Birding Diary July - Dec., 2003

Birding Diary (Top)

13-14 December : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Sunny Temp in Suwa: Low 25.0 , High 46.2 (F)
After a month interval, we went bird watching. It was freezing in Tateshina. In the morning, we couldn't open the frozen window! We had a ride in a car around Mt. Yatsugatake. It was a "Birds of Prey Day": we saw Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Kestrel and Merlin. We were eager to see Short-eared Owl, and instead of that, we could see Long-eared Owl for the first time! Its long ear like a bunny was soooooooo cute!! Next time, we expect to see the short-eard one. Expect too much...?
Other birds we saw today were Black-crowned Night Heron, Long-eared Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow and Red-Crossbill with kids, again. Welcome back! .

14-16 November : Izunuma & Kabukurinuma Marsh (Miyagi) Sunny, cloudy and rain Temp: Low 33.6, High 63.0 (F)
We can't wait to see lovely geese in Izunuma & Kabukuri. Since it is a very popular birding place to see White-fronted Goose, we can find many field notes and get information from the Internet...and some will find my field note in the same way.
It takes about 5 hours from our house to get there. If you are living in Tokyo and in the west, two or more nights would be recommended. We came here two times before, and it was the third visit and we stayed at the same inn, "Izunuma Wetland Koryu-kan". Two years ago, we heard the geese's voice through the night. But something was different... We wondered where were they, and we felt uneasy whether we could see the spectacular sight in the next morning. In the early morning of November 15, we decided to wait in the south of the lake, because we heard their voice very close. And...they flew away from us, only one Bean Goose flew just above us with nice voice.
Next morning, we waited in the north lakefront. In the beautiful sunrise color, we waited them to take wings all at once. After 6:00 am, they began to fly in small groups. What? We felt let down, one small group took off al togher though. Mmmm....it depends.
Anyway, we enjoyed them a lot! There were more than 10 Lesser White-fronted Goose, 2 Snow Goose (adult in beautiful white and the gray juvenile) and Canada Goose. It was so nice to see normal and small(lesser) size of White-fronted Goose at the same time.
We tend to appreciatd Lesser White-fronted Goose, normal size is cute enough though. We really love their neat flying in formation and the innocent juvenile.
And more... Pintails near the Nitta Station were interesting. They came closer and closer to eat dirt(?) with a very intriguing voice. Suddenly they stopped, flew back to the water surface, and came back again. Two females were fighting.
Other birds we saw in Izunuma & Kabukuri were Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Canada Goose, White-fronted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Bean Goose, Snow Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Smew, Common Merganser, Black Kite, Goshawk, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Coot, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher(!?), Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

9 November : Akigase (Saitama) 10:15-12:10 Cloudy Temp in Saitama: Low 59.4 , High 61.9 (F)
It was the Lower House Election Day and the voting rate was 59.86%. Of course we went to the polls to exercise our rights and fulfill our duties.
Migrating birds have arrived and the number is increasing. We enjoyed seeing Dusky Thrush and Daurian Redstart and listening to the calls of Black-faced Bunting(all were females). There were few bird watchers in the park. Many of them gathered in Kasai Sea Side Park to see Savannah Sparrow, which we saw in San Diego before. Anyway, walking in Aki(means fall)-gase Park in autumn was very fun.
Other birds we saw today were Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Kingfisher, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Gray Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

31 October - 3 November : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Balmy weather! Temp in Suwa: Low 38.8, High 71.8 (F)
We enjoyed viewing autumnal leaves in Yatsugatake*^_^*
Autumn tints front is going down. Three weeks ago, we saw magnificient colorful leaves in Yokoya Kannon, which turned to dull now. Instead of that, we could see autumn colors in our neighborhood. We enjoyed bird listening and balmy weather in the forest, there were Siberian Meadow Bunting, Yellow-throated Bunting and Gray Bunting in the bush and Jay was busy in gathering acorns, whose white color was easy to distinguish from up here. In Nobeyama, we found four Long-tailed Rose Finch for the first time in this season. Welcome back!
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Brown Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Goldcrest, Narcissus Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

25-26 October : Togakushi (Nagano) 9:00-17:00(25),8:40-11:00(26) Foggy, fair laterTemp in Nagano: Low , High (F)
Welcome back, migrating birds!
Togakushi is one of our most favorite place. We can't go there often, it takes about 4 hours from our house. Visiting Togakushi in autumn was ... so nice! We will never forget the uncanny beauty just before sunset in the forest. Some of the migrating birds have already passed by and we couldn't see them (Mugimaki Flycatcher), which we expect to see them next year. To see Mugimaki, we stayed there all day long...and we saw so many Siskin, Brambling, Rustic Bunting and Dusky Thrush, which seemed "Just Arrived". The wintry sky and the voice of Dusky Thrush made us feel sorrowful. Winter will come soon.
Other birds we saw today were Tufted Duck, Black Kite, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Japanese Grosbeak and Jungle Crow.

19 October : Kasai Seaside Park (Tokyo) 7:15-12:00 Fair Temp: Low 54.7, High 70.7 (F)
When we went to the Kasai Seaside Park on 17 August, we could only see Black-faced Spoonbills from a distance. After two months, we heard that they expanded their field of activities and became closer. Many people came with the aim of them. On the contrary, observation windows were very few in number. So you have to go early to get the best spot, if you want to take good pictures. The observation area was crowded, so we gave up birding from there. After walking around, we arrived at the watching center and we found we could see them from there! Bigger than before! We were already satisfied to see them: walking, hiding, eating and sleeping. We were even happy to see their reflections on the water! And as they are the winged creatures, they suddenly flew away.....and they came closer to the other observation spot. It was so close that we could see both of them clearly: a little pinkish bill, opening his bill and cute face. By the way, how long are you going to stay here...?
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Gadwall, Pochard, Black Kite, Moorhen, Coot, Greenshank, Gray-tailed Tattler, Common Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Black-winged Stilt, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Kingfisher, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Japanese White-eye, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

11-13 October : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Fine! Temp in Suwa: Low 46.6, High 70.0 (F)
We enjoyed autumn leaves, Mushrooming and Chestnut gathering
My mother-in-law accompanied to us, so we visited Tateshina for the purpose of "Viewing autumnal leaves in Tateshina". We visited some beauty spot. The higher we went, the colors became beautiful. It was the most wonderful colors we have ever seen in Tateshina! It is one week earlier than usual years. And we heard the unexpecting song of Siberian Meadow Bunting and Siberian Bluechat. Are you still there !?
Other birds we saw today wereMallard, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Copper Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese, Pygmy Woodpecker, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Black-faced Bunting, Brambling, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

Obituary: Kin, Japanese ibis, 36, Dies
The last JAPANESE Ibis, whose age was considered to 100 human age, died of wound in the head.

5 October : Akigase Park (Saitama) 7:45-10:00 Fine ! Temp in Saitama: Low 54.5, High 73.2 (F)
We saw Oriental Cuckoo in red, for the first time!
In the beginning of autumn, we stayed in Tokyo. Since my husband had to go his office, we went to Akigase Park, neaby Saitama University. We went up north along the loop 8, after 40 minutes, we arrived at the park. Some migrating birds were already came and passed by: we were glad to see Oriental Cuckoo(red) and Narcissus Flycatcher in beautiful yellow-orange. In this season, they were quiet since they were busy in preparing for the long trip, except for Bull-headed Shrike and cicadas. Sunner and Autumn still stayed together.
Other birds we saw today wereLittle Grebe, Little Egret, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Oriental Cuckoo, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bush Warbler, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Tree Sparrow, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie and Jungle Crow.

6-8 September : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Sunny after cloudy Temp: Low 63.3, High 85.1 (F)
Wind blows and the yellow leaves of cherry tree flutter down...we can feel the advent of autumn. We soon receive the blessings of nature...various kind of mushrooms and chestnut.
Because of bad weather during summer, we can't expect a good harvest of dogwood trees. Will flycatchers come to the nearby parks? We are looking forward to meet them, and Sooty Flycatcher has already come. They are flying among the leaves silently and Brown Flycatcher was singing in whispers. Now we are waiting for Gray-spotted Flycatcher will arrive. A family of Brown Thrush was moving in the forest of Japanese red pines: they are preparing for the migration.
Other birds we saw wereGray Heron, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Gray Thrush, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

22-25 August : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Sunny and hot Temp: Low 67.6, High 91.2 (F)
Fledgling! fledgling!! fledging!!!
I think late in August is the most barren season for bird watching. We enjoyed "easy" bird watching. It is the best season to see fledglings and we could see Siberian Meadow Bunting, Bull-headed Shrike and Blue-and white Flycatcher. Daddy was anxious for his son. It was interesting that Narcissus Flycatchers were fighting in this season. Still holding a grudge ...?
Other birds we saw this weekend wereMandarin Duck, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, White-rumped Swift, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Nutcracker, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

17 August : Kasai Sea Side Park (Tokyo) 6:20-11:20 Cloudy, Drizzy rain later Temp in Tokyo: Low 65.1, High 70.9 (F)
It was the first time to use ETC (Electronic Toll Collection).
Since I had my part time job during Bon vacation, we stayed in Tokyo in mid-August. The weather has been very cool. I can't believe it is in August. Can we expect a good harvest this year? I am afraind not. Anyway, we hate to be stuck in homecoming traffic jam this weekend, we went to the nearby birding place. It took about 40 minutes from our house to Kasai. We got up early (at 5:00), later than usual though. As we had expected, we could see two Black-faced Spoonbills. They were so far, however, we could confirm their cute spoons.
It was the last day of Bon vacation. In the park, there were many picnicing people on the shore. We found a flock of Terns(Common & Little) were on the seashore. We rushed there...and...we saw a running man (naked from the waist up)...and...then there were none. I believe it is his daily routine to make all the birds go away.
It is a good season to see cute fledglings. A family of Azure-winged Magpie were perching on the same tree. (How nice harvest.) On the water, two couples of Little Grebe were brooding of eggs. We can expect cute fledglings are on their parents.
Other birds we saw today wereGreat Cormorant, Great Egret, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Pochard, Oystercatcher, Mongolian Plover, Lesser Golden Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Gray-tailed Tattler, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Eastern Curlew, Black-tailed Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, Barn Swallow, House Martin, White Wagtail, Fan-tailed Warbler, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jungle Crow.

8-11 August : Asagiri Heights (Sizuoka) and Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Typhoon No.10 Temp in Suwa: Low 66.2, High 89.2 (F)
Both of us went to work during Obon holidays.
Asagiri Heights
On our way to Tateshina, we took a side trip to Asagiri, the foot of Mount Fuji, to see Brown Shrike. Because of a heavy rain, we gave up birding. We only heard the voice of Gray-headed Bunting and saw Rufous Turtle Dove was on the electric wire. We will be back here again, sometime in the next season.
Tateshina
...and remaining days, we enjoyed staying in Tateshina. From the verandah of our house, we could see many birds: cute fledglings of Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Brown Flycatcher, and that was enough. Among the leaves , we found three dumplings(!): the cute fledglings of Brown-eared Bulbul. Parents were busy in feeding and they will have long tails soon.
Other birds we saw today wereSpot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow. Before dawn, at 4:00, we saw a big shiny Mars.

1-3 August : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) The rainy season was over. Temp in Suwa : Low 67.7, High 89.1 (F)
In the height of summer, traffic tie-up on the expressway and the crowd in the seeing spot become the daily situation. Instead of doing bird-watching, we enjoyed 'bird-listening'. During a walk around the Ryujin-ike, we heard a intriguing voice of Japanese Grosbeak. It started with a funny tone, and then it turned to the regular song. So we decide it is a fledgling and parents are showing how to sing. In August, we can see many fledglings both in Nagano and in Tokyo. Wherever we go, we can't escape from the wheedling voice of Jungle Crows(fledg.).
Other birds we saw today wereMandarin Duck, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Greater Pied Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Stonechat, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Japanese Yellow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Carrion Crow.

25-27 July : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) 25/heavy rain, 26&27/sunny and cloudy. Temp in Suwa: Low 60.8, High 81.0 (F)
After a week, we visited Ikeno-kurumi, Kirigamine, again. We finally found the fledglings of Stonechat, they were in the opposite direction we walked the past weekend. There were several families, and each had a couple of kids. Daddy was keeping watch and ward and it seemed that he was so hectic that he had not time for grooming, still he was cute though. And...no child knows how dear he is to his parents (or they know?), fledglings seemed comfortable under the flower parasol. Now "fledglings" are on season now in Kirigamine.
After that, we went down to the lower place, where Greater Pied Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher and Spot-billed Duck were carrying out their child-raising. They were no more on the electric wires as ever. I hope that all of the fledglings here would grown up safely. What is this year's survival rate of duck here? The numbers were decreasing...8 to 6, 6 to 5 and today we could see only one adult.
Other birds we saw today wereGray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Wren, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Gray-headed Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

19-21 July : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Cloudy, sunny and rain. Temp in Suwa: Low 62.9, High 80.4 (F)
Marine Day Holidays
The weather was better than we expected. In early morning, we could hear the whistling sound of Siberian Thrush from the foggy forest. We looked each other and smiled silently, for we could hardly heard its voice. We were satisfied to hear it, couldn't see the fine figure of a bird though. In this forest, at the high altitude, we heard the songs of Siberian Bluechat and Arctic Warbler from every direction. After two hours birding, we went to crowded Kirigamine-heights to see the yellow carpet of daily lily. As we expected, both parking lot and the Venus Line-road were full of cars and sightseener, including us. To our surprise, our favorite place, Ikeno-kurumi was also congested with people, there were few lilies in bloom though. Anyway, we escaped from it and went to a famous eel restaurant in Shimo-suwa. We will be back to Ikeno-kurumi again to see the fledglings of Stonechat again. Other birds we confirmed during this weekend were Black Kite, Kestrel, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Green Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Wren, Japanese Robin, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Gray-headed Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

13 July : Tokyo Port Bird Sanctuary & Morigasaki Sewage-treatment Plant (Tokyo) 10:30-13:30 Cloudy after rain. Temp: Low 67.6, High 72.3 (F)
Birding nearby place :)
After we got up late, we went to Tokyo Port Bird Sanctuary to see Little Tern. Morigasaki Sewage-treatment Plant is famous for the "Little Tern Project", whose rooftop is maintained as a colony of Little Tern by both Sewerage and Sewage Purification Department and many volunteers. Morigasaki was nearby Bird Sanctuary, so we expected to see Little Tern in the park, but we couldn't. Moritsu-san, our good birding friend, gave us the detailed information, so we went there by our car. The colony on the rooftop couldn't be seen directly, but we were satisfied to see so many Little Terns were flying with cute voice! The voice was bigger when they returned to the colony, and it was just like saying "Honey, I got a good catch of big fish!"
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Coot, Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Gull, Little Tern, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Kingfisher, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Brown-eared Bulbul, Fan-tailed Warbler, Great Tit, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Jungle Crow.

5-6 July : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Temp in Suwa: Low 62.1, High 81.1 (F)
This weekend, we had to cut grass and trim up the garden in Tateshina. Because of lack of exercise, we were exhausted... Still now, I am suffering from stiff neck, headache, anemia and feeling dizzy. Wow... Nevertheless, we went to see Greater Pied Kingfisher. As we expected, they appeared. When we arrived at the river, a family was flying and clattering. After feeding, a cute fledgling kept perching on the same branch, for more than two hours. Soooo cute! It was interesting to see Greater Pied Kingfisher and Common Kingfisher were perching on the electric wire very close. You can see how big and how small they are.
Other birds we saw today wereBlack-crowned Night Heron, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Common Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Narcissus Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting (singing in the rain), Oriental Greenfinch, Great Reed Warbler, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.