Black faced spoonbill in Kasai-rinkan Koen, Tokyo

Kasai-rinkan Koen is a rather new park along Tokyo bay. It can be reached in 10 minutes via the Keiyou-line from Tokyo Station. It is adjacent to Disney World. Entrance is free. The greens are crowded with young couples and families escaping the city. Apparently also some nature engineering (in contrast to WADERS-L:134 and WADERS-L:148) has been performed: the eastern part of the park consist of two ponds with mudflats and several hides. In the bay two crescent shaped islands have been build. As a result (?) the area attracts massive numbers of waterfowl. I am grateful to Kieran Daly for informing me about this site and the wintering Black-faced spoonbill (One photo showing winter plumage and another one showing summer plumage of Black-faced spoonbills I found on the web).

A: visit Februari 8, 1997 (Slightly misty, mild sunny winterday. Not cold. A bit hasty visit between 4 pm and sunset at 5.15 pm.

B: visit Februari 15, 1997 Overcast, not cold, not a strong wind. Visit between 12 am and at 3 pm. Together with Neil Wingert.

C: visit April 5, 1997. Low tide, Cold spring weather, drizle followed by rain. Visit between 7.30 am and at 11 am. Together with Kieran Daly and local birder Paul Jaquith.

D: visit July 19, 1997. Low tide, warm summer weather. Sunny. Visit between 6.30 am and at 9.30 am. Together with Stephan Shuichi Haupt.
  1. Great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus [Kanmuri-kaitsuburi]: A, B
  2. Horned grebe Podiceps auritus [Mimi-kaitsuburi]: A
  3. Eared grebe Podiceps nigricollis [Hajiro-kaitsuburi]: A, B
  4. Little grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]: A, B, C, D
  5. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u]: A, B, C, D
  6. Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos [Ma-gamo]: A, B, C
  7. Spot-billed duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]: A, B, C, D
  8. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo]: A, B, C
  9. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo]: A, B, C
  10. Gadwall Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo]: A, B, C
  11. Northern Pintail Anas acuta [Onaga-gamo]: A, B, C
  12. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo]: A, B, C, D
  13. Pochard Aythya ferina [Hoshi-hajiro]: A, B, C
  14. Tufted duck Aythya fuligula [Kinkuro-hajiro]: (I guess I forgot to record it the previous two visits?) C
  15. Greater scaup Aythya marila [Suzu-gamo]: A, B On the bay there are some 15.000 ex present..., C (some 100's at most), D (several tens)
  16. Smew Mergus albellus [Miko-aisa]: A, B, C
  17. Slaty-backed gull Larus schitisagus [Ou-seguro-kamome]: A, B, D
  18. Herring gull Larus argentatus [Seguro-kamome]: A, B, C
  19. Black-tailed gull Larus crassirostris [Umineko]: D
  20. Mew gull Larus canus Kamome: B, C
  21. Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus [Yuri-kamome]: A, B, C
  22. Chinese Little Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis [Yoshi-goi]: D (at least 3 ex)
  23. Little egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi]: A, B, C, D (young seem to have yellow green legs: especially the kee is quite yellow)
  24. Intermediate egret Egretta intermedia [Chuu-sagi]: C
  25. Great egret Egretta alba [Dai-sagi]: A, B, C, D
  26. Gray heron Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi]: A, B, C, D
  27. Black-faced spoonbill Platalea minor [Kurotsura-herasagi]: A 1 adult in winter plumage feeding in the fresh water pond. Apparently since at least a month present. B in close up the slightly wrinkled structure of the bill surface was clearly visible, as well as the red eye, however, at close range the black mask revealed some colored details: a thin yellow eye stripe directly above the eye and a wider yellow crescent below the eye. According to the "Waterbirds in Asia" guide of the WBSJ, this indicates a male. That guide also warns that the Royal spoonbill and Black-faced spoonbill cannot be distinghuised in winter plumage, only on range. So, what did we see?, C idem.
  28. Coot Fulica atra [Ou-ban]: A, B, C, D
  29. Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban]: A, C (one sitting high at some reed stems...), D (with young)
  30. Little ringed plover Charadrius dubius [Kochidori]: C (2 ex, showing interesting, for me new behavior: standing on one leg, they made a rapid trembling movement on the rainy mud with the other, slightly forwards reaching leg, followed by either a quick peck or one or two steps forward and a quick peck. Atsushi MATSUI, birdwatcher at Yatsu, seemed to be familiar with this behavior.)
  31. Mongolian plover Charadrius mongolus [Medai-chidori]: D (5 ex)
  32. Greenshank Tringa nebulara [Aoashi-shigi] D (2 ex)
  33. Common snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi]: A, 4 ex feeding in the mudflats of the western fresh water pond. B, C (at least 12)
  34. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus [Seitaka-shigi]: A, 9 ex, adults and immature. B, C (breeding plumage, active flying arround), D (only 1 ex)
  35. Eastern Marsh harrier Circus aeruginous [Chuuhi]: A 1 female, hunting over the reedcovered eastern crescent island in the bay.
  36. Rufous turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]: A, B, C, D
  37. Skylark Alauda arvensis [Hibari]: C, D
  38. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica [Tsubame]: C, D
  39. House martin Delichon urbica [Iwa-tsubame]: D (nice dirty white birds, apart from to really white birds...)
  40. White wagtail Haku-sekirei [Motacilla alba]: A, B, C, D
  41. Japanese wagtail Motacilla grandis [Seguro-sekirei]: A
  42. Water pipit Anthus spinoletta [Tahibari] B
  43. Brown-eared bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis [Hiyodori]: A, B, C, D
  44. Bull-headed shrike Lanius bucephalus [Mozu]: B, flying with a small mouse (grey back, white belly) in its beak. D.
  45. Daurian redstart Phoenicurus auroreus [Joobitaki]: A, B
  46. Brown thrush Turdus chrysolaus [Akahara]: B
  47. Dusky thrush Turdus naumanni [Tsugumi]: A, B, C
  48. Bush warbler Cettia diphone [Uguisu]: B
  49. Fan-tailed warbler Cisticola juncidis [Sekka]: B
  50. Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonica [Mejiro]: A, B, C
  51. Siberian meadow bunting Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro]: A
  52. Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica [Kashiradaka]: A
  53. Black-faced bunting Emberiza spodocephala [Aoji]: A, B, C
  54. Reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus [Ou-jurin]: B, C
  55. Oriental greenfinch Carduelis sinica [Kawarahiwa]: C, D
  56. Tree sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume]: A, B, C, D
  57. Gray starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]: A, B, C
  58. Azure winged magpie Cyanopica cyana [Onaga]: A, B, C, D
  59. Jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu]: A, B, C, D
Back to previous page Last modified: April 5, 1997. Fer-Jan de Vries, ferjan@etl.go.jp