Painted Snipes
seemed not to be present yet, but the search for them revealed a
Water Rail in the small marsh west of Kihara. When Mathias made
pictures of two lotus farmers, the friendly farmerswife climbed out of the
Lotos paddy and presented Mathias with a bag full of lotus roots.
Then we decided to head for Choushi. Along the Tonegawa river we found
a large group of Whimbrels, near the east of Kamisu-machi. A Spotted
Redshank and a Marsh Sandpiper could be seen among them.
In
Choushi there were still many gulls. A nice variety of species,
including a Black-tailed Kitiwake which appeared to fly with only one
and a half wing. But no Common Gulls. To my disappointment the wet
wasteland near the Lighthouse that last year attracted a number of
nice wader species was now a flattened into an almost concrete type of
smooth stony surface. There were even no Rock Thrushes around...
The artificial landscape of Hasaki is similar dynamic. What last year
was a hill from which one could observe the terns on the island in the
Tonegawa was now a big and uninviting looking puddle. The beach and the
harbour had not not changed that much. There where pairs of Oystercatchers, Great Knots and Eared
Grebes and even a pair of Red (Gray) Phalaropes.
When we were ready
to turn home just before sunset, a Kestrel came racing by, flying very
low. He sped upwards just in front of a big white building where an
innocent blackish bat was flying around. The bat responded quick
enough and either with sudden drops or sharp turns it managed to
escape a series of attacks by the falcon until we lost both them out
of sight.
On the way back we listened again near Kihara for Painted Snipes,
but no success.
Participants: Catrin and Mathias Jaschhof and Fer-Jan de Vries.
Weather: Dry, and sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon along the coast. The temperature was pleasant, near the coast it became somewhat cooler.
Observed species
-
Eared Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis
[Hajiro-kaitsuburi]
- Hasaki: 2 ex swimming and diving in harbour.
-
Little Grebe
Podiceps ruficollis
[Kaitsuburi]
-
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
[Kawa-u]
- Kasumigaura: at least 50 ex.
-
Temminck's Cormorant
Phalacrocorax filamentosus
[Umi-u]
- Choushi: several hundreds
-
Pelagic Cormorant
Phalacrocorax pelagicus
[Hime-u]
-
Mute Swan
Cygnus olor
[Kobu-hakuchoo]
-
Mallard
Anas Platyrhynchos
[Ma-gamo]
-
Spot-billed Duck
Anas poecilorhyncha
[Karu-gamo]
-
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
[Hashibiro-gamo]
-
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca crecca
[Ko-gamo]
-
Falcated Teal
Anas falcata
[Yoshi-gamo]
-
Gadwall
Anas strepera
[Okayoshi-gamo]
-
Eurasian Wigeon
Anas penelope
[Hidori-gamo]
-
Black Scoter
Melanitta nigra
[Kuro-gamo]
- Hasaki: 1 male, 1 female in harbor
-
Slaty-backed Gull
Larus schitisagus
[Oo-seguro-kamome]
-
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus vegae
[Seguro-kamome]
- Choushi: about 20, the adults in Summerplumage.
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus "yellow"
[Seguro-kamome]- Choushi: about 3 adults with yellowish leg instead of pink. Eyes appeared dark. Summerplumage. One male with a brownish gonal spot on lower mandible instead of the bright red spot like other adult L.a.vegae.
-
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostris
[Umineko]
-
Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
[Washi-kamome]
-
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreus
[Shiro-kamome]
-
Black-headed Gull
Larus ridibundus
[Yuri-kamome]
- Kasumigaura: at least 100 ex.
- Choushi
-
Black-legged Kittiwake
Larus tridactylus
[Mitsuyubi-kamome]
- Choushi: 1 ex in winterplumage flying with an apparent one and a half wing.
-
Little Tern
Sterna albifrons
[Ko-ajisashi]
-
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
[Goi-sagi]
- Kasumigaura: 2 ex on posts in the water
-
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
[Ko-sagi]
-
Intermediate Egret
Egretta intermedia
[Chuu-sagi]
-
Great Egret
Egretta alba
[Dai-sagi]
-
Gray Heron
Ardea cinerea
[Ao-sagi]
- Common Coot
Fulica atra
[Oo-ban]
-
Common Gallinule
Gallinula chloropus
[Ban]
-
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticus
[Kunia]
- Kasumigaura: 1 ex near Kihara
-
Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
[Miyakodori]
- Hasaki: 2 ex on beach in harbor
-
Little Ringed Plover
Charadrius dubius
[Kochidori]
- Kasumigaura: at least 10 ex. Some appared ready fro breeding
-
Snowy Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
[Shiro-chidori]
- Hasaki: at least 8 ex on beach in harbor
-
Pacific Golden Plover
Pluvialis fulva
[Munaguro]
- Kasumigaura : at least 200 ex in groups of 20-60 ex.
-
Sanderling
Crocethia alba
[Miyubi-shigi]
- Hasaki: 4 ex in plumage ranging from winter to summer plumage
-
Great Knot
Calidris tenuirostris
[Oba-shigi]
- Hasaki: 2 ex in winterplumage
-
Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
[Ko-ao-ashi-shigi]
- Kamisu: 1 ex in summerplumage
-
Common Sandpiper
Tringa hypoleucos
[Iso-shigi]
-
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropus
[Tsuru-shigi]
- Kamisu: 1 ex in winterplumage
-
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
[Oo-sori hashi-shigi]
- Kamisu: about 16 ex, some in winterplumage others in summerplumage
-
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
[Chuushaku-shigi]
-
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago
[Ta-shigi]
- Kasumigaura: at least 50 ex
-
Latham's Snipe??
Gallinago hardwickii
[Ooji-shigi]
- Kasumigaura: 1 ex? : bird with erect posture, lacking the more brownish tone of Common Snipe. General impression blackish. Upperwings without white edges.
-
Red Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicarius
[Haiiro-hireashi-shigi]
- Hasaki: 2 ex in winterplumage. One ex seen flying and then swimming: head on profile showed broad beak and dark phalarope spots around the eyes. Grey with wingbars. Slow, heavy wingbeat. The other was swimming in harbor with similar erect neck and horizontal back.
-
Black Kite
Milvus lineatus
[Tobi]
-
Gray-faced Buzzard
Butastur indicus
[Sashiba]
-
Eastern Marsh Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
[Chuuhi]
-
Northern Goshawk
Accipter gentilis
[Oo-taka]
-
Eurasian Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
[Choogenboo]
- Hasaki: 1 ex hunting just before sunset at a lonely black medium sized bat, which managed to dodge many attacks.
- Bamboo Partridge
Bambusicola thoracica [Kojukei]
-
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
[Kiji]
- Kasumigaura: 1 male walking around, and one sleeping female.
-
Rufous Turtle Dove
Streptopelia orientalis
[Kiji-bato]
-
Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
[Do-bato]
-
Japanese Skylark
Alauda japonica
[Hibari]
-
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
[Tsubame]
-
Black-backed Wagtail
Motacilla lugens
[Haku-sekirei]
-
Japanese Wagtail
Motacilla grandis
[Seguro-sekirei]
-
Water Pipit
Anthus spinoletta
[Tahibari]
- Kasumigaura: summerplumage
-
Brown-eared Bulbul
Hypsipetes amaurotis
[Hiyodori]
- Kasumigaura: several migrating groups of several tens of birds in NW direction along the coast.
-
Bull-headed Shrike
Lanius bucephalus
[Mozu]
- Kasumigaura: at least 2 ex.
-
Blue Rock Thrush
Monticola solitarius
[Iso-hyodori]
-
Brown Thrush
Turdus chrysolaus
[Akahara]
-
Dusky Thrush
Turdus naumanni
[Tsugumi]
-
Bush Warbler
Cettia diphone
[Uguisu]
-
Japanese Marsh Warbler
Megalurus pryeri
[Oo-sekka]
-
Fan-tailed Warbler
Cisticola juncidis
[Sekka]
- Kasumigaura: singing
- Kamisu: singing
-
Great Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
[Oo-yoshikiri]
- Kasumigaura: 1 ex singing
-
Black-faced Bunting
Emberiza spodocephala
[Aoji]
- Japanese Reed Bunting
Emberiza yessoensis
[Ko-jurin]
- Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclus
[Oo-jurin]
- Kasumigaura: at least 20.
-
Oriental Greenfinch
Carduelis sinica
[Kawarahiwa]
-
Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
[Suzume]
-
Gray Starling
Sturnus cineraceus
[Mukudori]
-
Red-cheeked Starling
Sturnus phillippensis
[Ko-mukudori]
- Kasumigaura: 1 male and 3 female in cherry trees along the road to the military coplex on the dike east of Ami.
-
Jay
Garrulus glandarius brandtii
[Kakesu]
- Kasumigaura: in total 9 ex migrating over the hills in NW direction.
-
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
[Hashiboso-garasu]
-
Jungle Crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
[Hashibuto-garasu]
Birds in Japan and Asia
Last modified: April 19, 1999.