South coast of Kasumigaura towards Chooshi: May 9, 1998

With Ikenaga-san we started out at the Ami-coast. Because of the wind waves on the Ami-coast of Kasumigaura. Hence the ducks were either far out on the lake or on the wooden railings that support the nets of the fishermen. The American Wigeon was now sitting on a post near 41 km point. The former sand deposit near km 45 is now a nice spot for Falcated teal (courting each other gracefully) and plovers (one almost full fledged Snowy plover young was running around.)

Then around noon we hurried to Hazaki, which is the harbor opposite Chooshi, the fishing port on the border of Chiba and Ibaraki. (Mark Brazil left the place nameless on the map at page 65 in his Birdwatchers Guide to Japan: I guess it deserves better...) The peninsula of Chooshi is the easternmost point of central Japan. Highlights: TWO tattler species, Oystercatcher. And the big flocks of little terns and common terns were nice to see.

On the way back from Hazaki we watched the Japanese Marsh Warblers for a while and had a brief look at some waders along a marvelous slap of land between the Tonen and Shintonen (reedland and ricefields, and of course on a former prime spot the inevitable golfcourse "Wild Ducks").

Finally we had a brief look at Ukishima. The Ruff was still there, accompagnied by even more Spotted Redshanks.

Moreover the jumping fish at the dam (?) in the Shin-tonen was impressive: Hakuren (jap) or Renghi (chin): big fish, dark gray-brown on the back with a lighter belly, rather round. About one meter long. Jumping at least 1 meter high above the water level. A former chinese fish, as Ikenaga-san explained me.

1. Little Grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]
   • Ami-coast: 2 ex
2. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u]
   • Ami-coast: 1 ex
   • Ukishima
3. Temminck's Cormorant Phalacrocorax filamentosus [Umi-u]
   • Hazaki: 6 ex.
4. Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos [Ma-gamo]
   • Ami-coast
5. Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]
   • Ami-coast
6. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo]
   • Ami-coast
7. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo]
   • Ami-coast
8. Falcated Teal Anas falcata [Yoshi-gamo]
   • Ami-coast: > 30
9. Gadwall Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo]
   • Ami-coast
10. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo]
    • Ami-coast
11. American Wigeon Anas americana [Amrika-hidori]
    • Ami-coast: 1 male. Near 41.50 km point.
12. Herring Gull Larus argentatus [Seguro-kamome]
    • Hazaki
13. Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris [Umineko]
    • Hazaki
14. Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus [Yuri-kamome]
    • Ami-coast
15. Common Tern Sterna hirundo [Ajisashi]
    • Hazaki: about 80 flying over the Tonen.
16. Little Tern Sterna albifrons [Ko-ajisashi]
    • Ami-coast: 2 ex near 37 km point
    • Hazaki: about 30 on sandy beach with shells.
17. Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax [Goi-sagi]
    • Ami-coast
18. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis [Ama-sagi]
    • Ami-coast: 12 ex.
19. Little Egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi]
    • Ami-coast
20. Intermediate egret Egretta intermedia [Chuu-sagi]
    • Ami-coast
21. Great Egret Egretta alba [Dai-sagi]
    • Ami-coast
22. Gray Heron Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi]
    • Ukishima
23. Coot Fulica atra [Ou-ban]
    • Ami-coast
24. Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban]
    • Ami-coast

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25. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus [Miyakodori]
    • Hazaki: 2 ex on concrete harbour wall.
26. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius [Ko-chidori]
    • Ami-coast
27. Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus [Shiro-chidori]
    • Ami-coast: >5 ex. 1 at least two weeks old young,
28. Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva [Munaguro]
    • Ami-coast: 130 ex
29. Rufous-necked Stint Caladris ruficollis [Toonen]
    • Ami-coast: 4 ex
30. Dunlin Caladris alpina [Hama-shigi]
    • Ami-coast: 1 ex
31. Sanderling Crocethia alba [Miyubi-shigi]
    • Hazaki: 12 ex
32. Ruff Philomachus pugnax [Erimaki--shigi]
    • Ukishima: one male
33. Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos [Iso-shigi]
    • Ami-coast: 3 ex
34. Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus [Tsuru-shigi]
    • Ukishima: >23
35. Gray-tailed Tatler Tringa brevipes [Kiashi-shigi]
    • Ami-coast: 4 ex
    • Along Shintonen: 1 ex
36. Wandering Tatler Tringa incana [Meriken-kiashi-shigi]
    • Hazaki: a group of up to 9 ex. Relatively dark, with barred undertail and wider breaststriping visible on at least 2 individuals; Wandering tatler call (trill of some 10 notes). On the concrete blocks on the north bank of the Tonegawa river opposite the lighthouses of Chooshi. At one moment resting together in two groups, later walking around more or less individually...
37. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres [Kyoujo-shigi]
    • Ami-coast: 25 ex
    • Shin-tonen: two groups of at least 150 ex.
    • Hazaki: 2 ex
38. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica [Oo-sori hashi-shigi]
    • Along Shin-tonen: >3
39. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus [Chuushaku-shigi]
    • Along Shin-tonen: >12
40. Common snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi]
    • Ami-coast

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41. Rufous turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]
    • Ami-coast
42. Skylark Alauda arvensis [Hibari]
    • Ami-coast
    • Hazaki
    • Ukishima
43. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica [Tsubame]
    • Ami-coast
44. Japanese Marsh Warbler Megalurus pryeri [Oo-sekka]
    • Along the Shin-tonen
45. Fan-tailed warbler Cisticola juncidis [Sekka]
    • Ami-coast
    • Along the Shin-tonen
    • Ukishima
46. Great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus [Ou-yoshikiri]
    • Ami-coast
    • Ukishima
47. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus [Oo-jurin]
    • Ukishima
48. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume]
    • Ami-coast
49. Gray Starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]
    • Ami-coast
    • Hazaki
50. Jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu]
    • Ami-coast