpina Common Sandpiper Iso-shigi Tringa hypoleucos Common Snipe Ta-shigi Gallinago gallinago Common Black-headed Gull Yuri-kamome Larus ridibundus Herring Gull Seguro-kamome Larus argentatus vegae Glaucous-winged Gull (1) Washi-kamome Larus glaucescens Slaty-backed Gull (1) O-seguro-kamome Larus schistisagus Black-tailed Gull Umineko Larus crassirostris Saunder's Gull (15-20!) Zuguro-kamome Larus saundersi Rufous Turtle Dove Kiji-bato Streptopelia orientalis Japanese Green Pigeon (H) Ao-bato Sphenurus sieboldii Common Kingfisher Kawasemi Alcedo atthis Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Ko-gera Dendrocopos kizuki Skylark Hibari Alauda arvensis 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 Red-throated Pipit (3-4 Arasaki) Muneaka-tahibari Anthus cervina Water Pipit Tahibari Anthus spinoletta Brown-eared Bulbul Hiyodori Hypsipetes amaurotis Bull-headed Shrike Mozu Lanius bucephalus Daurian Redstart (1m, 15f!) Jo-bitaki Phoenicurus auroreus Blue Rock Thrush Isohiyodori Monticola solitarius Pale thrush Shirohara Turdus pallidus Dusky Thrush Tsugumi Turdus naumanni Bush Warbler Uguisu Cettia diphone Fan-tailed Warbler Sekka Cisticola juncidis Japanese White-Eye Mejiro Zosterops japonica Meadow Bunting Hojiro Emberiza cioides Gray-headed Bunting (20+) Hoaka Emberiza fucata Little Bunting (2 Arasaki) Ko-hoaka Emberiza pusilla Black-faced Bunting Aoji Emberiza spodocephala Reed Bunting O-jurin Emberiza schoeniclus Brambling (2) Atori Fringilla montifringilla Oriental Greenfinch Kawara-hira Carduelis sinica Russet Sparrow (100) Nyunai-suzume Passer rutilans Eurasian Tree Sparrow Suzume Passer montanus Gray Starling Mukudori Sturnus cineraceus Daurian Jackdaw (10) Kokumaru-garasu Corvus monedula Rook (000's) Miyama-garasu Corvus frugilegus Carrion Crow Hashiboso-garasu Corvus corone Jungle Crow Hashibuto-garasu Corbus macrorhynchos Good birding, Mike and Lee
Back to Birds in Japan and AsiaLast modified: Feb 5, 1999.