Tue Jan 5 13:36:10 JST 1999
The snow seems to be starting earlier than last winter, and it's making passerines easier to find. Last year, even Dusky Thrushes and Bramblings were completely absent until January. This December, both are plentiful. I hope this means some other species not present last winter will appear this season.
Several other finch species are present in modest numbers. Rustic Buntings are also present in seemingly larger numbers than last December. A couple of groups seem to be fairly consistent in small areas, and so I've tried throwing out seed for them. I don't know yet if they'll be interested.
We also spent some time finding some new places to our South, in Hachinohe, and didn't bother going very far North, only to Shiranuka. Hachinohe held a lot more scoters of both species than we normally see to the North, and also has a small group of Brant, of which I've never seen more than 2 in Higashidori. Also there were several Great Crested Grebes, apparently wintering, which we didn't see at all last winter, and an unexpected Common Sandpiper, which we hadn't seen since early October.
So this time, the area birded was the 50 or so kilometers of Aomori coastline from Hachinohe to Shiranuka (the Rokkasho/Higashidori border).
Little Grebe Kaitsuburi Podiceps ruficollis Horned Grebe Mimi-kaitsuburi Podiceps auritus Red-necked Grebe Akaeri-kaitsuburi Podiceps grisegena Great Crested Grebe Kanmuri-kaitsuburi Podiceps cristatus Great Cormorant Kawa-u Phalacrocorax carbo Temminck's Cormorant Umi-u Phalacrocorax filamentosus Pelagic (Red-faced?) Cormorant (12/19(2))Hime-u Phalacrocorax pelagicus Great Egret (30+) Dai-saga Egretta alba Little Egret (12/19(4),/26(2)) Ko-sagi Egretta garzetta Gray Heron Ao-sagi Ardea cinerea Brant Koku-gan Branta bernicla Mute Swan Kobu-hakucho Cygnus cygnus Whooper Swan O-hakucho Cygnus olor Bewick's Swan Ko-hakucho Cygnus bewicki Mallard Ma-gamo Anas platyrhynchos Spot-billed Duck Karu-gamo Anas poecilorhyncha Common Teal Ko-gamo Anas crecca Falcated Duck (6) Yoshi-gamo Anas falcata Eurasian Wigeon Hidori-gamo Anas penelope Northern Pintail Onaga-gamo Anas acuta Pochard Hoshi-hajiro Aythya ferina Tufted Duck Kinkuro-hajiro Aythya fuligula Greater Scaup Suzu-gamo Aythya marila Common Scoter (thousands) Kuro-gamo Melanitta ?? Velvet Scoter (25+) Birodo-kinkuro Melanitta ?? Harlequin Duck Shinori-gamo Histrionicus histrionicus Common Goldeneye Hojiro-gamo Bucephala clangula Smew Miko-aisa Mergus albellus Red-breasted Merganser Umi-aisa Mergus serrator Common Merganser Kawa-aisa Mergus merganser Black Kite Tobi Milvus migrans Northern Goshawk (2) O-taka Accipiter gentilis Common Buzzard Nosuri Buteo buteo Eurasian Kestrel Chogenbo Falco tinnunculus Eurasian Coot O-ban Fulica atra Sanderling Miyubi-shigi Crocethia alba Common Sandpiper Iso-shigi Tringa hypoleucos Common Black-headed Gull Yuri-kamome Larus ridibundus Herring Gull Seguro-kamome Larus argentatus vegae Glaucous-winged Gull Washi-kamome Larus glaucescens Glaucous Gull (2) Shiro-kamome Larus hyperboreus Slaty-backed Gull O-seguro-kamome Larus schistisagus Mew Gull Kamome Larus canus Black-tailed Gull Umineko Larus crassirostris Black-legged Kittiwake Mitsuyubi-kamome Larus tridactylus Rufous Turtle Dove Kiji-bato Streptopelia orientalis Great Spotted Woodpecker Aka-gera Dendrocopus major Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Ko-gera Dendrocopos kizuki Black-backed Wagtail Haku-sekirei Motacilla lugens Water Pipit Tahibari Anthus spinoletta Brown-eared Bulbul Hiyodori Hypsipetes amaurotis Bull-headed Shrike (12/31(1)) Mozu Lanius bucephalus Wren Misosazai Troglodytes troglodytes Blue Rock Thrush (12/26(1)) Isohiyodori Monticola solitarius Dusky Thrush Tsugumi Turdus naumanni Goldcrest Kikuitadaki Regulus regulus Long-tailed Tit Enaga Aegithalos caudatus Willow Tit Ko-gara Parus montanus Coal Tit Hi-gara Parus ater Varied Tit Yama-gara Parus varius Great Tit Shiju-kara Parus major Japanese White-Eye (12/31(2)) Mejiro Zosterops japonica Meadow Bunting Hojiro Emberiza cioides Rustic Bunting (75+) Kashiradaka Emberiza rustica Brambling (100+) Atori Fringilla montifringilla Oriental Greenfinch Kawara-hira Carduelis sinica Siskin (12/27(2)) Ma-hiwa Carduelis spinus Common Redpoll (12/25(1)) Beni-hiwa Acanthis flammea Red Crossbill (12/26(1)) Isuka Loxia curvirostra Hawfinch Shime Coccothraustes coccothraustes Eurasian Tree Sparrow Suzume Passer montanus Azure-winged Magpie Onaga Cyanopica cyana Carrion Crow Hashiboso-garasu Corvus corone Jungle Crow Hashibuto-garasu Corbus macrorhynchos