Birdwatching in Ibaraki-ken:
Kasumigaura Kasumigaura
Visit to the Edosaki coast of
Kasumigaura. Birding with the new scope was a deleight: the air was
clear and quiet enough to allow me to recognize birds over almost the
entire width of the lake until the opposite coast of Tozaki. Total number of ducks must have been at least 15000. Below some rough estimates. Was way too slow
to visit the Geese area this time.
Weather: In the beginning of the afternoon the weather was warm, 10 degrees celsius. Near sunset it became chilly, 4 degrees celsius. Hardly any wind, sunny the first half of the afternoon, but after 3.30 pm the sun disappeared behind a heavy cloud.
Observations:
-
Great crested grebe
Podiceps cristatus
[Kanmuri-kaitsuburi] 4 ex.
-
Little grebe
Podiceps ruficollis
[Kaitsuburi] 3 ex.
-
Mallard
Anas Platyrhynchos
[Ma-gamo] at least 4500 ex along the coast of Edosaki and on the middle of the lake.
-
Spot-billed duck
Anas poecilorhyncha
[Karu-gamo] At least 80 ex.
-
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
[Hashibiro-gamo] At least 400 close to the Edosaki coast.
-
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca crecca
[Ko-gamo] At least 2000
close to the Edosaki coast and more towards the one third of the lake.
-
American Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca carolinensis
[Ko-gamo]
1 ex. Same spot as last year on Edosaki-coast. Coast line just east of the burned house.
- Falcated Teal
Anas falcata
[Yoshi-gamo] At least 200 ex close to the Edosaki coast!
-
Gadwall
Anas strepera
[Okayoshi-gamo] At least 50 ex.
-
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
[Onaga-gamo] At least 3 ex.
-
Eurasian Wigeon
Anas penelope
[Hidori-gamo] Some 4000 ex mainly on the side of Tsuchiura.
-
Pochard
Aythya ferina
[Hoshi-hajiro] 1 ex. East side of Edodosaki.
- Smew
Mergus albellus
[Miko-aisa] 30 males and at least 20 females more towards the Tozaki coast.
-
Herring gull
Larus argentatus
[Seguro-kamome] 2 ex.
-
Eastern Mew gull
Larus c. kamchatschensis
[Kamome] 4 ex.
-
Black-headed Gull
Larus ridibundus
[Yuri-kamome] 35 ex.
-
Black-crowned night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
[Goi-sagi] 6 ex along Edosaki-coast after sunset.
-
Little egret
Egretta garzetta<
[Ko-sagi] 7 ex sleeping on some fishing construtions in the lake. Probably not Daisagi.
-
Intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
[Chuu-sagi] 2 ex.
-
Great egret
Egretta alba
[Dai-sagi] 1 ex.
- Coot
Fulica atra
[Ou-ban] 3 ex.
-
Common Gallinule
Gallinula chloropus
[Ban] 2 ex.
-
(Northern) Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus 3 ex along Edosaki-coast.
-
Common snipe
Gallinago gallinago
[Ta-shigi] 5 ex along Edosaki-coast.
-
Eurasian Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
[Chougenbou] 1 female along Edosaki-coast
-
Rufous turtle dove
Streptopelia orientalis
[Kiji-bato] 6 ex.
- Common kingfisher Alcedo atthis [Kama-semi] 3 ex along Edosaki-coast.
-
Skylark
Alauda arvensis
[Hibari] At least 6 ex.
-
White wagtail
Haku-sekirei
[Motacilla alba] At least 4 ex.
-
Japanese wagtail
Motacilla grandis
[Seguro-sekirei] At least 12 ex.
-
Water pipit
Anthus spinoletta
[Tahibari] At least 20 ex.
-
Brown-eared bulbul
Hypsipetes amaurotis
[Hiyodori] Several.
-
Bull-headed shrike
Lanius bucephalus
[Mozu] 3 ex.
-
Dusky thrush
Turdus naumanni
[Tsugumi] 3 ex.
-
Rustic Bunting
Emberiza rustica
[Kashiradaka] 4 ex.
-
Oriental greenfinch
Carduelis sinica
[Kawarahiwa] At least 20 ex.
-
Gray starling
Sturnus cineraceus
[Mukudori] At least 10 ex.
-
Tree sparrow
Passer montanus
[Suzume] At least 800 ex.
-
Jungle crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
[Hashibuto-garasu] 2 ex.
Back to Birds in Japan and Asia.
Last modified: December 28, 1997.
Fer-Jan de Vries, ferjan@etl.go.jp