Dalmatian Pelican at Hinuma
Januari 9, 1999
A delightful, but very cold day: the low subzero temperature in the
early morning and an strong icy cold western wind which began at about
10 am. Yet unexpectedly rich in species: 78. Which is one more than
last week, despite the fact that we did not concentrate on species
hunting and missed 13 of the species we saw last week. This suggests
that it is possible to score 90 species in a Januari birdathon in
Ibaraki.
The number of species is of course rather irrelevant: but the high
number underlines the quality of the well-known area around Hinuma and
the less well-known area of the west-coast of Kitaura. The wintering
rarities are an other indication.
Highlights
- Dalmatian Pelican at Hinuma. Half
december the bird was spotted for the first time at Hinuma. Then it
left, to return at Jan 4. It seems to have made it to the national
television. It is a very genki bird. And it gave quite a performance. Flying,
catching a gigantic fish which filled its poach completely,
swallowing, flying, spitting the fish out, manipulating it in the big
beak, swallowing again... It is quite impressive how such a huge bird can take off from
the water without any apparent effort, in great contrast to similar
sized birds like swans. It liked to rest sitting above the water on a
branch of some treetrunk. When swimming, it cruised seemingly
without any effortless at quite a high speed while keeping the body motionless leaving the pedalling to the
strong feet and legs.
- Male Bufflehead [Hime-hajiro] is still at at Hinuma: already 5 consecutive winters a male Bufflehead visits Hinuma.
- Wintering Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank and Common Snipes in the lotus (renkon and parsley (seri) fields between kilometer 19 and 17 along the western dike of Kitaura.
- Wintering Whiskered Terns, Greenshank and Barnswallow near kilometer 5 next to Itako at the southeast of Kitaura.
- The lack of wintering Intermediate Herons and Night Herons.
Places visited
- Hinuma
- Oarai: sea coast
- Kitaura: west coast
- Ukishima,
- Amada,
- Edosaki
Participants
Ikenaga Hiroshi, Mathias and Catrien Jaschhof, Numaguchi Kenji and Fer-Jan de Vries.
Weather
Sunny with a clear blue sky. Yet the weather was very cold due to below freezing temeratures around dawn and an icy strong western wind later in the morning in Hinuma. The hills west of Kitaura offered at many plces protection against this freezing wind. The sea was reasonably calm, but not much birds visible due to this strong land wind.
-
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatus
[Kanmuri-kaitsuburi]
- Hinuma
- Oarai
- Kitaura
- Ukishima
-
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritus
[Mimi-kaitsuburi]
-
Eared Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis
[Hajiro-kaitsuburi]
-
Little Grebe
Podiceps ruficollis
[Kaitsuburi]
- Hinuma
- Kitaura: at least 100
-
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
[Kawa-u]
- Hinuma: a group of 250 was fishing together.
-
Dalmatian Pelican
Pelecanus crispus
[Garanchou]
- Hinuma: 1 ex.
Description: A large white pelican. Not pure white, but with a grey tone. Dark grey feet and legs. Not ringed. Primaries and secondaries of upperwings black. rest of the wing white. Underwing white except for the edge of primaries which gave grey impression, possibly by a "shine through" phenomenon. Upper mandible was blueish-grey. Under mandible appeared yellow. Tip of the beak had a orange nail. Area on overlap of breast and belly showed some yellow glosh when the bird was landing. Neck was white.
Head was white with some short roughed curly white crest consisting of feather from the top of the head as well as the back of the head. The crest gave the head a somewhat pointed, triangular shape. Skin area around eyes appeared plain white. When resting upperwings had a grey tone. (We saw the bird at a minimal distance of about 700 meter with a Kowa-scope, magnification 20-60)
Pictures:
In the evening of Januari 4, 1999 Kumagai-san made those pictures of the same bird at the same location. (Here are local copies: picture 1 and picture 2, note that the picture show the white skin around the eyes... )
Discussion: Colors make it into an adult bird. Curly white crest at white head and beak coloration, as well as the dark grey feet and legs make it into Dalmatian Pelican. The other two asian pelican species can be excluded: Size, color of neck and unspotted uppermandible exclude Spot-billed Pelican P. philippensis. Color of the feet and legs, as well as shape of crest, and color of skin around eye exclude Great White Pelican P. onocrotalus. Dalmatian Pelican has been considered a subspecies of Spot-billed Pelican, a recent change which has not yet reached the japanese fieldguides.
-
Mute Swan
Cygnus olor
[Kobu-hakuchoo]
-
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnus
[Oo-hakuchoo]
geese
Anser sp. [gan]
-
Bean Goose
Anser fabalis middendorffi
[O-hishikui]
- Edosaki: too far to be counted
Goose
Anser sp. [gan]
- Hinuma: small group of 8 ex. flying westwards at about 7.15 am
-
Mallard
Anas Platyrhynchos
[Ma-gamo]
- Hinuma
- Kitaura: at least 1000
-
Spot-billed Duck
Anas poecilorhyncha
[Karu-gamo]
- Hinuma (including 1 ex: whitish with some light brown pigments, normal bill.
- Kitaura
-
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
[Hashibiro-gamo]
-
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca crecca
[Ko-gamo]
-
Gadwall
Anas strepera
[Okayoshi-gamo]
-
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
[Onaga-gamo]
-
Eurasian Wigeon
Anas penelope
[Hidori-gamo]
-
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
[Ou-hoshi-hajiro]
-
Pochard
Aythya ferina
[Hoshi-hajiro]
- Kitaura: several thousand
-
Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
[Hojiro-gamo]
-
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
[Hime-hajiro]
- Hinuma: 1 ex in the western half of the lake. A small diving duck with a huge white patch on the back of the otherwise dark head, a dark back and white sides.
-
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligula
[Kinkuro-hajiro]
-
Greater Scaup
Aythya marila
[Suzu-gamo]
-
Smew
Mergus albellus
[Miko-aisa]
- Hinuma
- Kitaura: at least 10 ex
-
Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
[Kawa-aisa]
-
Slaty-backed Gull
Larus schitisagus
[Oo-seguro-kamome]
-
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
[Seguro-kamome]
-
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostris
[Umineko]
-
Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
[Washi-kamome]
-
Mew Gull
Larus canus kamschatschensis
[Kamome]
-
Black-headed Gull
Larus ridibundus
[Yuri-kamome]
- Hinuma
- Oarai
- Kitaura
- Ukishima
-
Whiskered Tern
Sterna hybrida
[Kurohara-ajisashi]
-
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
[Ko-sagi]
-
Great Egret
Egretta alba
[Dai-sagi]
-
Gray Heron
Ardea cinerea
[Ao-sagi]
- Common Coot
Fulica atra
[Oo-ban]
- Hinuma
- Kitaura: at least 100
-
Common Gallinule
Gallinula chloropus
[Ban]
-
Snowy Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
[Shiro-chidori]
-
(Northern) Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
[Tageri]
-
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
[Hama-shigi]
- Kitaura, a group of 30 between 19-17 km
-
Sanderling
Crocethia alba
[Miyubi-shigi]
-
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
[Takabu-shigi]
- Kitaura: 1 ex between 19-17 km (on lotus fields south of the rivermouth)
-
Greenshank
Tringa nebulara
[Aoashi-shigi]
- Kitaura: 1 ex between 19-17 km (on lotus fields south of the rivermouth)
Discussion: The large shank appaered rather whitish in the bright light. Bill seemed rather straight. Perhaps an immature bird?
-
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago
[Ta-shigi]
- Kitaura: at least 30 ex between 19-17 km
-
Black Kite
Milvus lineatus
[Tobi]
-
Common Buzzard
Buteo buteo
[Nosuri]
-
Northern Harrier
Circus cyaneus
[Haiiro-chuuhi]
-
Eastern Marsh Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
[Chuuhi]
-
Northern Goshawk
Accipter gentilis
[Oo-taka]
-
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
[Haya-busa]
-
Merlin
Falco columbarius
[Ko-choogenboo]
-
Eurasian Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
[Choogenboo]
- Hinuma: 1 male
- Oarai: 1 female
- Bamboo Partridge
Bambusicola thoracica [Kojukei]
-
Rufous Turtle Dove
Streptopelia orientalis
[Kiji-bato]
-
Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
[Do-bato]
- Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis [Kawa-semi]
-
Japanese Skylark
Alauda japonica
[Hibari]
-
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
[Tsubame]
- Kitaura: 4 ex hunting very low over the water near km 5
-
Black-backed Wagtail
Motacilla lugens
[Haku-sekirei]
-
Japanese Wagtail
Motacilla grandis
[Seguro-sekirei]
-
Water Pipit
Anthus spinoletta
[Tahibari]
-
Bull-headed Shrike
Lanius bucephalus
[Mozu]
-
Brown Thrush
Turdus chrysolaus
[Akahara]
-
Pale Thrush
Turdus pallidus
[Shirohara]
-
Dusky Thrush
Turdus naumanni
[Tsugumi]
-
Fan-tailed Warbler
Cisticola juncidis
[Sekka]
-
Japanese White-eye
Zosterops japonica
[Mejiro]
-
Siberian Meadow Bunting
Emberiza cioides
[Hoojiro]
-
Rustic Bunting
Emberiza rustica
[Kashiradaka]
-
Black-faced Bunting
Emberiza spodocephala
[Aoji]
- Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclus
[Oo-jurin]
-
Oriental Greenfinch
Carduelis sinica
[Kawarahiwa]
-
Brambling
Fringilla montifringilla
[Atori]
-
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustes
[Shime]
-
Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
[Suzume]
-
Gray Starling
Sturnus cineraceus
[Mukudori]
-
Azure-winged Magpie
Cyanopica cyana
[Onaga]
-
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
[Hashiboso-garasu]
-
Jungle Crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
[Hashibuto-garasu]
Other remarks
- several whales of small to medium size were spotted by Mathias Jaschhof.
Birds in Japan and Asia
Last modified: Jan 11, 1999.