DOCSLIB.ORG

Japan in Spring May 7–20, 2018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Japan in Spring May 7–20, 2018 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.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Species List
    Dec. 11, 2013 – Jan. 01, 2014 Thailand (Central and Northern) Species Trip List Compiled by Carlos Sanchez (HO)= Distinctive enough to be counted as heard only Summary: After having traveled through much of the tropical Americas, I really wanted to begin exploring a new region of the world. Thailand instantly came to mind as a great entry point into the vast and diverse continent of Asia, home to some of the world’s most spectacular birds from giant hornbills to ornate pheasants to garrulous laughingthrushes and dazzling pittas. I took a little over three weeks to explore the central and northern parts of this spectacular country: the tropical rainforests of Kaeng Krachen, the saltpans of Pak Thale and the montane Himalayan foothill forests near Chiang Mai. I left absolutely dazzled by what I saw. Few words can describe the joy of having your first Great Hornbill, the size of a swan, plane overhead; the thousands of shorebirds in the saltpans of Pak Thale, where I saw critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper; the tear-jerking surprise of having an Eared Pitta come to bathe at a forest pool in the late afternoon, surrounded by tail- quivering Siberian Blue Robins; or the fun of spending my birthday at Doi Lang, seeing Ultramarine Flycatcher, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Fire-tailed Sunbird and more among a 100 or so species. Overall, I recorded over 430 species over the course of three weeks which is conservative relative to what is possible. Thailand was more than a birding experience for me. It was the Buddhist gong that would resonate through the villages in the early morning, the fresh and delightful cuisine produced out of a simple wok, the farmers faithfully tending to their rice paddies and the amusing frost chasers at the top of Doi Inthanon at dawn.
    [Show full text]
  • Rare Birds of California Now Available! Price $54.00 for WFO Members, $59.99 for Nonmembers
    Volume 40, Number 3, 2009 The 33rd Report of the California Bird Records Committee: 2007 Records Daniel S. Singer and Scott B. Terrill .........................158 Distribution, Abundance, and Survival of Nesting American Dippers Near Juneau, Alaska Mary F. Willson, Grey W. Pendleton, and Katherine M. Hocker ........................................................191 Changes in the Winter Distribution of the Rough-legged Hawk in North America Edward R. Pandolfino and Kimberly Suedkamp Wells .....................................................210 Nesting Success of California Least Terns at the Guerrero Negro Saltworks, Baja California Sur, Mexico, 2005 Antonio Gutiérrez-Aguilar, Roberto Carmona, and Andrea Cuellar ..................................... 225 NOTES Sandwich Terns on Isla Rasa, Gulf of California, Mexico Enriqueta Velarde and Marisol Tordesillas ...............................230 Curve-billed Thrasher Reproductive Success after a Wet Winter in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona Carroll D. Littlefield ............234 First North American Records of the Rufous-tailed Robin (Luscinia sibilans) Lucas H. DeCicco, Steven C. Heinl, and David W. Sonneborn ........................................................237 Book Reviews Rich Hoyer and Alan Contreras ...........................242 Featured Photo: Juvenal Plumage of the Aztec Thrush Kurt A. Radamaker .................................................................247 Front cover photo by © Bob Lewis of Berkeley, California: Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus), Richmond, Contra Costa County, California, 9 October 2008, discovered by Emilie Strauss. Known in North America including Alaska from over 30 records, the Dusky is the Old World Warbler most frequent in western North America south of Alaska, with 13 records from California and 2 from Baja California. Back cover “Featured Photos” by © Kurt A. Radamaker of Fountain Hills, Arizona: Aztec Thrush (Ridgwayia pinicola), re- cently fledged juvenile, Mesa del Campanero, about 20 km west of Yecora, Sonora, Mexico, 1 September 2007.
    [Show full text]
  • Study Into the Avian Value of Different Aged Stands of Phragmites Australis at Mai Po Nature Reserve
    The Hong Kong Bird Ringing Group STUDY INTO THE AVIAN VALUE OF DIFFERENT AGED STANDS OF PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS AT MAI PO NATURE RESERVE FINAL REPORT : 2009 CONTENTS Chapter Page 0. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Study Objectives 1 2. METHODS 1 2.1 Study Area 1 2.2 Reed Stand Treatment 2 2.3 Reed Stand Structure Data 2 2.4 Bird Data 3 2.5 Control Plot 3 2.6 Statistical Methods 3 3. RESULTS 4 3.1 Reed Stand Structure 4 3.2 Bird Survey 8 4. DISCUSSION 15 5. RECOMMENDATIONS 16 6. CONCLUSION 16 7. REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY 17 APPENDIX I Trapping Data for individual Bird Species per Season (Spring and Autumn) 18 Tables 1. Summary of Reed Data for Different Aged Stands of Reed 5 2. Summary of Reed Structure Data from Each Plot 5 3. Mean Abundance per Trapping Session in Autumn (August– December) of the Ten Most Numerous Birds 10 4. Mean Abundance per Trapping Session in Spring (January - May) of the Ten Most Numerous Birds 11 Figures 1. Location of Gei wai #8 and Study Area inside Mai Po Nature Reserve 2 2. Layout and Treatment of the Five 1-ha Study Plots inside Gei wai #8 2 3. Graphs Showing Changes in Reed Stand Structure Attributes by Reed Stand Age 6 4. Graphs Showing Changes in Reed Stand Structure Attributes by Year 7 5. Graphs Showing Changes in Bird Species Abundance by Year 11 6. Graphs Showing Changes in Bird Species Abundance by Reed Stand Age 12 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Ornithological Observations from Maratua and Bawean Islands, Indonesia
    Treubia 45: 11–24, December 2018 ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FROM MARATUA AND BAWEAN ISLANDS, INDONESIA Ryan C. Burner*1, Subir B. Shakya1, Tri Haryoko2, M. Irham2, Dewi M. Prawiradilaga2 and Frederick H. Sheldon1 1Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA 2Zoology Division (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense), Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute for Sciences, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km. 46 Cibinong, Bogor 16911, Indonesia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Received: 4 January 2018; Accepted: 2 October 2018 ABSTRACT Indonesia’s many islands, large and small, make it an important center of avian diversity and endemism. Current biogeographic understanding, however, is limited by the lack of modern genetic samples for comparative analyses from most of these islands, and conservation efforts are hampered by the paucity of recent information from small islands peripheral to major, more commonly visited islands. In November and December 2016, we visited Maratua, an oceanic coral atoll 50 km east of Borneo, and Bawean, a volcanic island on the Sunda continental shelf 150 km north of Java, to survey birds and collect specimens for morphological and genetic analysis. We detected many of the birds on Maratua’s historical lists and added several new resident and migratory species. Notably, we did not detect the Maratua White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus barbouri). On Bawean, we found the forests to be nearly silent and detected remarkably few resident land-bird species overall. The severe population reduction of C. m. barbouri on Maratua and the drastic reduction of forest birds on Bawean probably result from overexploitation by the cage-bird trade in the first case and a combination of the cage-bird trade and pellet-gun hunting in the second.
    [Show full text]
  • Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii
    Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book Editors N. J. COLLAR (Editor-in-chief), A. V. ANDREEV, S. CHAN, M. J. CROSBY, S. SUBRAMANYA and J. A. TOBIAS Maps by RUDYANTO and M. J. CROSBY Principal compilers and data contributors ■ BANGLADESH P. Thompson ■ BHUTAN R. Pradhan; C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp ■ CAMBODIA Sun Hean; C. M. Poole ■ CHINA ■ MAINLAND CHINA Zheng Guangmei; Ding Changqing, Gao Wei, Gao Yuren, Li Fulai, Liu Naifa, Ma Zhijun, the late Tan Yaokuang, Wang Qishan, Xu Weishu, Yang Lan, Yu Zhiwei, Zhang Zhengwang. ■ HONG KONG Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (BirdLife Affiliate); H. F. Cheung; F. N. Y. Lock, C. K. W. Ma, Y. T. Yu. ■ TAIWAN Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan (BirdLife Partner); L. Liu Severinghaus; Chang Chin-lung, Chiang Ming-liang, Fang Woei-horng, Ho Yi-hsian, Hwang Kwang-yin, Lin Wei-yuan, Lin Wen-horn, Lo Hung-ren, Sha Chian-chung, Yau Cheng-teh. ■ INDIA Bombay Natural History Society (BirdLife Partner Designate) and Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History; L. Vijayan and V. S. Vijayan; S. Balachandran, R. Bhargava, P. C. Bhattacharjee, S. Bhupathy, A. Chaudhury, P. Gole, S. A. Hussain, R. Kaul, U. Lachungpa, R. Naroji, S. Pandey, A. Pittie, V. Prakash, A. Rahmani, P. Saikia, R. Sankaran, P. Singh, R. Sugathan, Zafar-ul Islam ■ INDONESIA BirdLife International Indonesia Country Programme; Ria Saryanthi; D. Agista, S. van Balen, Y. Cahyadin, R. F. A. Grimmett, F. R. Lambert, M. Poulsen, Rudyanto, I. Setiawan, C. Trainor ■ JAPAN Wild Bird Society of Japan (BirdLife Partner); Y. Fujimaki; Y. Kanai, H.
    [Show full text]
  • Natural History of Japanese Birds
    Natural History of Japanese Birds Hiroyoshi Higuchi English text translated by Reiko Kurosawa HEIBONSHA 1 Copyright © 2014 by Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Reiko Kurosawa Typeset and designed by: Washisu Design Office Printed in Japan Heibonsha Limited, Publishers 3-29 Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 101-0051 Japan All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. The English text can be downloaded from the following website for free. http://www.heibonsha.co.jp/ 2 CONTENTS Chapter 1 The natural environment and birds of Japan 6 Chapter 2 Representative birds of Japan 11 Chapter 3 Abundant varieties of forest birds and water birds 13 Chapter 4 Four seasons of the satoyama 17 Chapter 5 Active life of urban birds 20 Chapter 6 Interesting ecological behavior of birds 24 Chapter 7 Bird migration — from where to where 28 Chapter 8 The present state of Japanese birds and their future 34 3 Natural History of Japanese Birds Preface [BOOK p.3] Japan is a beautiful country. The hills and dales are covered “satoyama”. When horsetail shoots come out and violets and with rich forest green, the river waters run clear and the moun- cherry blossoms bloom in spring, birds begin to sing and get tain ranges in the distance look hazy purple, which perfectly ready for reproduction. Summer visitors also start arriving in fits a Japanese expression of “Sanshi-suimei (purple mountains Japan one after another from the tropical regions to brighten and clear waters)”, describing great natural beauty.
    [Show full text]
  • GRUNDSTEN Japan 0102 2016
    Birding Japan (M. Grundsten, Sweden) 2016 Japan, January 30th - February 14th 2016 Karuizawa – E Hokkaido – S Kyushu – Okinawa – Hachijo-jima Front cover Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus, common along eastern Hokkaido coasts. Photo: Måns Grundsten Participants Måns Grundsten ([email protected], compiler, most photos), Mattias Andersson, Mattias Gerdin, Sweden. Highlights • A shy Solitary Snipe in the main stream at Karuizawa. • Huge-billed Japanese Grosbeaks and a neat 'griseiventris' Eurasian Bullfinch at Karuizawa. • A single Rustic Bunting behind 7/Eleven at Karuizawa. • Amazing auks from the Oarai-Tomakomai ferry. Impressive numbers of Rhinoceros Auklet! • Parakeet Auklet fly-bys. • Blakiston's Fish Owl in orderly fashion at Rausu. • Displaying Black Scoters at Notsuke peninsula. • Majestic Steller's Sea Eagles in hundreds. • Winter gulls at Hokkaido. • Finding a vagrant Golden-crowned Sparrow at Kiritappu at the same feeders as Asian Rosy Finches. • No less than 48(!) Rock Sandpipers. • A lone immature Red-faced Cormorants on cliffs at Cape Nosappu. • A pair of Ural Owls on day roost at Kushiro. • Feeding Ryukyu Minivets at Lake Mi-ike. • Fifteen thousand plus cranes at Arasaki. • Unexpectedly productive Kogawa Dam – Long-billed Plover. • Saunders's Gulls at Yatsushiro. • Kin Ricefields on Okinawa, easy birding, lots of birds, odd-placed Tundra Bean Geese. • Okinawa Woodpecker and Rail within an hour close to Fushigawa Dam, Yanbaru. • Whistling Green Pigeon eating fruits in Ada Village. • Vocal Ryukyu Robins. • Good shorebird diversity in Naha. • Male Izu Thrush during a short break on Hachijo-jima. • Triple Albatrosses! • Bulwer's Petrel close to the ship. Planning the trip – Future aspects When planning a birding trip to Japan there is a lot of consideration to be made.
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand Highlights 14Th to 26Th November 2019 (13 Days)
    Thailand Highlights 14th to 26th November 2019 (13 days) Trip Report Siamese Fireback by Forrest Rowland Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Forrest Rowland Trip Report – RBL Thailand - Highlights 2019 2 Tour Summary Thailand has been known as a top tourist destination for quite some time. Foreigners and Ex-pats flock there for the beautiful scenery, great infrastructure, and delicious cuisine among other cultural aspects. For birders, it has recently caught up to big names like Borneo and Malaysia, in terms of respect for the avian delights it holds for visitors. Our twelve-day Highlights Tour to Thailand set out to sample a bit of the best of every major habitat type in the country, with a slight focus on the lush montane forests that hold most of the country’s specialty bird species. The tour began in Bangkok, a bustling metropolis of winding narrow roads, flyovers, towering apartment buildings, and seemingly endless people. Despite the density and throng of humanity, many of the participants on the tour were able to enjoy a Crested Goshawk flight by Forrest Rowland lovely day’s visit to the Grand Palace and historic center of Bangkok, including a fun boat ride passing by several temples. A few early arrivals also had time to bird some of the urban park settings, even picking up a species or two we did not see on the Main Tour. For most, the tour began in earnest on November 15th, with our day tour of the salt pans, mudflats, wetlands, and mangroves of the famed Pak Thale Shore bird Project, and Laem Phak Bia mangroves.
    [Show full text]
  • AMAMI OSHIMA, JAPAN, in AUGUST 2013 Petri Hottola (University of Oulu, Finland & Finnish University Network for Tourism Studies)
    BIRD TOURISM REPORTS 9/2013 AMAMI OSHIMA, JAPAN, IN AUGUST 2013 Petri Hottola (University of Oulu, Finland & Finnish University Network for Tourism Studies) Fig. 1. An amamii Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker at Amami Natural Forest. In 2013, August 8th to 10th, I had a chance to visit one of the northern islands in the Ryukyu chain, Amami Oshima, for two days. Among birdwatchers, the island is primarily known for three endemic or near-endemic species: Amami Woodcock, Amami Thrush and Lidth’s Jay. On my way to Kyoto, I had noticed that the exorbitant regular rate of €1000 return from Osaka’s Itami airport had been reduced by 40% to fill up the next week's flights. I grasped the moment, knowing that I had a vacant weekend, even though the €600 certainly was not cheap for such a short return journey. Japan Airlines (JAL) has a monopoly on the route and it shows in price structure. After an Itami airport departure, the JAL flight arrived almost on time at Amami Airport at 16.50, the five minute delay being extensively apologized. I was soon collected by a First Rent-A-Car (formerly, Mazda Rent-A-Car) representative and we went to their office two minutes away. As almost always in Japan, I was a much appreciated customer. My car was upgraded to a sporty Mazda Axela GT, I got a coat hanger for jacket and they carried my suitcases all the way. Everything went smoothly, despite the fact that there was hardly any common language. The difficult parts of documentation were clarified by an English-speaking colleague on phone.
    [Show full text]
  • Pinecrest Golf Course
    Pinecrest Golf Course Birds on the Course In North America the Red-tailed Hawk is one of three species colloquially known as the “chicken hawk” or "hen hawk" even though chickens are not a major part of their diet. They were given this name in earlier times, when free-ranging chickens were preyed upon by first-year juveniles. They are also called buzzard hawks or red hawks. Red-tailed Hawks are easily recognized by their brick-red colored tails, from which its common name was derived. In the wild, they are expected to live for 10 -21 years. They reach reproductive maturity when they are about 3 years old. The Red-tailed Hawks is a bird of prey found in North and Central America, and in the West Indies. Throughout their range, they typically live in forests near open country or - depending on their range - in swamps, taigas and deserts. This species is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the United States by the international Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In the United States, they are also protected by state, provincial and federal bird protection laws, making it illegal to keep hawks (without a permit) in captivity, or to Red-Tailed Hawk hunt them; disturb nests or eggs; even collecting their feathers is against the law. Red-Shouldered Hawk The Red-shouldered Sharp- Hawk is a medium-sized Hawk. A common Shinned forest-dwelling hawk of the East and California, Hawk the Red-shouldered Hawk favors woodlands near water. It is perhaps The sharp-shinned hawk is small with blue-gray upper parts and rufous bars on white the most vocal under parts.
    [Show full text]
  • Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora Cyane from the Barak Valley of Assam with a Status Update for India
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338137338 Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane from the Barak Valley of Assam with a status update for India Article in Indian BIRDS · December 2019 CITATIONS READS 0 7 2 authors: Rejoice Gassah Vijay Anand Ismavel Makunda Christian Hospital 4 PUBLICATIONS 0 CITATIONS 22 PUBLICATIONS 12 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Neglected health problems in rural India View project Biodiversity Documentation View project All content following this page was uploaded by Vijay Anand Ismavel on 24 December 2019. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Correspondence 123 peninsular India (Grimmett et al. 2011; Rasmussen & Anderton minY=11.103753465762485&env.maxX=93.01342361450202&env.maxY=12.31963 2012; eBird 2019). This species is a common winter visitor to 3103994705&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=on&bmo=1&emo=1&yr=cur&byr=2019 Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Tonkin (Robson 2008). &eyr=2019. [Accessed on: 19 January 2019.] DeCandido, R., Subedi, T., Siponen, M., Sutasha, K., Pierce, A., Nualsri, C., & Round, P. D., 2013. Flight identification of Milvus migrans lineatus ‘Black-eared’ Kite and Milvus migrans govinda ‘Pariah’ Kite in Nepal and Thailand. BirdingASIA 20: 32–36. Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 2011. Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press & Christopher Helm. Pp. 1–528. Rasmussen, P. C., & Anderton, J. C., 2012. Birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide: field guide. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]