Birding Diary Jan. - June, 2004

Birding Diary (Top)

25-27 June : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Sunny, cloudy and rain
It is still in "a singing season". Our favorite Narcissus Flycatcher was singing all day in our yard. I wanted to ask him..."Why are you singing allday? I don't mean to pry, but are you married or not?" Anyway, his song is beautiful. We can't help recording them. (, , ) We've been living here on holidays for 15 years, and we feel that the number of the birds have increased than before. As a result, we come here to see regular particular birds around here. They are Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Greater Pied Kingfisher and Willow Tit under our bedroom. I hope we can meet them for long time.
Other birds we saw today were Gray Heron, Mandarin Duck, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo,Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Bush Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Red-cheeked Myna, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow and Wiezel.

19-20 June : Tateshina (Nagano) Sunny Temp in Nagano: Low 66.2, High 92.3 (F)
Well, I don't feel well, so we went to Tateshina to for a cure: sleep well. Before evening, we went up to the mountain to hear Jungle Nightjar, which we take a dim view of its extinction. As midsummerday is approaching, days grow longer. We waited before 18:00 and it began to sing(?) at 19:20. It was closer than before, and we could record more clear voice. Before dark, we enjoyed the songs of Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoos and Pale-legged Willow Warblers, singing loudly. How many were there? Many!
Other birds we saw this weekend were Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Rufous Turtle Dove, Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, Jungle Nightjar, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Siberian Blue Robin, Siberian Bluechat, Bush Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Jay, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow and fox whose tail was like a bucket.

12 June : Suginami-ku (Tokyo) Sunny Temp: Low 62.8, High 82.6 (F)
As I have been ill in "futon" for the past several days, because of enteritis, I couldn't do anything but heard outside noises: construction machinery, mail delivery scooter, elementary school children and fledgelings of Great Tit. In my small verandah, there are 10 planters of radish, basil, zanthoxyli fructus, rosemary and so on. I found that the corner of the planter saucer made a good birdbath for them. Every morning, we wake up to the sound of bird singing. Our father feed them and we provide them a bath, so I have many chances to see/hear them very close, 40 cm distance ! It is a fledgeling season. A family of Gray Starling was noisy!

5-6 June : Tateshina (Nagano) Sunny on Saturday and rainy on Sunday, Temp in Nagano : Low 57.6, High 83.3 (F)
The rainy season was set in. We were reluctantly enjoyed the sunshine on Saturday. Our duty of this weekend was to tidy up a garden: we had to weed and trim the trees. And...I have muscle pain now! In late April, we found a couple of Coal Tits, who were carrying moss and soft leaves into the under floor. Their sweet home was just below our bedroom. We couldn't see the chicks but we heard their voice quite clearly. This weekend, we expected to see them perching on the tree, they were still in the nest though. It was the busiest season for the parents: every five minutes, they brought yellowish green worms to feed them. We didn't want to disturb their hectic time, so we watched them through the curtains without using telescope. During this week, they will leave this nest. On the elctric wires, there was a cute and shaky fledgeling of Lont-tailed Tit, which I thought it was a gray-colored ball of yarn first. So cute!
At dusk, we went for a walk/drive to hear some birds. In the coniferous forest, we enjoyed the song of Indian Tree Pipit, and to our joy, there was a Jungle Nightjar in the same forest. Now we can replace the song of Jungle Nightjar(1, 2), which has been our pending issues(!?) for a long time. Next morning, we were back to the same place and enjoyed the song of Siberian Blue Robin. We got recharged to get going this week, still have stiff neck though. What are we going to do next weekend :)
Other birds we saw/heard this weekend were Rufous Turtle Dove, Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Siberian Bluechat, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Willow Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Bullfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow, deers and squirrel.

28-30 May : Tateshina and Togakushi (Nagano) Sunny and hot! Temp in Nagano : Low 63.9, High 87.1 (F)
The weather forecast for this weekend was...off! After my husband finished his work, we started for Tateshina. The Chuo Expressway, which we always drive early in the morning on Saturday, drove well. I hope it is always like this. Anyway, these three days were perfectly clear and sunny!
On Saturday, we went to Togakushi by car. It took 2 hours and a half from Tateshina. We visit Togakushi several times a year, spring and fall. We could hear various kind of bird songs: Narcissus Flycatcher, Common Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo and Little Cuckoo. When we were having lunch, we heard a clear song of Red-cheeked Myna, but many bird watchers wobbled us to do recording. Togakushi is the popular spot for birdwatching and we didn't want to draw birewatchers attention to ourselves. That's why we always watch the birds by ourselves. "He who hesitates is lost." We couldn't record the beautiful song of Red-cheeked Myna.. Better luck next chance. Anyway, it was a good one day trip to Togakushi.
On Sunday, we took a side trip to Tokyo to see a family of Hoopoe. Three has already left a nest, and one was still there! It was our first time to see the fledgeling of Hoopoe, whose root of the beak was still white. I really hope, and everybody hopes, that they will be back here again next year.
It was a fruitful weekend, we got a little tired though. Next weekend, we will be a mower and a gardener in Tateshina, maybe.
Other birds we saw this weekend were...mixed up in my head!

22-23 May : A certain forest in the mid-Honshu. Cloudy with occasional rain
We were back to this forest again...a certain forest where we met Ruddy Kingfisher last spring. We expected to see a couple of red birds, we could see only one though. That was why we could hardly see him? I don't know, but we should be satisfied to hear the beautiful voice from among the leaves and see him on the electric wire. We really love his short-legged red figure and black round eyes, and we can't forget his long red bill. Every part is so lovely that many bird watchers come to see it. On Sunday, after we left for home, our birding friend met a party of tourists in this quiet forest. They came to this silent forest by bus with a tour guide. I have no comment, but it is the last thing for us to joing such a tour. Change the subject. And as was the same voice last year, he had a hoarse voice from a cold(!?). My husband insisted that after hearing this baryphonia voice, he caught a cold. This time, so far, he is OK. On Saturday we heard his voice at 9:30, 10:30,11:30 and 16:30 and on Sunday 6:10 and 9:10. It was difficult only to hear the voice, even more difficult to see the figure. We should be appreciated that we could see/hear him.
And there were some other birds floating on the water. We were surprised to see a Tufted Duck (male), who gave the eye to a beautiful Mandarin Duck (male) all the time. Is there any relationship between these two males?
And looking up the sky, we saw three Honey Buzzard were flying in an arc. Are they traveling to their breeding area? Have a nice trip!
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, White-rumped Swift, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Gray Thrush, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Bush Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Japanese Yellow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Russet Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie and Jungle Crow.

15-16 May : Tateshina (Nagano) Fair on Saturday, rain on Sunday.
It is still the top season for bird listening, how can we stay in Tokyo? We can't wait every weekend birding in Nagano. In Tateshina, we could hear the cheerful songs of Gray Thrush, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher and among others we expected to hear it, the same Narcissist as last year. Every Saturday, we leave Tokyo before 5:00 and arrive at Tateshina around 8:00. In this season, they are still singing at this hour. It was a good weekend, as usual (^.^)
Other birds we saw today were Gray Heron, Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoo, Ural Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Siberian Blue Robin, Brown Thrush, Great Reed Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Crowned Willow Warbler, Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal 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.

26-28 March : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) 7:30-12:30 Sunny Temp in Suwa: Low 27.7, High 50.5 (F)
Birds we saw today were Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Gray Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Dusky Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow..

26 March : Karuizawa Bird Forest (Nagano) 8:30-10:20 Sunny Temp: Low 29.7, High 45.7 (F)
Birds we saw today were Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Dusky Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow and cute squirrel.

21 March : Yatsuhigata (Chiba) 11:20-12:50 Sunny and warm, Temp: Low 34.9, High 55.2 (F)
To see cute black cap, we went to Yatsuhigata again. According to the field note of Yatsuhigata Nature Observation Center, the last sighting was on Friday. As we thought, they were not today. The last sighting of 2003 was 16 March, so it was about the time to go. See you next year!
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Greenshank, Eastern Curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Japanese White-eye, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Jungle Crow.

6-8 March : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Sunny, windy and cold, Temp in Suwa: Low 14.9 , High 41.4 (F)
On our way to Tateshina, we were caught up in a 6 kilo 100 minutes tailback because of tire chain control. After bearing the stress of driving in heavy traffic, we got to our destination, Tateshina. During our stay here, we enjoyed walking on the snow and seeing the red bird, Red Crosbill in Okaya city, where our birding friend taught us. The big wind deafen their voice, we were glad to see them though. I hope we will be back here again.
Other birds we saw today were Gray Heron, Black Kite, Sparrow Hawk, Coot, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Jungle Crow.

27-29 February : Toyoshina, Suwako-lake and Tateshina (Nagano) Sunny, Temp: Low 24.4, High 52.9(F)

Toyoshina 2/27 9:55-12:00
To see a rare visitor, we went to Tateshina. It was our first time to see Sandhill Crane. There were more than 30 birding cars, even though it was Friday. Sandhill Crane was so atrractive. We enjoyed seeing them, and after that we moved to Suwa and went to our favorite "Eel Restaurant". It was a good day. Great Cormorant in breeding plumage was impressive.
Other birds we saw in Toyoshina were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Bewick's Swan, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Black Kite, Sandhill Crane, Coot, Rufous, Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

Suwako-lake 2/27,28
It was great! We saw more than 30 Waxwings were on the tree, on the ground and in the water. Most of them were the yellow ones, Bohemian Waxwing. A week ago, there were more than 80 Waxwings. It must have been great. Gray Starling were also bathing in Suwako-lake.
Other birds we saw in Suwa were Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Smew, Common Merganser, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Japanese Waxwing, Dusky Thrush, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Jungle Crow.

7 February : Yatsuhigata (Chiba) 10:00-13:10 Warm, sunny and so windy!, Temp: Low 53.2, High 68.2 (F)
It was the first day to use my new IC Recorder.
Birds we saw today were Little Egret, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveler, Coot, Snowy Plover, Gray Plover, Dunlin, Curlew, Black-headed Gull, Saunders's Gull, Herring Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, Brown-eared Bulbul, Japanese White-eye, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Carrion Crow

14 February : Undisclosed Park (Tokyo) 16:30-16:30 Sunny and windy, Temp: Low 42.1, High 60.8 (F)
The first gale of the spring!
Birds we saw were Rufous Turtle Dove, Collared Scops Owl, Brown-eared Bulbul, Great Tit, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jungle Crow and Rose-ringed Parakeet.

11 February : Watarase flood control basin (Tochigi) 10:20-16:30 Sunny, Temp in Maebashi: Low 28.6, High 47.7 (F)
Birds we saw in Watarase were Osprey, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Rufous Turtle Dove, Short-eared Owl, Skylark, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Dusky Thrush, Great Tit, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Rook, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

7 February : Watarase flood control basin (Tochigi) 10:30-16:30 Sunny and windy Temp: Low 29.3, High 48.4 (F)
It is one hour and fifty minutes journey to Watarase by car. As I was in bad shape: it seemed I caught a cold, my husband drove all the way. Thanks. After taking a nap in the car, we went into action protected ourselves with down jackets, gloves and hats. It was windily on the bank, it was fair though. And...today's birding was continuously fruitful. We could see two Short-eared Owls and beautiful Hen Harrier were flying. Now we could see its gray color, and its flying figure looked like "Klingon Bird-of-Prey". We really enjoyed birding in Watarase and we will be back here again, next holiday! Now we understand the reasong there are so many repeat visitors here. There were as many as 150 birdwatchers today!
Other birds we saw today were Great Cormorant, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

31 January : Ukishima (Ibaragi) 7:45-17:07 Sunny Temp in Mito : Low 28 , High 51.3 (F)
It took 1 hour and 45 minutes from Tokyo to Ukishima, and 2 hours and 40 minutes from Ukishima to Tokyo.
We went to Ukishima to see our birding friends from Nagoya and Nagano. Miho-san and Shuji-san came by airplane from Nagoya and it was 5 hours drive from Nagano. They came to see Greater Yellowlegs, a rare visitor. It was very easy to find the bird, there were already many birdwatchers. It was characterized by its size and long yellow legs. Seeing from behind, we couldn't find any differences between Greater Yellowlegs and Wood Sandpiper, except their size. Anyway, we were satisfied to see Greater Yellowlegs, 17 Long-billed Dowitchers and Ruff, and hear the voice of Lapwing and fighting Little Egret. And we finished up our birding with Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, flying above reedy marshes after sunset. It was a fruitful birding. Thank you for everyone we've met today.
Other birds we saw today were Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Gray Heron, Osprey, Black Kite, Pheasant, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Rufous Turtle Dove, Skylark, White Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Water Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Reed Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Carrion Crow.

25 January : Hikarigaoka-park, Tokyo 9:30-14:00 Sunny Temp: Low 32.4, High 48.9 (F)
It is about 20 minutes from our house in Suginami-ku to Hikarigaoka-park, Itabashi-ku. Whenever we go to Akigase, we always pass this park by. From December, a rare first visitor in this park: Great Bittern is in residence and show off its swimming scene. We wanted to see it or at least its figure....in vain. We stayed there for four hours over a cup of coffee and enjoyed it we couldn't see it though. It was a day made for a picnic, not birding for us.
Other birds we saw today were Pintail, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Pale Thrush, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Oriental Greenfinch, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie and Jungle Crow.

22 January : A Shrine in my neighborhood (Tokyo) Sunny Temp: Low 37.6, High 48.5 (F)
Some years ago in spring, we happened to see a green bird was perching on a peach tree. Its contrast between vivid green and bright pink was enough to make us glue to it. A name of the green bird is Rose-ringed Parakeet. After escaping from a cage, they breeding in the field and they are seen in common. Someday I will record their characteristic voice, "kyo-kyo-kyo"!

18 January : Funabashi Bay Side Park -Sanbanse- (Chiba) 11:20-14:20 Sunny Temp in Chiba : Low 33.8 , High 49.1 (F)
We enjoyed birding on the seashore under the sun. Luckily, the weather forecaset for today was off. We wanted to see Oystercatcher, as we saw it on today's paper. There were none. Instead of that, we could see the courtship display of Goldeneye. We were glad to see it for the first time and worried that they might sprain their neck! On the shore, we found Harlequin Duck, whose white spot was characteristic mark. Where is your partner? I want to see him. Anyway, it was a fruitful birdiing, we saw Red-breasted Merganser for the first time!
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Gray Heron, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Pochard, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Snowy Plover, Common Sandpiper, Herring Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrow and Gray Starling.

12 January : Saiko-lake and Akigase (Saitama) 10:30-13:00 Sunny Temp in Saitama: Low28.2, High 47.3 (F)
Different from windy yesterday, it was balmy today.
On the last day of consecutive holidays, we went to Akigase, after two months interval and Saiko-lake after 14 months ! We could see some changes: fishermen in prohibited area and shaven reed beds. Why....? ANYWAY, we could see Smew, Falcated Teal, Reed Bunting and Black-faced Bunting very close. That's all.
Other birds we saw today were Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Tufted Duck, Black Kite, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Pale Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling and Jungle Crow.

11 January : Kasai Sea-side Park (Tokyo) 9:55-12:15 Sunny Temp: Low39.2, High 50.4 (F)
To try out a new scope, we wanted to go bird watching, no matter where. Traveling along the Metropolitan Expressway is difficult for me, just because I am a bad driver. My husband drove our car, Mai-chan, both ways. Anyway, we enjoyed bird watching in Kasai, it was a windy day though. On a beach, it was like a sandstorm! I hardly opened my eyes. We found a shelter in Bird Watching Center, and along the way, we saw a beautiful Smew. It was the first time to see him so close, and saw his grey legs. How cute it is! And another cute thing is...Daurian Redstart who was sheltering from the wind.
Other birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Gray Heron, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Little Swift, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Dusky Thrush, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Azure-winged Magpie and Jungle Crow.

25 December 2003 - 3 January 2003 : Karuizawa and Tateshina (Nagano)

Tateshina and its vicinities
I gave up driving on the snowy road. I became a front-seat passenger and tried to be a good navigator, better than a car navigation equipment. During these ten days, we enjoyed seeing Long-eared Owl, Red-Crossbill and Ural Owl. They were all attractive! We fell under a spell of black eyes(Ural Owl) and orange eyes(Long-eared Owl: female). At dusk, before she went out for hunting, her aspect has changed. How nice countenance. And regrettably, she was unwitnessed after January 3. Where are you now. I hope you are doing well. In the secret forest of Red-Crossbill, we were glad to see the fledg. whose bill was crossed already. How grown you are. When we see you next time, you will mature. See you again in March.
Other birds we saw/heard were Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Bullfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

25 December, 2003 Karuizawa Bird Forest and Touden Chousei-ike Pond in Saku (Nagano)
To see "Red and big bird of the blessed(!?)", we went to Karuizawa. During the construction period of Hoshino Resort, we give up recording. On our way to Tateshina, we stopped in Touden-chousei-ike pond, where we saw Greater-pied Kingfisher years ago. There were beautiful Smew(male) and cute females. Unfortunately, Kingfisher was absent from home.
Other birds we saw/heard were Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Merganser, Black Kite, Coot, Rufous Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Bullfinch and Jungle Crow. .