Birding Diary Jan - June, 2001

Birding Diary (Top)

26-30 June : San Diego (California, U.S.A.)
We had a chance to visit the United States on my husband's business trip, after a long interval. In three years, many things have changed: San Francisco Airport was refurbished, the bill's design has changed and the high oil prices.
The Hotel we stayed in for four nights was the Hilton San diego Airport/Harbor Island, formerly of Travelodge, and the room afforded us a view of the Harbor. We brought only small binoculars with us. We didn't expect to see many birds, only we wanted to see was the formation flight of Brown Pelican and we could see them in Cabrillo National Monument. From our room, we could see and hear the song of House Finch, whose chest was in beautiful red. The song was similar to the song of Siberian Bluechat.
Thanks to daylight saving time, we could see birds after supper. There were several terns: Capian Tern, Forster's Tern, Least Tern and BLACK SKIMMER !! It was ridicuolous and cought our eyes. I want to see it again. And we were very shocked to see Western Gull, the victim of the nylon string, who lacked its left leg
. Other birds we saw in San Diego were Brandt's Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Northern Mockinbird, California Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, European Starling, House Sparrow, American Crow, Whimbrel, Swllows, small and cute Brewer's Blackbird and Panda suffering from the heat.

16 June : Nobeyama and its vicinities (Nagano)
The weather was fine and balmy in Nagano. We escaped from the humid Tokyo and went to Nobeyama and Tateshina. The green of the trees blocked us from watching the birds. In the field, Common Cuckoo was singing rhythmically "Cuckoo, cuckoo", and then it gradually changed to "Cuck-cough, cuck-cough...". Do you want some cough drops ? We could see the regular members there, Bull-headed Shrike, Stonechat, Little Cuckoo, Great Reed Warbler and Latham's Snipe x 5 (display flight x 2).
Before dark, we went to our favorite spot, "the forest of Gray Thrush". As we expected, they sang cheerfully. What bird did he mimic? His original song? We also heard the voice of Ashy Minivet and saw him on the top of the tree. They always flew away high in the sky, so we were happy to hear their voice in the forest. In this season, birds are very busy in taking care of their babies. When we walked along the trail, we heard unfamiliar voice, it probably was a baby Great-spotted Woodpecker. We knew it easily, because the Mom was so angry. We left there promptly.
Other birds we saw were Coal Tit, Great Tit, Black-faced Bunting, Gray Wagtail, Brown Thrush, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Sibeerian Meadow Bunting, Narcissus Flycatcher, Jay, Brown-eared Bulbul and Jungle Crow.

9 June : Matsunoyama Town (Niigata Pref.) 6:00-10:30 a litle humid
According to Saito-san's "My Favorite Birds", we might be able to see Rudy Kingfisher, whose voice we have been wanted to hear. So we got up in the midnight and started at 2:30, it wasn't enough though. We arrived at "Bijin-bayashi", a beautiful grove of beech trees. It is a famous birding spot and we met many people walking around and some were already returning to their cars. It was the first time for us to come to this place, so we needed to see the map around here. The grove itself was not so big, so we milled about here and there. We could see beautiful songs of Narcissus Flycatcher. And luckily, we could hear/record its fighting voice; it wasn't the flapping sound. It is intriguing, isn't it? We heard this sound two years ago in early spring and had been wanted to hear again. We didn't expect to hear this sound in June. Anyway, we were satisfied to record it ! We couldn't find the sight and heard the sound of Ruddy Kingfisher within a limited amount of time. Instead of that, thanks to Mr.& Mrs.Suzuki, we could see Ural Owl, sit quietly on the branch. We also could see Short-tailed Bush Warbler x2 and heard Japanese Paradise Flycatcher again. (Replaced/added the bird sound : 2, 3, 4) Next time (next year?) we will spend a night there, maybe in our car!
Other birds we saw were Spot-billed Duck, Common Buzzard, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Barn Sparrow, White Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Gray Thrush, Bush Warbler, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Varied Tit, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Japanese Yellow Bunting, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Russet Sparrow, Gray Starling and Carrion Crow.

2-4 June : Utonai Bird Sanctuary (Tomakomai-city, Hokkaido) 6/2 10:40-16:50,6/3 5:40-10:30,6/4 10:00-15:00 windy Temp:Low 46F & High 63F(6/3)
Two months ago, we made a birding tour plan to Hokkaido. It is quite expensive to go to Hokkaido. The price of one way full-fare ticket to Hokkaido from Haneda Airport is 28,000yen. So we bought tickets at bargain-basement prices in advance and they were only 10,000yen each. It poses some risk, we can't change the schedule. It was lucky that it was carried out as planned.
This was my third visit to Hokkaido and the first birding tour there. There were many birds we had been wanted to see for a long long time in Hokkaido: Yellow-breasted Bunting, Siberian Rubythroat, Gray's Grasshopper Warbler, Lanceolated Warbler and Long-tailed Rosefinch and Reed Bunting in breeding plumage. And the conclusion was we could see and/or hear all of them !
Hokkaido is one of the 'mecca' for birding people, and also a popular tourist spot, especially in summer. We rent a car, buckled up and started. (The milage was only 200km in three days.(^^;) Anyway, we visited Utonai Bird Sanctuary three consecutive days, just because we could see Yellow-breasted Bunting there. It is a very beautiful park and we could see and hear many favorite birds. We didn't expect to see them so easy, on the first day. I got flustered when Yellow-breasted Bunting appeard very close to us. So the photos are out of focus... They are very beautiful, aren't they? The one on the direction board was also cute. And their songs are very attractive: a flute player in the grassland. One couple and two males appeard at the same time. The married male didn't sing and was just eating together, on the contrary the singles were singing trying desperately to find partners. Good luck!
We recorded many bird sounds in Utonai. We couln't escape from the roar of a big bird, which flew just above our head. We used one of them, and will be back to Tokyo by plane.
Other birds we saw and/or heard were Gray Heron, Bean Goosex2, Mute Swan, Spot-billed Duck, Pintail, White-tailed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Little Ringed Plover, Latham's Snipex5, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Wryneck, Skylark, Housse Martin, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Crowned Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Narcissus Flycatcher, Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Gray-headed Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Russet Sparrow, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

12-13 May : Karuizawa (Nagano) 5/12 7:00-11:45,16:20-19:10 5/13 4:00-8:45
In Karuizawa, after a week of the Golden Week Holiday, mountains are covered by a mantle of fresh green. It is the best season here. We enjoyed driving uncrowded road, walking quiet forest and the warm weather. After enjoyed one hour walk, we ran way because we met a man who have met a bear there. It's not safe around here lately...you can see serow, bear and monkey. Fortunately, we have not met bear yet. We moved to Sengataki Falls and continued birdwatching. A week ago, we could see Blue-and-white Flycatchers were fighting. Today, we saw couples of Blue-and-white Flycatcher and Narcissus Flycatcher, they didn't sing any more though. Some of them were still singing: they might be still singles ?? I was a little tired from uphill walking. My husband always walked ahead of me and found many birds and mammals and we met a serow very close to us. It stared us and walked away with snort. We could hear the whistling sound of Siberian Thrush just above our head ! While recording, I was standing motionless and I couldn't look through my binoculars. We could only see him flew away. In Sengataki, we were very happy to hear the songs of Brown Thrush... We felt the number of Brown Thrush dramatically decreased. Ten years ago, at dawn, their songs showered. This year we could hear only two were singing, and next year............
At evening, we walked around the bird forest to hear the songs of Gray Thrush, in vain. We saw some of them, male and cute female in front of us, there was no song though. Were they busy for house hunting ? Instead of that, we heard the voice of Common Cuckoo for the first time in this seaason. Now they arrived ! Soon we will hear the sounds of various kind of Cuckoos.
Next morning, we went to bird forest again. We started walking at 5:45, we knew it was a little late for bird songs though. Still we heard and saw many ^_^ and took our breakfast listening to the Narcissus Flycatcher's song. The bird singing an unfamiliar song was Japanese White-eye. It was very cheerful and a little different from the usual voice. It was singing at the top of the tree like Japanese Yellow Bunting. Next time, we expect to hear the subtle and profound voice of White's Ground thrush.
Other birds we saw and heard this week were Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Pheasant, Oriental Cuckoo, Japanese Pygmy woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Skylark, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Stonechat, Bush Warbler, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Crowned Willow Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Japanese Yellow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Red-cheeked Myna, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

28 April- 5 May : Karuizawa (Nagano)
Spring has come. We can't wait to see summer birds !! Especially, we were looking forward to see black, blue, yellow and red birds, and we could see them and hear all of their songs. We stayed in Karuizawa for 8 days and went to so many places, so I write down my birding diary according to the places. Our daily schedule was.. 4:30-12:00 bird watching --> take a nap --> 4:30-7:00 bird watching --> 8:00 supper --> 11:00 go to bed. How wonderful life !

Karuizawa Bird Forest and Sengataki Falls
Karuizawa Bird Forest is our most favorite birding place, and this is the place where we started our birding history. We enjoyed seeing flowers, mammals, and scenery, not only birds. Mt.Asama seen from here is really grand. We took a walk here everyday, dawn and dusk. Our most favorite birds Gray Thrush sing well at dusk. In early Spring, we could see their territorial fights. On the first day we came here, we could hear Gray Thrush mimicked Varied Tit, but after that it seemed that they were busy in protecting their territory and didn't sing much. Blue-and White Flycatchers were also fighting calmly with calls. And unfortunately, the weather has been bad -we had only 3 fine days out of 8- many birds didn't sing at their best. On 4 May, it became warmer and many birds felt like singing. Narcissus Flycatcher (click for the song) and Blue-and-white Flycatcher were singing at the tops of the trees. Many bird watchers were absorbed in their songs. And we were surprised to meet so many bird watchers in the forest. Bird watching became very pupular in Japan, the third bird watching boom.
Other birds in the forest were Siberian Blue Robin with a long introduction Spot-billed Duck, Cooper Pheasant, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Oriental Cuckoo, Ural Owl, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Green Woodpecker(1 2), House Martin, Gray Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Brown Dipper, Wren(1 2), Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Crown Willow Warbler, Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Japanese Yellow Bunting(call), Black-faced Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Red-cheeked Myna, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

West Segataki Area
This is one of our most favorite birding places. There are many good singers like Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Gray Thrush, Narcisuss Flycatcher, Brown Thrush, Japanese Grosbeak, Bush Warbler, Short-tailed Bush Warbler and so on. This year, we were shocked to see that the forest where Gray Thrush was singing last year had changed to the new cottages. So we felt some relief when we heard the voice of Gray Thrush. He was practicing a song: mimic Brown Thrush, it was hard to hear like that... During the season in Karuizawa, it is too noisy to record.
Other birds we saw and heard were Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Ural Owl and the same as what we saw in the Bird Forest. We could hear Brown Thrush was singing only here, only one.

South Karuizawa
The anticipated birds were Latham's Snipe, Stonechat and Gray-headed Bunting and we could see them as is expected. The weather was extremely bad, we lost our way in a dense fog. Anyway, we could reach the point and Latham's Snipe showed us a spectacular display flight, they appeared from the fog and disappeared into the fog though. Skylark was also singing and flying and we couldn't catch its sight.

Saku-city
This is the place we came in Winter to see Smew, Greater Pied Kingfisher and other winter birds. We looked carefully to find Kingfishers in vain and I didn't expect to see Smew! There were only one beautiful male in the lake. Are you OK in such an unhurried schedule?? We also could see Dusky Thrush was there, so it might be all right. On the holm, Gray Herons were busy in incubation. There were 5 nest there.
Other birds we saw wereIntermediate Egret, Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Black Kite, Pheasant, Moorhen, Little Ringed Plover, Rufous Turtle Dove, Barn Swallow, Bull-headed Shrike, Great Reed Warbler, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Red-cheeked Myna, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow. Great Reed Bunting was singing, but not at his peak.

14-15 April : Karuizawa Bird Forest (Nagano) 4/14 8:15-10:45,15:45-17:00; 4/15 7:45-9:30 Fine and warm, chilly in the morning like early winter.
It was three months ago we came to Karuizawa. This weekend, we expected to see both winter and summer birds. And if I was allowed to wish so much we wanted to see and hear Rosy Finch and Palla's Rosy Finch singing. Sorry to say, we couldn't, as we thought. Instead of that, today's special was Japanese Waxwing. It was the first time to see in this season, and we were excited to see 7 Waxwings at one time. Not just to see them, we could record their voice. We were pleased to find them by their voice. April in Karuizawa is very chilly. We wore our thick down jacket, we got slightly sweaty though. Spring has NOT come. Rustic Bunting didn't sing and Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch and Siskin were flying in a flock. On the other hand, Gray Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Wren, Bush Warbler, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Black-faced Bunting, Japanese Grosbeak and Jay were singing in the daytime. They felt like singing because of the warmth in the noon. It was a heartwarming scene that Nuthatch and Tits were flying with branches in their mouths(bills?) to build their sweet home. Next week, we will be back here again to hear the song of Thrush!
Other birds we saw were Spot-billed Duck, Goshawk, Copper Pheasant, Pheasant, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Green Woodpecker, House Martin, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Pale Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Japanese White-eye, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow. I hate to hear the crow caws as a morning call.

9 April : Grocery Store in Yotsuya (near St. Ignatius Church, Tokyo)
I was so shocked to see Sparrows packed in a box and sold as frozen food. On the box, it read "1280 yen/20 sparrows, Made in China". I can't blame them for eating sparrows: I once ate it. I pray Yellow-breasted Bunting will not become extinct.

8 April : Saiko Lake (Saitama) warm
It was Palm Sunday today, and definitely hotter than usual. On the same day last year, we enjoyed seeing Sakura at their best. This year, it was a week ago. The best season of Saiko lake is winter, for we can see various kind of winter birds there. There were few birds on the surface of a lake. Today we were satisfied to see Falcated Teal(male 5 + female2) and beautiful Great Crested Grebe in gaudy, no, beautiful breeding plumage. Spring has come. We enjoyed to hear the song of Skylark and the song-like call of Siberian Meadow Bunting.
Other birds we saw were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Black Kite, Little Ringed Plover, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, Barn Swallow, White Wagtail, Bull-headed Shrike, Dusky Thrush(so many!), Fan-tailed Warbler, Bush Warbler, Great Tit, Black-faced Bunting, Reed Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jungle Crow and Penduline Tit for the first time. ^.^

31 March-2 April : Suwako-lake and Tateshina (Nagano) snow and cold (April 1,Low:14F)
It was raining when we left Tokyo, and soon it turned to heavy snow. The cherry blossoms have already bloomed in Tokyo, so we were surprised to see Sakura and Snow. Anyway, we enjoyed bird watching in Nagano, without any troubles. We didn't expect to see Steller's Sea-Eagle, and it was right. There were no ice on the lake, instead of that, there were many fishing and leisure boats. Still there were some ducks - Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon,Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Smew(female). And welcome back, Barn Swallow !
In the mountain area, Rustic Buntings were busy in finding food. As the fields were covered with white snow, they were forced to find their food on the roadway. One of them failed to get out and died... How small, light and cute it was. I felt guilty about using motorcars. She couldn't be back to Siberia. Please rest in peace. There were a several flocks there. Skylark and Siskin. We could record the voice of Siskin. (1 and 2.) I hope we can take the better voice in the next season.
Other birds we saw were Little Grebe, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Coot, Little Ringed Plover, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Rufous Turtle Dove, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Great Tit, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Wren, Dusky Thrush, Nuthatch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

24 March : Akigase (Saitama) 9:45-12:50 warm and fine
Spring has come ! It's going to be a flower season. It will be crowded in Akigase next weekend, so we enjoyed birding today, before crowded. We were excited to hear the cheerful song of Rustic Bunting. Because of the weather, everything seemed peace and happy, except for the ruins of a fire in which arson was suspected. There were still winter birds, such as Long-tailed Rose Finch and Dusky Thrush. Last year in March, we saw Waxwing, White's Ground Thrush and Gray Bunting, which no one saw this year. Still, we felt happy to hear Great Tit was singing just above our head, in a loud voice. At first, we thought it was the song for staking his claim. So we were glued to the scene, when other three Tits came and perching on the same branch together. (a little exaggerating...?) The song was for calling for buddies, though the territorial fight will start soon...
Other birds we saw (heard) today were Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Bamboo Patridge, Brown-eared Bulbul, Pale Thrush, Bush Warbler, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Azure-winged Magpie and Jungle Crow.

11 March : Yanaka-lake, Watarase Reservoir (Gunma, Tochigi) 10:00-12:30, fine and windy
In Yanaka lake, we expected to see Smews. Geese and swans are flying back to north, earlier than ducks. We heard that there were more than 30 male Smews in Watarase in January and we have been wanted to come here. The strong wind blew and there was nothing to block off the wind. We had hold the telescope firmly against the wind and we couldn't see birds through telescope because it was wavering in the gale. On the big lake, we could see many birds. Many birds escaped from the wind, poor Common Pigeons were sitting behind the bridge railing and poor Coot was sitting on the grass. On the contrary, Carrion Crow enjoyed the wind surfing much. They are enjoying life very much ! We were satisfied to see 20+ Falcated Teal(males) mingled among Mallard.
Other birds we saw were Marsh Harrier, Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Skylark, Japanese Wagtail, Water Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Duarian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Tree Sparrow and Gray Starling.

4 & 5 March : Suwako-lake (Nagano)
Today's special is Steller's Sea-Eagle !! On March 4, as the weather forecast said, it was a snowstorm: we gave up using digital camera and binoculars in the snow for they were not waterproof. Large wartery snowflakes were falling on heavily and we had to shake them from our umbrellas. The reason we kept on birding was there were males of Smew (20+), Baikal Teal and Falcated Teal at the same time !
On March 5, it was better than the day before, it was still snowing though. The Suwako-lake has frozen over, and we found something black on it. Bingo ! There was a beautiful Steller's Sea-Eagle, and we could watch it clearly through binoculars. It flew a short distance twice and its wedge-shaped tale was worth seeing. It was intriguing that Carrion Crow was meddling with Eagle. It always approached from behind, didn't make a frontal attack, and pecked at the tail...for what ?
Other birds we saw today were 3 Goldeneye, Kittiwake, Little Grebe, Bewick's Swan, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Merganser, Black Kite, Coot, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Jungle Crow .

Steller's Sea-Eagle Goldeneye

21 February : The veranda of my house (Tokyo)
Jungle Crow is my natural enemy, I declare. I met it within 60 cm distance. He knows well that the prices of vegetables are increasing lately. Is it safe ? I doubt it. I need a net on it.

17 February : Inokashira Park (Tokyo) 9:30-10:00
It had been seven months since we came here last. It's better to come to this park early, before crowded. The main birds in this park are Pintail, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Wigeon and Spot-billed Duck. People in this park try to increase Mandarin Duck, and it seemed their efforts were rewarded. We could see 6 couples of Mandarin Duck. And luckily, we could see Common Kingfisher, whose lower bill was red. This park is famous for cherry blossoms. During the flower season, we keep away from the park !
Other birds we saw were Shovler, Little Grebe, Black-headed Gull and Jungle Crow.

17 February : Akigase & Saiko Lake (Saitama) 8:45-10:15, 13:15-14:45
My husband had to work on weekend and couldn't go on an outing, so we were back Akigase and Saiko again. We went birding between his work. In Saiko, we could see females of Smew 20+. They are small, white and cute ! I love both of them, female and male. If there was a male Smew there, we would say, "the beautiful male was surrounded by females and it was just like a harem". But if we look at the matter from a different point of view we can say "the male was mingled among the females who are indifferent to him." It is intriguing, isn't it?
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Tufted Duck, Smew, Black Kite, Goshawk, Common Buzzard, Kestred, Pheasant, Moorhen, Herring Gull, Black-headed gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Water Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Fan-tailed Warbler, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Reed Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie and Jungle Crow. That's all !

14 February : The veranda of my house (Tokyo)
Jungle Crow is my natural enemy, I think. They pull out me of my hair, scattered garbages and ate flower bulbs and left the remains scattered in my veranda !

my poor flower planter... flagrante delicto !

11 February : Akigase & Saiko Lake (Saitama) 7:30-10:30 + Sugaonuma Marsh (Ibaraki) 11:40-13:00
In Akigase, it seemed that spring was just around the corner. Great Tit was singing happily, we walked on the ice noodles though. In spring, this park is crowded with peple enjoy picnicking. So from winter to spring is the best season in this park, and we wait for Waxwing to come.
The gate of the Saiko Lake opens 8:30. After taking a walk in Akigase, we moved to Saiko Lake. There were few birds on the surface of a lake. Only Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe and four females of Smew. We gave up birding in Saiko, because the motor boat was running and scattering the birds. Other birds we saw there were Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Bush Warbler, Pale Thrush, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrusk, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Gray Starling, Jungle Crow, Reed Bunting, Daurian Redstart, Kestred, Goshawkx2.
We weren't satisfied with the birding in Akigase, and moved Sugaonuma Marsh to see Bewick's Swan. Luckily, we could see 3 White-fronted Goose, their faces were not white though. My hands chapped because of cold wind..... Now we could go home with satisfaction. Other birds we saw Sugaonuma were Great Egret, Gray Heron, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Pintail, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Dusky Thrush, Great Tit, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Gray Starling, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

10 February : Katakai, Choushi and Hasaki Fishing Ports (Chiba and Ibaraki) 7:30-12:00
We went to Choushi Fishing Port to see colorfulHarlequin Duck, and we could see 7 beautiful males and 6 pretty females. There were also a myriad (?) of Gulls, Herring Gull, Slaty-backed Gull, Mew Gull, Black-tailed Gull, Black-headed Gull and Glaucous-winged Gull. It is worth seeing, the fishing boat coming into a port accompanied by Gulls. Many bird watchers come to find rare birds, but it is beyond my ability. I was satisfied to see beautiful Blue Rockthrush just above our heads. Though it took about two hours(one way) and cost 4,200 yen for a toll road, today's birding was fruitful.
Other birds we saw today were Black-necked Grebe, Japanese Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Little Egret, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, rufous turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Jungle Crow.

3 February : Saiko Lake and Akigase Park (Saitama) 11:15-15:00
[Saiko Lake]Today was the first fine holiday for the past month, and we were back here in Akigase since December. Today's birding was very fruitful, we could see beautiful males of Smew (x2), Baikal Teal (x3) and Falcated Teal (x6). We expected to see Japanese Reed Bunting and Reed Bunting, which seemed to escape from the wind and hid in the reeds. Instead of that, we could see Daurian Redstart and Long-tailed Rose Finch very close to us.
[Akigase Park] After lunch, we moved to Akigase Park and took a walk to aid the digestion. There were many Jungle Crows acting big. We could record the call of Pale Thrush, whose eye rings were yellow. Last year, we saw White's Ground Thrush and Gray Bunting in this park. Will they come again ? I hope so.
Other Birds we saw today were Black-headed Gull, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Bush Warbler, Great Tit, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Buzzard, Kestred, Coot, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch and Gray Starling.

5 January : Karuizawa Bird Forest (Nagano) 9:45-14:35 [Temp. High 32F; Low 14F]
We crossed a pass and we were back to Karuizawa again, just wanted to see Palla's Rosy Finch. As we expected, and everybody expected, they appeared a lot ! Three males and three females (at least) came to a bird feeder by turns or at the same time. I liked the one whose white breast feather moved gently in the wind. Today we saw only Palla's Rosy Finch...
Other birds we saw were Grosbeak, Tits, Bulbul and Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker. And...we were shocked to see a family of monkeys, who were jumping on the car.

3 January : Yatsugatake Nature Cultural Park (Hara Village, Nagano) 10:00-12:15
Every New Year Holidays, we went skiing. Instead of skiing, we were more interested in Birding, so we went to Yatsugatake Nature Cultural Park to see who were there. There were snow on the trail, but not enough for snow shoeing, so we put on the snow boots and walked around with microphones and fieldscope. Soon after we started walking, we heard a soft whistling sound. Two couples of Bullfinches were there, whose throats were beautiful in red. We were satisfied to see them and kept walking. Something small was junping on the snow. 3 Yeallow-throated Bunting(females) were jumping to get foxtail. They were very cute, walked and jumped, and jumped and ate. After they left, we found tracks of them. I think you can imagine how we felt happy. :) There were many couples. A couple of Coal Tit, which male was popping the question?? Also the couple of Long-tailed Rose Finch were eating very close each other. I wondered if she felt no pain, her long tail was bent an angle of 90 degrees. An appetite beat, and so did we.
Other birds we saw were Great Tit, Willow Tit, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Oriental Greenfinch, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush and Jungle Crow.

2 January : Saku-city (Nagano) 9:30-12:30 strong wind and snow on the pass
We were back here again to see Smew and Greater Pied Kingfisher. We expected 7 male Smews, we saw only one though. Where are they ?? Instead of that, we could see 3 Baikal Teal for the first time. A gale of wind blew down (a little exaggerated!) the flock of ducks on the ice, they were cute. Today, I could take some photos of Common Kingfisher and record its voice. We want to take better voice someday ! We also tried to record the voice of Greater Pied Kingfisher but they (male and female) kept perching in the same bush, to escape from the strong wind. It was easy to find them. You can find their white colors, among the the white shopping bags of convenience stores. It is a pity that their sweet home is by the roadside. No Dumping of Rubbish in This River !
Other birds we saw were Green-winged Teal, Spot-billed Duck, Mallard, Gray Heron, Great Egret, Common Merganser, Tufted Duck, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Gray Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Pochard, Pintail, Gadwall, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Carion Crow and Jungle Crow.

1 January : Tateshina (Nagano) 14:00- Temp. High 37.4F
We started our birding from January 1, it was very windy and cold though. Yatsugatake Mountains is famous for climbing mountain in winter. It is easier to climb North Alps Mountains, such as Yari and Hotaka. Every year, we enjoy to see people walking on the top of the mountains, but this year the number of the climbers is fewer than usual, because of bad weather. It's a pity that many people died or injured during this holiday....
Though the weather in mountains was bad, there was sunlight in the foot. We walked around and found Long-tailed Rose Finch in beautiful red color. :) Other birds we saw were Black Kite, daurian Redstart, Varied Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Lont-tailed Tit, Nuthatch, Willow Tit, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch and Jungle Crow, for the first time in this millennium. I was happy to see these cute birds, except Jungle Crow.... (I didn't see Crows ! I ignored them.)