Birding Diary Jan - June, 2005

Birding Diary (Top)

24-26 June : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano)
Birds we saw/heard were Goshawk, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Ural Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Great Reed Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

17-19 June : Tateshina and Oku-shiga-kogen Heights (Nagano)
17 June Oku-shiga 15:35-20:00
It was about three hours drive from our house in Tateshina to Shiga-kogen.
Birds we comfirmed in Shiga-kogen were Gray Heron, Honey Buzzard, Rufous Turtle Dove, Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Wren, Siberian Blue Robin, Gray Thrush, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Bush Warbler, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Crowned Willow Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Japanese White-eye and Carrion Crow.
17-19 June Tateshina
Birds we comfirmed in Tateshina were Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, Ural Owl, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Siberian Blue Robin, Siberian Bluechat, Siberian Thrush, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Bush Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Crowned Willow Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Red-cheeked Myna, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

12 June Ohkubo Paddy-land 7:30-9:00 (Saitama)
Birds we confirmed in Tateshina were Chinese Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Little Egret, Spot-billed Duck, Pheasant, Little Ringed Plover, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Skylark, Barn Swallow, Bull-headed Shrike, Bush Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

4-5 June Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano)
Birds we confirmed in Tateshina were Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Goshawk, Common Buzzard, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Indian Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, Ural Owl, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, White Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Red-cheeked Myna, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow,.

28-29 May : A certain forest in the mid-Honshu. Fair, occasionally cloudy.
We were back to this forest again...a certain forest where we met Ruddy Kingfisher last year and before. So we expected to see and hear the red birds...and waited, waited, took a nap, waited and there were no signs of them. We felt discouraged and tired. And the next morning, we woke up before the alarm clock went off and strained our ears. The voice was approaching and we finally could see the red birds singing among the tree. I wish I could have taken some snaps, but I was busy in watching it. For 35 minutes, he kept singing just above out head, we couldn't find its figure though. How beautiful and charming voice it is... Not only the red bird, we could see/hear Black Paradise Flycatcher and Siberian Rubythroat! It was a fruitful weekend. I hope we can meet them next year again...
Other birds we saw were Little Grebe, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, White-rumped Swift, Ruddy Kingfisher, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, White's Ground Thrush, Gray Thrush, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Bush Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Japanese Yellow Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Russet Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Jay and Jungle Crow.

13-15 May : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano & Yamanashi) Cloudy after sunny and chilly. Heavy rain on Sunday, Temp in Hara Village: High 64.4, Low 37.6 (F)
We had a meeting with a contractor on Saturday afternoon and did not have much time. We were eager to see and hear Paradise Flycatcher in Yamanashi this weekend, so we went to Tateshina on Friday's evening, after my husband returned from his work. The wake-up call was the voice of Ural Owl! It was so nice, wasn't it? We also heard the voice of female. Are they living in near here? Can we see the fluffy fledgelings near my house? We hope so. Anyway, thanks to their morning call, we woke up completely and hurried out to Yamanashi. It was very cold for May, I was chilled to the bone. But to hear the voice of Black Paradise Flycatcher, I didn't care. I was glad to take a snap, he didn't have a long tail feather though. What happened to him ? Anyway, his gorgeous blue eye rings, green color of inside his mouth and the voice were so nice. Can we come back here again? I hope so, but we are busy that there are many other places to go! (And next weekend, we can't go birding because we have a ceremony on 21 May.)
Birds we saw in Tateshina and Yamanashi were Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Rufous Turtle Dove Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Siberian Blue Robin, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Crowned Willow Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, 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, Red-cheeked Myna, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

29 April - 8 May: Golden week holidays in Nagano!
As my husband had to go to work on 2 May, we returned to Tokyo and came to Tateshina again on that evening.
3 & 5 May : A park in Okaya City 5/3 10:30-16:00 & 5/5 7:30-10:25, 13:25-15:35
It is a famous birding place in Okaya. Many birdwatchers come, but very calm and tranquil. The park is equipped with camping site, cooking place and picnic tables. We always bring a red-checked talbe cloth, which we bought at Grand Teton N.P. and make a cozy place. Birding all day over a cup of tea and coffee. We love it.
In this park, we can see the birds very close. My husband ran into a Siberian Blue Robin, was walking on the ground. Do you know what happened next? My husband took a step backward, and Siberian Blue Robin kept straight on. He won!
We also could see other blue bird, Blue-and-White Flycatcher. They were singing all day on the top of the trees. It's the best season for recording!
Birds we confirmed in Tateshina and Okaya were Little Egret, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Sparrow Hawk, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoo, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Wren, Japanese Robin, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Pale Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, 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, Red-cheeked Myna, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

4 May : Togakushi 6:05-11:30
Birds we saw in Togakushi were Little Grebe, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Green Pigeon, Oriental Cuckoo, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Ashy Minivet, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Siberian Blue Robin, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Bush Warbler, Narcissus Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Japanese Yellow Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Gray Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

23-24 April Tateshina and its vicinities(Nagano) Fine
Birds we confirmed in Tateshina were Little Egret, Gray Heron, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Skylark, Barn Swallow, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Wren, Siberian Bluechat, Gray Thrush, Brown Thrush, Pale Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Bush Warbler, Pale-legged Willow Warbler, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Red-cheeked Myna, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow .

16-17 April Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Fine
Birds we confirmed in Tateshina were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Gray Heron, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Pheasant, Rufous Turtle Dove, White-rumped Swift, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Indian Tree Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Wren, Brown Thrush, Gray Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Japanese Grosbeak, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

05.4.10 Jougashima(Kanagawa) 6:45-11:30 Sunny Temp in Miura: High 69.8, Low 58.8 (F)
Birds we saw in Jogashima were Streaked Shearwater, Short-tailed Shearwater, Japanese Cormorant, Black Kite, Pomarine Jaeger, Ancient Murrelet, Japanese Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet, Skylark, Barn Swallow and White Wagtail.

26-29 March Tateshina and its vicinities(Nagano)
Birds we saw this weekend were Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Rufous Turtle Dove, 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, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Yellow-throated Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

21 March : Yatsuhigata Tide-land (Chiba)
Birds we saw today were Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Egret, Gray Heron, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Eastern Curlew, Black-headed Gull, Saunders's Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Tree Sparrow and Jungle Crow.

19 March : Inogashira-park(Tokyo)
Birds we saw today were Great Cormorant, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Rufous Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Tree Sparrow and Jungle Crow.

5-8 March : Yanbaru and its vicinities (Okinawa)
--- March 5 & 6, Chilly, rain and windy, Temp in Oku: High 50.7, Low 41.4 (F)
---- March 7 & 8, Sunny and warm, Temp in Oku: High 65.7, Low 52.2 (F)
It seemed that we experienced unseasonable chill in Okinawa. Gloves, hat and warm jacket were indispensable in the first two days, and short sleeves for the last half. We had snowfall in Tokyo, the day before. When we visited Okinawa last year, we took the risk of typhoon: the tour could have been canceled. In March, we didn't have to care about the typhoon, it was not a good season for birding though. In January, many bird watchers visited Okinawa to see three "rare birds", we could see only one: Black Bittern. We don't much appreciate rare bird, but we liked it! So we visited Kijoka several times to see it. Kijoka is the igusa field and we could see some birds of prey, Osprey and Gray-faced Buzzard-Eagle. It was very interesting to see Gray-faced Buzzrd-Eagle on the electric poles instead of Black Kite! In Tokyo, the Thrush walking on the lwan is Dusky Thrush and in Okinawa, Pale Thrush is standing. Unfamiliar sight and unfamiliar birds! We saw many birds in Okinawa for the first time. Spotted Muniawasn not given in my picture book, and Avocet in Tomigusuku-city was just the same I saw only in pictures. And Black-faced Spoonbill,.... show me your cute bills!
Now you can see that we enjoyed the migrating birds so far. Of course we wanted to see them but our primary concern was Okinawa Rail. When we talked with a local resident person, he told us that the best season is from May to October. He saw Okinawa Rails very often in his flat lemon farm. He knows a lot about Yanbaru since he was born and bred in Ginohe. Okinawa Rail was called "Agachi", which came from red bird. He was very kind enough to draw a map and show us the spot he saw Okinawa Rail. We went there at dawn and dusk and only heard their voice. After that, we couldn't see/hear/feel the Rails, only heard Okinawa Green Tree Frog. So.....we have to be back there again.
It was our second visit to Okinawa. We enjoyed local dishes and sightseeing. My husband wanted to see two bridges: to Kouri-island and Ikei-island. He loves bridges because he is a civil engineer. They were beautiful.
On the last day, we dropped in Tomigusuku to see Avocet again. There were Caspian Tern and Black-faced Spoonbill(w.communicator on their back and color rings). Have a safe trip and come back here again, we will be back here too.
Other birds we saw were Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Osprey, Gray-faced Buzzard-Eagle, Okinawa Rail, White-breasted Waterhen, Moorhen, Lesser Golden Plover, Lapwing, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Latham's Snipe, Black-winged Stilt, Rufous Turtle Dove, Ryukyu Scops Owl, Common Kingfisher, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Pacific Swallow, House Martin, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Chinese Bulbul, Brown-eared Bulbul, Brown Shrike, Ryukyu Robin, Blue Rockthrush, Brown Thrush, Bush Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Little Bunting, Gray Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow, Ostrich and Duck!.

26 February : Akigase (Saitama) 10:00-14:50 Sunny, windy and cold
Birds we saw today were Spot-billed Duck, Peregrine Falcon, Rufous Turtle Dove, Common Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Siberian Bluechat, Daurian Redstart, Pale Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Gray Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Azure-winged Magpie and Jungle Crow.

20 February : Sanbanse -- Funabashi Seaside Park (Chiba) 10:30-13:50 Sunny, after cloudy
The weekend without birding is boring. Both of us got well from the flu and ready to go. It was snowing on Saturday so we went out in the rain on Sunday. It was a fruitful birding: we could see White-winged Scoter and Sanderling for the first time. They are not rare bird, it is just because we tend to go birding to the grasslands and mountains. Anyway, it was easy to find them. In the distance, we saw many Oystercatcher were standing in a line. Their sparkling orange bills were so beautiful. Now we were charged up.
Other birds we saw were Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Pochard, Greater Scaup, Goldeneye, Coot, Snowy Plover, Gray Plover, Dunlin, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Mew Gull, Black-tailed Gull, White Wagtail, Water Pipit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Dusky Thrush, Tree Sparrow and Carrion Crow .

12 February : Akigase (Saitama) 9:15-11:20 Sunny and cold
For two weekends, my husband had been sick with the flu. Now he recuperates from the flu and then it is my turn. Thanks honey.
When I got up, I didn't feel good. And it got worse in Akigase. I hardly saw birds and went home. If we had stayed there longer, we could have seen Yellow-throated Bunting, Thite's Ground Thrush and Siberian Bluechat. My husband looked pleased with his new Digital Camera, Canon EOS 20D.
Other birds we saw were Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Brown Thrush, Pale Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Bush Warbler, Great Tit, Japanese White-eye, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Grosbeak(60+), Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay and Jungle Crow.

29 January : Watarase flood control basin (Tochigi) 10:10-16:45 Cloudy but warm, Temp in Tabebayashi: High 46.7 Low .35.8 (F)
Jungle Crow is my natural enemy, I always fight with them on the morning of garbage collection day. It is very uncommon for me to go birding with the aim of Crows: lesser crows though. We saw the clouds of crows fly home to roost last week. And with the expectation to record their clear voice, we came again. I could count more than 60 Rook and Daurian Jackdaw but I was unable to record their voice. Crows are unpredictable birds! It is an issue in the next year.
Another aim is to see Short-eared Owl. We could see two, each was flying, hunting and mobbed. One was chased by Goshawk and another was teased by five Carrion Crows. Why did you gang up on our cute little owl!? Anyway, we could see them for more than an hour, we were excited to watch them. See you next year.
Other birds we saw were Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Gray Heron, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Smew, Common Merganser, Osprey, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Merlin, Black-headed Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, , Skylark, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Great Tit, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Hawfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

23 January : Watarase flood control basin (Tochigi) 11:10-16:40 Chilly and cloudy, Temp in Tatebayashi: High 40.1, Low 28.4 (F)
Since my husband had to work on Saturday, we went birding only on Sunday. Watarase is famous for Short-eared Owl. More than 200 bird watchers came one day in last season. It was not crowded in comparison to last year. We could find our "seats" easily. And it meant that Owls and Harriers did not appear so often. Instead of that, Merlin and Kestrel offered good service to be our photogfraphic models. He hunted and bit into prey just infront of us. The peak time in Watarase is around 15:00. During these hours, we can see active bird of prey (including such a cute small bird of prey) and Crows on their way to roost. My husband saw Daurian Jackdaw in white and black, which I couldn't see. We did't expect to hear their voice so failed to record their voice clearly. We will re-tray, maybe next weekend!
We were glad to see so many Smews(male)!!! Watarase is great.
Other birds we saw were Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Green-winged Teal, Common Merganser, Osprey, Black Kite, Goshawk, Common Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Black-headed Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, Short-eared Owl, White Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Long-tailed Rose Finch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Azure-winged Magpie, Rook, Daurian Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

8-10 January : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano) Sunny after snow.
On the second day of 2005, the fridge in Tateshina was broken! Luckily, the temperature has been below zero everyday, so we could survive without the fridge. And the new one was delivered on January 9, so we left Tokyo after the New Year's party in Tokyo and went there. After receiving the fridge in the Sunday morning, we went birding to Suwako-lake to see Brent Goose in vain. It has already left. We enjoyed staying Tateshina this weekend. When we come here next time, the season will be changing.
Birds we saw were Little Egret, Bewick's Swan, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Smew, Common Merganser, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Pheasant, Black-headed Gull, Rufous Turtle Dove, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Dusky Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Yellow-throated Bunting, Oriental Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow and Jungle Crow.

29 December - 4 January : Tateshina and its vicinities (Nagano)
Year End & New Year's Holiday in Tateshina We had a heavy snowfall in the end of 2004. When we went home after Christmas, there was no snow and many ski resorts were eager for snow. It was a welcome snow ** for them, people in the town were tired of snow shovering though. Anyway, it was a pleasant holiday. We love the snow light, snowscape, snowman and walking on the snow with snow boots. On New Year's Day, we took a walk in Yatsugatake Nature-cultural Park in Hara-mura Village. Even the facilities are all closed, entering the park was allowed. We enjoyed walking, there were few birds though. Only we could see were six Long-tailed Rose Finch, and that was enough. And, it was good to see beautiful Yellow-throated Bunting who came to our bird feeder. We looked out of the window with bated breath... Welcome to our sweet home!
Birds we saw were Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Black Kite, Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel, Rufous Turtle Dove, Ural Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Gray Wagtail, White Wagtail, Japanese Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Bull-headed Shrike, Wren, Daurian Redstart, Dusky Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Varied Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Japanese White-eye, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch, Siskin, Red-Crossbill, Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, Gray Starling, Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow, and cute Squirrel.





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