(c) Harry J Lehto This document may be copied for personal use only. ==================================================== BIRDTRIP REPORT TO JAPAN (c) Harry Lehto Dates 15.8-28.8.1997, during 18.8-22.8 at a meeting. Participants: Harry LEHTO Accompanied by: Neil Fergusson (all day on 15-17.8) Hiroshi IKENAGA,Shuuji TANAKA,Shuusaku KATAYAMA,Haruhiko ASUKA (17.8) Taichi KATO (Kurama on 19.8) Atsushi MATSUI (Yatsu on 22.8) Akihisho SHIRAISHI and Yoshiharu SHIINA (ferry trip on 23.8/24.8) ITINERARY (Times indicate time in local time) 15.8 Arrival to Narita International Airport 9.10. Chiba-ken, Choshi to Inubo Misaki 13.20-16.00, Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 17.00-18.30 16.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba, Doho Park 09.00-11.00, Tsukuba city 11.00-15.00, Tsukuba Mountain NW slopes 15.50-18.30 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 09.00-10.30 and East of Ukishima 10.30-13.00, Tonegawa river (Island North of Sasagawa) 14.00-14.20, Tonegawa river mouth (North of Choshi),site known as Hazaki 15.00-16.00 Chiba-ken, Tonegawa river mouth and Choshi area 16.15-17.15 18.8-22.9 at meeting at Kyoto. 19.8 Kyoto-fu, Kyoto, Palace Garden 07.10-08.10 19.8 Kyoto-fu, Kyoto, Kurama Shrine 11.15-12.40 22.8 Kyoto-Tokyo, Bullet train Shinkansen 13.31-16.45 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata Reserve 18.00-19.00 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro Ferry 7.00-12.30, 14.00-18.30 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro Ferry 6.30-08.00 24.8 Hokkaido, Kushiro 08.30- Akkeshi Harbor 09.30-11.50 - Point Kirritappu 13.15-14.30 - Bay West of Kirritappu 14.30-15.15 - SW Corner of Kirritappu peninsula - Kirritappu Harbor - 16.00 to Ochiishi peninsula at 18.20. 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 05.30-13.30 - Ochiishi harbor 13.30-15.00 - Hanasakiko Harbor 15.45-16.35 - Nemuro - 16.55 - Furen-ko area 17.20-18.30 26.8 Hokkaido, Western shore of Furen-ko 05.00-05.45, Hashirikotan 05.45-12.30, Notsuke Hanto 13.00-14.15, Tofutsu-ko 16.30-18.30 27.8 Hokkaido, Forest near Kawayu 5.30-10.30, Kussharo-ko 11.45-12.15, Nukabira-ko 16.00-17.00, Shikaribetsu-ko 17.30-18.30 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 05.45-13.30, Shikotsu-ko 16.30-17.30 Departure from Sapporo airport at 19.30 29.8 Tokyo, Narita, departure at 11.00 WEATHER: Hot in Kyoto, Rather pleasant in Hokkaido, in between in Tokyo Temp wind clouds visibility 15.8 20->22C 4m/s 7/8Ac->8/8St >20km very light showers 16.8 16->24C 4m/s 7/8Ac->8/8St >20km one very light shower 17.8 22->26C 6m/s 5/8Cu->7/8Ac >20km 18-22.8 max 33C-37C calm 2/8Cu->6/8Cb 5-10km, haze no rain. Typical Kyoto weather. Hot (29C) by 8AM already. 23.8 24->17C 4-6m/s SE-W 0-1/8AC,Ci 5-10km, >30km after noon, swell 0.5m, waves 0.2m. Temperature started to drop at 17.00 24.8 12C->15C 8-10m/s NW->SE 8/8St >15km-> 5-10km, light showers in morning: swell 1.0m, waves 0.3m 25.8 11C->20C 0-4m/s E 7/8St->4/8Cu >20km 26.8 16C->26C 0-4m/s SE 7/8Cu->0/8 >20km 27.8 15C->25C 0-4m/s 8/8St->2/8Ac 2-5km-> >30km improved at 10AM 28.8 18C->27C calm 8/8St->1/8Cu 2-5km-> >20km improved at 10AM SUMMARY AND LOCATIONS VISITED: 15.8. I arrived at Narita Airport, some 50km East of Tokyo. My friend Neil picked me up at the airport, and we drove to Choshi, a city at a tip of a peninsula about 120km directly east of Tokyo. We birded pretty much the whole peninsula (Site 15 in Brazil's guide "A Birdwatcher's guide to Japan"). There were some decent shorebird ponds about about 1-2km south of the Tonegawa river mouth on the Pacific coast yielding, for example, a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, a Red-necked Stint and Mongolian Plovers. We left the area at 16.00 to head Northwest along the Tonegawa river birding some rice field roads, and river beds and finished well after sunset at Site 14 in Brazil's guide. These areas were productive for Japanese Reed Bunting and Japanese Marsh Warbler. We arrived at Neil's home in Tsukuba (120km NNE of Tokyo) late in the evening after checking several stores for the CD bird book "The songs and calls of 333 Birds in Japan". 16.8. We had a slow start, because of my long flight and Neil's exhausting work. We arrived at Doho-park in Tsukuba at 9.00, and walked around the area for a couple of hours. Several species during my trip were seen only here: Bamboo Partridge, Azure-winged Magpie and Green Pheasant. I was also introduced to Uguisu, the Japanese Bush Warbler, a bird apparently known also by many Japanese kids. Around noon and in the early afternoon we continued our search for the CD bird book, and finally found the passerine section (part II) from a small book store. We spent the late afternoon at Mount Tsukuba, some 30km NNE of Tsukuba. We heard lots of birds, which we never identified. Peking Robin (or Red-billed Leiothrix) and Long-tailed Tits were seen here, but the search for Varied Tits, Flycatchers and Thrushes was fruitless. 17.8. We met with Ikenaga-san and his group at 7.30. We headed Southeast of Tsukuba towards lake Kasumigaura. First west of Shin-Tonegawa and Ukishima (site 13) and then East of it. We drove criss-crossing on the rice-field roads. Every now and then we came across a field that had not been planted. These turned out to be excellent sites for shorebirds. An example of one pond: Oriental Turtle dove 2, Grey Starling 8, Grey Tattler 6, Pacific Golden Plover 28, Grey Heron 1, Spot-billed Duck 5, Bank Swallow 20, Oriental Green Finch 1. Other sites included birds such as Painted Snipe (2), Oriental Pratincole (dipped one stake-out, but found another bird), Ringed Plover (1). At Ukishima, where we had two endemics, Japanese Reed Bunting and Japanese Marsh Warbler. Before lunch we checked one heronry, where we got wonderful views of a juvenile Great-faced Buzzard-Eagle. After the most enjoyable lunch we headed for Tonegawa (site 14 in Brazil's site guide) and soon after that we continued to the mouth of the river. This time on the North side (Ibaraki-ken). Close to the river mouth there is a monument (a ship made of stone). We climbed up to the ship to view the river mouth. We got distant, but clear views of Little Terns, and two White-Winged Black terns amongst them, as well as of the only (Vega) Herring Gull of the trip. Later we drove a couple hundred meters North to the pacific coast. A nice bit of shore and a small pond produced the first Great Knot as well as some Mongolian Plovers and Red-necked Stints. The last site we visited this day was the same area of ponds close to Choshi we had visited on the 15th. A Redshank was quite an unexpected sighting. Neil dropped me off at Choshi train at about 17.40. The train was running 10 minutes late. After a train change at Ueno I arrived at Tokyo central station, to learn that the last Shinkansen to Kyoto will be leaving in a couple of minutes. I arrived to Kyoto at about 23.45 and booked in the hotel after midnight. 18.8-22.8 In Kyoto, I attended the meeting of the International Astronomical Union. On the morning of the second day (19.8) I had a short walk at the Palace Garden. Starlings, Crows, Bulbuls, Sparrows and Doves (all of the local varieties) were present in the Southern end of the park. Later I learned from Kato-san that a Brown Hawk-owl could be possibly found at the Northeastern corner of the park. During lunch on the 19th I went out to the Kurama Shrine (about 20 km North of the Kyoto train station) with Kato-san who happens to have the same hobby and professional interests as myself. This ended up being my only visit to a shrine during this trip. We had Japanese White-eyes here and heard a couple of Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers as well as a couple of Coal Tits. During the remainder of my stay in Kyoto my birding was limited to the 3 minute walk between my hotel and the sub and between the sub and the Kyoto International Conference Hall at the Northern edge of the city. The most interesting birds up there were a Japanese Wagtail on territory, captive Mute Swans and a raptor, which I could not fit with anything else except a Hodgson's Hawk-Eagle. I found the non-passerine part of the CD bird book set from the MARUZEN book store in Kyoto. The logo of the store is a red capital M, and it is located on Kawarimachi-dori between Sijo-dori and Oike-dori on the East side of the street. The entrance to the store is easiest to spot from the logo. The book was at the third floor. A second large book store in Kyoto, where I found the Hokkaido map is located on Sijo-dori between Karasuma-dori and Kawamachi-dori on the North side of the street. This store was temporarily out of the CD bird book though. A third good book store for bird books is located on Kawarimachi-dori a couple of meters North of Maruzen, on the other side of the street. The name of this store is SHIN-SHIN-DO. 22.8. At 13.41 I boarded the Shinkansen bullet train bound for Tokyo. Some birds were identifiable from the high speed train, among them were the only Grey-headed Lapwings of the trip. On arrival to Tokyo Central Station, my next move was to go to the Keisei line in order to get to the Yatsu-higata reserve (site 5). The 500 meter walk and a few sets of stairs was torturous with my heavy suitcase (must have been 30kg - with some food for the upcoming ferry trip). Well, I got to the train. During the ride to the Minami-funabashi station I saw my only Great Cormorants. Matsui-san met me kindly at the train station. From here we took a taxi to the reserve. The Yatsu-higata reserve is really a nature educational center. The bird reserve itself appears rather small, but it is a real gem! If you go to Tokyo, I highly recommend you visiting Yatsu. We had two Eastern Curlews, and an Eurasian Curlew among loads of more common shorebirds. Despite of the darkness falling we had also some close breath taking views of Terek's Sandpipers and a partially albino Grey Tattler through the optically excellent quality windows of the reserve building. After enjoying a light dinner with miso-soup, I headed to the ferry. (First Keisei line to Chiba, and then bus to Ferry-futo). I boarded the Blue Zephyr ferry at 23.00. A pleasant lady crew member assisted me in finding my bunk. The ferry undocked at 23.30. I fell asleep at 24.00. 23.8. I got up at 6.45. I went out at deck, one level higher than the entrance to the ferry and at the rear end of the ferry. The ferry is steady enough for a telescope to be useful for bird identification. The ships are relatively high, which means that you can see birds from a long distance, but photography is not very feasible. The sea was full of Streaked Shearwaters when I got to the deck. The first (unidentified) Albatross appeared at 9.50. Both Black-footed and Laysan Albatross were seen in good numbers between 9.50 and 10.30 (34 birds), then between 14.30 and 15.00 (10 birds) and again from 16.45 to 17.00 (9 birds). Streaked Shearwaters were seen almost all the time, but with higher concentrations from 7.00 to 8.00 (500), 14.00 to 15.00 (400) and 16.45 to 17.00 (2700). In general, the ocean suddenly became full of birds at about 16.45, with a good variety of species seen till dark: South Polar Skua, 3 species of Storm-petrels, 3 species of Shearwaters, only 2(!) Black-tailed Gulls, Phalaropes and Common Terns. We had also two species of Dolphins, Sunfish, Green Sea Turtle, and what appeared to be Pilot Whales. 24.8. I was out at the deck at 6.00 -- should have been there at 5.00, but I was too tired for that. The wind had picked up. It was also 13 C colder than the day before and overcast. The ocean was full of Albatrosses and dark Shearwaters. A couple schools of dolphins came close to the ship. The only alcids I saw on the ferry trip were close views of a juvenile Tufted Puffin and two Rhinocerous Auklets. Also the Pomarine Skua (4 birds) was a new species for the trip. The last of the 220 Laysan Albtarosses of the day were seen at 6.45. The numbers of other birds decreased markedly at 7.00. We entered the Kushiro (43d00'N 144d21'E) harbor at 7.10. At 8.30 I hit the gas pedal of the rental car. I headed for the wrong direction for 5 minutes and for the last time on this trip. My first bird stop was the harbor of Akkeshi (43d03'N 144d51'E). Slaty-backed Gulls, Black-tailed Gulls and Japanese Cormorants were to be found in good numbers. After studying the Gulls for while, I headed for Point Kirritappu (43d05'N 145d11'E). The extreme point (the separate islet -- site 34) was closed though. No Tufted Puffin here, but Pelagic and Japanese Cormorants were common. It was drizzling. A bay (43d05'N 145d09'E) just west of the light house had several hundred Slaty-backed and Black-tailed Gulls. I went to get closer views, but after an hour I quit after somebody started shooting nearby. I drove on some minor roads and ended up in the SW corner of Kirritappu peninsula (43d05'N 145d08'E) to enjoy more Cormorants, Gulls, Harlequin Ducks and a Black-faced Bunting. Weather was dull, but slowly improving. I decided to continue East on the coastal road (first on Rte 123 and then Rte 142). There is a series of small rivers and lakes along the shore line. I had several stops. The ones having most birds were Poroto (43d09'N 145d09'E) (Japanese Crane 2 birds, and several Grey Herons), Okito (43d09'N 145d15'E) (Mergansers, Bank and Barn Swallows, Greater Scaup) and Kanesato. The road turned off the shore and entered the forest. I stopped at Onnebetsu bridge (43d12.5'N 145d30E) and had a Siskin, a Coal Tit, a Goldcrest and an unidentified Thrush singing. A large headless salmon was in a creek and a good bunch of some of most blood thirsty mosquitoes I've ever seen. At sunset, I continued driving towards Ochiishi peninsula (site 35, 43d10'N 145d31'E) and went to check the parking areas for the next morning. Last, but not the least I wanted to get something to eat. I drove to downtown Nemuro (43d20'N 145d35'E), a city with trilingual street signs! I got some food and drove back towards Ochiishi and stopped at a large lit-up parking area about 2km North of the Ochiishi turnoff. 25.8. After several hours of rather pleasant sleep in the car, I woke up at 4.45. It was getting light. With a small water boiler I made some real coffee and felt really good. I drove to Ochiishi. I had decided to walk to the light house and then East along the peninsula to make a loop. The beginning of the walk was in grassland, with some scattered bush. Middendorff's warblers were still singing this late in the season. Several Reed-buntings and maura-race of Stonechats were nicely visible. On approach to the Sahalin Spruce forest I had my first Bluetail and two Long-tailed Rosefinches. The 1km walk in the Sahalin Spruce forest yielded various Tits (but no Varieds), an Arctic Warbler, Siskins, Goldcrest and several Nuthatches, and two singing Bluetails. The walk was beautiful. It is amazing to see "garden flowers" growing free in the undergrowth. At the end of the board walk, you are almost at the lighthouse, to which I walked straight. Several Oriental Greenfinches were flying in the dwarf bamboo "grassland". Suddenly on the fence of the light house, there it was, my first Siberian Rubythroat, tail cocked like that of a Rufous Bush-Robin or Wren, and with shiny white undertail-coverts. It was a female. Soon I found also a male some 15 meters North of the light house. During the next half an hour I found a second pair, obviously feeding young somewhere close by. I then watched the ocean for a while, a few hundred Shearwaters far away, but couldn't find a single Albatross. Cormorants, a couple of Harlequins and Black-throated or Pacific Loons were also present. I left the light house to look for the trail heading east. I tried four different trails. They were all dead ends. The fifth trail I tried was a tractor road. It looked fine until it reached a point with heavy barbed wire and several signs saying something in Japanese. I turned around, and walked back to the car. After having lunch in the car I drove close to Megane Iwa in the Northeast corner of Ochiishi (site 35) peninsula. After watching there seaweed harvesting and a close by Harlequin, I decided by recommendation from a Japanese bird photographer (using AF canon 600f4 lens) to walk along the cliff edge towards the light house from this end of the peninsula. It seemed OK. I only saw a small no driving sign in Japanese, and I ended up walking some 2km. I had both cormorants, several Harlequins, Spectacled Guillemots, silent Middendorff's, and loads of Gulls. The habitat was dwarf bamboo in drier places and sedge in wetter areas. Back at my car I saw the only Peregrine of my trip followed soon by the the first White-tailed Eagle. At 1.30PM I headed for the Ochiishi harbor to check all the gulls and after that I went to Hanasakiko harbor (43d17'N 145d20'E) to do the same thing. I was getting frustrated in not being able to find any other gulls except Slaty-backs and Black-tails. At 4.35PM I drove to Nemuro, to get something to eat, and then to check the rather empty harbor. I decided to take the road west. Some 200m before the coastal street joins Rte 44 just west of Nemuro at about 43d19'N 145d33.5'E I had close views of a summer plumaged Loon, which looked to me as like a Black-throated Loon and not a Pacific loon. I continued further west to the Furen-ko East entrance (site 33, 43d12'N 145d28.5'E). Right at the entrance I had two nice birds, a Glaucous-winged Gull and an Oystercatcher as well as a flock of some 40 Grey Herons. The Furen-ko reserve looked picturesque and have I had more time I'm sure I would had taken a morning walk there. Because of my limited time, I went for the stake-out Blakiston's Fish-Owl (43d07'N 145d21'E). I got out of the car at 18.10, and there was a male hooting and a female responding, and apparently two young birds calling from the Fish-Owl reserve. After about 15 minutes' wait the male flew silently across the river at a distance of about 100m from me. From there on it was easy to separate which call was the male and which one the female. At 18.30 I hopped in the car, and turned on a minor track for a U-turn flushing an Eurasian Woodcock from the road. I drove West on Rte 44 and then North on Rte 243 to the intersection of Highways 243 and 244, and pulled off to the parking area (43d18.5'N 145d13'E), tallied the day and started sleeping. 26.8. I woke up at 04.45, prepared some coffee and started driving North along Rte 244. During the first 15 km I pulled over several times. During the first stop (43d20.5'N 143d13'E) I dropped my 20 year old Kowa telescope -- it pretty much survived. I also found some good birds for my trip list along Rte 244: An eclipse male Garganey, a Grey-headed Woodpecker and Eastern Crowned Warblers. Also a couple of Japanese Cranes were calling. Sika Deer with their puppy-like barking sounds and several Long-tailed Rose-finches were also around, as well as Coal Tits -- all over the place, and a singing Short-tailed Bush Warbler, quite unexpected. At 5.45 I arrived at the base of Hashirikotan peninsula (site 33), at the Northwest end of Furen-ko. The peninsula looks like a sand bar. It turned out to be a decent site for photography. I shot a couple of rolls on obliging Red-necked Stints, Common Terns of race longipennis and Grey-tailed Tattlers. There were loads of Black Kites flying around. I also got a couple of close views of White-tailed Eagles. I saw also my first flocks of Pacific Swifts here. The beach was also nice for finding 12cm size "Shell" sea shells. I left Hashirikotan at 12.30. I stopped to check some raptors right in the middle of the village of Hakuchodai (at the base of the peninsula) and found an Eastern Marsh Harrier amongst a flock of Black Kites. Driving my windows open I picked up from the North end of the same village a House Sparrow like call amongst the Tree Sparrow calls. This turned out to be a flock of six Russet Sparrows. The females were the ones easier to identify! En route I stopped also for a Buzzard, and a flock of Red-cheecked Starlings. I also got my first views of a Green Pigeon, and saw several flocks of Pacific Swift. I arrived at Notsuke Hanto (site 32 43d36'N 145d10' to 20'E) at 13.00. To my surprise the whole Northeastern edge was covered by wave breakers, so it turned out to be a much worse site for photography than Hashirikotan, at least if sandy beach is hoped for the background in the photographs. There were loads of tourists, but it still looked like an excellent site for shorebirds, but it was not exactly the kind of an area that I was looking for in my limited time. I decided to hit the Eastern North Coast, and I started driving on Rte 244 towards Tofutsu-ko (site 37). I stopped in a parking are at 43d44'N 144d55E for a short walk in the mountains. Just a couple of Japanese Bush Warblers and some mushrooms (Leccinum, Russula). The mountains were beautiful. A second stop produced a Jay, but no Varied Tits. After and hour and a half's drive I arrived at 16.00 to Lake Tofutsu-ko (43d56'N 144d23'E). The light was bad. In the Northeasternmost corner I saw a Little Grebe. A kilometer further west along Rte 244, there is a combined horse stable and a bird observing tower. It is hopelessly far away from the ducks, but provided nice views of the area and of a female Eastern Marsh Harrier and two White-tailed Eagles. The horse stable attracts Wagtails, among them were a flock of seven Yellow Wagtail of the race taiwana, which dropped from the sky to my feet. Sun was getting lower, and now I was trying my chances to find a Falcated Teal. Quick drive to the West end of the lake for better light. The light was good there, so were the mosquitos, which were not high in number but very fierce in quality. Here I had several duck species: Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, but no Falcated Teal. Two white-tailed eagles landed just in front of me, may be at distance of 70 meters. There were also lots of shorebirds close enough for identification with a scope: Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Dunlin, Red-Necked Stint, and 5 juvenile Great Knots. Not too bad! At sunset I found myself in the Southwestern corner of the lake with pretty much the same stuff as above plus flocks of Wood Sandpipers coming in. After sunset I made a quick dash to the shore - to find only one small flock of Gulls on a 8 km stretch of coastline, and no Herring Gulls. I decided to give up Gulling and headed for the mountains and the Kawayu area (43d37.5'N 144d27'E). I stopped a few times driving the road up the mountain to listen for owls. I found only starry skies and a couple of foxes. Suddenly, I hit the clouds. I smelled something burning, but it went away. I got to Kawayu and checked the start of the trail, which I was going to take the next morning. I found it rather easily. From Kawayu driving South on Rte 52 it is on the right side some 20 meters after the "17km" sign. 200 meters south of this there is a small parking area, where I pulled over. I felt again that same funny smell, but after my one-man tally I fell asleep and didn't care about it. 27.8. I got up at 5.15, and realized that I was in a high plateau area, and the stuff I still smelled was sulphur. I was less than a km from the sulphur vents of Izu-san. I drank my ritualistic morning coffee and hit the trail (site 38). I had a Siberian Meadow Bunting almost immediately. The trail starts as a nice wide trail, but soon almost disappears into a dwarf bamboo ticket, only to re-emerge as a good "tractor" trail a couple hundred meters later. There were some birds around: Coal Tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Nuthatches. And several beautifully singing birds, which turned out to be Bullfinches. It took me a while to realize that the resonant song of the Bullfinch was not some kind of a thrush. The trail then turned right. Just as I was sure I had missed the turn mentioned in Brazil's guidebook, I got to a gate and a trail intersection just after it. Some 100 meters down the trail, as it veered to the left I heard from my right (North side) a call of a Black Woodpecker. As I imitated the bird, the bird approached me calling all the time, but never came into view. I also hear my first Varied Tit singing, unfortunately I realized what it was only a little bit too late. The area seemed good for mushrooms too (see list below). A flock of Jays was moving around. There were absolutely no signs of summer birds, such as Flycatchers, Thrushes or Leaf-warblers. Relatively speaking the forest was rather quiet. On my way back I heard a Varied Tit again, and this time I got to see two birds from a distance of only 3 meters (10 feet). I was pleased. I got to the car at 10.30 and had a lunch break while watching Pacific Swifts. Next I drove to Izu-San sulphur vents. The charge for the car park is 400 Yen, quite expensive, but worth it. The crystallized sulphur is really cool looking stuff. There is also a huge souvenir shop. I drove back to Kawayu to check the lake Kussharo-ko (43d37N 144d20E), just in case it had some Needle-tailed Swifts. I saw none. I stopped at several spots on Rte 52 along the Eastern shore of the lake. I finally turned East to Rte 243 and left the lake towards the Daisetsuzan area. I arrived at Nukabira (43d22'N 143d12E) at 16.30. The scenery on Rte 273 was great. I should have spent here a full day. This short a visit produced a couple of new birds: Asian House Martins on the lake, and a Japanese Sparrow Hawk flying over the road. Back at home I realized that the lake shown in Brazil's site 41 map of Daisetsuzan is not Nukabira-ko, but rather a smaller lake (43d39'N 143d03E) some 30km North of Nukabira-ko, and that Rte 39 North of this minor lake is not shown in the guide. Well, I doubt if I would had enough time for that venture in any case. I stopped a couple of times at Shikaribetsu-ko (Site 42, 43d17'N 143d07'E). I had a flock of Nuthatch, Tits, Brown Creepers and Goldcrests. At the Southern end of the lake I got a glimpse of a large bird flying over the road. Based on the size it was either a Sea-eagle or a (Fish?) Owl. It was getting dark. The road was busy, full of curves, and SLOW to drive. I drove a hundred miles, and stopped at 10 PM near Lake Utonai-ko (site 44, 42d42'N 141d42.5E) close to the Ferry terminal city of Tomakomai. 28.8. I was tired, and I got up late at 5.30. I prepared my morning coffee and drove slowly to the reserve area. I parked at the last parking place of the reserve. From there on, I walked to the right (Southwest). The trail to the left was flooded and unaccessible. A short walk to the reserve center would have yielded several Gray's Grasshopper Warblers. The walk to the right was good and productive crossing several habitats. The lake shore produced to my surprise a female Mandarin Duck (almost stepped on it), a vocal Little Grebe, a couple of Kingfishers. There were also some Yellow-breasted Buntings and Grey-faced Buntings in the bushes. After 200 meters the trail entered a small reedbed, with Reed Buntings and Black-Browed Warblers singing. The trail then went into a coastal wooded habitat, with several Great Tits, Marsh Tits, Nuthatches, and Black-faced Buntings and finally my first views of a Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, as one landed in the tree right in front of me. At the end, the trail enters a park close to the Southwestern corner of the lake. This turned out to be very productive, Brown Flycatchers, Olive-backed Tree Pipits, both Starling species, Hawfinches, and Whooper Swans that were apparently been taken care. Also an unidentified Cuckoo flew by and I found also one Pale-legged Willow Warbler. The lake shore is also open here. After spotting a Great Egret, I went on to check the Mallards. I ran across a dark, smaller, round-headed, and dark-billed Duck, which after a while flew some 200m. The bird was to my surprise a Falcated Teal. I did not expect to see one here! On the way back to the car I saw also a Brown Thrush, the first identified Thrush during this trip! After a short visit to the visitor's center, and an enjoyable discussion with the local staff, I wandered along the "Yellow-breasted Bunting"-trial as far North as I was able to. 2 Yellow-breasted Buntings, an alarming Grays Grasshopper Warbler, and three Siberian Rubythroats made me quite pleased. The time was now 1.30PM. I rearranged all my luggage, had lunch and got prepared for my last birding destination. Lake Shikotsu-ko (site 44, 42d45'N 141d20E) turned out to have nice scenery, but absolutely no birds. The road on the Eastern shore was closed. Northern shore is non-existent, and there are very few parking areas on the busy Southern shore. I returned my rental car at 18.00. The plane left from Chitose-Sapporo Airport (42d40'N 141d40'E) at 19.45 and arrived at Tokyo Haneda at 21.00. There I learned that the last shuttle had just left for Narita Airport. Using incorrect information received from the service desk. I took a mono rail to Hamamatsucho, where I changed to JR train taking me to Nippori (which was the wrong thing to do, because express trains do not stop at this station). At Nippori I changed to the Keisei line, bound for Narita town. There I took a taxi to the Narita Airport Rest House. The passport was checked on entry to the airport area. 29.8. I woke up at 8.15 and left Japan at 11.00. THANK YOU: -To the Nature reserve staff at Yatsu-higata and Utonai-ko. -To all people who helped me find birds, particularly Neil FERGUSSON. -To Kari HAATAJA, Fer-Jan de VRIES, Atsushi MATSUI, Taichi KATO, Masatoshi KOITA, Lars HYLANDER for providing me with valuable up-to-date local information before and during my trip. -To Fer-Jan, Kari, Neil, Kato-san and Ikenaga-san for reading through the trip report and giving suggestions for improvements. -To former trip report writers: Urs GEISER, Richard EDEN, Garry GEORGE, Haynes MILLER, Alan WILKINSON, Pertti ZETTERBERG. -To Morten GUENTER, Lars LARSSON, Jon BRYANT in helping out in some IDs. -To all who I forgot and should have mentioned. LITERATURE: BASIC GUIDE: "A field guide to the Birds of Japan, Wild Bird Society of Japan." is a reasonable guide. Contains some errors and some imperfections (eg. phylloscopi are not well drawn), but in general an OK guide. COMPLEMENTARY FIELD GUIDEs: There is an abundance of field guides in Japanese. I ended up selecting a small and light weight field guide from the series Yama-Kei Field Books ISBN 4-635-06004-6 price about 2500Yen. It is all Japanese, but contains superb photographs of about 315 species, and usually 2 or 3 of each in very useful combinations (usually a male and female, or winter and summer, or ad and juvenile). AUDIO FIELD GUIDES or CDs and tapes: The guide on the top in this series is the "CD Books, The Songs and Calls of 333 Birds in Japan". It consists of the set for non-passerines (CDs 1-3 and book) (ISBN 4-09-480071-9) and a set for passerines (CDs 4-6 and book) (ISBN 4-09-480072-7). The books are all Japanese. The description of each species in the books contain the track number, as well as the Latin, English names -- very useful! It takes a total of about 2 hours to self-index all CDs (unless you can understand the Japanese index). In addition, a sonogram, sonograph and a photograph of for each species is included in the description as well as a huge load of text in Japanese. Price is about 9000 Yen/volume, expensive, but worth it. This set can be very difficult to find. You may want somebody to reserve you a set before you arrive to Japan. Although birds were very silent this time of the year, the CD set turned out to be very useful. If you prefer tapes, I found two sets: Voice of Hokkaido, Wild Birds 1-5, each about 1500 Yen, and containing about 20-30 species and not in systematic order. It apparently refers to some book. The only number I could find is the Tel&Fax 011-7868030 with no English text what so ever except for the name. The second tape is song and calls of 99 species with no numbers or English text. TWO further IMPORTANT BOOKS needs to be mentioned: Both are by Mark Brazil: "A birdwatcher's guide to Japan" ISBN 0-87011-849-8 or 4-7700-1349-3 2300 Yen and Birds of Japan ISBN 0-7136-8006-7. The birdwatcher's guide is 10 years old, and starting to get slightly out of date, but still very useful in the field. The Japanese birders appeared to have better site guides, but they were written completely in Japanese. The "Birds of Japan" is a handbook, and worth reading before the trip, but may be too heavy for carrying around. SELECTED REPORTS FROM JAPAN BY M BRAZIL that I found useful: Brazil, M., "Birding in Southern Japan", Birding, 25, 224-234 (1993) Brazil, M., "Birding year in Hokkaido", Birding, 18, 91-97 (1986) Brazil, M., "Birding in Japan", Dutch Birding, 16(2), 45-53 (1994) Brazil, M., "Seabirding in Japan", Dutch Birding, 15(4), 160-166 (1993) AND BY OTHERS eg. at two www sites: http://www.xnet.com/~ugeiser/Birds/TripReports/TripReports.html http://www.etl.go.jp/etl/etlclu/~ferjan/birds.html CAR RENTAL: My travel agent was unable to find a car rental agency from Kushiro, but the Japan National Tourist Office web page (see below) and subsequent email correspondence was of great help. Also the Kushiro Tourism Association was of great help. I rented a car by fax from Nippon rent-a-car Kushiro office and dropped it to the Chitose office near Sapporo Chitose airport. A pickup from Kushiro harbor and a drop off service to the airport were included. Unlimited mileage is difficult to obtain for Hokkaido. My deal was 220 free km/first day and 100 "free" km/day thereafter. Extra km per 20 Yen. I drove 1700km, and payed 71000 Yen for the fun including drop-off charge. Roads were of good condition, except for some main east-west highways, that were quite worn by heavy truck traffic. It was not clear to me what the general speed limit was. (I was told later it is 60km/h.) East of Kushiro I ended up driving at about 70km/h a little slower than the general flow. In the mountains the average speed was around 40km/h-50km/h. You should use 40km/h as an average speed when you calculate driving times. This seems to be valid elsewhere also in Japan on local and highways excluding the expensive toll roads. Gasoline price was about 107 Yen/liter. An International Driver's license is required. MAPS: On recommendation from Fer-Jan de Vries, Neil Fergusson and Brazil's guide, I obtained a Mapple map of Hokkaido (1500 Yen) mostly 1:200 000, but 1:100 000 around Sapporo. Map grids are given at intervals of 4'N in latitude and 5'E in longitude, and reading the geographical coordinates is easy. Some of the major towns are shown in Roman letters, which are much more common in street signs. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: In Hokkaido many of the bird sites are rather far away from train stations, and services are sparse, so trains are only a second alternative in Hokkaido in getting to the bird sites at early hour. I have no information about bus services. In Honshu, especially in crowded areas, the easiest and most affordable way to get around are the trains, subways and buses. The system runs generally spot on schedule. You can almost check you watch on the arrival of a train. You may need some help in figuring out how to get a ticket (some places have counters and some have ticket vending machines). Once you have figured out the system, it is fast and convenient. The ticket is checked twice. On entry to the train/sub platform and on departure from the platform at you arrival station. So make sure to hold to your ticket. This is the case for all trains and subways. The name of the train or subway station as well as the preceding and following stations are usually shown rather well in Roman letters at every station. The next station is also announced by loudspeakers. For long distances, I recommend the bullet trains (eg. Shinkansen), which are operated by Japan Rail (JR). If you plan to use JR a lot during your stay, get a one or two week pass at your home country. It will pay itself back soon. If you take an internal FLIGHT make sure to hold to the luggage label. It will be checked when you pick up your luggage. Weight limit on internal flights is nominally 15kg, but my 23 kg (international) luggage was accepted with no questions. Flight from Sapporo to Tokyo (Haneda) was about 23000 Yen. Also on the FERRY from Tokyo to Kushiro your boarding passes are checked on entry to the ship AND upon arrival. My travel agent was unable to reserve me a place on the ferries, so I ended up calling the office in Tokyo, and obtaining a reservation number that way. The ferry ticket was about 14400 yen. I recommend this ferry trip highly. OTHER TIPS: Three aspects in Japan were of great pleasure to me. First the kindness of people. If you need help, you'll usually find somebody who will at least try to help you. Second, Japan is CLEAN. No trash anywhere (well, I found a few spots in Hokkaido with a couple of beer cans and some other minor trash). In Kyoto at least you can be fined 30 000 Yen is caught trashing. Third, Japanese honesty appears to be unsurpassable by any other nation in the world. For example the "cabins" in the Kushiro ferry have some 48 bunks or tamamis to sleep on, i.e. there are no cabins at least in second class in the sense you might expect in European Ferries. Well, at least I felt pretty safe in leaving some of my valuables just on the bunk for the day. LANGUAGE: Japanese. Quite a few people speak English, and many more understand it, but don't dare to speak it. The language has 4 main different alphabet systems. Western-like text is found eg. in train station names, airports and road signs in Hokkaido. Finding good maps with western characters is difficult though. CURRENCY: I counted on having enough cash with me. Credit cards are apparently not as widely used as in the western world (not accepted for tickets, for example). Credit card was accepted at the car rental agency and at the hotel. FRONTIER AND AIRPORT FORMALITIES: For some nationalities visas are required. On leaving the country through Narita airport an airport tax of 2040 Yen needs to be paid. ACCOMMODATION: I had a hotel reserved for the time I was at the IAU meeting. Before that I stayed at a private home, and in Hokkaido I slept in the car. The last night I stayed near Narita airport at The Rest house hotel at an "reasonable" price of 9500 Yen. SOME USEFUL ADDRESSES: Tokyo-Kushiro Ferry (KINKAI YUSEN LINES) Tel +3-5400-6080(English spoken) Tokyo-Tomakomai Ferry (BLUE HIGH WAY LINES) Tel +3-3578-1127 Japan National Tourist Office http://www.jnto.go.jp/index.html email:jnto@jnto.go.jp Kushiro Tourism Association Tel +81-154-31-1993 Fax +81-154-31-1994 Nippon Rent-a-car reservation Tel +3-3485-7916 (English speaking desk) Fax +3-3468-1219 (English speaking desk) Narita Airport Rest House Tel +476-32-1212 Fax +476-32-1919 Wild Bird Society of Japan Birdshop (Tokyo) Tel +3-5701-6400 Fax +3-5701-8479 Wild Bird Society of Japan Birdshop (Osaka) Tel +6-766-2307 Fax +6-766-2308 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES ON SPECIES ================= I have adopted a non-conventional notation in Japanese names. oo denotes a long o letter and uu a long u (p) denotes that the species is identifiable from photographs. 1. BLACK-THROATED LOON Gavia arctica [Oohamu] 25.8 Hokkaido, 1 bird Northwest of Nemuro. Quite close views. -- PACIFIC/BLACK-THROATED LOON Gavia pacifica/arctica [Shiroeri/Oohamu] 25.8 Hokkaido, 6 birds of the cliffs at the light house of Ochiishi. These birds seemed to be Black-throated Divers as well. 2. LITTLE GREBE Tachybaptus ruficollis [Kaitsuburi] 27.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 1 breeding plumage 18.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 calling 3. BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS Diomedea nigripes [Kuroashi-ahoodori] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 41 + 2 unidentified albatrosses. 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 20 4. LAYSAN ALBATROSS (p) Diomedea immutabilis [Ko-ahoodori] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 14 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 220! 5. NORTHERN FULMAR Fulmarus glacialis [Furuma-kamome] 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 1 6. STREAKED SHEARWATER (p) Calonectris leucomelas [Oo-mizunagidori] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 100 17.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 100, seen by Neil, but not myself. 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 4550 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, None 7. FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER (p) Puffinus carneiceps [Akaashi-mizunagidori] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 2 8. SOOTY SHEARWATER Puffinus griseus [Haiiro-mizunagidori] 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 2 9. SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER Puffinus tenuirostris [Hashiboso-mizunagidori] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 2 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 20 -- SOOTY/SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 2200 close to Hokkaido. Short-tails? 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula, 200. Possibly Short-tails? 10. LEACH'S STORM-PETREL Oceanodroma leucorhoa [Koshijiro-umitsubame] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 3 11. BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL Oceanodroma castro [Kuro-koshijiro-umitsubame] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 5 + 34 unidentified storm-petrels, mostly white-rumped, and based on flight behavior likely to be this species rather than Leach's. 12. TRISTRAM'S STORM-PETREL Oceanodroma tristrami [Oosuton-umitsubame] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 4 13. GREAT CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo [Kawa-u] 22.8 Tokyo area, 6 seen from the local train 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 8 14. JAPANESE CORMORANT (p) Phalacrocorax filamentosus [Umi-u] 24.8 Hokkaido, daily sum 220, mainly at Kirritappu peninsula area. 25.8 Hokkaido, daily sum 125, mainly Ochiishi area (wave breaker!) 15. PELAGIC CORMORANT (p) Phalacrocorax pelagicus [Hime-u] 24.8 Hokkaido, daily sum 10, mainly at Kirritappu peninsula area. 25.8 Hokkaido, daily sum 60, mainly Ochiishi area. -- Small BITTERN sp Ixobrychus sp [Yoshi-goi/Oo-Yoshi-goi] 15.8 Bird calling a few times after sunset at Tonegawa river on the Island North of Sasagawa. 16. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON (p) Nycticorax nycticorax [Goi-sagi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Tonegawa River 2, Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 2 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 3, and East of Ukishima 60 22.8 Shinkansen train 1ad, Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 1ad 17. CATTLE EGRET Bubulcus ibis [Ama-sagi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Tonegawa River 4 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 8, and East of Ukishima 5, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 10 18. LITTLE EGRET (p) Egretta garzetta [Ko-sagi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 2, Tonegawa River 2 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 4, and East of Ukishima 3, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 3 18.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 4 22.8 Shinkansen train 40 unidentified small white egrets Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 7 19. INTERMEDIATE EGRET (p) Egretta intermedius [Chuu-sagi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 2, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 2 --. EGRET ROOKERY Not included in the above is a egretry of at least 150 birds including all small white egret species. 20. GREAT EGRET (p) Egretta alba [Dai-sagi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1, Tonegawa River 1 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 1, and East of Ukishima 1 18.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 1 22.8 Shinkansen train 3, Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 3 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 21. GREY HERON (p) Ardea cinerea [Ao-sagi] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 14 19.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 2, Kyoto Palace Garden 1 22.8 Shinkansen train 5, Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 20 24.8 Hokkaido, Okito 12, elsewhere 3 25.8 Hokkaido, Furen-ko 40 birds in a single flock. 26.8 Hokkaido, total 340, including a flock of 250 at the base of Hashirikotan 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 8 22. MUTE SWAN Cygnus olor [Kobu-hakuchoo] 18-22.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 6 captive birds (wings cut) 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 23 -- (WHOOPER SWAN Cygnus cygnus [Oo-hakuchoo]) 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 8 birds. These were injured birds that were taken care of at the lake. 23. MANDARIN DUCK Aix galericulata [Oshidori] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 female. Unexpected bird. I almost stepped on the poor bird. It was able to fly fine though. 24. FALCATED TEAL Anas falcata [Yoshi-gamo] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 female. I did not expect this one either at Utonai-ko although I had searched for it unsuccessfully at Tofutsu-ko. 25. GADWALL Anas strepera [Okayoshi-gamo] 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 2 or possibly 4 birds. 26. COMMON TEAL Anas crecca [Ko-gamo] 24.8 Hokkaido, Poroto 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 45 27. MALLARD Anas platyrhynchos [Ma-gamo] 24.8 Hokkaido, Poroto 18, Okito 4, Kanesato 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 180 27.8 Hokkaido, Kussharo-ko 2 large unidentified Anas ducks 26.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 80 28. SPOT-BILLED DUCK Anas poecilorhyncha [Karu-gamo] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 5, and East of Ukishima 8, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 2 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 20 I may have overlooked this species in the Mallard flocks in Hokkaido. 29. PINTAIL Anas acuta [Onaga-gamo] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 3 female plumaged birds 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 2 female plumaged birds 30. GARGANEY Anas querquedula [Shimaaji] 25.8 Hokkaido, Furen-ko area, near km141 on Rte 244, 1 eclipse plumaged male. 31. NORTHERN SHOVELER Anas clypeata [Hashibiro-gamo] 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 6 32. GREAT SCAUP Aythya marila [Suzu-gamo] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 3 female-plumaged birds 24.8 Hokkaido, Okito 1male 3females, Kirritappu harbor 1 male 33. HARLEQUIN (p) Histrionicus histrionicus [Shinori-gamo] 24.8 Hokkaido, Kirritappu peninsula SW corner 7+7 birds 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 1+2+3 birds 34. COMMON MERGANSER Mergus merganser [Kawa-aisa] 24.8 Hokkaido, Okito, 5 females 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km18(or km118?), 22 female-type plumaged birds. 35. BLACK KITE (p) Milvus migrans [Tobi] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Lake Kasumigaura, Ukishima 1 19.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 1 24.8 Hokkaido 1 25.8 Hokkaido 1 26.8 Hokkaido 140 27.8 Hokkaido 6 28.8 Hokkaido 15 36. WHITE-TAILED EAGLE (p) Haliaeetus albicilla [Ojiro-Washi] 24.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi, 1 adult and 1 subad. 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan, 2 ad and 1 subad, Tofutsu-ko , East end 1 ad and 1 juv, Tofutsu-ko , West end 3 juv-subad birds 27.8 Hokkaido, Shikaibetsu-ko 1 large raptor, of possibly this species at dawn. 37. EASTERN MARSH HARRIER Circus spilonotus [Chuuhi] 26.8 Hokkaido, Hakuchodai, 1 male circling high above, and Tofutsu-ko 1 female. 38. JAPANESE SPARROWHAWK Accipiter gularis [Tsumi] 24.8 Hokkaido, Near Nukabira-ko 1 male 39. NORTHERN SPARROWHAWK Accipiter nisus [Hai-taka] 24.8 Hokkaido, Onnebetsu bridge, 1 female 40. GREY-FACED BUZZARD(-EAGLE) (p) Butastur indicus [Sashiba] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Lake Kasumigaura, Ukishima 1 possibly of this species, and East of Ukishima 1 (1cy) bird. 41. BUZZARD (p) Buteo buteo [Nosuri] 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km122.6, 1 bird circling high above. 42. HODGSON'S HAWK-EAGLE Spizaetus nipalensis [Kuma-taka] 22.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall a raptor of about the size of a Buzzard of a conspicuous shape: Shortish wings, long tail, small head and a very strongly bulging inner wing. The bird was flying only some 50-100 meters above me. 43. EURASIAN KESTREL Falco tinnunculus [Choogenboo] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 1 hovering by the road. 44. PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus [Hayabusa] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula, 1 flying SE -- HAZEL GROUSE Bonasa bonasia [Ezo-raichoo] 27.8 Hokkaido, Forest near Kawayu. I hear twice a sound that I would have identified at home as Hazel grouse taking off. I didn't see these birds though. 45. BAMBOO PARTRIDGE Bambusicola thoracica [Kojukei] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park, 1 bird seen and 2 heard 46. GREEN PHEASANT Phasianus versicolor [Kiji] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park, 1 male bird seen skulking in grass undergrowth. 47. JAPANESE CRANE (p) Grus japonensis [Tanchoo] 24.8 Hokkaido, Poroto, 2 birds by the road 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km141 and Hashirikotan, heard two birds at both sites. 48. PAINTED SNIPE Rostratula benghalensis [Tama-shigi] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima, 1 male and 1 female in open rice field. 49. COMMON OYSTERCATCHER Haematopus ostralegus [Miyakodori] 25.8 Hokkaido, Furen-ko 1 bird near the Parking area at the entrance to the reserve. 50. BLACK-WINGED STILT Himantopus himantopus [Seitaka-shigi] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve , 16. 51. ORIENTAL PRATINCOLE (p) Glareola orientalis [Tsubame-chidori] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 1 bird, also in flight. 52. RINGER PLOVER Charadrius hiaticula [Hajiro-ko-chidori] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 1 bird heard at the same location as the Pratincole. 53. LITTLE RINGED PLOVER Charadrius dubius [Ko-chidori] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 5 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 8, and East of Ukishima 4a37, Tonegawa river mouth 2, Chiba-ken, Choshi area 20 54. MONGOLIAN PLOVER (p) Charadrius mongolus [Medai-chidori] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 2 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 1, Tonegawa river mouth 2 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 9 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 22 26.8 Hokkaido, Notsuke-Hanto 4 and Tofutsu-ko 8 55. PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER (p) Pluvialis fulva [Munaguro] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 31 birds in 2 flocks, and East of Ukishima 39 birds in 2 flocks 56. GREY PLOVER Pluvialis squatarola [Daizen] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 70 25.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan and Notsuke-hanto, total of 50 birds 57. GREY-HEADED LAPWING Vanellus cinereus [Keri] 22.8 Shinkansen train 6 near Nagoya 58. GREAT KNOT (p) Calidris tenuirostris [Oba-shigi] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river mouth, 1ad 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 5 59. RED-NECKED STINT (p) Calidris ruficollis [Toonen] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 2 Tonegawa river mouth 4 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 4 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 1 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 30, Notsuke-hanto 20 +300 unidentified, Tofutsu-ko 50 60. SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER Calidris acuminata [Uzura-shigi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 61. DUNLIN Calidris alpina [Hama-shigi] 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 12 62. LATHAM'S SNIPE Gallinago hardwickii [Ooji-Shigi] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 2-3 birds 63. EURASIAN WOODCOCK Scolopax rusticola [Yama-shigi] 25.8 Hokkaido, Near Furen-ko on a minor road. 64. BAR-TAILED GODWIT Limosa lapponica [Oo-sorihashi-shigi] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 60 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 57 65. WHIMBREL Numenius phaeopus [Chuushaku-shigi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 4 17.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 4 66. EURASIAN CURLEW Numenius arquata [Daishaku-shigi] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 1 67. FAR EASTERN CURLEW Numenius madagascariensis [Hooroku-shigi] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 2 68. COMMON REDSHANK (p) Tringa totanus [Akaashi-shigi] 17.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 4 69. GREENSHANK Tringa nebularia [Aoashi-shigi] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 13 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 3, Tofutsu-ko 20 28.8 Hokkaido Utonai-ko voice 70. GREEN SANDPIPER Tringa ochropus [Kusa-shigi] 28.8 Hokkaido Utonai-ko voice 71. WOOD SANDPIPER Tringa glareola [Takabu-shigi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 17.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 24.8 Hokkaido, Kanesato 1 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 12, Tofutsu-ko 40 72. TEREK SANDPIPER Xenus cinereus [Sorihashi-shigi] 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 14 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 9 73. COMMON SANDPIPER Tringa hypoleuca [Iso-shigi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 3, and East of Ukishima 2 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 1 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 2 74. GREY-TAILED TATTLER (p) Heteroscelus brevipes [Kiashi-shigi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 7 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 6, and East of Ukishima 1, Chiba-ken, Choshi area 2 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 230 25.8 Hokkaido, 1 bird West of Nemuro 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 20, Notsuke-hanto 135, Tofutsu-ko 30 75. RUDDY TURNSTONE (p) Arenaria interpres [Kyoojo-shigi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 7 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 4, Chiba-ken, Choshi area 6 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 30 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan etc total 10 birds 76. NORTHERN PHALAROPE Phalaropus lobatus [Akaeri-hireashi-shigi] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 133, seen all day 77. POMARINE SKUA Stercorarius pomarinus [Toozokukamome] 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 4 between 06.45 and 07.00 78. SOUTH POLAR SKUA Stercorarius maccormicki [Oo-toozokukamome] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 1 at 16.20 79. COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL Larus ridibundus [Yuri-kamome] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Lake Kasumigaura, Ukishima 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 20 80. BAND-TAILED GULL (p) Larus crassirostris [Umineko] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 150 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river mouth + Chiba-ken, Choshi area 250 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 200 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro 2 only! 24.8 Hokkaido, total 500 25.8 Hokkaido, total 500 26.8 Hokkaido, total 150 81. (VEGA) HERRING GULL Larus argentatus (vegae) [Seguro-kamome] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river mouth 1 adult 82. SLATY-BACKED GULL (p) Larus schistisagus [Oo-seguro-kamome] 17.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 10 24.8 Hokkaido, total 2210 25.8 Hokkaido, total 3650 26.8 Hokkaido, total 500 27.8 and 28.8 None 83. GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL (p) Larus glaucescens [Washi-kamome] 25.8 Hokkaido, Furen-ko 1 ad at entrance to park 26.8 Hokkaido, 1 Hashirikotan 1ad and a possible hybrid ad GWGull x ? flying along the road (Rte 244) near Odaito 84. COMMON TERN Sterna hirundo [Ajisashi] 23.8 Tokyo-Kushiro 62 (47 of these between 16.00 and 16.45) 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 92 near the tip of the peninsula. 85. LITTLE TERN Sterna albifrons [Ko-ajisashi] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river mouth 50 86. WHITE-WINGED TERN Chlidonias leucopterus [Hajiro-kurohara-ajisashi] 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river mouth 2 (1st cy) 87. SPECTACLED GUILLEMOT Cepphus carbo [Keimafuri] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi 2 adults by the light house. 88. RHINOCEROUS AUCKLET Cerorhinca monocerata [Utou] 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 2 89. TUFTED PUFFIN Lunda cirrhata [Etopirika] 24.8 Tokyo-Kushiro, 1 juvenile 90. ROCK DOVE Columba livia [Dobato] 15.8 Daily sum 25 16.8 Daily sum 20 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 10, Chiba-ken, Choshi 90 19.8 Kyoto, Garden Palace 50 22.8 Shinkansen train, 90 24.8 Hokkaido 1 25.8 Hokkaido 34 26.8 Hokkaido 3 27.8 Hokkaido 12 91. RUFOUS TURTLE DOVE (p) Streptopelia orientalis [Kiji-bato] 15.8 Daily sum 23, usually singles or pairs. 16.8 Daily sum 21 17.8 Daily sum 17 19.8 Kyoto, Garden Palace 2, Kyoto International Conference Hall 2 22.8 Shinkansen train, 5, Tokyo 3 24.8 Hokkaido 2 26.8 Hokkaido 11 27.8 Hokkaido 14 28.8 Hokkaido 10 92. JAPANESE GREEN PIGEON Treron sieboldii [Ao-bato] 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km120 1 bird over the road 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 2 in beautifully in full sunlight. 93. CUCKOO SP Cuculus sp [Kakkoo/Tsutsudori/Hototogisu] 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km134, 1 27.8 Hokkaido, near Nukabira-ko 1 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 red phase + 1 sound. 94. BLAKISTON'S FISH OWL Ketupa blakistoni [Shima-fukuro] 25.8 Hokkaido, East of Nemuro. Saw one male. In addition I heard a female and two young ones. All birds were calling at 18.15. 95. PACIFIC SWIFT (p) Apus pacificus [Amatsubame] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi 2 birds 26.8 Hokkaido, total 110, several flocks on the coast North of Hashirikotan 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu/Izu-San area 25 96. COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis [Kawasemi] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Tonegawa river 1 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 3 97. GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER Picus canus [Yama-gera] 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km 140, 1 actively calling bird 98. BLACK WOODPECKER Dryocopus martius [Kuma-gera] 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area, 1 actively calling bird on the Southern slope of Ponponyama. 99. GREAT-SPOTTED WOODPECKER (p) Dendrocopos major [Aka-gera] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 1 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km134 1 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area 2 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 2 100. JAPANESE PYGMY WOODPECKER (p) Dendrocopos kizuki [Ko-gera] 16.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba Mountain, 2 birds calling 19.8 Kurama, 2 birds calling 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 bird seen very close by 101. SKYLARK Alauda arvensis [Hibari] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 6, Tonegawa River 6 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, East of Ukishima 1 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 2 24.8 Hokkaido, Kushiro 1 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 2 I noticed on some birds had rufous/reddish lesser wing coverts. I don't know how to separate A a japonica from other races of arvensis (or gulgula), but apparently A a japonica is the only one to breed on the main islands of Japan. 102. BANK SWALLOW Riparia riparia [Shoodoo-tsubame] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 20 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 56, and East of Ukishima 20 22.8 Chiba-ken, Yatsu-higata reserve 10 24.8 Hokkaido, Okito 10 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 about km80, 200 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 4 103. BARN SWALLOW Hirundo rustica [Tsubame] 15.8 Daily sum 30 16.8 Daily sum 10 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 20, and East of Ukishima 2 18.8-22.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 10 24.8 Hokkaido, Okito 4 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 8 apparently migrating birds. 104. ASIAN HOUSE MARTIN Delichon dasypus [Iwa-tsubame] Only up in the mountains. 27.8 Hokkaido, Nukabira-ko 350 To separate from Del urb, check greyer underside, darker underwing coverts, shallower fork in tail, smaller rump patch, and less glossy plumage. 105. OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT Anthus hodgsoni [Binzui] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 2 106. YELLOW WAGTAIL Motacilla flava [Tsumenaga-sekirei] 26.8 Hokkaido, Tofutsu-ko 7 birds of race taiwana 107. GREY WAGTAIL Motacilla cinerea [Ki-sekirei] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 1 voice. 108. BLACK-BACKED WAGTAIL (p) Motacilla lugens [Haku-sekirei] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 9, Tonegawa River 3 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 1, and East of Ukishima 1 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 4 24.8 Hokkaido, Kirritappu peninsula 2 25.8 Hokkaido 26 26.8 Hokkaido 25 27.8 Hokkaido 3 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 5 109. JAPANESE WAGTAIL (p) Motacilla grandis [Seguro-sekirei] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 2 22.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 1 24.8 Hokkaido, Kirritappu peninsula 1 110. BROWN-EARED BULBUL Hypsipetes amaurotis [Hiyodori] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park 30, Tsukuba city 10, Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba Mountain 8 19.8 Kurama 1 18.8-22.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall 6, Kyoto 4 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 111. SIBERIAN RUBYTHROAT (p) Lusicinia calliope [No-goma] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 2 pairs near the lighthouse 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 (1cy m) and 3 singing. 112. RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL Tarsiger cyanurus [Ruri-bitaki] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 1 silent and 2 singing birds. 113. STONECHAT (p) Saxicola torquata [No-bitaki] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 12 26.8 Hokkaido, Coastal areas 10 27.8 Hokkaido, 4 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 2 114. BROWN THRUSH Turdus chrysolaus [Akahara] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1female-type, and one unidentified Turdus thrush 115. SHORT-TAILED BUSH-WARBLER Cettia squameiceps [Yabusame] 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km134, 1 singing 116. JAPANESE BUSH WARBLER Cettia diophne [Uguisu] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park 1, Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba Mountain 2 24.8 Hokkaido, total 3 25.8 Hokkaido, total 5 26.8 Hokkaido, total 6 28.8 Hokkaido, total 3 117. FAN-TAILED WARBLER Cisticola juncidis [Sekka] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Choshi area 6, Tonegawa River 8 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 9, and East of Ukishima 1, Chiba-ken, Choshi area 3 118. MIDDENDORFF'S WARBLER (p) Locustella ochotensis [Shima-sennyuu] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi 7, silent after 8AM. 119. GRAY'S GRASSHOPPER WARBLER Locuetella fasciolata [Ezo-sennyuu] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 2 birds warning calls. 120. JAPANESE MARSH WARBLER Megalurus pryeri [Oo-sekka] 15.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river, Island N of Sasagawa 1 heard singing 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Lake Kasumigaura, Ukishima 2 seen singing 121. BLACK-BROWED WARBLER (p) Acrocephalus bistriceps [Ko-yoshikiri] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 10 122. EASTERN CROWNED WARBLER Phylloscopus cornatus [Sendai-mushikui] 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km134 8 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 and 2 phylloscopi of unidentified species, possibly this one. 123. PALE-LEGGED WARBLER Phylloscopus tenellipes [Ezo-mushikui] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 1 124. ARCTIC WARBLER Phylloscopus borealis [Meboso-mushikui] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi, 1 125. GOLDCREST Regulus regulus [Kikuitadaki] 24.8 Hokkaido, Onnebetsu bridge 1 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 6 27.8 Hokkaido, 10 126. BROWN FLYCATCHER (p) Muscicapa dauurica [Ko-same-bitaki] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 5 127. LONG-TAILED TIT Aegithalos caudatus [Enaga] 16.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba Mountain 5 27.8 Hokkaido, Flock, calls. 128. MARSH TIT Parus palustris [Hashibuto-gara] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi, 1 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km134, 3 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 15 129. WILLOW TIT Parus montanus [Ko-gara] 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area 8 130. VARIED TIT Parus varius [Yama-gara] 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area 2+ 3 calls 131. COAL TIT (p) Parus ater [Hi-gara] 19.8 Kyoto, Kurama 1 24.8 Hokkaido, 1 25.8 Hokkaido, 28 26.8 Hokkaido, 20 27.8 Hokkaido, 60 132. GREAT TIT Parus major [Shijuu-gara] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park 2, Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba Mountain 3 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area 2 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 25 133. EURASIAN NUTHATCH Sitta europaea [Gojuu-gara] 24.8 Hokkaido, 1 25.8 Hokkaido, 2 26.8 Hokkaido, 2 27.8 Hokkaido, 6 28.8 Hokkaido, 4 134. BROWN TREECREEPER Certhia familiaris [Kibashiri] 27.8 Hokkaido, Shikaribetsu-ko 2 calling 135. JAPANESE WHITE-EYE Zosterops japonica [Mejiro] 19.8 Kyoto, Kurama 2 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 5 136. EURASIAN JAY Garrulus glandarius brandtii [Miyama-kakesu] 27.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 about km70, 1 28.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area 20 137. AZURE-WINGED MAGPIE Cyanopica cyana [Onaga] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park 7 138. CARRION CROW (p) Corvus corone [Hashiboso-garasu] Daily sums 15-17.8: 15/15/2 19.8 Kyoto, Palace Garden, 25 Kyoto International Conference Hall, daily: 2+ 6 unidentified 22.8 Kyoto-Tokyo, Shinkansen 10 corvids 24.8 Hokkaido 12 25.8 Hokkaido 30 26.8 Hokkaido 25 27.8 Hokkaido 25 28.8 Hokkaido 5 139. JUNGLE CROW (p) Corvus macrorhynchos [Hashibuto-garasu] Daily sums 15-17.8: 12/4/1 19.8 Kyoto, Palace Garden, 6 Kyoto International Conference Hall, daily: 2 24.8 Hokkaido 17 25.8 Hokkaido 150 26.8 Hokkaido 76 27.8 Hokkaido 25 28.8 Hokkaido - 140. RED-CHEECKED STARLING (p) Sturnus philipensis [Ko-mukudori] 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km (1)18 40birds 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 30 141. GREY STARLING (p) Sturnus cineraceus [Mukudori] Daily sums 15-17.8: 50/6/75 in small flocks. 19.8 Kyoto, Palace Garden, 80 20.8 Kyoto, Main street (Karasumo dori) between stations Oike and Shijo, dozens rooting. 22.8 Kyoto International Conference Hall, 20 25.8 Hokkaido, Nemuro 1 26.8 Hokkaido, Mountains on Rte 244 3 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 150+22 unidentified 142. RUSSET SPARROW Passer rutilans [Nyuunai-suzume] 26.8 Hokkaido, Hakuchodai 6 143. EURASIAN TREE SPARROW Passer montanus [Suzume] Daily sums 15-17.8: 80/30/16 in small flocks. 19.8 Kyoto, Palace Garden 15 daily Kyoto International Conference Hall 15 24.8 Hokkaido 8 25.8 Hokkaido 30 26.8 Hokkaido 4 27.8 Hokkaido None 28.8 Hokkaido 20 144. ORIENTAL GREEN FINCH (p) Carduelis sinica [Kawara-hiwa] -- wing bars almost like as in Eurasian Goldfinch! 17.8 Tsukuba 1, Ibaraki-ken, vicinity of Lake Kasumigaura, West of Ukishima 1 24.8 Hokkaido 4 25.8 Hokkaido 20 26.8 Hokkaido 8 27.8 Hokkaido 2 28.8 Hokkaido 4 145. EURASIAN SISKIN Carduelis spinus [Ma-hiwa] 24.8 Hokkaido, Onnebetsu bridge 1 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 1 146. LONG-TAILED ROSEFINCH (p) Uragus sibiricus [Beni-mashiko] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 total of 14, mostly in pairs/families in coastal scrub. 147. BULLFINCH Pyrrhula pyrrhula [Uso] 24.8 Hokkaido, Rte 123 1female 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area about 10 singing birds 148. HAWFINCH Coccothraustes coccothraustes [Shime] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 3 149. BLACK-FACED BUNTING Emberiza spodocephala [Aoji] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park 1male 24.8 Hokkaido, SW tip of Kirritappu peninsula 1 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 2 26.8 Hokkaido, Rte 244 km134 4 birds and elsewhere 2 birds 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 15+10 unidentified Emberizids. 150. MEADOW BUNTING Emberiza cioides [Hoojiro] 16.8 Tsukuba, Doho Park 1, Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba Mountain 1 possibly of this species 27.8 Hokkaido, Kawayu area 1 151. GREY-HEADED BUNTING Emberiza fucata [Hoaka] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 7 152. YELLOW-BREASTED BUNTING Emberiza aureola [Shima-aoji] 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 4 153. REED BUNTING Emberiza schoeniclus [Oo-jurin] 25.8 Hokkaido, Ochiishi peninsula 6 26.8 Hokkaido, Hashirikotan 5 28.8 Hokkaido, Utonai-ko 6 154. JAPANESE REED BUNTING (p) Emberiza yessoensis [Ko-jurin] 15.8 Chiba-ken, Tonegawa River 4, Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 2 singing 17.8 Ibaraki-ken, Lake Kasumigaura, Ukishima 4, Ibaraki-ken, Tonegawa river, Island North of Sasagawa 4 singing 155. RED-BILLED LEIOTHRIX (Peking Robin) Leiothrix lutea [Soushicho] 16.8 Ibaraki-ken, Tsukuba Mountain 6 ============================================================================== MAMMALS ---------- Pacific White-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchos obliquidens [Kama-Iruka] - one school of this species (23.8 at 15.17), and three unidentified school of possibly this species from ferry Dolphin sp - 4-10 individuals, an all brown species (23.8 at 15.10) Pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus [Kobire-Gondoo] - 12 small whales, which looked to me like pilots. Ferry 23.8 at 15.17 Red Fox Vulpes vulpes [Kita-Kitsune] - In Hokkaido daily sums: 1/-/5/6/- Cat sized, short tailed animal - in the Southeatsren Hokkaido on 24.8. Sika Deer Cervus nippon [Ezo-Shika] - barking sound - several in Eastern Hokkaido Weasel sp Martes sp [Ten] - overall reddish brown, about 50cm head to trail at Hokkaido Shikotsu-ko ============================================================================== MUSHROOMS in Hokkaido ---------- Laetiporus sulphureus Leccinum ( 3 species) Amanita virosa (also in Tsukuba) Amanita 2 ringless brown species Russula sp (several species, and also in Tsukuba) Cystoderma sp Collybia sp Macrolepitota sp (in Tsukuba) ============================================================================== FISH AND REPTILES ---------- Flying? fish -- ferry trip 23.8 e.g. at 14.00 Sunfish -- ferry trip 2 sunfish 23.8 about 14.20 Green Sea Turtle -- ferry trip 1 at 14.03 Salmon ============================================================================== Compiled by Harry Lehto Elotie 1 A 8 FI-20780 Kaarina FINLAND email: hlehto@astro.utu.fi