South coast of Kasumigaura: May 5, 1998

Instead of doing the bookkeeping of the Tobishima records, I went to the Amicoast of Kasumigaura. Very fruitful but puzzling at the end. Comments most welcome. I am rather puzzled by the last two items.

Painted Snipe: 1 calling female South of Ottonuma, 3 along Ami coast. (1 calling from electric wire...)
American Wigeon. Male. Ami-coast, on the lake, a little east of 41.50 km sign
Rufous-necked stint: 1 ex in emptied sand basin, 2 ex on the Snowy plover sandbank.
Motacilla alba ocularis, 1 ex in emptied sand basin.
Northern phalarope, female in summer plumage. Ami-coast near 37.5 km sign, in paddy with water next to the Snowy plover sandbank.
Little tern. Ami-coast near 37.5 km sign, on the Snowy plover sandbank.
Here come some the weird = not well understood sightings...
Greater short toed lark (!?). Ami-coast near 37.5 km sign, on the Snowy plover sandbank. Small skylark without crest, but low flat head.. Overall impression greyish brown. Fine even pattern on the back. On the breast thin dark stripes. Quickly running over sand, taking cover behind tufts of grass. Possibly two birds. While I was trying to study it carefully, I got distracted by the following:
Snow bunting (???). Ami-coast near 37.5 km sign, on the Snowy plover sandbank. Hard to describe: Very pale brown bird, slightly more robust than tree sparrow. With a striking even lighter big round head and possibly light rump. Especially from behind. Seemed to have some dark patches near bill. Rather skittish, hopping and flying from place to place along the edge of the sandheap. The setting sun, made the light conditions deteriorate fast: when the bird flew away, I could not relocated it. It was fouraging along the NW corner of the sandheap. By the Snowy plover sandbank I mean those ricepaddies near kilometer sign 30 where they dumped mud from the lake on, and which now is the breeding place of all these Plovers...
Weather: Pleasantly fresh afternoon, due to overcast sky and (not too strong) eastern wind.
1. Little Grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]
2. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u]
3. Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos [Ma-gamo]
4. Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]
5. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo]
6. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo]
7. Falcated Teal Anas falcata [Yoshi-gamo]
8. Gadwall Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo]
9. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo]
10. American Wigeon Anas americana [Amrika-hidori]
11. Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus [Yuri-kamome]
12. Little Tern Sterna albifrons [Ko-ajisashi]
13. Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax [Goi-sagi]
14. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis [Ama-sagi]
15. Little Egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi]
16. Intermediate egret Egretta intermedia [Chuu-sagi]
17. Great Egret Egretta alba [Dai-sagi]
18. Coot Fulica atra [Ou-ban]
19. Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban]
20. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius [Ko-chidori]
21. Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus [Shiro-chidori]
22. Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva [Munaguro]
23. Rufous-necked Stint Caladris ruficollis [Toonen]
24. Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos [Iso-shigi]
25. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres [Kyoujo-shigi]
26. Common snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi]
27. Painted snipe Rostratula benghalensis [Tama-shigi]
28. Northern Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus [Akaeri-hireashi-shigi]
29. Rufous turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]
30. Common pheasant Phasianus colchicus [Kiji]
31. Skylark Alauda arvensis [Hibari]
32. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica [Tsubame]
33. White wagtail Motacilla alba [Haku-sekirei]
34. Japanese wagtail Motacilla grandis [Seguro-sekirei]
35. Brown-eared bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis [Hiyodori]
36. Fan-tailed warbler Cisticola juncidis [Sekka]
37. Great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus [Ou-yoshikiri]
38. Great Tit Parus major [Shijuu-kara]
39. Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala [Aoji]
40. Oriental Greenfinch Carduelis sinica [Kawarahiwa]
41. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume]
42. Gray Starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]
43. Jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu]
44. Carrion Crow Corvus corone [Hashiboso-garasu]
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