Brazil Day, December 5, 1997

On December 5th the small children in the Netherlands are all anxiously waiting for the arrival of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet. Throughout the year they live in Spain, but his birthday Sinterklaas spends with the children in the Netherlands. If you have behaved properly the past year, he will ask Zwarte Piet to give you your present which Zwarte Piet carries in a large bag hanging over his shoulder. If not, then Zwarte Piet will carry you in that very same bag back to Spain. Typically the Mayor of your town and the Headmaster of your school will announce the visits of the holy man and his helper to your city hall and your school...

Some days before the 5th of December Ikenaga-san announced to the Kantorians the visit of his friend Mark Brazil to Tsukuba. In the evening of the 4th there was a pleasant dinnerparty at his place (Katayama-san turned out to be a genuine noodle specialist!) and for December 4th Ikenaga-san had concocted a busy program, involving many visits to all kind of local birding spots and museums of natural history and topped with a timely visit to Narita Airport to put Mark on his flight back to New Zealand.

Eventually we visited Shinoike, Ottonuma and the museum in Ushiku, and the Abiko city museum of birds..

Shishitsuka-oike is a delightful combination of a pond, forested hills and marshy valleys just outside Tsukuba on the territory of Tsuchiura. It is one of the few places where the old landscape of Tsukuba is preserved by an accidental projection of highways: a seemingly forgotten corner of the world where the landscape from before the building of Tsukuba Science City with its uncountable research institutes scattered all over ...
Ottonuma is a far less scenic remainder of former marshland between Tsukuba and Arakawaoki. The Joban expressway is built over the marsh. Part of the marsh has been transformed into a big market and the remaining pond is disguished as a rather boring small park with cherry trees. Jet despite all this winter birds keep returning to the place. Falcated teals and Bewick's swans visit the pond every winter.
Birdwatching with Katayama-san:
Nov-March: 2 pm, every second Sunday of the month.
May-Oct: 4 pm, every second Sunday of the month.
No birdwatching in April: too many people for Cherry blossom...
Ushiku Nature Sanctuary is a forest area with ponds which has been turned in to an nature eductation centre. There is a museum which is nicely equipped for this goal. For instance it has a useful library with books and journals on all kind of topics, plants, insects, birds... Last year Waxwings could be seen in the park. It can be found east of the railway station of the Joban-line, a bit outside Ushiku. (0298-78-6600)
Abiko city museum of Birds is located opposite Tega marsh, which is a little south east of the Abiko railwaystation along the Joban-line. In nice displays the birds living in the marsh are shown. Also there is an impressive overview of birds from all over the world and from all times, with specimens from many different families. Apart from these permanent exhibitions there is a room for special, temporary exhibitions. Click for more info.

Mark Brazil turned out to be a keen birdwatcher (despite being the whole day bothered by a rather heavy cold or allergy): always alert, with a sharp and knowing ear for bird calls. He spotted a Tobi on the way to Shishitsuka-oike, a bird rarely seen in Tsukuba, immediately located the Benimashiko in Shishitsuka-oike, when Ikenaga-san had explained that it was possible visitor, and noted the two Tsugumi overhead in Ushiku, which are surprisingly rare this whole December month.

Participants: Asuka Haruhiko, Mark Brazil, Stefan Gleissberg, Ikenaga Hiroshi and Fer-Jan de Vries.

Weather: not particularly memorable. It was overcast but dry. Not too cold, nor windy.

Observations:

Shishitsuka-oike

Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos
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]
Black kite Milvus migrans [Tobi] 1 ex, just west of the area.
Northern goshawk Accipter gentilis [Ou-taka] 1 female
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis [Kawa-semi] 1 ex.
Japanese pygmy woodpecker Dendrocopos kizuki [Ko-gera]
Japanese wagtail Motacilla grandis [Seguro-sekirei]
Bull-headed shrike Lanius bucephalus [Mozu]
Daurian redstart Phoenicurus auroreus [Joobitaki]
Pale thrush Turdus pallidus [Shirohara]
Great tit Parus major [Shijuu-kara]
Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonica [Mejiro]
Siberian meadow bunting Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro]
Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica [Kashiradaka]
Black-faced bunting Emberiza spodocephala [Aoji]
Long tailed rosefinch Uragus sibiricus [Beni-mashiko]
Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes [Shime]
Gray starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]

Ottonuma

Little grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]
Spot-billed duck Anas poecilorhyncha
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo]
Falcated Teal Anas falcata [Yoshi-gamo] About 45.
Gadwall Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo]
Northern Pintail Anas acuta [Onaga-gamo]
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo] At least 80.
Coot Fulica atra [Ou-ban]
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis [Kawa-semi] 3 ex.
Rufous turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]

Ushiku Nature Sanctuary

Dusky thrush Turdus naumanni [Tsugumi]
Great tit Parus major [Shijuu-kara]
Long-tailed tit Aegithalos caudatus [Enaga]
Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonica [Mejiro]
Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica [Kashiradaka]
Jay Garrulus glandarius [Kakesu]

And on the way to Narita airport from Abiko:

Great Crested grebe Podiceps cristatus [Kanmuri-kaituburi] 1 ex on the Tonegawa near Saikaibashi in Tonemachi.
(Northern) Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Same place a bit more to the west. [Tageri]

Birds of Japan and Asia ,
Januari 7, 1998,
Fer-Jan de Vries.