On the night of the 19th, we put our car on the Hachinohe -> Tomokomai ferry (we'd have preferred Kushiro, but that route does not exist from here). Even though it resulted in considerably more driving (5 hours each way between Tomokomai and Kushiro), this plan saved quite a bit of money and headaches over flying (which in spite of the short distances involved takes the better part of a day going) and renting a car, and also eliminated concerns over the limited mileage allowed on a rental car in Hokkaido. But the best part was that we could load up the car with every possible convenience we could think of without regard to portability or weight or what would fit in a suitcase. This meant unlimited camera equipment, scope, blankets, pillows, clothing for any weather, boots, lots of our favorite foods and beverages (canned coffee is great), tent and sleeping bags (which we never needed in spite of not having made any lodging arrangements except for Furen-Ko), etc.
Birding began on the ferry, where we had a couple of hours of daylight before the ferry arrived at Tomokomai. Even close in to shore as we were, there were still several Laysan Albatrosses, N Fulmars, Rhino Auklets, etc., among the throngs of Short-tailed Shearwaters teeming near shore.
We drove confidently off of the boat, headed for Utonai. Is it possible for us to drive anywhere without getting lost, or at least momentarily disoriented? Apparently not, and the half-hour of lost time gave the elements time to organize a hard and lengthy wind and rain storm just as we arrived and were about to try to see one of the several singing Gray's Grasshopper Warblers. The Latham's Snipes weren't the slightest bit put out by the weather, and enthusiastically performed their display flights, accompanied by what I would characterize more as wretching noises than a song. Somehow, the Latham's Snipes we have in our area seem to do little more than perch placidly atop telephone poles all day long.
We soon decided that no matter what the weather was down the road (Kushiro and Furen-Ko), it would be better to be there in the rain than at Utonai in the rain, and so we set off eastwards. We overnighted in Kushiro, and by morning there was still wind, but the rain had abated, and on the way to Furen-Ko interesting birds began to appear, including White-tailed Eagle and Northern Hobby.
We arrived at the Shunkunitai Nature Center and walked the "songbird" woods trail, and found the expected commoner species, including Hawfinch and Bullfinch, Asian Brown Flycatcher, and the distinctive Hokkaido forms of Jay and Long-tailed Tit. More invisible Gray's GW's sang from the undergrowth.
We decided to walk the "serious" birding trail through the "good" forest at Shunkunitai. The timing (mid-afternoon) and wind made finding birds difficult, but we did manage a glimpse of one each Middendorf's and Lanceolated Grasshopper Warblers. Inside the forest was a Japanese Robin and a Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, finally seen after having heard several.
We thought it would be best to check in at Furo-So (but not before another bout of disorientation, this time caused by some faulty directions), and glean information from Takada-San about where to find some of the more difficult birds. A Japanese birding friend had taken care of the arrangements here and booked us at Furo-So, even though it had been closed for renovation (new bathroon being installed). We'd expected that by the time we got there that the renovation would be completed, but this was not the case, and so we had to simply not get too dirty for 3 days.
Takada-San broke some disappointing (appalling) news to us. Yellow-breasted Buntings, formerly the most common bird in suitable habitat and trivial to find when the males were out singing, had become virtually extinct as a breeding bird in Japan. There were only two known pairs remaining, at Notsuke Hanto. This precipitous decline had occurred only in
the last few years, and not surprisingly, man was to blame. At their wintering area in Thailand, the buntings were being trapped and slaughtered en masse and used as snacks in bars and pubs. Japan contributed by importing them. At the opposite end of their breeding range, the Finnish population had been reduced to 10 pairs. I don't know what is the situation in between, in Russia.
Another bird which we expected to be plentiful but wasn't was Brown Shrike. We found only one, at Utonai. This bird is being "harvested" in Taiwan.
Back to the birding .. The Furen-Ko area is not overrated in the literature. Shunkunitai held a pair each of Black Woodpecker and Wryneck, both presumably nesting. This was also the place where we had the best luck in seeing Lanceolated Grasshopper Warblers, although we heard them in several other places. The Hashirikotan pensinsula (on the northwest side of Furen-Ko) was best for Middendorf's Grasshopper Warblers (seemingly the commonest bird there) and Siberian Rubythroat (also in many places). It also had a family of Red Foxes whose den was right alongside the road. These animals are partly diurnal on Hokkaido, and so were easy to see and photograph. Redshanks were numerous at Notsuke Hanto. We saw White-tailed Eagles almost everywhere around the lake. Several pairs of Japanese Cranes were either incubating or feeding, but none with chicks. There were even a couple of very early shorebirds, a Far Eastern Curlew and a pair of Greenshanks. Blakiston's Fish-Owls were known to be in the area, but we didn't try for them.
After 3 days in the Furen-Ko area, we headed for Kawayu, via a sizable detour over the pass above Rausu, on the Shiretoko Peninsula. After a wait, we saw a fine singing Japanese Accentor and heard another, and also saw a few Pine Grosbeaks. Judging by the number of tour busses on that Wednesday, I think the spot would be best avoided on a weekend.
Along the north coast before turning southwest towards Kawayu, I pulled over to look at a large flock of Pacific Swifts swirling over the road. It turned out they were following a farm vehicle back and forth, low over the field, as a flock of gulls might do, no doubt feeding on disturbed insects. I'd never seen anything like it, and it was a great photo opportunity for me (swifts are one of my favorite families).
Our cabin at Kawayu (Roguhausu Sukayu) was an ideal birding base. It was comfortable and private, and situated on a forest edge, so birds were right outside our window. Meals were not included, which meant we weren't tied down to particular times to eat. The birding around Kawayu was quite good, although most of the "desirable" birds required some hiking and searching. Our number one quarry was the Hazel Grouse, and we were lucky enough to flush a family of them from alongside a trail. The parent (hen) was wary, and quickly abandoned her dozen or so fist-sized chicks to face this new threat on their own. The chicks themselves scattered in several directions, but by calling (a high, adult-like whistling), managed to refind each other and band together. After a few photos, we left them, and on our return could not refind them at all. On the same walk we found Nutcracker, Siberian Blue Robin, Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, Japanese Grosbeak, Bullfinches, Olive Tree-Pipit and heard Red Crossbill, Japanese Green Pigeon, White's Thrush and Black Woodpecker. At night, there was Eurasian Woodcock and Jungle Nightjar. At nearby Wakoto Hanto, there were White's and Gray Thrushes, but no Gray-headed Woodpecker.
Finally, we made our way back to Tomokomai for the night, and had an uneventful morning's birding around Utonai and a quiet ferry trip back to Hachinohe. The only other time I'd made this ferry trip was in late July of last year, and there were far more birds present then.
Here is the list:
Little Grebe Kaitsuburi Podiceps ruficollis Laysan Albatross (15) Ko-ahodori Diomedea immutabilis Black-footed Albatross (3) Kuroashi-ahodori Diomedea nigripes Northern Fulmar (25) Furuma-kamome Fulmarus glacialis Streaked Shearwater (20; amazingly few) Mizunagidori Calonectris leucomelas Sooty Shearwater (at least 1!) Haiiro-mizunagidori Puffinus griseus Short-t Shearwater (5000+) Hashiboso-mizunagidori Puffinus tenuirostris Temminck's Cormorant (Ochiishi Pen.) Umi-u Phalacrocorax filamentosus Gray Heron (50+ Furen-Ko) Ao-sagi Ardea cinerea Mute Swan (Utonai) Kobu-hakucho Cygnus cygnus Whooper Swan (10 Utonai) O-hakucho Cygnus olor Mandarin Duck (20) Oshidori Aix galericulata Mallard (Utonai) Ma-gamo Anas platyrhynchos Spot-billed Duck Karu-gamo Anas poecilorhyncha Falcated Duck (1 Utonai) Yoshi-gamo Anas falcata Tufted Duck Kinkuro-hajiro Aythya fuligula Greater Scaup (Furen-Ko) Suzu-gamo Aythya marila Common Scoter (42 Furen-Ko) Kuro-gamo Melanitta ?? Common Merganser (10 Furen-Ko) Kawa-aisa Mergus merganser Black Kite Tobi Milvus migrans White-tailed Eagle (8) Ojiro-washi Haliaeetus albicilla Common Buzzard Nosuri Buteo buteo Asian Marsh Harrier (1 Utonai) Chuhi Circus spilonotus Northern Hobby (1 near Kushiro) Chigo-hayabusa Falco subbuteo Hazel Grouse (12 Kawayu) Ezo-raicho Tetrastes bonasia Japanese Crane (12 Furen-Ko) Tancho Grus japonensis Eurasian Coot O-ban Fulica atra Oystercatcher (1 Furen-Ko) Miyakodori Haematopus ostralegus Common Redshank (10 Furen-Ko) Akaashi-shigi Tringa totanus Greenshank (2 Furen-Ko) Aoashi-shigi Tringa nebularia Common Sandpiper (H Furen-Ko) Iso-shigi Tringa hypoleucos Far Eastern Curlew (1 Furen-Ko) Horoku-shigi Numenius madagascariensis Eurasian Woodcock (1 Kawayu) Yama-shigi Scolopax rusticola Latham's Snipe Oji-shigi Gallinago hardwickii Red-necked Phalarope (4) Akaeri-hireashi-shigi Phalaropus lobatus South Polar Skua (1) O-tozokukamo Stercorarius maccormicki Pomarine Jaeger (5) Tozokukamo Stercorarius pomarinus Common Black-headed Gull (3 Furen-Ko) Yuri-kamome Larus ridibundus Slaty-backed Gull O-seguro-kamome Larus schistisagus Black-tailed Gull Umineko Larus crassirostris Common (?) Tern (2) Ajisashi Sterna hirundo longipennis Rhinoceros Auklet (8) Utou Cerorhinca monocerata Japanese Green Pigeon (H Kawayu) Ao-bato Sphenurus sieboldii Rufous Turtle Dove Kiji-bato Streptopelia orientalis Common Cuckoo Kakko Cuculus canorus Oriental Cuckoo Tsutsudori Cuculus saturatus Little Cuckoo (H Utonai) Hototogisu Cuculus poliocephalus Ural Owl (H Kawayu) Fukuro Strix uralensis Jungle Nightjar (H Kawayu) Yotaka Caprimulgus indicus White-thr. Needle-t. Swift (6) Hario-amatsubame Chaetura caudacuta Pacific Swift (100+) Amatsubame Apus pacificus Wryneck (2 Shunkunitai) Arisui Jynx torquilla Black Woodpecker (2 Shunkunitai) Kuma-gera Dryocopus martius Great Spotted Woodpecker Aka-gera Dendrocopus major White-backed Woodpecker (1 Furen-Ko) O-aka-gera Dendrocopus leucotos Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Ko-gera Dendrocopos kizuki Skylark Hibari Alauda arvensis Bank Swallow (Utonai) 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 Olive Tree Pipit Binzui Anthus hodgsoni Brown-eared Bulbul Hiyodori Hypsipetes amaurotis Bull-headed Shrike Mozu Lanius bucephalus Brown Shrike (1 Utonai) Aka-mozu Lanius cristatus Wren Misosazai Troglodytes troglodytes Japanese Accentor (2 Rausu pass) Kaya-kuguri Prunella rubida Japanese Robin (20+ Nemuro area) Komadori Erithacus akahige Siberian Rubythroat (20) Nogoma Erithacus calliope Siberian Blue Robin (2 surprisingly few)Ko-ruri Erithacus cyane Red-flanked Bluetail (5 Nemuro area) Ruri-bitaki Tarsiger cyanurus Stonechat (200) No-bitaki Saxicola torquata White's Ground Thrush (6) Tora-tsugumi Z. dauma Gray Thrush (2 Wakoto Hanto) Kuro-tsugumi Turdus cardis Brown Thrush Akahara Turdus chrysolaus Short-tailed Bush Warbler (H) Yabusa Cettia squameiceps Bush Warbler Uguisu Cettia diphone Gray's Grasshopper Warbler (25) Ezo-sennyu Locustella fasciolata Middendorf's Grasshopper Warbler (50) Shima-sennyu Locustella ochotensis Lanceolated Grasshopper Warbler (8) Makino-sennyu Locustella lanceolata Black-browed Reed Warbler (4) Ko-yoshiki Acrocephalus bistrigiceps Sakhalin Leaf Warbler (6) Ezo-mushikui Phylloscopus ?? Crowned Willow Warbler Sendai-mushikui Phylloscopus occipitalis Goldcrest Kikuitadaki Regulus regulus Narcissus Flycatcher Ki-bitaki Ficedula narcissina Asian Brown Flycatcher Ko-same-bitaki Muscicapa griseisticta Long-tailed Tit Enaga Aegithalos caudatus Marsh Tit Hashibuto-gara Parus palustris Willow Tit Ko-gara Parus montanus Coal Tit Hi-gara Parus ater Varied Tit (H Wakoto Hanto) 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 Yellow-breasted Bunting (1 Notsuke) Shima-aoji Emberiza aureola Black-faced Bunting Aoji Emberiza spodocephala Reed Bunting O-jurin Emberiza schoeniclus Oriental Greenfinch Kawara-hira Carduelis sinica Siskin (H Kawayu) Ma-hiwa Carduelis spinus Pine Grosbeak (4 Rausu pass) Ginzanmashiko Pinicola enucleator Red Crossbill (H Kawayu) Isuka Loxia curvirostra Long-tailed Rose Finch Beni-mashiko Uragus sibiricus Bullfinch Uso Pyrrhula pyrrhula Japanese Grosbeak Ikaru Eophona personata Hawfinch Shime C. coccothraustes Russet Sparrow Nyunai-suzume Passer rutilans Eurasian Tree Sparrow Suzume Passer montanus Red-cheeked Myna Ko-mukudori Sturnus philippensis Gray Starling Mukudori Sturnus cineraceus Jay Kakesu Garrulus glandarius Nutcracker (4 Kawayu) Hoshi-garasu Nucifraga caryocatactes Carrion Crow Hashiboso-garasu Corvus corone Jungle Crow Hashibuto-garasu Corbus macrorhynchos
Good birding! Mike and Lee ********************************* Mike Danzenbaker and Lee Hung PSC 76 Box 6193 APO AP 96319-6193**********************************