Sun Nov 8 17:17:35 JST 1998
During the first two weeks of October, Hotokenuma was still interesting, holding numbers of juvenile Japanese Marsh Warblers and Japanese Reed Buntings, as well as molting adults. Researchers from the University in Tokyo were present attempting to band (ring) these species, but most days they were foiled by stormy weather. One morning I was pishing at a likely-looking patch of reeds hoping to draw out a lingering Great Reed Warbler, but instead a stunning male Siberian Rubythroat popped out. Another morning, as I was about to leave the jetty at the Misawa fishing port, a Middendorf's Grasshopper Warbler appeared from nowhere and dove in among the rocks, not to be drawn out. I presume it wasn't a Pallas's ..
Shorebirds (waders) had mostly gone through, but the flock of large shorebirds which appeared in September at Obuchinuma partly remained (the shorter-legged species departed as rains deepened the water), containing the only Black-tailed Godwits I've seen in Aomori. At the same time and at the same spot, the first Whooper Swans arrived, an unlikely combination in Japan.
For the first time I visited Tappisaki (on the 11th), the raptor migration spot. In 4 hours I noted about 150 hawks of 6 species, not overwhelming compared to Irago, but still a pleasant change of scenery. My first Aomori Red-rumped Swallows passed by just before I left.
Today, the 31st, we encountered a blizzard of gulls and shearwaters offshore, and for the first time in Japan saw jaegers from shore, rather than from the ferries. No doubt they had followed the other birds in to take advantage of them. Surprisingly, we couldn't find a single alcid of any kind, for the entire month.
We made several trips inland to the Oirase Gorge area and to Yagen Valley, searching for the best in fall colors. We find that the display in Japan is somehow more subtle than what we're used to in parts of the U.S., but the settings are superb. In Yagen, I finally encountered a group of snow monkeys, which allowed themselves to be watched for about 20 minutes.
Here's the list. A '->' following a date means "onwards", and a '->' preceding a date means "until". An 'O' following the date means at Oirase Gorge. A 'T' means at Tappisaki, and a 'Y' means at Yagen Valley. Everything else is along the 90 or so northeasternmost kilometers of coastline of Honshu, from Misawa to Shiriyazaki.
Little Grebe Kaitsuburi Podiceps ruficollis Eared Grebe (10/25(1)->) Hajiro-kaitsuburi Podiceps nigricollis Horned Grebe (10/25(1)->) Mimi-kaitsuburi Podiceps auritus Great Crested Grebe (35) Kanmuri-kaitsuburi Podiceps cristatus Streaked Shearwater (10000s) O-mizunagidori Calonectris leucomelas Short-t Shearwater (10/10(15)) Hashiboso-mizunagidori Puffinus tenuirostris Great Cormorant (100s) Kawa-u Phalacrocorax carbo Temminck's Cormorant (100+) Umi-u Phalacrocorax filamentosus Pelagic Cormorant (10/24(1)) Hime-u Phalacrocorax pelagicus Great Egret Dai-saga Egretta alba Intermediate Egret Chu-sagi Egretta intermedia Little Egret Ko-sagi Egretta garzetta Gray Heron (50) Ao-sagi Ardea cinerea White-fronted Goose (10/6(1),/24(5)) Ma-gan Anser albifrons Bean Goose (10/12(3)) Hishikui Anser fabalis Mute Swan (13) Kobu-hakucho Cygnus cygnus Whooper Swan (10/10(9)->) O-hakucho Cygnus olor Bewick's Swan (10/10(3)->) Ko-hakucho Cygnus bewicki Mallard (100) Ma-gamo Anas platyrhynchos Spot-billed Duck Karu-gamo Anas poecilorhyncha Common Teal Ko-gamo Anas crecca Eurasian Wigeon Hidori-gamo Anas penelope Northern Pintail Onaga-gamo Anas acuta Northern Shoveler (10/10(5)->) Hashibiro-gamo Anas clypeata Pochard (10/10(50)->(100s)) Hoshi-hajiro Aythya ferina Tufted Duck Kinkuro-hajiro Aythya fuligula Greater Scaup (10/10(1000s)->) Suzu-gamo Aythya marila Common Scoter (10/17(40),/31(20)) Kuro-gamo Melanitta ?? Harlequin Duck (10/3(2)->) Shinori-gamo Histrionicus histrionicus Common Goldeneye (10/31(3)) Hojiro-gamo Bucephala clangula Smew (10/25(1)) Miko-aisa Mergus albellus Red-breasted Merganser (10/21(2)->) Umi-aisa Mergus serrator Common Merganser (10/31(1)) Kawa-aisa Mergus merganser Osprey (10) Misago Pandion haliaetus Black Kite Tobi Milvus migrans Northern Goshawk (10/6(1jf),/11T(8),/24(1j))O-taka Accipiter gentilis Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (3,/11T(6)) Hai-taka Accipiter nisus Common Buzzard (20,/11T(120)) Nosuri Buteo buteo Northern Harrier (10/11T(1i)) Haiiro-chuhi Circus cyaneus Asian Marsh Harrier (3) Chuhi Circus spilonotus Peregrine Falcon (8) Hayabusa Falco peregrinus Northern Hobby (10/5(1),/11T(1i)) Chigo-hayabusa Falco subbuteo Merlin (10/24(1)) Ko-chogenbo Falco columbaris Eurasian Kestrel (10/10(1)) Chogenbo Falco tinnunculus Green Pheasant (10/24(3)) Kiji Phasianus colchicus Water Rail (10/6(2)) Kuina Rallus aquaticus Moorhen (10/10(1)) Ban Gallinula chloropus Eurasian Coot O-ban Fulica atra Kentish Plover (17) Shiro-chidori Charadrius alexandrinus Mongolian Plover (10/1(10)) Medai-chidori Charadrius mongolus Black-bellied Plover (10/5(1),/10(2)) Daizen Pluvialis squatarola Ruddy Turnstone (10/1(3)) Kyojo-shigi Arenaria interpres Red-necked Stint (10/1(12),->10/5) Tonen Calidris ruficollis Dunlin (10/1(1),/5(1),/25(8)) Hama-shigi Calidris alpina Sanderling (80) Miyubi-shigi Crocethia alba Spotted Redshank (9) Tsuru-shigi Tringa erythropus Greenshank (10/10(12),->/25(8)) Aoashi-shigi Tringa nebularia Gray-tailed Tattler ((4)->10/10) Kiashi-shigi Tringa brevipes Common Sandpiper (10/1(1)) Iso-shigi Tringa hypoleucos Black-tailed Godwit (->10/7(4j)) Oguro-shigi Limosa limosa Bar-tailed Godwit (10/10(3j)->/24(1)) O-sorihashi-shigi Limosa lapponica Common Snipe (6) Ta-shigi Gallinago gallinago Red-necked Phalarope (10/1(17)) Akaeri-hireashi-shigi Phalaropus lobatus Pomarine Jaeger (10/31(1)) Tozokukamome Stercorarius pomarinus Parasitic Jaeger (10/31(5+)) Kuro-tozokukamome Stercorarius parasiticus Common Black-headed Gull Yuri-kamome Larus ridibundus Herring Gull Seguro-kamome Larus argentatus vegae Glaucous-winged Gull (10/4->) Washi-kamome Larus glaucescens Glaucous Gull (10/25(1i)) Shiro-kamome Larus hyperboreus Slaty-backed Gull O-seguro-kamome Larus schistisagus Common Gull (10/24(5)->) Kamome Larus canus Black-tailed Gull Umineko Larus crassirostris Black-legged Kittiwake (10/24->(100+)) Mitsuyubi-kamome Larus tridactylus Common Tern (10/9(10)) Ajisashi Sterna hirundo longipennis Rufous Turtle Dove Kiji-bato Streptopelia orientalis Pacific Swift (10/7(16),/20(20),/31(200+)) Amatsubame Apus pacificus Common Kingfisher Kawasemi Alcedo atthis Great Spotted Woodpecker Aka-gera Dendrocopus major Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (5) Ko-gera Dendrocopos kizuki Skylark (40) Hibari Alauda arvensis Bank Swallow (10/10(2)) Shodo-tsubame Riparia riparia Barn Swallow (40) Tsubame Hirundo rustica Red-rumped Swallow (10/11T(3)) Koshi-aka-tsubame Hirundo daurica Asiatic House Martin (10/3(12),/4(50)) Iwa-tsubame Delichon ?? Gray Wagtail Ki-sekirei Motacilla cinerea Black-backed Wagtail Haku-sekirei Motacilla lugens Japanese Wagtail (2) Seguro-sekirei Motacilla grandis Olive Tree Pipit (9->10/17(1)) Binzui Anthus hodgsoni Water Pipit Tahibari Anthus spinoletta Brown-eared Bulbul Hiyodori Hypsipetes amaurotis Bull-headed Shrike Mozu Lanius bucephalus Brown Dipper (10/24Y(2),/25O(1),/31Y(1))Kawagurasu Cinclus pallasi Wren Misosazai Troglodytes troglodytes Siberian Rubythroat (10/4(1am)) Nogoma Erithacus calliope Stonechat (->10/10) No-bitaki Saxicola torquata Blue Rock Thrush Isohiyodori Monticola solitarius Brown Thrush (10/10(1 singing!)) Akahara Turdus chrysolaus Pale thrush (10/9(1)) Shirohara Turdus pallidus Gray-headed Thrush (10/3(12+)) Mamichajinai Tirdus obscurus Dusky Thrush (10/10(2)) Tsugumi Turdus naumanni Bush Warbler Uguisu Cettia diphone Middendorf's Gr. Warbler (10/13(1)) Shima-sennyu Locustella ochotensis Japanese Marsh Warbler ((8)->10/7) O-sekka Megalurus pryeri Black-browed Reed Warbler (->10/17) Ko-yoshiki Acrocephalus bistrigiceps Great Reed Warbler (10/7(1)) O-yoshikiri Acrocephalus arundinaceus E. Crowned Warbler (10/3(3)->/10) Sendai-mushikui Phylloscopus occipitalis Goldcrest (10/10(4)->) Kikuitadaki Regulus regulus Narcissus Flycatcher (10/3(1)) Ki-bitaki Ficedula narcissina Long-tailed Tit (10/24(5)) Enaga Aegithalos caudatus Willow Tit (2) Ko-gara Parus montanus Coal Tit Hi-gara Parus ater Varied Tit (15) Yama-gara Parus varius Great Tit Shiju-kara Parus major Nuthatch (10/25O(6),/31Y(2)) Goju-kara Sitta europaea Japanese White-Eye (100) Mejiro Zosterops japonica Meadow Bunting Hojiro Emberiza cioides Japanese Reed Bunting ((10)->10/6) Ko-jurin Emberiza yessoensis Gray-headed Bunting (10/10(1)) Hoaka Emberiza fucata Rustic Bunting (10/25(1)->) Kashiradaka Emberiza rustica Black-faced Bunting (100s) Aoji Emberiza spodocephala Gray Bunting (10/24(1)) Kuroji Emberiza variabilis Reed Bunting (100) O-jurin Emberiza schoeniclus Oriental Greenfinch Kawara-hira Carduelis sinica Siskin (10/11T(6)->) Ma-hiwa Carduelis spinus Long-tailed Rose Finch (10/29(1),/30(1))Beni-mashiko Uragus sibiricus Hawfinch Shime Coccothraustes coccothraustes Eurasian Tree Sparrow Suzume Passer montanus 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