Kamo-gawa River at Demachiyanagi Station, 5-29-2012

Kamo-gawa River at Demachiyanagi Station, 5-29-2012

8:30 - 9:00, Mostly cloudy. About 20 degrees C

Birds seen:

Mallard  2 male/female pairs

Spot-billed Duck  3

Little Egret  2

Great Egret  2

Gray Heron  4

Little Ringed Plover  1 foraging

Common Sandpiper  1 foraging

Barn Swallow  around 25  (the young have fledged, and were flying frantically after their parents above the streets near their empty nests...)

Japanese Wagtail  3

Tree Sparrow  around 15  (many juveniles)

Carrion Crow  2  (one of which was foraging along the same rocky sandbar where Carrion Crows were foraging last week)

(All photographs were downloaded from the internet. My sincere thanks to the photographers.)

Jungle Crow  1

Kyoto University Botanical Garden, 5-28-2012

Kyoto University Botanical Garden, 5-28-2012

8:30 - 9:00, Sunny, about 21 degrees C

Went with 1 other member of BBG

Birds Seen:

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker  1

Brown-eared Bulbul  many

Japanese White-eye  (singing)

Great Tit 2  (singing and foraging)

Tree Sparrow  many

Carrion Crow 1 cawing  (and perhaps the underside of a juvenile's bill   protruding from its nest)

Jungle Crow 1 (?  perhaps; I'm not 100% sure)

Osaka Nankou Yatchoen Bird Sanctuary, 5-27-2012

Osaka Nankou Yatchoen Bird Sanctuary, 5-27-2012

9:30 - 11:30.  Mostly sunny, about 21 degrees C

Went with about 15 members of Wild Bird Society of Japan

Birds Seen:

Great Cormorant  7

Little Egret 1

Gray Heron  1

Spot-billed Duck  22

Osprey 1 (unmated male)

Gray-tailed Tattler  8

Little Tern  (heard but not seen)

Rufous Turtle Dove  2

Barn Swallow  2

White Wagtail  2

Brown-eared Bulbul  many

Fan-tailed Warbler  2 (heard but not seen)

Oriental Greenfinch  1 (heard but not seen)

Tree Sparrow many (including many juveniles)

Grey Starling  many (including many juveniles)

Jungle Crow  3

Kamo-gawa River at Demachiyanagi Station, 5-22-2012

Kamo-gawa River at Demachiyanagi Station, 5-22-2012

8:30 - 9:00, Mostly cloudy, About 19 degrees C

Went with one other member of BBG

Birds seen:

Great Cormorant  2 juveniles sunning themselves standing on rocks in the river

Gray Heron  1

Little Ringed Plover 1 male/female pair, calling and foraging together on rocky sandbar

Black Kite 1 soaring

Domestic Pigeon 1 flying

Barn Swallow  5 flying low above the river, catching insects. Also, chicks still in nests under eaves on nearby streets, and also some adults trying to build new nests under some other eaves

White Wagtail  1 foraging

Japanese Wagtail  3  foraging

Oriental Greenfinch  3 adults, and about 10 juveniles with the adults, feeding on seeds in riverside grasses, and foraging for insects (I guess) among small stones on the rocky sandbars

Adult Oriental Greenfinch:

Juvenile Oriental Greenfinch:

Tree Sparrow  3 foraging. Many, many others cheeping in nearby trees and bushes

Carrion Crow  1 adult and 1 juvenile, foraging (for what?) along the water's edge on rocky sandbar

Once the adult fed something to the juvenile.

One additional adult cawing in nearby willow tree.

(All photos were downloaded from the internet. My sincere thanks to the photographers)

Kyoto University Botanical Garden, 5-21-12

Kyoto University Botanical Garden,  5-21-12

8:30 - 9:00, Mostly sunny, About 19 degrees C

Went with 2 other members of BGG

Birds seen:

Great Tit  2 (both solitary, catching insects)

Brown-eared Bulbul  more than 6, calling (where and when do they breed??)

Tree Sparrow  6 (mostly on the ground; about half were adults searching for insects; the other half were juveniles following the adults, sometimes begging for (and receiving) food). Heard many, many more cheeping in trees and thickets (nest sites?).

Carrion Crow  1 juvenile, briefly peeking out from its nest near the entrance of the Botanical Garden

Jungle Crow  1 adult, cawing and descending to trees near us at the rear of the Botanical Garden (perhaps guarding a nest site).

Kamikochi in the Japan Alps

Kamikochi in the Japan Alps  5-20-2012

11:00 - 12:00, Sunny, About 15 degrees C

In woods with sparsely leaved trees along the Azusa-gawa River near Taisho-ike Pond:

Mallard, 2 male/female pairs (eating algae or river plants, or bathing and preening), and 2 lone females (preening)

Great Tit, many, singing from evergreen (pine?) trees

Bush Warbler, many, singing from brush among the pine trees

Crowned Willow Warbler, several, singing from highly visible perches on high deciduous tree branches

(I downloaded this image of a Crowned Willow Warbler from the internet. Many thanks to the photographer) All the Crowned Willow Warblers sang a song that sounded to me like: chiri-chiri-chiri-chiri--pi-pee.

Japanese Wagtail, 2 catching insects on sandbars in the river

Carrion Crow Chick in Nest, KU Botanical Garden, 5-18, 2012

Carrion Crow Chick in Nest, KU Botanical Garden, 5-18, 2012


9:30 am,  Partly cloudy,  About 20 degrees C

Saw the tail of an adult Carrion Crow and the head of a chick (gray feathers, red mouth) emerge from the nest high in the Ilex chinensis sims tree (Japanese name: Nanaminoki; can't find English name).

(This image was downloaded from the internet. Many thanks to the photographer.)


Also saw juvenile and adult Tree Sparrows foraging

Barn Swallow Chicks in Nests in Kyoto, May 16, 2012

Barn Swallow Chicks in Nests in Kyoto, May 16, 2012

5:00 pm  About 24 degrees C

In several Barn Swallow nests under the eaves of businesses around Demachiyanagi Station near the Kamogawa River, a few rather full-sized Barn Swallow chicks placidly gazing out of the nests, presumably waiting for their parents to bring them insects cuight near the river.

They looked like the chicks in this photo downloaded from the internet.

Juvenile Tree Sparrows in Kyoto University Botanical Garden, 5-16-2012

Juvenile Tree Sparrows in Kyoto University Botanical Garden, 5-16-2012

9:00 - 9:45 am, Mostly sunny, About 20 degrees C

Saw 3 juvenile Tree Sparrows on a footpath, alternately begging for food from a parent and looking for food themselves on the path and in the grass.


(All photos were dowloaded from the internet. Many thanks to the photographers.)

Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station, 5-15-2012

Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station, 5-15-2012

8:30-9:15 am,  Light, steady rain, about 19 degrees C

Went with 1 other member of BBG

Birds seen:

Mallard  2 males and 1 female, each solitary

Little Egret  3

Great Egret  1

Gray Heron  3

Little Ringed Plover  2,  calling peee-peee, and staying near each other while foraging on rocky sandbar

Black Kite  6 (1 soaring, and 5 hovering above the river, and then landing on the shore)

Barn Swallow  Around 15, flying low above river and catching insects

Japanese Wagtail  Around 12, flying low above river and catching insects, and sometimes chasing each other

Great Reed Warbler  1 or 2 (sounded like 2), heard calling from reeds

Tree Sparrow  Around 10 (heard chattering in bushes)

Carrion Crow  1 (eating some trash in the river)
 

All images were downloaded from the internet. My thanks to the photographers.  

Kyoto University Botanical Garden, 5-14-2012

Kyoto University Botanical Garden, 5-14-2012

8:30 - 9:00 am, Sunny, About 17 degrees C

Went with 3 other members of BBG

Birds seen:

Spot-billed Duck  1, in pond, resting and then preening

Japanese White Eye  several, twittering in camellia trees

Brown-eared Bulbul  Around 5, calling to each other

Bush Warbler  1 male, singing in garden and in trees at edge of pond

Tree Sparrow  Around 6, searching for insects among fallen leaf litter in the garden

Rufous Turtle Dove  1

Owl  1 (species unknown) hooting

Carrion Crow  2, leaving nest site in  Ilex chinensis sims (Japanese name: Nanaminoki; can't find English name). Also briefly heard soft grunting sounds coming from the nest (chick(s)?), and saw a bill (I think) very briefly protruding from the nest, and then withdrawn back into the nest

Also, many tiny purple flowers falling from extremely tall Choerospondias axillaris  ( the "Nepali hog plum"). It sounded like a light pattering of raindrops as the flowers hit the ground.

Bird Songs in Japan

Spring is the season when the air is filled with the songs and calls of common and rare birds in Japan.

Here is a link to a wonderful website called  "Bird Songs in Japan"

Bird Songs in Japan

Check it out, and fall in love with some wonderful sounds....

Then be amazed when you hear them around you....

Many thanks to the creator of that website!

Hattori Ryokuchi Koen 5-12-2012

Hattori Ryokuchi Koen   5-12-2012

Went with about 30 members of Wild Bird Society of Japan

Birds seen:

Little Grebe  2

Great Cormorant  11

Gray Heron  5

Mallard hybrid (with domestic duck?)  1 male

Spot-billed Duck  3 male/female pairs

Northern Shoveler  1 male

Little Tern  2

Moorhen  6

Rufous Turtle Dove  10

Common Kingfisher  1

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker  5

Barn Swallow  20

Brown-eared Bulbul  15

Gray-headed Thrush  1      

Crowned Willow Warbler  1

Artic Warbler  1 (heard)

Narcissus Flycatcher  3

Brown Flycatcher  3

Great Tit (mostly singing)  8

Gray Starling  8

Japanese White Eye  6  (mostly singing)

Oriental Greenfinch  6

Tree Sparrow  58

Carrion Crow  8

Jungle Crow  15

Feral Pigeon 80

Note:  All images were dowloaded from the internet. Many thanks to the photographers!

Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station 5-8-2012

Kamogawa River at Demachiyanagi Station  5-8-2012

8:30 - 9:00  mostly sunny,  about 18 degrees C

Spot-billed Duck  3 male/female pairs, floating on the river

Eurasian Wigeon  2 males, flying

Little Ringed Plover  1 mature bird (yellow legs), feeding along rocky  
                                sandbar
                                plus an immature Little Ringed Plover (beige legs),
                                -or-
                                a plover of a different species, feeding nearby

    (the mature plover looked like this image downloaded from the internet)

Gray Heron  2

Little Egret  2

Black Kite  3   soaring and being chased by 2 crows

Goshawk  1  immature, bathing in the Kamo River (I was astonished to
                see it)

            (It was similar to this image I downloaded from the internet)

Barn Swallow  3  flying low over the river, catching insects

Great Reed Warbler  1  male, continuously singing its raucous song in  
                                   the reeds

                             

Great Tit  1 male,  heard singing in willow tree

Tree Sparrow  a  few small flocks

Crow  2  flying high (chasing Black Kites), also 2 perched on tall buildings
          nearby

Kyoto University Botanical Garden 5-7-2012

Kyoto University Botanical Garden   5-7-2012

8:30 -  9:00 am,  Mostly sunny,  About 18 degrees C

Went with 2 other members of Beginning Birdwatchers' group

Birds Seen:

Common Kingfisher  1, heard calling while flying across the pond

Bush Warbler  1 male, singing constantly near the pond (establishing
                       breeding territory?)

Japanese White-eye  a small flock, heard twittering in camellia tree

Tree Sparrow  a small flock

Gray Starling  1, alone, possibly immature, giving buzzing alarm call from
                      various tree branches

Carrion Crow  2, flew away from their nest while we were looking at it.
                      1 other individual cawing repeatedly fro deep in the back of
                       the Botanical Garden  

Beginners' Birdwatching Schedule for May, 2012

Beginners' Birdwatching Schedule for May, 2012

Beginners’ Birdwatching Group (all in English):

Monday, May 7, 14, 21, 28: Kyoto University Botanical Garden; 8:30 – 9:00

Tuesday, May 8, 15, 22, 29: Kamogawa River; 8:30 – 9:00

Required equipment: Binoculars

Sightings will be blogged at: birdsinjapan.blogspot.com

Hattori Ryokuchi Koen 5-4-2012

Hattori Ryokuchi Koen  5-4-2012


8:30 - 10:30,  Mostly cloudy,  About 16 degrees C

Birds seen


At Uzuwa Pond:

Little Grebe  1 (nesting)


Moorhen 1

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

Great Tit (singing in tree)


At Shingu Pond:

Great Cormorant  1

Spot-billed Duck  2 (possibly a male-female pair)

Rufous Turtle Dove  2 (a nesting male/female pair, I think) in a low tree overhanging the pond

Great Tit  1 singing in tree



In tall pine trees near Shingu Pond:

Gray Heron  1 male/female pair nesting (continually making a loud, stacatto clacking noise while
                     keeping their bills within a few centimeters of each other
                     -and- 1 Gray Heron in the next pine tree, often calling (squawking out from the edge of
                     the tree overlooking the pond).. to whom was he/she calling, and why??

At Naka Pond:

Common Kingfisher  1  flying often across Naka Pond or to a pond across the road, and seeming to
                                   look for fish, unsuccessfully (probably one of a 
                                   male/female pair nesting at Naka Pond, I was told

In Japanese Garden:

 Spot-billed Duck  a group of 3 that looked immature (much yellow on face), eating (algae?)

White-cheeked Starling:  6  eating on ground among fallen leaves


In Wild Bird Woods:


Japanese Grosbeak:  Many singing in a chorus

Zoologger: Unmasking the Zorro of the avian world - environment - 15 March 2012 - New Scientist

Zoologger: Unmasking the Zorro of the avian world - environment - 15 March 2012 - New Scientist

Recently I've been wondering why shrikes have a black stripe across their eyes.

Then today I found this article describing some ideas and experiments to test why shrikes have black eye stripes.


Click on the above link if you're interested in reading all about it.




P.S. After reading this article, I guess that the reason the White Wagtail has a black eyestripe is the same as that for shrikes....