New Years Birding

Januari 2, 1999

On the second day of the year 1999 Ikenaga-san organised his traditional New years Birding trip. Eight people joined him. Besides Ottonuma they visited a number of lakes as well as the pacific coast near Mito. In total 74 bird species were observed. Most people had at least one or two new species.

Highlights

a male Bufflehead [Hime-hajiro] at Hinuma: already 5 consecutive winters a male Bufflehead visits Hinuma. In contrast to last year this accidental winter visitor could be seen during the New Years Birding.
a pair of Pigeon Guillemots [Umibato] at the coast of Oarai. This is a rather interesting observation, with respect both time and place. In Mark Brazil's Birds of Japan they are classified as a very uncommon, but regular winter visitor to the eastern and southern coasts of Hokkaido especially in Februari and March. Both birds appeared to have white wing bars, implying that they don't belong to the subspecies snowi which breeds at the Kurile islands, and typically winters on the sea areas of south and east Hokkaido. This leaves as most likelypossibilities C.c.kaiurka, C.c.columba. The latter occurs in Kamchatka and more northern to Bering Strait and W Alaska. [Brazil does not mention this last subspecies; but why wouldn't this subspecies be possible in northern Japan?]
Pigeon Guillemot resembles Black Guillemot in winterplumage, but the latter supposedly winters much more northern, in the Bering Strait. Morover, despite the distance, the bill made a rather solid impression, suggesting Pigeon Guillemot.
last but not least, the outdoor fish dinner prepared by Ikenaga-san at the north coast of the Nakagawa river with ingredients freshly bought at the nearby fishmarket: baked king salmon, and soup with shells from Hinuma and sashimi shrimps.

Places visited

Ottonuma between Arakawaoki and Tsukuba
Kotokonuma, a artificial pond where the swans an ducks are fed with rice.
Ichi-no-seki-ike in Naka-machi
Ajigaura (or the sea coast north of the Nakagawa)
Nakagawa
Oarai (or the sea coast south of the Nakagawa)
Hinuma

Participants

Asuka Haruhiko, Neil Fergusson, Higo Kenichi, Ikenaga Hiroshi, Mathias Jaschhof, the Kase-sans, Katayama Shuusaku, Fer-Jan de Vries.

Weather

The weather was excellent. A low temperature (-2 in Kotononuma) not far from 0, a blue sunny sky and hardly any wind. The sea was calm. The visibility perfect.

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus [Kanmuri-kaitsuburi]
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus [Mimi-kaitsuburi]
Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis [Hajiro-kaitsuburi]
Little Grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u]
Temminck's Cormorant Phalacrocorax filamentosus [Umi-u]
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus [Oo-hakuchoo]
Bewick Swan Cygnus columbianus jankowskii [Ko-hakuchoo]
Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos [Ma-gamo]
Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo]
Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo]
Baikal Teal Anas formosa [Tomoe-gamo]
Falcated Teal Anas falcata [Yoshi-gamo]
Gadwall Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo]
Northern Pintail Anas acuta [Onaga-gamo]
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo]
American Wigeon Anas americana [Amrika-hidori]
Eurasian x American Wigeon Anas penelope x americana [Hidori-gamo x Amrika-hidori]
Pochard Aythya ferina [Hoshi-hajiro]
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula [Hojiro-gamo]
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola [Hime-hajiro]
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula [Kinkuro-hajiro]
Greater Scaup Aythya marila [Suzu-gamo]
Harlequin Duck Histronicus histronicus [Shinori-gamo]
Smew Mergus albellus [Miko-aisa]
Common Merganser Mergus merganser [Kawa-aisa]
Pigeon Guillemot Cepphus columba [Umi-bato]
Slaty-backed Gull Larus schitisagus [Oo-seguro-kamome]
Herring Gull Larus argentatus [Seguro-kamome]
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris [Umineko]
Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens [Washi-kamome]
Mew Gull Larus canus kamschatschensis [Kamome]
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus [Yuri-kamome]
Black-legged Kittiwake Larus tridactylus [Mitsuyubi-kamome]
Little Egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi]
Great Egret Egretta alba [Dai-sagi]
Gray Heron Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi]
Common Coot Fulica atra [Oo-ban]
Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban]
(Northern) Lapwing Vanellus vanellus [Tageri]
Dunlin Calidris alpina [Hama-shigi]
Sanderling Crocethia alba [Miyubi-shigi]
Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos [Iso-shigi]
Black Kite Milvus lineatus [Tobi]
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo [Nosuri]
Northern Goshawk Accipter gentilis [Oo-taka]
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus [Haya-busa]
Merlin Falco columbarius [Ko-choogenboo]
Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus [Choogenboo]
Rufous Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]
Rock Pigeon Columba livia [Do-bato]
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis [Kawa-semi]
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos kizuki [Ko-gera]
Japanese Skylark Alauda japonica [Hibari]
Black-backed Wagtail Motacilla lugens [Haku-sekirei]
Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis [Seguro-sekirei]
Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta [Tahibari]
Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis [Hiyodori]
Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus [Mozu]
Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus [Joobitaki]
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius [Iso-hyodori]
Brown Thrush Turdus chrysolaus [Akahara]
Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni [Tsugumi]
Bush Warbler Cettia diphone [Uguisu]
Great Tit Parus major [Shijuu-kara]
Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonica [Mejiro]
Siberian Meadow Bunting Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro]
Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala [Aoji]
Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus [Oo-jurin]
Oriental Greenfinch Carduelis sinica [Kawarahiwa]
Long-Tailed Rosefinch Uragus sibiricus [Beni-mashiko]
Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes [Shime]
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume]
Gray Starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]
Carrion Crow Corvus corone [Hashiboso-garasu]
Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu]
Other remarks
- a dead tanuki in Tsukuba-centre
- an Amagaeru in the toilet at the parking near Kotokonuma
- two small black whales (no fins seen) from the coast of Ajigaura (or the area north of the Nakagawa)
Birds in Japan and Asia
Last modified: Jan 4, 1999.