Japan 2015 day five: Arasaki, Satsuma ... and plenty of rain

23 December 2015

We awoke to strong winds and drizzle - not ideal birding weather but at least the gale had cleared the awful stench from Izumi's streets. Every cloud and all that!

Heading west from Izumi we soon found our first Hooded and White-naped Cranes feeding in roadside fields near Arasaki. The light was atrocious and we barely bothered to lift our lenses, instead continuing west to the coast at Akune where a handful of Slaty-backed Gulls were found among the usual Vega and Black-tailed.

After making our way down an almost impassably narrow street just south of Akune, which took us several minutes to get out of having finally managed to turn round, we ended up at Ushinonama harbour. A few more Slaty-backed were noted here while Mick picked up an adult Brown Booby mincing around offshore.

Looks that only a mother could love: Slaty-backed Gull at Ushinonama 

The low cloud and occasional rain were showing no signs of improving so, deciding it was the perfect weather for ducks, we headed inland to Satsuma, where Scaly-sided Merganser has been regular in recent winters. Alas a search of the Sendai River from various bridges and bends in the sometimes atrocious conditions drew a blank with the mergansers, but a couple of drake Falcated Ducks were nice among decent numbers of commoner duck and both Japanese Bush Warbler and Eastern Water Rail were new for the trip.

A couple of Japanese Wagtails gave good views from the Route 507 bridge in Satsuma while two White-bellied Green Pigeons showed well by the river not far south of the Route 397 bridge. Two flocks of Russet Sparrows were noted in the area, each numbering approximately 200.

Heading back to the coast and Arasaki, the weather briefly showed signs of brightening up before settling back in to the more familiar light rain/heavy rain pattern. Even the weather cannot dampen the spectacular sight of thousands of cranes in the area, and we marvelled at the throngs of both Hooded and White-naped Cranes feeding in the roadside fields to the east of the main bridge, many giving stupidly good views.

Cranes and wildfowl at Arasaki

White-naped Crane 

Hooded Cranes in the rain 

Closer scrutiny revealed seven Sandhill (a singleton and a group of six) and two Common Cranes, one of the latter seemingly paired with an hybrid adult and with two hybrid juveniles in tow!

Mutant family: adult Common Crane, adult(?) Common x Hooded Crane and two hybrid juveniles 

Sandhill Crane

But it wasn't just cranes - thousands of dabbling ducks were also feeding in the fields and we soon found at least 20 Falcated Ducks scattered among the mainly Mallard, Pintail and Wigeon. They were extremely skittish and almost continually spooked, this playing in to our hands a little as it allowed us to check different groups as they landed. We were fortunate enough to pick out a stunning drake Baikal Teal among one of the closest groups but, all too soon, they were back in the air - this proved the only individual we saw in Japan.

Drake Baikal Teal - the only individual of the trip

Rich also picked out what at first looked promising for an American Wigeon, but it soon revealed itself to be a hybrid with clearer views. This was one of two hybrids we saw, the other on a pond slightly inland on the east side of the main channel (no pure individuals were seen).

Two different hybrid American x Eurasian Wigeons in the Arasaki area

The estuary at the east end produced three Black-faced Spoonbills but almost constant scrutiny of the large flocks of Eastern Rooks failed to produce one of our target species, Daurian Jackdaw. Despite the rain passerines appeared quite active along the roadsides, and we enjoyed decent views of a couple of Chestnut-eared Buntings among the groups of the much commoner Meadow Buntings. A couple of large flocks of Russet Sparrows were doing the rounds, with good numbers in the visitor centre area and plenty more near the channel at the west end, and we had one or two Bull-headed Shrikes.

Chestnut-eared Bunting attempting to hide

All too soon the light was fading and with the rain still falling, we called it a day early and headed back to our hotel in Izumi.

Japan 2015 day four: Lake Miike and Yatsushiro

22 December 2015

Having stayed just a few kilometres away overnight, we arrived at Lake Miike not long after dawn. The lake itself was littered with common wildfowl including Spot-billed Duck, Mallard, Wigeon and Tufted Ducks, and a drake Spot-billed x Mallard was interesting. There were, however, no Baikal Teal, Mandarin or other more interesting species.

At first the woods seemed quiet although species around the campsite included Olive-backed Pipit, Daurian Redstart and groups of Red-billed Leiothrix as well as the more familiar woodland birds. We found the northern route around the lake to be blocked off, and perhaps just as well - aside a handful of Black-faced Buntings and the faint call of what were probably Grey Buntings emanating from the undergrowth, it seemed quiet.

As such we headed back the other way and soon picked up our first Yellow-throated Buntings - a small group of three. Alas they were quite wary and generally liked to bury themselves in cover, so photo opportunities were limited.

Walking further along this trail produced a couple of flyover White-bellied Green Pigeons while a Ryukyu Minivet disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Up to 15 Yellow-throated Buntings teased us with brief views while the lake margin held Common Kingfishers. A woodpecker quickly transpired to be a namiyei White-backed, the extensive reddish underparts easily the most striking feature. As we turned back for the campsite, Rich and I were treated to fantastic views of a Japanese Weasel as it strutted along the path.

Rich then received a text from Mick telling us to "stop looking and nothing and get back - Forest Wagtail!" Sure enough the wagtail was showing more or less on arrival and gave some great views over the next half an hour as it came to mealworms put out by a Japanese photographer. An unexpected bonus to say the least, but it turns out this is the third winter running that it's been seen here. One of the most characterful passerines I've seen, it was great to watch it moodily swaying from side to side as it crept along branches - that was until it had stuffed itself full of mealworms and just sat there looking slightly embarrassed by its gluttony. Further Ryukyu Minivets flew over and a male Red-flanked Bluetail gave some stunning views.

Forest Wagtail at Lake Miike

By now it was late morning and we decided to begin the drive north to Yatsushiro. I was constantly on the eye out for interesting roadside birds and lucked out with two Japanese Grosbeaks sat in a mistletoe-covered tree in Takaharu - the only ones we saw on Kyushu.

Arriving at Yatsushiro estuary early afternoon, we found the tide almost entirely out. Nevertheless Saunders' Gulls were instantly apparent and two partial counts of 130 and 120 led us to believe that well in excess of 250 birds were strewn across the estuary, some giving great views as they preyed on mudskippers and crabs.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the estuary area, waiting for the tide to come up and generally enjoying the multitude of birds, predominately wildfowl, that were present. At least 20 Falcated Ducks were very welcome and a minimum of eight Black-faced Spoonbills were seen alongside several of their Eurasian congeners. Waders included Long-billed and Kentish Plovers, Dunlin, Lapwing, Greenshank and Redshank.

Immature Black-faced Spoonbill - one of several at Yatsushiro

Wandering inland I soon found the first of many Meadow Buntings frequenting scrubby field edges. Similar habitat produced a fine flock of 50+ Russet Sparrows and a couple of Chestnut-eared Buntings - a species I'd been keen to see - as well as numerous Dusky Thrushes and Siberian Pipits plus one or two Bull-headed Shrikes. I hadn't realised how spectacularly large Japanese Wagtails were until one flew right past me along the channel, repeating its rasping single-note call on several occasions.

Male Russet Sparrow

It had been a thoroughly successful afternoon but I was lacking one thing - nice photos of Saunders' Gull. Mick had already accomplished a series of gripping shots and the birds seemed to be flying off inland. With no more than an hour of light left we set off in the general direction that the birds were heading and, after a few kilometres, found at least 100 Saunders' feeding in roadside rice fields. Here we enjoyed some fantastic views and I finally managed some satisfying shots - not award winning, but a considerable improvement on my earlier efforts.

Saunders' really are fantastic gulls and it was brilliant to watch the flock wheeling round and calling to one another in the golden light of late afternoon before they eventually dispersed, presumably to roost. With the sun sinking behind the horizon we headed south to Izumi where we were staying, although were a little put off on arrival as the entire town seemed to stink of chicken farms. Putrid!

Japan day three: Hyuga and Kadogawa

21 December 2015

After arriving in Hyuga, on the east coast of Kyushu, late the previous evening, we headed for the nearby headland - Cape Hyuga - for sunrise, taking in our first Black-tailed and Vega Gulls in the harbour en route. The weather was calm and overcast with a few spots of drizzle in the air, though it was very mild.

Alas a couple of hours of searching the bays and inlets as well as scanning well offshore failed to produce any Japanese Murrelets, while our other target species - Japanese Woodpigeon - also decided against making an appearance. Nevertheless a selection of the commoner species was welcome, including excellent views of Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker as well as Varied Tits, Red-flanked Bluetail, Daurian Redstarts and parties of introduced Red-billed Leiothrix. Offshore our first Slaty-backed Gulls and Japanese Cormorants were noted while both Peregrine and Ospreys passed overhead.

Cape Hyuga

We gradually made our way back towards Hyuga town, stopping off at a small temple on an island joined to the coast by an isthmus. No murrelets, but some nice Black-faced Buntings and very pleasant scenery.

Our optimism that the next site, Kadogawa harbour, would produce murrelets proved unfounded - no sign there either, but at least 15 Black-necked Grebes in the bay, a couple of Olive-backed Pipits and Oriental Greenfinches favouring scrub at the start of the southern breakwater and the usual mix of coastal species including our first male Blue Rock Thrush.

Blue Rock Thrush

By this point the sun had come out and, naturally, we decided to indulge in a spot of gull photography. Mick's tried and tested British formula of popcorn and bread once again proved an inspirational move - within minutes we had good numbers of both Black-tailed and Vega Gulls coming in to the scraps thrown off the harbour wall, but were soon confronted by an alien problem - Black-eared Kites! The kites, seemingly rather hungry, would continually swoop down and pluck the popcorn from the water's surface, at the same time deterring the gulls from feeding. Nevertheless we finished the session with pleasing images of adult Black-tailed Gulls in particular.

 Adult Vega Gull

After a spot of food we returned to Cape Hyuga for another shot at the murrelets - again no sign, and still no pigeons either! Further searching around the coast brought no reward and, by mid-afternoon, we decided another gull session was in order. Thankfully the gulls in Kadogawa harbour now included a few first-winter Black-tailed, which duly became the focus of our efforts.

With the gulls once again being pushed off by the Black-eared Kites, we spent half an hour focussing on them instead, the golden late afternoon light giving the birds' plumage a real warmth and making for great photo opportunities.

The final hour was of the day was spent traversing Cape Hyuga once more but the day disappointingly finished murrelet-less, albeit with nice views of the coastline and a confiding female Daurian Redstart as some consolation.

The drive back south was fairly slow until we rejoined the expressway. A brief stop for food was our only interruption and we arrived at Gokuraku Takaharu-cho mid-evening. A fantastic traditional Japanese lodging, this is a characterful place that is beautifully decorated. I soon had my first onsen experience, although both Rich and Mick didn't fancy the communal aspect and decided against joining!

Japan day two: Tokyo

20 December 2015

Unfortunately my 'capsule' was opposite possibly the loudest snorer that I've ever encountered in my life and that, coupled with jet lag, meant that I didn't really sleep all that much overnight and was therefore pretty happy when the clock finally ticked round to 5.30 am.

After a shower I left the hotel and, grabbing breakfast on the way, caught the subway to Meiji Jingū. The park and woodland surrounding the shrine was only completed some 90 years ago but is very well established and a great location for city birding. Not long after arriving and passing through the impressively large Cypress torii (gate) I was enjoying a flock of Dusky Thrushes bathing in a stream as well as my first Varied Tits high in the canopy. Further strolling produced good numbers of the commoner woodland species, including plenty of Oriental Turtle Doves.

The shrine itself was not only beautiful but very peaceful early morning, though this had changed by the time I passed again 90 minutes later. As the name would suggest it is a shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and seems extremely popular with both tourists and locals alike.

The more open areas on the north side of the park produced a slightly different selection of species, including my first Bull-headed Shrike and a showy pair of Black-backed Wagtails, one of which posed for photos.

Black-backed Wagtail

A few Spot-billed Ducks were floating inanely on the nearby pond, Pale Thrush was seemingly quite common and I glimpsed a Goshawk flying over. Japanese White-eyes afforded some of the best views I had all trip, though I never managed any pleasing photographs.

Japanese White-eye

With the 9 am opening time approaching, I headed back to the gardens south of the shrine. Not only does this area tend to be quieter (a 500 ¥ entrance fee seems to put the masses off) but the birds here are fed regularly, meaning they're much more confiding. Indeed, the Varied Tits feed out of people's hands while my first Black-faced Buntings fearlessly scrubbed around on the floor to within a few feet.

Black-faced Buntings at Meiji Jingū

Varied Tit - another species I failed to photograph satisfactorily, this being my only decent image

My main target here was Grey Bunting, a species that can be elusive and therefore tricky to catch up with. Various items of gen I'd gleaned suggested that the buntings visit the seed put out for them but that didn't seem to be the case today - just the flock of Black-faced plus a couple of brief Oriental Greenfinches. Wandering around the various trails I eventually found a pair of Grey Buntings feeding in the inflow channel at the east end of the main pond, giving distant (but decent) views just in time for the arrival of Rich and Mick, who'd flown in overnight from Vienna.

Back at the seeded area females of Red-flanked Bluetail and Daurian Redstart appeared before our cue to leave for Haneda airport, where we saw a female Blue Rock Thrush a short while before catching a late afternoon flight to Kagoshima, on the southern island of Kyushu.

Japan day one: Osaka Baer's & back to Tokyo

This is the first in a series of photo-heavy blog posts diarising a birding trip to Japan over the Christmas and New Year period. After each daily entry has been published on my blog I intend to conglomerate these to produce a PDF trip report, which will be available at a later date.

19 December 2015

After having arrived in Japan and travelled down to Osaka the previous afternoon, this was my first full day in Japan - and my intention was to spend as long as was necessary to see the drake Baer's Pochard, which I'd dipped in Suminoe Park in the ebbing light of the previous afternoon.

Happily, the bird was back on its favoured swimming pool at first light and I spent much of the morning watching this excellent duck before heading back to Tokyo at about lunchtime. This bird is notorious for coming out of eclipse quite late - when it turns up (usually mid to late November) it tends to look a real mess, gradually acquiring breeding plumage through December and looking more or less perfect by the end of the year. It was looking good today, although close views revealed that there were still a few mucky brown specks among the largely green sheen to the head. At first it remained quite distant and only briefly came close, spending much of its time asleep and in poor light to boot.

Leaving the duck I had a walk round the park to see what else was about. Highlights included a couple of Pale and several Dusky Thrushes as well as a number of quite tame Oriental Turtle Doves.

I returned to the swimming pool to find the pochard still fast asleep at the far end, so decided to grab some breakfast and my luggage from the hotel. Forty-five minutes later and I was back at the pool to find the sun shining and the bird, very much awake, motoring towards me! Of course as soon as I got the camera out it put its head away, swam to the near corner, hauled itself out and began to roost once more. The views were absolutely crippling - all I needed was for it to wake up!

Eventually it gave in to my wishes, woke up, had a preen and did a very close swim past on the near side of the pool. My opportunity was brief and I overexposed many of the images due to the dappled light caused by the trees behind, but some were thankfully salvageable. The difficulty in getting any sort of decent shots here is exacerbated by having to shoot through a chain link fence, which can cause a bit of havoc with auto-focus.

Soon enough the bird was asleep again, so I decided to pack up and jump on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, arriving there mid-afternoon. The evening was spent exploring Asakusa and Ueno before I went to check in at a capsule hotel in Ginza. Tokyo is a fantastic city and I just wish I'd had more time to look round - though no doubt I'll be back at some point in the future.

Sensō-ji, Tokyo