Blue Eyed Birder: Day 7 - Winter in Japan for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

We awoke to rain and it followed us in the dark back to Arasaki where a spectacular sunrise was simply not going to happen but our crew were a resilient bunch and the rain did not stop them venturing out to listen to the Cranes coming in for breakfast.

I must admit to staying in the dry at this point as I did not fancy being soggy in the van driving all day but after a while it cleared up and it was time for a good scan around. The Cranes moved in front of us in waves and most seemed to prefer walking at a pace between the feeding roads rather than waste energy by flying. Alison was on form again and found a goose almost where the Greater White-front was the previous day but this time she had found the lone Lesser White-fronted Goose instead!

Dave and I did venture out! - Jenny Spencer-Jones

White-naped Crane

White-naped Cranes

White-naped Crane

White-naped Cranes and much smaller Hoodeds - Chris Darby

White-naped Cranes - Chris Darby

White-naped Cranes - Jim Willett

Lesser White-fronted Goose

Lesser White-fronted Goose - Chris Darby

The usual four Corvids were seen and Ospreys, Eastern Buzzards, Kestrels and Black-eared Kites were milling about along with quite a few Japanese Skylarks, Siberian Pipits, Black-backed Wagtails and two Eastern Yellow Wagtails once again. These Skylarks have been put in with Eurasian but like so many things out here, they feel all wrong.

One of the Ospreys had a fine breakfast - Jim Willett

A very large Gar!

Japanese Skylark - Jim Willett

Japanese Skylark

In flight they appear smaller and shorter tailed than Euro Skylark and almost more Woodlark in shape while the calls sometimes sound ok but for the most part feel more buzzy and chippy than the classic Skylark ‘chirrup’. On the deck they feel more compact and darker above. As ever just my in -the field thoughts.

We made our way past the fish pond with Teal, Coots and our first Moorhens before stopping to check one of the main flood relief channels that was more vegetated this time. Buntings were ticking around us from the channel reeds and grasses and a couple flew out and perched up, giving us our first look at a Chestnut-eared Bunting. Such a smart little bird. Others were still calling and I think that there were at least six present.

Chestnut-eared Bunting - Chris Darby

Grey and Black-backed Wagtails bobbed around and a Green Sandpiper was the other side of the dam gates where a mixed Spoonbill flock slept while a Great Egret hunted in the reeds. OTDs were everywhere and suddenly exploded in all directions as an immature Goshawk (possibly the one from yesterday) rocketed through. The local Oriental Crows are far braver than our own Carrion Crows and went and poked it while it briefly perched up in a dead snag. Quite a beast.

Goshawk - Chris Darby

Ospreys circled and a male Peregrine zoomed through too while we watched the Gos. We moved on through the now feeding Cranes that were obligingly alongside the road and then made our way down to the river mouth for a walk along its banks to check the extensive reedbeds for still non-existent Chinese Penduline Tits and the numerous Buntings lurking within. Reed, Masked and Chestnut-eared were all seen but only the singing Meadow Buntings actually showed well.

White-naped Crane - Chris Darby

Hooded Crane - Chris Darby

White-naped Crane - Chris Darby

Meadow Bunting

Meadow Bunting - Jim Willett

Brown-eared Bulbuls and Japanese Bush Warblers could be heard singing on the other side and a Chinese Bamboo Partridge was calling up the opposite slope. With time getting on we retraced our steps watching Cranes and Ospreys on the way and then packed up and made our way north for a little over an hour in the search of estuarine birds.

As we neared the coast once more at Yatsu Shiro on the Kuma Estuary it became apparent how common Ospreys were and almost every other big bird was one or a Black-eared Kite. Several Bull-headed Shrikes were seen on the drive in which took us within touching distance of a giant Strangler Fig that was grappling with a roadside boulder. Jenny asked me stop as she thought she had seen a Night Heron. We reversed and there it was – a full adult complete with plumes, blood red eyes and a typical hacked off expression. It posed nicely around some upturned boats and so we left it to it’s brooding and moved on.

Black-crowned Night Heron - Jim Willett

Black-crowned Night Heron

Very soon we had our first Saunders’s Gulls in view as they dipped down over the exposed tidal mud where the adeptly snatch tiny crabs from the surface much like a Gull-billed Tern and once again the analogies with that species in flight and bill form were mentioned.

1w Saunders’s Gull

ad Saunders’s Gull - Jim Willett

There were Greenshank and Grey Plover on the mud and around the next corner there was a vast congregation of Great Cormorants which immediately panicked and headed off upriver in an impressive wavy line of possibly 2000 birds. Behind them was a raft of at least 800 Pintail and a many more waders albeit of the same two species and we counted 152 Grey Plover and 16 Greenshank. Eleven monster-billed orientalis Curlews dropped in to join a flock of 131 Black-headed Gulls (which in itself was quite unusual) and around the margins we found more Saunders’s Gulls taking us up to 27 for that species. There was also a single Vega Gull and four Taimyr Gulls including adults.

Simply amazing - Alexis Bodycomb

Curlews and Black-headed Gulls

Black-headed Gulls. But can you find the Saunders's? - Jim Willett

Three female Red-breasted Merganser snorkelled and there were both Great Crested and Little Grebes too while Ospreys circled and could be found on random estuary posts. There was plenty of other quality raptor action with a female Sparrowhawk that flipped up onto the sea wall along with Kestrels, Eastern Buzzard and the ubiquitous Black-eared Kites but the prize went to the adult Goshawk that circled around the copse behind before perching up for a while and after she flew again a male Peregrine went through the same view!

male Goshawk - Jim Willett

male Goshawk and Oriental Crows - Jim Willett

There were a few Siberian Pipits and Black-backed Wagtails but the light rain was keeping us close to the vans. Off shore I picked up a strange dark and light bird until it clicked and I realised that it was a Brown Booby. Scanning revealed several others patrolling the off shore waters and several were close enough to see the big pale bill. We then noticed a group of over 20 circling around and fishing around a sea stack (volcanic plug?) a little further out.

Black-backed Wagtail

Dave said that these sort of numbers around here in winter are unusual (a bit like the number of Black-headed Gulls) and perhaps they too had been moved across from offshore waters to the north due to the recent winter storms?

Pleased with out haul we retraced our route back to Arasaki and still had plenty of time to explore before dark and began back at Shio Machi for another Pendi search. No joy was had but Alison found us a Ruddy-breasted Crake wandering along the edge of the deep pool before we got distracted by a flock of swirling birds with big white patches in the wings.

Ruddy-breasted Crake - Chris Darby

We initially thought Grosbeaks but soon realised that they were Starlings and a snatched flight shot showed that they were in fact Red-billed Starlings; another very scarce winter vagrant. Dave had only seen one in Japan before. We lost the flock in the houses and set about walking around the small lanes and alleys trying to find them and within a ten minutes we all reconvened to watch them on the telephone wires. There were 22 Red-bills and two White-cheeked all lined up nicely for us. The former were quite small and the males had lovely creamy white heads set off by smoky grey underparts and of course red bills and legs too.

Red-billed Starlings

Red-billed Starlings and a White-cheeked Starling

Red-billed Starlings - Jim Willett

Red-billed Starlings and two White-cheeked Starlings

Red-billed Starlings - Elaine Chuang

After watching them for a while they headed off on another circuit of the village so we circled back around to the creek beyond the deep pool where a Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail and Little Egret all fed unconcerned by our presence. Tree Sparrows chirped and two male Masked Buntings briefly grovelled on the path.

Green Sandpiper and Grey Wagtail

Eurasian Teal - male - Jim Willett

Eurasian Teal - female - Jim Willett

Little Egret

The mixed Spoonbills from yesterday were now on the mud and amongst the Black-faced was a colour-ringed bird which has been submitted. I shall post when we have more details.

Black-faced Spoonbill - Jim Willett

Black-faced Spoonbill

Black-faced Spoonbills

Eurasian Spoonbill - Jim Willett

The track took us back down the other side of the pool where the Crake was heard but not seen and huge ridge backed Carp occasionally broke the surface while a male Bull-headed Shrike was in the park where some lads were playing football.

Dave had missed the Common Starlings the day before and was hoping to catch up and thankfully as we left the village three flew up in front of our van and perched up long enough him to happily get onto them! A three Starling day.

Common Starling - Jim Willett

From here we made our way past the visitors centre (passing two Sandhill Cranes on the way!) and out onto the track alongside the non-canalised river in the search of reed dwellers and as the sun set we were treated to several rattling Ruddy-breasted Crakes (of which only one briefly popped out) and even better a Brown-cheeked Rail that to all intents and purpose was a Water Rail. This one sat still long enough to get the scopes onto.

Sandhill Cranes

Eastern Buzzard

Brown-cheeked Rail - Chris Darby

A Chinese Bamboo Partridge sung again from up the forested slope and behind us the Cranes started to drift back towards the roosting fields.

We scanned for the Siberian White but could not find him but it was a lovely way to end our time at Arasaki with the sound of the Hoodeds and White-napes rippling across the fields.