From Onogawa to Edosaki along the Onogawa on Januari 3, 1998



Pleasant bike trip starting in Onogawa. Most of the time I followed the Onogawa until Edosaki. I passed north of the new Joban line station. Area just west of Edosaki-town is very beautiful, but watch out for unattentive hunters. Via the Edosaki-coast I blundered my way back in the dark after trying to make a shortcut. It is a nice bike trip mainly through the country side.
Weather was sunny, not too cold, 7 degrees. Hardly any wind. Before sunset it started cooling down rapidly, but it did not freeze.
  1. Bean goose Anser fabalis middendorffi [O-hishikui] About 63 ex on a dry, stubbled ricefield west of the Onogawa in Edosaki, 1 km south of route 125. Maximal distance from disturbing people: the half hour while I was standing on the dike of the Onogawa: 8 cars with birdwatchers stopped and left quickly, one photographer with two big lenses and a small truck, one small truck driving backwards the dike up, family with loud crying kids, joggers, truck, people walking dogs. Birder with radio who wanted to look thru' my scope. All the airplanes of Narita...
    Birds are Middendorffi, as the bill is rather long and the yellow band near the tip is relatively broad, as according to the picture in "A guide for birdlovers". The scope really pays off!
    Birds seem to sleep on the ricefield when I left 20 min after sunset.
  2. Spot-billed duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]. 2 ex on Onogawa near the geese.
  3. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo] about 400 at Onogawa near Edosaki.
  4. Black-crowned night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax [Goi-sagi] 1 crying along Edosaki-coast.
  5. Little egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi] 2 ex.
  6. Gray heron Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi] 1 ex near geese.
  7. Coot Fulica atra [Ou-ban] Onogawa near Edosaki, 2 ex.
  8. Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban] Onogawa near Edosaki, 3 ex.
  9. (Northern) Lapwing Vanellus vanellus [Tageri] Onogawa near Edosaki: 7 ex.
  10. Common snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi] Onogawa near Edosaki: > 5 ex (plus a hunter, of whom I wondered he was aware of me, when he turned around and shot at the escaping snipes... At several places along the Onogawa dike I found plastic/copper "bullets")
  11. Common buzzard Buteo buteo [Nosuri] 1 ex, Onogawa near Edosaki.
  12. Northern goshawk Accipter gentilis [Ou-taka] Onogawa near Edosaki: 1 ex.
  13. Merlin Falco columbarius [Ko-chougenbou] 1 female near Edosaki town on Onogawa.
  14. Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus [Chougenbou] Edosaki town, 1 female. (while I looked at it, a car stopped with a birdwatching mother...)
  15. Common pheasant Phasianus colchicus [Kiji] Calling after sunset near geese. At least 5 male...
  16. Rufous turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato] At least 50.
  17. Skylark Alauda arvensis [Hibari] Onogawa near Edosaki: 4 ex.
  18. Gray wagtail [Motacilla cinerea]Ki-sekirei 2ex south of Onogawa.
  19. White wagtail Haku-sekirei [Motacilla alba] 5 ex.
  20. Water pipit Anthus spinoletta [Tahibari] Onogawa near Edosaki: > 20 ex.
  21. Brown-eared bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis [Hiyodori] At least 30.
  22. Dusky thrush Turdus naumanni [Tsugumi] Onogawa - Edosaki: 3 ex in total.
  23. Siberian meadow bunting Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro] More than 50 Onogawa - Edosaki. Everywhere, especially in reedareas.
  24. Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica [Kashiradaka] More than 50 Onogawa - Edosaki. Near slopes and hillsides.
  25. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus [Ou-jurin] Onogawa near Edosaki: at least 5.
  26. Oriental greenfinch Carduelis sinica [Kawarahiwa] Onogawa - Edosaki at least 50 ex.
  27. Tree sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume] Several.
  28. Gray starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori] Onogawa - Edosaki 5 ex.
  29. Jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu] Several.

Back to previous page Last modified: Januari 4, 1998. Fer-Jan de Vries, ferjan@etl.go.jp