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Japan in Spring May 7–20, 2018

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JAPAN IN SPRING MAY 7–20, 2018 Okinawa Rail / Okinawa / photo: Brad Schram LEADER: KAZ SHINODA LIST COMPILED BY: KAZ SHINODA VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM JAPAN IN SPRING MAY 7–20, 2018 By Kaz Shinoda Okinawa Woodpecker / Okinawa / photo: Brad Schram On May 10, right after enjoying an excellent view of a flock of three Japanese Murrelets on our ferry trip to Tobishima, we found spring migration in full swing on this small islet in the Sea of Japan. Yellow-browed Warblers were seen and heard here and there as soon as we started birding on the plateau of the island, where we ambled along a path on the quest to find migrating birds amid lovely vegetable gardens and forests on either side. Believe it or not, Yellow-browed Warbler is a rare transient in Japan. If one of them showed up in Tokyo, hundreds of Japanese birders and photographers would rush to the venue! During our stay on the island, we saw seven species of warblers in all, most of which were leaf warblers (Phylloscopidae) , including such rarities in Japan as Pallas’s Leaf Warbler and the vagrant Siberian Chiffchaff. Paula and Ann found the latter while we were having a picnic on May 11, which made even myself quite excited! The rarities that we saw on this island were not only warblers but also flycatchers, buntings, and some other passerines. Korean, Mugimaki, Taiga, and Red-breasted flycatchers are all uncommon or rare in Japan, and we saw them all. And unless you visit a small island in the Sea of Japan in migration, you hardly have a chance to see Yellow-browed, Little, Yellow-breasted, and Chestnut buntings in this country. As a matter of Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Japan in Spring, 2018 fact, on this magnet for trans-Sea of Japan migrants, rarities can occur anywhere. For example, a single Blyth’s Pipit, a vagrant to Japan, was found skulking in a grassy patch just in front of our inn! Narcissus Flycatcher / Tobishima / photo: Brad Schram In addition to the excitement of those bonus birds, Tobishima provided us with superb looks at regular Japanese birds, often at close range. Indeed, we enjoyed watching an array of birds, both wintering species and summer breeders, to Japan. The regular summer visitors that we saw included Ashy Minivet; Japanese Leaf, Sakhalin Leaf, and Eastern Crowned warblers; Dark - sided, Asian Brown, Blue-and-White, and Narcissus flycatchers; Siberian Stonechat; and so forth. On the other hand, we also saw wintering birds such as Daurian Redstart ; Dusky Thrush ; both Japanese and Bohemian waxwings; Chestnut -eared, Rustic, and Elegant buntings; Brambling ; Hawfinch ; and Eurasian Siskin, to mention but a few. This tour, especially the first half, also presented an opportunity to visit rural Japan, away from urban centers, to experience a more traditional Japan that few tourists see. The traditional lodging on the island was attractive and comfortable. Dinner while seated on the inn’s tatami mats was a full immersion in the intricate fare of a Japanese fishing village. The Japan in Spring tour is subtitled “Spring Migration & Island Endemics,” a billing it truly lives up to. The latter half of the itinerary was designed for questing for species endemic to the southern islands of Amami and Okinawa. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Japan in Spring, 2018 On May 14, mid-afternoon found us at Amami Natural Forest Park, on the ridge of the Nagakumo Pass, in the subtropical forest. Just beside the visitor center, we heard a chick calling continuously in a cavity on the trunk of an evergreen. After a while, a female Owston’s Woodpecker turned up to feed her baby, and then her mate followed her. We enjoyed this feeding show at a distance of only twenty feet from the nest. Owston's Woodpecker /Amami / photo: Bob Harkrider As we proceeded along the trail, we heard Ryukyu Robins singing in the shrub. As this endemic robin is a great skulker, I was surprised when a black-breasted orange male showed up in the open, which we watched singing at close range for a while. A stunning bird! Then, the warden of this park caught up with us, saying “A pair of Amami Thrushes seems to be nesting in this forest this spring, and I often see them here, so please look for them.” While we were hanging around the woods waiting for the appearance of the critically endangered thrush, the warden showed us two amphibians endemic to this island: Amami Tip-nosed Frog and Otton Frog... all of a sudden, a huge scaly thrush turned up and poked around on the ground for worms. Although we were looking for this thrush, I didn’t expect to see this mega-rarity so easily. It is said that only a few hundred birds survive on Amami, which means that its global population is that small. We could have missed this rare thrush even though we spent three days on this island. I believe that we were really lucky. Following dinner at our hotel, we were joined by Mr. Tsuneda, a local bird authority, who guided us into virgin forest for a spot-lit night-bird drive. He was so efficient that he could find local specialty birds one after another, using his powerful flashlight. Many Lidth’s Jays and a Ruddy Kingfisher were roosting in the foliage, nocturnal Ryukyu Scops Owls were vocal in the dark forest, and Amami Woodcocks were on the bare slopes looking for worms. The night-drive was amazingly productive and truly enjoyable. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Japan in Spring, 2018 Japanese Paradise Flycatcher / Amami / photo: Ann Brinly On May 16, we dropped in at Amami Natural Forest Park again on our way to Amami Airport. On each visit to the park, we saw regional specialties such as Ryukyu Robin, Amami Thrush, Owston’s Woodpecker, Lidth’s Jay, Ryukyu Minivet, and Ryukyu Green Pigeon. However, we were yet to have a decent view of Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, whose male bird has a wildly long tail. The warden whispered to me, “Go to Amami Oshima Silk Park, and ask the groundskeeper for the nesting pair.” Within half an hour, we got an awesome view of a pair of this gorgeous bird taking turns incubating eggs in their nest. Some in our group ranked this sighting among the highlights of the tour, which I can hardly contradict. When we arrived in Okinawa, our main target birds on the island were exclusively two endemics, Okinawa Rail and Okinawa (Pryer’s) Woodpecker since we had already seen the other regional specialties by then. We drove the three-hour journey to our cozy little hotel nestled in Yanbaru Forest on the northern end of the island. Just before sunset, we reached the native forest and luckily saw a family of Okinawa Rails cross the road back and forth near our hotel. Three juveniles were accompanied by their parents. It was a wonderful encounter with the family of this endangered and endemic species. The following morning, we set out around dawn to look for Okinawa Woodpecker and more Okinawa Rails. We counted seven more rails including one juvenile in a couple of hours. Now that we had seen enough rails, we concentrated on the quest for Okinawa Woodpecker, but the woodpecker is critically endangered, so it was far from easy to find; after all, there are only a few hundred birds left in this dense forest. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Japan in Spring, 2018 VENT Japan in Spring 2018 Group / Tobishima / photo: Kaz Shinoda Hardly had I heard sharp rattling calls of the woodpecker when everybody jumped out of the minibus, and we all saw a handsome male pop out of the shrub and perch on a bare trunk of an evergreen. What a view! Great birding was complemented by the wonderful cultural experience of traveling in distinctly different islands of Japan, nights in a traditional Japanese inn, many wonderful traditional Japanese delicacies, and a great group ready for the next round of new experiences in Japan. The tour made a go of it! ITINERARY: 5-8 – Assembly in Tokyo: 4 out of 6 participants joined an optional pre-tour excursion to Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park near Haneda Airport led by the tour leader Kaz Shinoda and his birder-friend Masa Nakane. The outing was a good introduction to common birds in Japan. At 7:00 p.m. all participants assembled in the lobby of Excel Hotel Tokyu, located in Terminal 2 at Haneda International Airport, to meet Kaz. Following introductions, we proceeded to dinner in the hotel’s excellent restaurant where we became acquainted. Following dinner, Kaz briefed us on the coming day’s flight and scheduled activities. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Japan in Spring, 2018 5-9 – Tokyo: Our 11:10 a.m. flight to Shonai Airport allowed for a leisurely breakfast at Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu and repacking without pressure; we arrived at Shonai on-time at mid- day, taking a shuttle to our hotel in Sakata. While en route, we spied the first birds of the trip in and near rice paddies along the roadside. Following check-in at Hotel Inn Sakata, we had lunch at a nearby steak and burger restaurant with a Japanese touch. An afternoon excursion via taxi to the nearby Mogami River for our first “on the ground” birding was very productive, including for a nice variety of waterfowl, shorebirds, and passerines. Dinner at Hotel Inn Sakata.
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