Hello Kantorians,

May turned out to be the most productive Aomori birding month for us yet, variety-wise (148 species). Even though we didn't visit any new sites, we somehow found lots of species present which simply weren't there the preceding year. We found several species which were Aomori firsts for us. Some of these were probably due to our being more aware of who the singers were than we were last year, but this only accounts for a few birds. The variety is even more amazing in light of the fact that we were away for the first and last weekends of the month.

We did a couple of "big days", one on May 8 and another on May 15. Both of these were "as long as we're seeing lots of birds, let's do a big day" kinds of things, and both far exceeded what I would have thought possible, with totals of 117 and 111, respectively. And to think I frittered away nearly an hour of each day trying to take pictures of things ..

There were some excellent flights of seabirds during the first half of the month, especially of phalaropes. One bird of particular interest on the 15th I originally identified as a Wedge-tailed Shearwater, which would be a remarkable occurrence this far north. The problem was that it was a dark bird, and these do not occur in Japan. Size, shape and flight were a good fit. It was obviously not a Sooty, Short-tailed or Flesh-footed. The only other outside possibilities are one of the dark pterodromae, but its size and underwing pattern (wholly dark) didn't fit with any of these. The numbers of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters we saw around the Ogasawaras at the end of the month did nothing to change my original opinion.

There were a few other interesting anomalies of spring migration. There was a very late Pale Thrush (which are rather scarce in this area at any time of year) on the 23rd, an Arctic Warbler at sea level on the 28th, and several Cattle Egrets (our first for Aomori). Also unusual was a male Mugimaki Flycatcher near Tsuta Onsen on the 15th.

There were also quite a few winter hangers-on, most oddly the Red-necked Grebe at Shiriya on the 15th. Individuals of most of the wintering ducks and gulls also remained long enough to make it onto the list. A few Dusky Thrushes hung on until the 14th.

It was also a good month for finding nests, including my "specialty", the woodpeckers. Great Spotteds nested at a place right on my way to work only six feet off the ground, where I could check on them daily. The eggs hatched (or began to) by the 21st. The June write-up will follow these birds (and others) along. We also located two White-backed nests around Tsuta Onsen. Both of these were very high above ground, and rather frustrated my attempts at photography. These birds appeared to be on an earlier schedule than the Great Spotteds, and I believe the young fledged before the end of the month. I heard indirectly from Ikenaga-San that the White-backeds we'd seen constructing a cavity on Amami-Oshima in early April finished up there in early May (this is much farther south, in case you linked in here from somewhere and aren't familiar with Japan).

We had the weather on our side, with rather calm, clear weekends and pleasant temperatures (speaking from my point of view). It did rain, but only while I was working in the office. This is the reverse of the normal pattern.


May 1999

  
Arctic Loon (5/8,15(15+))		Ohamu			Gavia arctica
Pacific Loon (5/8(1),5/15(1))		Shiroeri-ohamu		Gavia pacifica
Little Grebe				Kaitsuburi		Podiceps ruficollis
Horned Grebe (5/8(4))			Mimi-kaitsuburi		Podiceps auritus
Red-necked Grebe (5/15(1))		Akaeri-kaitsuburi	Podiceps grisegena
Great Crested Grebe			Kanmuri-kaitsuburi	Podiceps cristatus
Streaked Shearwater			Mizunagidori		Calonectris leucomelas
Wedge-tailed Shearwater ? (5/15(1))	Onaga-mizunagidori	Puffinus pacificus
Sooty Shearwater (5/8(1))		Haiiro-mizunagidori	Puffinus griseus
Short-t Shearwater (000's)		Hashiboso-mizunagidori	Puffinus tenuirostris
Great Cormorant				Kawa-u			Phalacrocorax carbo
Temminck's Cormorant			Umi-u			Phalacrocorax filamentosus
Pelagic Cormorant (5+)			Hime-u			Phalacrocorax pelagicus
Little Bittern (sp.?) (5/8(1))		(O?)-Yoshi-goi		Ixobrychus, sp.?
Black-cr. Night Heron (5/14(1H))	Goi-sagi		Nycticorax nycticorax
Cattle Egret (5/8(1),5/15(5))		Ama-sagi		Bulbulcus ibis
Little Egret (5/8(2))			Ko-sagi			Egretta garzetta
Gray Heron				Ao-sagi			Ardea cinerea
Mute Swan				Kobu-hakucho		Cygnus cygnus
Whooper Swan (3 disabled)		O-hakucho		Cygnus olor
Bewick's Swan (1 disabled)		Ko-hakucho		Cygnus bewicki
Mandarin Duck (10+)			Oshidori		Aix galericulata		
Mallard					Ma-gamo			Anas platyrhynchos
Spot-billed Duck			Karu-gamo		Anas poecilorhyncha
Common Teal		                Ko-gamo			Anas crecca
Falcated Duck (5/8(3))			Yoshi-gamo          	Anas falcata
Gadwall (5/8,5/15)			Okayoshi-gamo		Anas strepera
Eurasian Wigeon				Hidori-gamo		Anas penelope
Northern Pintail		        Onaga-gamo		Anas acuta
Northern Shoveler (5/8,5/15,5/18)	Hashibiro-gamo		Anas clypeata
Pochard 	                    	Hoshi-hajiro		Aythya ferina
Tufted Duck				Kinkuro-hajiro          Aythya fuligula		
Greater Scaup				Suzu-gamo               Aythya marila
Common Scoter (5/8(1))			Kuro-gamo		Melanitta nigra
Velvet Scoter (5/8(2),5/15(10))		Birodo-kinkuro		Melanitta ??
Harlequin Duck (->5/15)			Shinori-gamo		Histrionicus histrionicus
Common Goldeneye (5/8(2))		Hojiro-gamo		Bucephala clangula
Smew (5/8(2))				Miko-aisa		Mergus albellus
Red-breasted Merganser (5/8(1))		Umi-aisa		Mergus serrator
Osprey (5/8(1))				Misago			Pandion haliaetus
Honey Buzzard (5/23(1))			Hachikuma		Pernis apivorus
Black Kite				Tobi			Milvus migrans
Japanese Lesser Sparrowhawk (5/12(1))	Tsumi			Accipiter gularis
Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (5/23(1))		Hai-taka		Accipiter nisus
Common Buzzard				Nosuri                  Buteo buteo
Asian Marsh Harrier			Chuhi			Circus spilonotus
Peregrine Falcon	          	Hayabusa		Falco peregrinus
Northern Hobby (5/23(1))		Chigo-hayabusa		Falco subbuteo
Green Pheasant (2)			Kiji			Phasianus colchicus
Water Rail (5/15(3H))			Kuina                   Rallus aquaticus
Moorhen (4)	                   	Ban			Gallinula chloropus
Eurasian Coot				O-ban			Fulica atra
Little Ringed Plover (5/15(3))		Ko-chidori		Charadrius dubius
Kentish Plover		   		Shiro-chidori		Charadrius alexandrinus
Mongolian Plover (5/15(6),5/18(3))	Medai-chidori		Charadrius mongolus
Pacific Golden Plover (5/15(4))		Munaguro		Pluvialis pacifica
Ruddy Turnstone (5/8(2),5/15(6))	Kyojo-shigi		Arenaria interpres
Red-necked Stint (5/15(20+))		Tonen			Calidris ruficollis
Sanderling (5/8(70),5/15(20))		Miyubi-shigi		Crocethia alba
Spotted Redshank (5/8,5/15(33))		Tsuru-shigi		Tringa erythropus
Greenshank (5/15(4))			Aoashi-shigi		Tringa nebularia
Gray-tailed Tattler (5/8(1),5/15(3))	Kiashi-shigi		Tringa brevipes
Common Sandpiper (5/8(1),5/15(4))	Iso-shigi		Tringa hypoleucos
Common Snipe (5/8(1))			Ta-shigi		Gallinago gallinago
Latham's Snipe (5/8->)			Oji-shigi		Gallinago hardwickii
Red Phalarope (5/8(4),/15(35))		Haiiro-hireashi-shigi	Phalaropus fulicarius
Red-necked Phalarope (5/15(1000))	Akaeri-hireashi-shigi	Phalaropus lobatus
Common Black-headed Gull (50)		Yuri-kamome		Larus ridibundus
Herring Gull (5/8(1),5/15(5))		Seguro-kamome		Larus argentatus vegae
Glaucous Gull (5/8(1))			Shiro-kamome		Larus hyperboreus
Slaty-backed Gull			O-seguro-kamome		Larus schistisagus
Mew Gull (->5/15(3))			Kamome			Larus canus
Black-tailed Gull			Umineko			Larus crassirostris
Black-legged Kittiwake (5/8(30),5/15(5))Mitsuyubi-kamome	Larus tridactylus
Spectacled Guillemot (10)     		Keimafuri		Cepphus carbo
Ancient Murrelet (5/8(6))		Umisuzume		Synthliboramphus antiquus
Rhinoceros Auklet			Utou			Cerorhinca monocerata
Rufous Turtle Dove			Kiji-bato		Streptopelia orientalis
Japanese Green Pigeon (5/16(3),5/23(1))	Ao-bato			Sphenurus sieboldii
Common Cuckoo (5/18(4)->)		Kakko			Cuculus canorus
Oriental Cuckoo (5/9(1)->)		Tsutsudori		Cuculus saturatus
Little Cuckoo (5/24->)			Hototogisu		Cuculus poliocephalus
Ural Owl (5/8(1H))			Fukuro			Strix uralensis
White-thr. Needle-t. Swift (5/23(5))	Hario-amatsubame	Chaetura caudacuta
Common Kingfisher         		Kawasemi		Alcedo atthis
Japanese Green Woodpecker (2)		Ao-gera			Picus awokera
Great Spotted Woodpecker		Aka-gera		Dendrocopus major
White-backed Woodpecker (5)		O-aka-gera		Dendrocopus leucotos
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker		Ko-gera                	Dendrocopos kizuki
Skylark					Hibari			Alauda arvensis
Bank Swallow (5/15(100),5/23(150))	Shodo-tsubame		Riparia riparia
Barn Swallow				Tsubame			Hirundo rustica
Asiatic House Martin			Iwa-tsubame		Delichon ??
Gray Wagtail				Ki-sekirei		Motacilla cinerea
Black-backed Wagtail			Haku-sekirei		Motacilla lugens
Japanese Wagtail          		Seguro-sekirei		Motacilla grandis
Olive Tree Pipit (5/8->)		Binzui			Anthus hodgsoni
Water Pipit (5/8(1),5/15(1))		Tahibari		Anthus spinoletta
Brown-eared Bulbul			Hiyodori		Hypsipetes amaurotis
Bull-headed Shrike			Mozu			Lanius bucephalus
Brown Dipper		    		Kawagurasu		Cinclus pallasi
Wren					Misosazai		Troglodytes troglodytes
Japanese Robin (5/15(1f))		Komadori		Erithacus akahige
Siberian Blue Robin (5/9->(15))		Ko-ruri			Erithacus cyane
Red-flanked Bluetail (5/8(1))		Ruri-bitaki		Tarsiger cyanurus
Blue Rock Thrush	         	Isohiyodori		Monticola solitarius
White's Ground Thrush (5/9(1),5/15(1))	Tora-tsugumi		Z. dauma
Gray Thrush (5/8(2))			Kuro-tsugumi		Turdus cardis
Brown Thrush				Akahara			Turdus chrysolaus
Pale thrush (5/23(1f))			Shirohara		Turdus pallidus
Dusky Thrush (->5/14)			Tsugumi			Turdus naumanni
Short-tailed Bush Warbler (5/8(10)->)	Yabusame		Cettia squameiceps
Bush Warbler				Uguisu			Cettia diphone
Japanese Marsh Warbler   		O-sekka			Megalurus pryeri
Black-browed Reed Warbler (5/15->)	Ko-yoshiki		Acrocephalus bistrigiceps
Great Reed Warbler (5/8->)		O-yoshikiri		Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Arctic Warbler (5/12->)			Meboso-mishikui		Phylloscopus borealis
Sakhalin Leaf Warbler (5/8(12)->)	Ezo-mushikui		Phylloscopus ??
Eastern Crowned Warbler (5/8->)		Sendai-mushikui		Phylloscopus occipitalis
Goldcrest (5/9(1))			Kikuitadaki		Regulus regulus
Narcissus Flycatcher			Ki-bitaki		Ficedula narcissina
Mugimaki Flycatcher (5/15(1m))		Mugimaki		Ficedula mugimaki
Asian Brown Flycatcher (5/18(1))	Ko-same-bitaki		Muscicapa latirostris
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
Nuthatch				Goju-kara		Sitta europaea
Creeper					Kibashiri		Certhia familiaris
Japanese White-Eye			Mejiro			Zosterops japonica
Meadow Bunting				Hojiro			Emberiza cioides
Japanese Reed Bunting    		Ko-jurin		Emberiza yessoensis
Gray-headed Bunting      		Hoaka			Emberiza fucata
Black-faced Bunting			Aoji			Emberiza spodocephala
Gray Bunting (5/9->(25+))		Kuroji			Emberiza variabilis
Reed Bunting				O-jurin			Emberiza schoeniclus
Oriental Greenfinch			Kawara-hira		Carduelis sinica
Long-tailed Rose Finch (5/8(3))		Beni-mashiko		Uragus sibiricus
Japanese Grosbeak (5/15(7),/22(4),/23(1))Ikaru			Eophona personata
Hawfinch				Shime			Coccothraustes coccothraustes
Eurasian Tree Sparrow			Suzume			Passer montanus
Red-cheeked Myna			Ko-mukudori		Sturnus philippensis
Gray Starling				Mukudori		Sturnus cineraceus
Jay					Kakesu			Garrulus glandarius
Azure-winged Magpie       		Onaga			Cyanopica cyana
Carrion Crow				Hashiboso-garasu	Corvus corone
Jungle Crow				Hashibuto-garasu	Corbus macrorhynchos
 

Good birding,
Mike and Lee