Waders

Kasumigaura, Yatsu and Sanbanze: April 11, 1999.

When Ikenaga-san picked me up for the annual birding with Doug MacNeil from New Jersey(?) at 7 am, he effectively picked up four people. Fortunately, this surprise did not bother him. It was raining, the sky held heavy clouds, and the forcast did not promis improvement. The rain was mild enough to allow for good wader watching: all in all we had 21 wader species.
  • First we went to the lotusfield along the Tozaki-coast of Kasumigaura, rougly speaking some 7 km East of Tsuchiura. There were Ruffs among the 7 wader species in Tozaki.
  • Next we went to Yatsu, the tidal flat in Funabashi that is completely surrounded by city. 12 wader species were present. The Little Stints showed themselves beautifully next to some Rufous-necked Stints. And like the last time when we were there with Mike and Lee on Januari 17, there was a Longbilled Dowitcher.
  • After the birder curry we headed for Sanbanze despite the heavy traffic. The reward was great: yellow legged herring gulls (Heuglin Gulls ?)), a Common Ringed Plover and still 16 remaining Oystercatchers. In total also 11 species. And because of the rain no other humans to disturb the birds. On the way back we got stuck in the traffic of the homegoing horse race spectators. They prevented us from checking out the Bitterns in Imbanuma.
    Participants: Stephan Shuichi Haupt, Ikenaga Hiroshi, Iwasaki Sanae, Douglas MacNeil, Nakashima Hiroshi, Fer-Jan de Vries.
    Weather: Wet. Most of the day it was raining lightly. The temperature was mild, though. Hardly any wind. The Lotus fields around Tozaki were filled to the brim. When we reached Yatsu at about 12 pm it was high tide, and the tide was on the way down when we reached Sanbanze at about 14.00.

    Observed species

    1. Little Grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
    2. Great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    3. Spot-billed duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]
      • Yatsu
    4. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo]
      • Tozaki
    5. Gadwall Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo]
      • Tozaki
    6. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo]
      • Yatsu
    7. Greater scaup Aythya marila [Suzu-gamo]
      • Sanbanze
    8. Pochard Aythya ferina [Hoshi-hajiro]
      • Yatsu
    9. Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator [Umi-aisa]
      • Sanbanze: 2 ex
    10. Slaty-backed Gull Larus schitisagus [Oo-seguro-kamome]
      • Sanbanze: 1 ex.
    11. Herring Gull Larus argentatus vegae [Seguro-kamome]
      • Sanbanze: 2 ex
    12. Heuglin Gull?? Larus heuglini taymilensis [Hoigurin-kamome]
      • Sanbanze: 5 ex. Dark eyes, and distinct yellow legs.
    13. Mew Gull Larus canus kamschatschensis [Kamome]
      • Sanbanze: 3 ex
    14. Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus [Yuri-kamome]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu: several groups of up to 50 ex flying high over Yatsu.
      • Sanbanze
    15. Little egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    16. Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia [Chuu-sagi]
      • Tozaki
    17. Great egret Egretta alba [Dai-sagi]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    18. Gray heron Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi]
      • Yatsu
    19. Common Coot Fulica atra [Oo-ban]
      • Tozaki
    20. Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
    21. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus [Miyakodori]
      • Sanbanze (16 ex)
    22. Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula [Hajiro-kochidori]
      • Sanbanze: 1 ex
    23. Snowy plover Charadrius alexandrinus [Shiro-chidori]
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    24. Mongolian plover Charadrius mongolus [Medai-chidori]
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    25. Black-bellied plover Pluvialis squatarola [Daizen]
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    26. Pacific golden plover Pluvialis vulva [Munaguro]
      • Sanbanze
    27. (Northern) Lapwing Vanellus vanellus [Tageri]
      • Tozaki
    28. Rufous-necked stint Caladris ruficollis [Tounen]
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    29. Little Stint Calidris minuta [Yooroppa-toonen]
      • Yatsu
    30. Dunlin Caladris alpina [Hama-shigi]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    31. Sanderling Crocethia alba [Miyubi-shigi]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    32. Ruff Philomachus pugnax [Erimaki--shigi]
      • Tozaki: 7 ex.
    33. Rudy turnstone Arenaria interpres [Kyoujo-shigi]
      • Sanbanze
    34. Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos [Iso-shigi]
      • Tozaki
    35. Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus [Tsuru-shigi]
      • Tozaki
    36. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica [Oo-sori hashi-shigi]
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    37. Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus [Oohashi-shigi]
      • Yatsu
    38. (Eurasian) Curlew Numenius arquata [Dai-shaku-shigi]
      • Yatsu
    39. Eastern curlew Numenius madagascariensis [Houroku-shigi]
      • Yatsu
    40. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi]
      • Tozaki
    41. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus [Seitaka-shigi]
      • Yatsu
    42. Rufous turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]
      • Yatsu
    43. Rock Pigeon Columba livia [Do-bato]
      • Tozaki
    44. Skylark Alauda arvensis [Hibari]
      • Tozaki
      • Sanbanze
    45. Bank Swallow Riparia riparia [Shoodo-tsubame]
      • Tozaki
    46. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica [Tsubame]
      • Tozaki, Yatsu
    47. Black-backed Wagtail Motacilla lugens [Haku-sekirei]
      • Tozaki
      • Sanbanze
    48. Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis [Seguro-sekirei]
      • Yatsu
    49. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta [Tahibari]
      • Tozaki
      • Sanbanze
    50. Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis [Hiyodori]
      • Tozaki
    51. Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni [Tsugumi]
      • Tozaki
    52. Brown Thrush Turdus chrysolaus [Akahara]
      • Yatsu
    53. Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis [Sekka]
      • Sanbanze
    54. Siberian Meadow Bunting Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro]
      • Tozaki
    55. Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala [Aoji]
      • Tozaki
    56. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus [Oo-jurin]
      • Tozaki
    57. Oriental Greenfinch Carduelis sinica [Kawarahiwa]
      • Tozaki
    58. Tree sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    59. Gray Starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
      • Sanbanze
    60. Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyana [Onaga]
      • Ushiku
    61. Carrion crow Corvus corone [Hashiboso-garasu]
      • Tozaki
    62. Jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu]
      • Tozaki
      • Yatsu
    Birds in Japan and Asia
    Last modified: April 14, 1999.