JAPAN IN WINTER JANUARY 13–25, 2018 Japanese (Red-crowned) Cranes dancing. Photo: S. Hilty LEADERS: KAZ SHINODA & STEVE HILTY with KOJI NIIYA one morning on HOKKAIDO LIST COMPILED BY: STEVE HILTY VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM JAPAN IN WINTER: A CRANE & SEA-EAGLE SPECTACLE! By Steve Hilty One of the top highlights mentioned by most members of the group was a Ural Owl sleeping in a large, picturesque tree hollow. It was, in fact, an image that could have been plucked straight from an illustrated book of fairy tales from the Middle Ages. A male Eurasian Bullfinch in beautiful morning light also garnered top honors and, surprisingly, so did the diminutive Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker. For several of us, a large flock of Rooks eluding repeated prey- capture attempts by a Peregrine Falcon (the Rooks being more capable and wily than they might appear) over a large expanse of rice paddies was a trip highlight. Also prized were more than a dozen Stellar’s and White-tailed sea-eagles perched on a forested Hokkaido hillside during a snowstorm. The arrival of a Blakiston’s Fish-Owl at a small pool resulted in a mass exodus from our rather sedate and stylized Japanese dinner. And yes, then there were the Japanese Cranes, lumps of black and white fluff standing in a frigid river as steamy mists from the thermally- heated river water rose around them—a surreal and unforgettable setting. Surprisingly, perhaps, the Mandarin Ducks received not a single nod at the end—perhaps because they were a little distant—although they generated much excitement the morning we saw them, and the image of a stately pair cruising steadily across a mirror-smooth lake in early morning light, their narrow wake line trailing behind, will not likely be forgotten. The list of highlights could certainly go on. This is an unusual birding tour, one that blends, for westerners, a unique cultural experience with a remarkable number of birding highlights—more than might be imagined from our list of barely 150 species, and all of it in temperatures that hover around the freezing point. So bundle up in scarves and warm hats and gloves because as Kaz, our guide, so aptly put on a couple of occasions, “this morning it will be bitterly cold.” And on a few occasions it was, although temperatures generally were not extreme, and in the south they were decidedly moderate, although not exactly balmy. I cannot emphasize enough the uniqueness of the cultural aspects of this trip, from Japanese take- out convenience food and the ubiquitous vending machines that sell a mind-boggling variety of hot and cold drinks to more formal and complex Japanese meals with a variety of tastes and savory flavors unknown in the west. There also is the aspect of a significant language barrier— both written and spoken, the politeness of the Japanese people, relaxing music in public places, and the baths and spas (“ofuros”) available in most hotels, some heated by actual hot springs. The list could go on, but this cultural experience combined with some truly remarkable birding should put this trip at the top of almost anyone’s list. Finally, Kaz Shinoda, our Japanese guide, was a model of quiet patience, competence, and logistical expertise. Japan is not a country where someone can rent a car and drive off into the countryside (assuming you could actually discover how to get out of Tokyo) and find birds easily. The coastal areas are heavily settled, the roads confusing, and, while birds do abound in specific sites, they would take a lifetime to discover without local knowledge. Kaz makes it all seem so effortless, and his easygoing manner belies his intimate knowledge of where to find just about every wintering Japanese bird. In the end, we missed little and immersed ourselves in a birding and cultural experience like few others. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Japan in Winter, 2018 Brown-eared Bulbul. Hokkaido. Photo: S.Hilty ITINERARY: Days 1-2 Travel to Tokyo area. January 12-13. Day 2 Sunday, January 14: Optional pre-trip outing with Kaz Shinoda for those arriving early although it hardly seemed optional because everyone on the tour also arrived early for this pre-tour day to some nearby sites. Prior to departing the Narita View Hotel we spent an hour on foot around the hotel grounds. Upon departure we visited the Edosake Reclaimed Land area; Motono Swan Reserve near Motono Village in Chiba Prefecture; and Inbanuma Marsh. Night at Narita View Hotel, Narita, Japan Day 3 Monday, January 15: Departed Narita View Hotel toward birding sites on the east coast of the main island of Honshu, including the port of Choshi (with lunch at a seafood restaurant). Afternoon stops at Gonoike reservoir adjacent to Kamisu City Hall; and Ukishima Marsh near mouth of Tono River for harriers. Night at Seaside Edogawa in Kasai, Tokyo. Day 4 Tuesday, January 16: Chilly morning birding before breakfast on mostly paved trails in Kasai Seaside Park, all of which surrounds the Hotel Seaside Edogawa). Semi-evergreen woodland and marshes overlook Tokyo Bay. We departed after breakfast for Karuizawa in the Japanese Alps, with a lunch stop at a large roadside service area and later a foothill stop along a lovely winding mountain road near Ura-Myogi. Night at Shiotsubo Onsen Hotel & Spa in Karuizawa. Day 5 Wednesday, January 17: Long productive pre-breakfast walk in Karuizawa Wild Bird Forest with occasional light misty rain (not bothersome) and post-breakfast vigil at bird feeders at hotel. Trails walked were in and along Kose Forest Path. Late morning departure followed by convenience store lunch and brief visit to Chikuma Reservoir, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Japan in Winter, 2018 which is part of Tokyo Electric Corp’s reservoir in Saku City in Nagano Prefecture. Night at Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu in Terminal 2 of Haneda Airport, Tokyo. Day 6 Thursday, January 18: Morning flight from Haneda to Kagoshima on southern main island of Kyushu. Departing the airport atd Kagoshima we visited a small serpentine reservoir, took lunch at a convenience store, and visited the Takae farm rice fields (very productive) near Satsuma-Sendai City. Later, en route northward, we stopped at a seaside viewpoint (Michi-no-eki, Akune) for Blue Rock Thrush before continuing on to the Arasaki Crane Reserve at dusk. Sunset spectacle of large numbers of cranes flying to nighttime roost, some not arriving until well after dark. Night Hotel King, Izumi. Day 7 Friday, January 19. This picturesque stream winds through the town of Izumi. At ten a.m. we drove to the Arasaki Crane Reserve, visiting daytime crane feeding grounds. This was followed by lunch. more crane watching, a brief visit to the observatory and museum and later a visit to nearby riverine reeds for Chinese Penduline-Tits. In sum, a day observing large numbers of White-naped and Hooded cranes, with a half-dozen Sandhill Cranes, a couple Eurasian (Common) Cranes and one apparent hybrid. among them. Late afternoon we checked a nearby bridge below Kogawa Dam, in search of Crested Kingfisher (not found). We would stop here again tomorrow morning. At dusk, and on our return to Izumi, we visited the Icumi-Fumoto Samauri Residences in Izumi. This is the site of an ancient samuri village (now much updated but with numerous original and historic samuri houses preserved). Second night Hotel King. Day 8 Saturday, January 20: Early morning vigil at the bridge below Kogawa Dam. The on to Kogawa Dam, where we observed distant Mandarin Ducks and several other species as we walked across the dam itself and along a relatively long winding woodland trail that paralleled the reservoir edge but somewhat higher up. This would prove to be a productive walk with splendid view of Mandarin Ducks among other things. We then drove north, stopping for a convenience store lunch (again), before visiting the two river mouths site in Yatsushiro City in Kumamoto Prefecture—Kuma River and Hikawa River—and adjacent agricultural areas, in Kumamoto Prefecture). Night at an amazingly large and busy hotel, the Kirishima-Royal, which was bustling with activity at both check-in towers. Day 9 Sunday, January 21: Morning birding near Miike (Miike Bird Sanctuary, which is part of the Kirishima-Yaku National Park on Kyushu, where we alked the lakeshore, a forest road and an old forest trail. Then on to the Kirishima-jingu Shinto Shrine near Kagoshima., an airport lunch and a mid-afternoon flight from Kagoshima back to Haneda, where we transferred to a second flight to Kushiro on the island of Hokkaido. Arriving in Kushiro well after dark we were then drove by bus to an adorable little hotel, the Yume-kobe near Tsurui. We also briefly met Koji, a local resident who would be helping guide us for a couple hours the following morning. Day 10 Monday, January 22: An early rise and a cold pre-sunrise vigil from the Otowa bridge near Tsurui where we watched Japanese (Red-crowned) Cranes roosting in the shallow river water. We waited, in single digit (F) temperatures until after eight a.m. but the cranes did not depart the river roost, so we returned to our hotel for a delightful breakfast and warm-up of fingers and toes. After breakfast, local guide Koji, took us to a known site for a roosting Ural Owl and then to two Japanese Crane feeding areas, including first Tsurumi-dai site, and then Tsurui-itoh site where we said good-bye to Koji.