Osaka Nankou Bird Sanctuary 4-30-2012

9:15 - 13:00,  overcast, about 19 degrees C

Birds seen with 2 other members of Beginners' Birdwatching group:

In tide pools and mudflats:

Whimbrel  7

Gray-tailed Tattler  5

Common Greenshank  1

Little Ringed Plover  1,  bathing, and then preening

Little Grebe  3,  fishing

Great Cormorant  3, drying feathers, then preening, and finally fishing

Spot-billed Duck  more than 12 male/female pairs

Little Egret  2, basking

Gray Heron  1, basking

Barn Swallows, more than 3, catching insects above the reeds

In nearby woods:
Rufous Turtle Dove,  more than 4 (plus one clear hybrid between a feral
                               pigeon and a Rufous Turtle Dove (mixed with a flock  
                               of feral pigeons.

Japanese White-eye, more than 5

Barn Swallow,  more than 4

Brown-eared Bulbul, more than 10

Oriental Greenfinch  1 (occupying top spot of tallest pine tree (or cedar tree) on an observation hill in the woods

Carrion Crow:  1 flying, and making a gurgling call (presumably to a mate sitting on eggs in a tall, old pine tree in the woods).






 

Lake Yogo, Shiga Prefecture 4-26-2012

Lake Yogo, Shiga Prefecture  4-26-2012

About 12:00 noon, Mostly sunny, About 20 degrees C

Seen together with one other experienced birdwatcher

At the south end of the lake (in front of the hotel there), coots, various ducks, Grey Herons, Little Egrets (perhaps staying rather near the hotel to get food from people... but I'm not sure that's the reason).

Above the lake, solitary Black Kites flying low over the lake east-to-west every 10 minutes or so, with one seen dipping unsuccessfully into lake (trying to get a fish (?)), and one seen successfully carrying prey back to the cedar trees on the west side of the lake.

Near the middle of the lake, a small flotilla of Gadwall (1 mature female in front, 1 mature male always right behind her, and another mature female a few centimeters or tens of centimeters behind the male), all steadily facing and slowly proceeding north. Very surprised to see 2 mature females with 1 mature male in this breeding season. What kind of social group was this? A family (2 parents and 1 mature daughter)? That seems unlikely.... Or, one male and his little harem? Yes, I think that seems more likely, but surprising, as it is usually lone males who troll along behind a mated pair... interesting.... Any ideas out there about what kind of social group this was?

Kyoto University Botanical Garden 4- 23-2012

Kyoto University Botanical Garden 4- 23-2012


8:30-9:00  Light rain at first, but rain stopped around 8:50 am
                 around 15 degrees C

Went with  Beginners' Birdwatching group (2 members)

BIRDS SEEN:

(While light rain was falling):

Japanese White-eye  (estimated 6),  twittering in camellia trees, and seen moving in groups of about 3

Barn Swallow  2,  flying fast over treetops

Carrion Crow  1, (tail seen protruding from nest; did not fly away when observed (does this perhaps mean that this crow was sitting on eggs now?))

After rain stopped:

Bush Warbler  1 male, singing various songs

Japanese White-eye  1 (heard singing)

Narcissus Flycatcher (?: Identified by song only (and definitely seen and heard here previous week))

Barn Swallow  2, flying above tops of tall cherry trees, catching insects

Brown-eared Bulbul  more than 1, heard calling

Rufous Turtle-Dove  1, heard cooing

Also after rain stopped:  Various insects heard singing in grass and trees

Kyoto University Botanical Garden 4- 19-2012

Kyoto University Botanical Garden  4- 19-2012

11:00 -  11:30 am,  Sunny, about 17 degrees C

Birds Seen:

Japanese White-eye:  about 10, in flocks

Great Tit: 2, preening on tree branches in strong sunlight

Varied Tit: 1 male, seen and heard singing

Japanese Grosbeak:  2 (heard singing)

Carrion Crow:  1 sitting in nest, and 1 cawing in tall, leafless tree nearby.
                      The crow sitting in the nest flew out of the nest after I        
                       looked up at it for 5 -10 seconds. We must be careful not
                       to disturb these nesting crows by watching them too
                       intently or too often

Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station 4-10-2012

Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station 4-10-2012

8:30 - 9:00 am,  About 10 degrees C, Slightly windy, Sunny

Went with Beginners' Birdwatching Group (4 members)

Birds Seen:

Gray Heron:  1 flying; 2 basking

Japanese Wagtail:  2 in aerial display

Black Kite:  5 soaring

Carrion Crow:  2 flying fast toward the west high overhead

                       and about 25 gathered on roofs and antennae of tall          
                       buildings near the river

Mallard:  2 male/female pairs
              3 lone males

Green-winged Teal:  1 male/female pair
                               1 lone male

Tufted Duck:  1 male

Great Cormorant:  2

Little Grebe:  1

Great Egret:  1

Little Egret:  2

Barn Swallow: 10 (?) (Flying very fast just above the river and river bank,
                      it's hard to be sure, but I think I see their red throats and
                      long outer tail feathers

House Martin:  2 (?  Flying so fast catching insects just above the river's
                        surface that I can't be sure of the species)

Japanese Reed Bunting: 1 male/female pair (probably transient migrants),            

                        flitting among the reeds, then coming back to rest at the 
                        same spot on the reeds, repeatedly. The male had a 
                        completely all-black, hood-like head, and therefore these 
                        were Japanese Reed Buntings, not Reed Buntings 

                     

Dusky Thrush:  1

Gray Starling:  2

Great Tit:  1  (heard singing)

Tree Sparrow:  5

Kyoto University Botanical Garden 4-09-2012

Kyoto University Botanical Garden  4-09-2012

Sunny,  about 6 degrees C,  Slightly windy, 8:30 am - 9:00 am

With Beginners' Birdwatching group (6 members)

Birds seen:

Little Egret:  1 (it was scratching the bottom of the pond with its feet to stir up food, and and caught and ate something)

Tits: more than 2 heard singing (2 different songs; perhaps Varied Tit and Long-tailed Tit, but not sure of the species)

Japanese White-eye: heard twittering in a group in camellia trees, but not seen)

Brown-eared Bulbul: more than 7, calling and feeding in a tall, blossoming  cherry tree

Japanese Grosbeak: 2 singing

Rufous Turtle Dove: 2 heard cooing

Japanese Bush Warbler: 1 heard singing, and later scolding

Tree Sparrow: many chattering in grassy weeds

Carrion Crow: 1 sitting in a nest in a tall, leafy tree (could see only its tail sticking out of the nest, and  1 cawing in tree nearby (perhaps a nesting pair?); also, 3 flying west high overhead

Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station 4-03-2012

 Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station  4-03-2012




Just starting to rain,  about 6 degrees C,  8:30 am - 9:00 am

Birds seen:


Great Cormorant:  2

Mallard:  8  (4 male/female pairs)

Spot-billed Duck: 2 (a male/female pair)

Little Egret:  2 (both had long plumes drooping from their nape)

House Martin (I think they are House Martins, but am not sure; maybe instead they are Tree Swallows but are flying so fast I can't see their reddish throats or their long, forked tail feathers):  more than 10, flying around fast and low over rapidly flowing water in rocky riverbed

White Wagtail:  2

Japanese Wagtail:  2

heard 1 Great Tit singing

Japanese White-eye:  5 (in a group in willow trees)

Gray Starling:  5

Crow:  6 scattered in distant trees (Jungle Crow?  Carrion Crow?  not sure how to tell the difference from such a distance

Kyoto University Botanical Garden 4-02-2012

Kyoto University Botanical Garden 4-02-2012




Mostly cloudy, about 7 degrees C, 8:20 - 9:00 am


Birds seen by birdwatching group (2 members):

Varied Tit: 1 singing and eating insects in leafless tree

Japanese White Eye:  a flock of 3 or 4 drinking nectar from camellia flowers

Brown-eared Bulbul:  2

Japanese Grosbeak ( Eophona personata)　（Ikaru): 　in a flock of 3 or 4, some were singing sweetly

Pale Thrush  (Turdus pallidus)　（Shirohara:）１male

Jungle Crow: at least 3

song of Japanese Bush Warbler

Dusky Thrush:  sitting on the high branch of a tall leafless tree, looking like it was doing meditation