Dalmatian Pelican at Hinuma

Januari 9, 1999

The number of species is of course rather irrelevant: but the high number underlines the quality of the well-known area around Hinuma and the less well-known area of the west-coast of Kitaura. The wintering rarities are an other indication.

Highlights

• Dalmatian Pelican at Hinuma. Half december the bird was spotted for the first time at Hinuma. Then it left, to return at Jan 4. It seems to have made it to the national television. It is a very genki bird. And it gave quite a performance. Flying, catching a gigantic fish which filled its poach completely, swallowing, flying, spitting the fish out, manipulating it in the big beak, swallowing again... It is quite impressive how such a huge bird can take off from the water without any apparent effort, in great contrast to similar sized birds like swans. It liked to rest sitting above the water on a branch of some treetrunk. When swimming, it cruised seemingly without any effortless at quite a high speed while keeping the body motionless leaving the pedalling to the strong feet and legs.
• Male Bufflehead [Hime-hajiro] is still at at Hinuma: already 5 consecutive winters a male Bufflehead visits Hinuma.
• Wintering Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank and Common Snipes in the lotus (renkon and parsley (seri) fields between kilometer 19 and 17 along the western dike of Kitaura.
• Wintering Whiskered Terns, Greenshank and Barnswallow near kilometer 5 next to Itako at the southeast of Kitaura.
• The lack of wintering Intermediate Herons and Night Herons.

Places visited

• Hinuma
• Oarai: sea coast
• Kitaura: west coast
• Ukishima,
• Amada,
• Edosaki

Participants

Weather

1. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus [Kanmuri-kaitsuburi]
   • Hinuma
   • Oarai
   • Kitaura
   • Ukishima
2. Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus [Mimi-kaitsuburi]
   • Oarai
3. Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis [Hajiro-kaitsuburi]
   • Hinuma
   • Oarai
4. Little Grebe Podiceps ruficollis [Kaitsuburi]
   • Hinuma
   • Kitaura: at least 100
5. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u]
   • Hinuma: a group of 250 was fishing together.
6. Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus [Garanchou]
   • Hinuma: 1 ex.
     Description: A large white pelican. Not pure white, but with a grey tone. Dark grey feet and legs. Not ringed. Primaries and secondaries of upperwings black. rest of the wing white. Underwing white except for the edge of primaries which gave grey impression, possibly by a "shine through" phenomenon. Upper mandible was blueish-grey. Under mandible appeared yellow. Tip of the beak had a orange nail. Area on overlap of breast and belly showed some yellow glosh when the bird was landing. Neck was white. Head was white with some short roughed curly white crest consisting of feather from the top of the head as well as the back of the head. The crest gave the head a somewhat pointed, triangular shape. Skin area around eyes appeared plain white. When resting upperwings had a grey tone. (We saw the bird at a minimal distance of about 700 meter with a Kowa-scope, magnification 20-60)
     Pictures: In the evening of Januari 4, 1999 Kumagai-san made those pictures of the same bird at the same location. (Here are local copies: picture 1 and picture 2, note that the picture show the white skin around the eyes... )
     Discussion: Colors make it into an adult bird. Curly white crest at white head and beak coloration, as well as the dark grey feet and legs make it into Dalmatian Pelican. The other two asian pelican species can be excluded: Size, color of neck and unspotted uppermandible exclude Spot-billed Pelican P. philippensis. Color of the feet and legs, as well as shape of crest, and color of skin around eye exclude Great White Pelican P. onocrotalus. Dalmatian Pelican has been considered a subspecies of Spot-billed Pelican, a recent change which has not yet reached the japanese fieldguides.
7. Mute Swan Cygnus olor [Kobu-hakuchoo]
   • Kitaura near km 5.
8. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus [Oo-hakuchoo]
   • Kitaura near km 5: 2 ex
   geese Anser sp. [gan]
   • Hinuma
9. Bean Goose Anser fabalis middendorffi [O-hishikui]
   • Edosaki: too far to be counted
   Goose Anser sp. [gan]
   • Hinuma: small group of 8 ex. flying westwards at about 7.15 am
10. Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos [Ma-gamo]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura: at least 1000
11. Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo]
    • Hinuma (including 1 ex: whitish with some light brown pigments, normal bill.
    • Kitaura
12. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo]
    • Hinuma
13. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca crecca [Ko-gamo]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
14. Gadwall Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
15. Northern Pintail Anas acuta [Onaga-gamo]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
16. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope [Hidori-gamo]
    • Kitaura
17. Canvasback Aythya valisineria [Ou-hoshi-hajiro]
    • Kitaura
18. Pochard Aythya ferina [Hoshi-hajiro]
    • Kitaura: several thousand
19. Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula [Hojiro-gamo]
    • Hinuma
20. Bufflehead Bucephala albeola [Hime-hajiro]
    • Hinuma: 1 ex in the western half of the lake. A small diving duck with a huge white patch on the back of the otherwise dark head, a dark back and white sides.
21. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula [Kinkuro-hajiro]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
22. Greater Scaup Aythya marila [Suzu-gamo]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
23. Smew Mergus albellus [Miko-aisa]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura: at least 10 ex
24. Common Merganser Mergus merganser [Kawa-aisa]
    • Hinuma
25. Slaty-backed Gull Larus schitisagus [Oo-seguro-kamome]
    • Oarai
26. Herring Gull Larus argentatus [Seguro-kamome]
    • Hinuma
    • Oarai
    • Kitaura
27. Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris [Umineko]
    • Oarai
28. Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens [Washi-kamome]
    • Oarai
29. Mew Gull Larus canus kamschatschensis [Kamome]
    • Kitaura
30. Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus [Yuri-kamome]
    • Hinuma
    • Oarai
    • Kitaura
    • Ukishima
31. Whiskered Tern Sterna hybrida [Kurohara-ajisashi]
    • Kitaura: 7 ex near km 5
32. Little Egret Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi]
    • Hinuma
33. Great Egret Egretta alba [Dai-sagi]
    • Hinuma
34. Gray Heron Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi]
    • Hinuma
35. Common Coot Fulica atra [Oo-ban]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura: at least 100
36. Common Gallinule Gallinula chloropus [Ban]
37. Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus [Shiro-chidori]
    • Oarai
38. (Northern) Lapwing Vanellus vanellus [Tageri]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
    • Amada
39. Dunlin Calidris alpina [Hama-shigi]
    • Kitaura, a group of 30 between 19-17 km
40. Sanderling Crocethia alba [Miyubi-shigi]
    • Oarai
41. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola [Takabu-shigi]
    • Kitaura: 1 ex between 19-17 km (on lotus fields south of the rivermouth)
42. Greenshank Tringa nebulara [Aoashi-shigi]
    • Kitaura: 1 ex between 19-17 km (on lotus fields south of the rivermouth)
      Discussion: The large shank appaered rather whitish in the bright light. Bill seemed rather straight. Perhaps an immature bird?
43. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi]
    • Kitaura: at least 30 ex between 19-17 km
44. Black Kite Milvus lineatus [Tobi]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
45. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo [Nosuri]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
    • Amada
46. Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus [Haiiro-chuuhi]
    • Ukishima
47. Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus [Chuuhi]
    • Ukishima
    • Amada
48. Northern Goshawk Accipter gentilis [Oo-taka]
    • Hinuma: 1 ex
49. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus [Haya-busa]
    • Edosaki: 1 ex
50. Merlin Falco columbarius [Ko-choogenboo]
    • Hinuma: one female
51. Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus [Choogenboo]
    • Hinuma: 1 male
    • Oarai: 1 female
52. Bamboo Partridge Bambusicola thoracica [Kojukei]
    • Kitaura
53. Rufous Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
54. Rock Pigeon Columba livia [Do-bato]
    • Oarai
55. Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis [Kawa-semi]
    • Hinuma
56. Japanese Skylark Alauda japonica [Hibari]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
57. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica [Tsubame]
    • Kitaura: 4 ex hunting very low over the water near km 5
58. Black-backed Wagtail Motacilla lugens [Haku-sekirei]
    • Oarai
    • Kitaura
59. Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis [Seguro-sekirei]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
60. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta [Tahibari]
    • Hinuma
61. Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus [Mozu]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
62. Brown Thrush Turdus chrysolaus [Akahara]
    • Oarai
63. Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus [Shirohara]
64. Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni [Tsugumi]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
65. Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis [Sekka]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
66. Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonica [Mejiro]
    • Hinuma
67. Siberian Meadow Bunting Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro]
    • Hinuma
68. Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica [Kashiradaka]
    • Hinuma
69. Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala [Aoji]
    • Kitaura
70. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus [Oo-jurin]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
    • Ukishima
71. Oriental Greenfinch Carduelis sinica [Kawarahiwa]
    • Hinuma
    • Oarai
72. Brambling Fringilla montifringilla [Atori]
    • Oarai
73. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes [Shime]
    • Hinuma
    • Oarai
74. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus [Suzume]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
75. Gray Starling Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori]
    • Hinuma
    • Kitaura
76. Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyana [Onaga]
    • Not far from Hinuma
77. Carrion Crow Corvus corone [Hashiboso-garasu]
    • Hinuma
78. Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu]
    • Hinuma
    Other remarks
    • several whales of small to medium size were spotted by Mathias Jaschhof.

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    Birds in Japan and Asia
    Last modified: Jan 11, 1999.