South coast of Kasumigaura towards Chooshi: May 9, 1998
May 9, 1998 was a pleasantly warm day. Cristal clear view. Blue
sky. Wind.
With Ikenaga-san we started out at the Ami-coast. Because of the wind waves on the Ami-coast of Kasumigaura. Hence the ducks were either far out on the lake or on
the wooden railings that support the nets of the fishermen.
The American Wigeon was now sitting on a post near 41 km
point. The former sand deposit near km 45 is now a nice spot for Falcated
teal (courting each other gracefully) and plovers (one almost full
fledged Snowy plover young was running around.)
Then around noon we hurried to Hazaki, which is the harbor
opposite Chooshi, the fishing port on the border of Chiba and Ibaraki.
(Mark Brazil left the place nameless on the map at page 65 in his
Birdwatchers Guide to Japan: I guess it deserves better...) The
peninsula of Chooshi is the easternmost point of central
Japan. Highlights: TWO tattler species, Oystercatcher. And the big
flocks of little terns and common terns were nice to see.
On the
way back from Hazaki we watched the Japanese Marsh Warblers for a
while and had a brief look at some waders along a marvelous slap of
land between the Tonen and Shintonen (reedland and ricefields, and of
course on a former prime spot the inevitable golfcourse "Wild Ducks").
Finally we had a brief look at Ukishima. The Ruff was still there,
accompagnied by even more Spotted Redshanks.
Moreover the jumping fish at the dam (?) in the Shin-tonen was
impressive: Hakuren (jap) or Renghi (chin): big fish, dark gray-brown
on the back with a lighter belly, rather round. About one meter long.
Jumping at least 1 meter high above the water level. A former chinese
fish, as Ikenaga-san explained me.
-
Little Grebe
Podiceps ruficollis
[Kaitsuburi]
-
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
[Kawa-u]
-
Temminck's Cormorant
Phalacrocorax filamentosus
[Umi-u]
-
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]
-
Falcated Teal
Anas falcata
[Yoshi-gamo]
-
Gadwall
Anas strepera
[Okayoshi-gamo]
-
Eurasian Wigeon
Anas penelope
[Hidori-gamo]
-
American Wigeon
Anas americana
[Amrika-hidori]
- Ami-coast: 1 male. Near 41.50 km point.
-
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
[Seguro-kamome]
-
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostris
[Umineko]
-
Black-headed Gull
Larus ridibundus
[Yuri-kamome]
-
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
[Ajisashi]
- Hazaki: about 80 flying over the Tonen.
-
Little Tern
Sterna albifrons
[Ko-ajisashi]
- Ami-coast: 2 ex near 37 km point
- Hazaki: about 30 on sandy beach with shells.
-
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
[Goi-sagi]
-
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
[Ama-sagi]
-
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
[Ko-sagi]
-
Intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
[Chuu-sagi]
-
Great Egret
Egretta alba
[Dai-sagi]
-
Gray Heron
Ardea cinerea
[Ao-sagi]
- Coot
Fulica atra
[Ou-ban]
-
Common Gallinule
Gallinula chloropus
[Ban]
-
Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
[Miyakodori]
- Hazaki: 2 ex on concrete harbour wall.
-
Little Ringed Plover
Charadrius dubius
[Ko-chidori]
-
Snowy Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
[Shiro-chidori]
- Ami-coast: >5 ex. 1 at least two weeks old young,
-
Pacific Golden Plover
Pluvialis fulva
[Munaguro]
-
Rufous-necked Stint
Caladris ruficollis
[Toonen]
-
Dunlin
Caladris alpina
[Hama-shigi]
-
Sanderling
Crocethia alba
[Miyubi-shigi]
-
Ruff
Philomachus pugnax
[Erimaki--shigi]
-
Common Sandpiper
Tringa hypoleucos
[Iso-shigi]
-
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropus
[Tsuru-shigi]
-
Gray-tailed Tatler
Tringa brevipes
[Kiashi-shigi]
- Ami-coast: 4 ex
- Along Shintonen: 1 ex
-
Wandering Tatler
Tringa incana
[Meriken-kiashi-shigi]
- Hazaki: a group of up to 9 ex. Relatively dark, with barred undertail and wider breaststriping visible on at least 2 individuals; Wandering tatler call (trill of some 10 notes). On the concrete blocks on the north bank of the Tonegawa river opposite the lighthouses of Chooshi. At one moment resting together in two groups, later walking around more or less individually...
- Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
[Kyoujo-shigi]
- Ami-coast: 25 ex
- Shin-tonen: two groups of at least 150 ex.
- Hazaki: 2 ex
-
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
[Oo-sori hashi-shigi]
-
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
[Chuushaku-shigi]
- Common snipe Gallinago gallinago [Ta-shigi]
-
Rufous turtle dove
Streptopelia orientalis
[Kiji-bato]
- Skylark Alauda arvensis [Hibari]
-
Barn swallow
Hirundo rustica
[Tsubame]
-
Japanese Marsh Warbler
Megalurus pryeri
[Oo-sekka]
-
Fan-tailed warbler
Cisticola juncidis
[Sekka]
- Ami-coast
- Along the Shin-tonen
- Ukishima
-
Great reed warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
[Ou-yoshikiri]
- Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclus
[Oo-jurin]
-
Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
[Suzume]
-
Gray Starling
Sturnus cineraceus
[Mukudori]
-
Jungle crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
[Hashibuto-garasu]
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Last modified: May 10, 1998.