Hello Kantorians,

Miyakijima Trip Report 4/11-12/98

This was a frenzied weekend trip, but I'm so busy at work lately that it's about the only kind I can take. Friday night flight (April from Misawa to Tokyo, overnight ferry to Miyakijima, Sunday afternoon return ferry, overnight near the airport, and fly back to work early Monday morning. The rush meant that I could scarcely begin to do this interesting island justice. Naturally, all I want to do now is go back for a longer period, and maybe take some more photographs of some of the island specialties.

My main purpose for going was to see and photograph the Crested (Japanese) Murrelet (Kanmuri umisuzume). I knew that sort of bird would be difficult to find, and certainly to see well, from the ferry (which I took round-trip), so through the nature center near Tairo Ike I arranged for a boat which would take me around Sanbondake (the small group of islets where the bird nests), and into nearby favored feeding areas. Thanks to good timing, I was able to go out on an already-scheduled research trip as well, and so had an opportunity each of the two days. On Saturday's trip (1 - 3:30 PM), we found about 35 individuals in relatively calm seas, many of which tolerated fairly close approach by the boat (more so in general than any other species of murrelet I've observed). On Sunday's trip (9:30 AM - 12:30 PM), we only found 13 individuals, but in much choppier and windier conditions.

Unfortunately, Crested Murrelet (this population, at least) is experiencing a precipitous population decline. The reasons are partially understood. While Sanbondake has thus far escaped the affliction of introduced mammals (a common cause of seabird declines elsewhere), it has become a popular spot for sportsfishermen, who out of lack of awareness leave fish scraps and other garbage behind. This attracts Jungle Crows (Hashibuto-garasu) and Black-tailed Gulls (Umineko). There used to be a pair of crows there, but now 15-20 are regularly present. They take the murrelets' eggs. The only gulls used to be transients from other breeding areas, but they are now nesting there. They take the murrelet chicks. Fledging rates have been exceedingly low. No fledged chicks have been seen there for 3 years. At-sea surveys indicate much-reduced numbers over just the last few years.

So, while it was exciting to see and photograph these birds, it is sobering to realize that they may not be long for this world, at least at this location. Information on how they are faring at their other breeding sites (other Japanese islands to the South, and also islands off North and South Korea) is generally unavailable.

This boat-oriented trip left just a little time to see the island itself. Even though I had rental car problems (both getting one and keeping the one I got alive), I managed to get myself to Tairo-Ike on mid-morning Saturday and early morning Sunday, and saw the commoner endemic species and subspecies for which the island is famous. Izu Islands Thrush (Akakokko) and Ijima's Willow Warbler (Ijima-mushikui) were both common, although I found the thrush quite shy (and hard to find after mid-morning). The warbler was very vocal and were not wary, and sometimes descended to near eye-level for excellent views. The endemic races of Varied Tit (Yama-gara) and Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (Ko-gera) were also common and conspicuous. A single Japanese Woodpigeon (Karasu-bato) flew overhead. Japanese Robins (Kopadori) were surpisingly common and fairly easy to see (and singing at this season). Not surprisingly, I found no trace of Japanese Night Heron (Mizogoi), although it does still occur there in summer, probably nesting. The only migrant was a single Japanese (Gray) Thrush (Kuro-tsugumi), rather unusual for the location, I think. The return ferry trip was much more interesting than I thought it would be, in spite of the fact that I could not find any hoped-for Tristram's Storm-Petrels (Osuton-umitsubame). There were 30-40 Japanese birders lining the rail of the rightly-lit side of the boat, many with Kowas set up on tripods. Since I am tall, I was able to stand behind them and still enjoy an unobstructed view of the ocean. As usual, I was the only geijin on the boat, and drew much interest.

We passed fairly close by one pair of Crested Murrelets just off the North end of the island, and then the Streaked Shearwater (O-mizunagidori) show began. I don't think I've ever seen such large numbers of any bird, except perhaps the concentrations of several hundred thousand Sooty Shearwaters (Haiiro-mizunagidori) in Monterey Bay, and off Cape Horn. The flock (singular) was not dense, but continued for miles and hours. I believe there were at least 100,000, perhaps far more. They were moving roughly Southeast. Many flew quite close to the boat; it was easy to make out the individual streaks on the head. I had thoughts of getting out my camera, but finally decided I just didn't want the weight hanging on my shoulder for 3 hours with probably no worthwhile return. I also figured that even if my target Tristram's Storm-Petrel appeared, it wouldn't just fly alongside the boat for photos.

I quickly developed a strategy for keying in on the more interesting birds. Just look for anything that isn't a Streaked Shearwater.

It wasn't long before other pelagic species did put in appearances, although mostly briefly. An adult Long-tailed Jaeger (Shirohara-tozokukamome) came by (early in the season, I thought), and shortly after a "Pomasitic" (?-tozokukamome). Then a Laysan Albatross (Ko-ahodori), then another; eventually 14. Then a single Black-footed Albatross (Kuroashi-ahodori), and a couple of small groups of Red Phalaropes (Haiiro-hireashi-shigi). As I continued to brood over the lack of storm-petrels, I raised my glass to examine an odd-looking large bird flying by about 300 meters out. It was whitish below, with a broad, dark belt around the upper breast, generally dark above with strange white patches at the base of the upperwings, but most attention-getting, a huge bill which gleamed completely whitish in the sun. "That's a Short-tailed Albatross" (Ahodori), I said aloud, several times. Practically by instinct I reached back for my camera, but it wasn't there. I winced, and so simply followed the bird through my bins, soaking up the image of what may be the only of this species I'll ever see. After that, storm-petrels didn't occupy my thoughts, and I enjoyed views of a couple of Flesh-footed (Akaashi-mizunagidori) and several Short-tailed Shearwaters (Hashiboso-mizunagidori), more Laysan Albatrosses, and a single, flying Crested Murrelet.

Here's the bird list (maximize the size of your window to view this in a reasonable format):

Temminck's Cormorant		8	P. filamentosus			Umi-u
Japanese (Crested) Murrelet	40	Synthliboramphus umisuzume	Kanmuri  
umisuzume
Short-tailed Albatross		1	Diomedea albatrus		Ahodori
Black-footed Albatross		1	Diomedea nigripes		Kuroashi-ahodori
Laysan Albatross		14	Diomedea immutabilis		Ko-ahodori
Streaked Shearwater		100000	Calonectris leucomelas		O-mizunagidori
Flesh-footed Shearwater		2	Puffinus carneipes		Akaashi-mizunagidori
Short-tailed Shearwater		10	Puffinus tenuirostris		 
Hashiboso-mizunagidori
Brown Booby			1	Sula leucogaster		Katsuodori
Long-tailed Jaeger		1	Stercorarius longicaudus		Shirohara-tozokukamome
"Pomasitic" Jaeger		1	Stercorarius (sp.?)		?-tozokukamome
Black-tailed Gull			100	Larus crassirostris		Umineko
Great Egret			1	Egretta alba			Dai-sagi
Eastern Reef Egret		1	Egretta sacra			Kuro-sagi
Red Phalarope			19	Phalaropus fulicarius		Haiiro-hireashi-shigi
Black Kite			25	Milvus migrans			Tobi
Eurasian Kestrel		1	Falco tinnunculus		Chogenbo
Brown Hawk-Owl		 	3	Ninox scutulata			Aoba-zuku
Bamboo Partidge (H)		6	Bamusicola thoracica		Kojukei
Com. (Green) Pheasant	(H)	1	Phasianus colchicus		Kiji
Japanese WoodPigeon		1	Columba janthina		Karasu-bato
Rufous Turtle Dove		10	Streptopelia orientalis		Kiji-bato
Fork-tailed Swift			15	Apus pacificus			Amatsubame
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker	10	Dendrocopos kizuki		Ko-gera
House Martin			1	Delichon urbica			Iwa-tsubame
Barn Swallow			100	Hirundo rustica			Tsubame
Gray Wagtail			1	Motacilla cinerea		Ki-sekirei
Brown-eared Bulbul		25	Hypsipetes amaurotis		Hiyodori
Bull-headed Shrike		3	Lanius bucephalus		Mozu
Wren				8	Troglodytes troglodytes		Misosazai
Japanese Robin			8	Erithacus akahige		Kopadori
Blue Rock Thrush		25	Monticola solitarius		Isohiyodori
Izu Islands Thrush		25	Turdus celaenops		Akakokko
Gray (Japanese) Thrush		1	Turdus cardis			Kuro-tsugumi
Dusky Thrush			25	Turdus naumanni			Tsugumi
Bush Warbler			20	Cettia diphone			Uguisu
Ijima's Willow Warbler		30	Phylloscopus ijimae		Ijima-mushikui
Great Tit			3	Parus major			Shiju-kara
Varied Tit			10	Parus varius owstoni		Yama-gara
Japanese White-Eye		25	Zosterops japonica		Mejiro
Meadow Bunting			15	Emberiza cioides		Hojiro
Black-faced Bunting		5	Emberiza spodocephala		Aoji
Oriental Greenfinch		25	Carduelis sinica			Kawara-hiwa
Eurasian Tree Sparrow		40	Passer montanus			Suzume
Red-cheeked Myna		3	Sturnus philippensis		Ko-mukidori
Jungle Crow			80	Corvus macrorhynchos		Hashibuto-garasu


Mike