Andrea and David's trip to Japan, July-August 2011

Day 3 19-7-11 - Day 2 - birdlist - bird gallery

Yatsu Higata is renowned for its waders. And being the end of July we were not disappointed, with several summer plumage niceties on view. Greater Sand Plover and Red-necked Stint were particularly fine. A nice walk despite the poor weather. See http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=16125 for accurate instructions. Thanks to Charles Harper for inspiration and accuracy. See site picture here or Day 3.

Birds: Sadly the light was poor and the waders too far off to photograph, so limited action on the gallery :-) The waders disappeared as the tide came in, leaving stilts and Little Ringed Plovers and the Herons. So tide is critical. The website referred to by Charles is only in Japanese.

English name Latin name Danske navne comments
Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas (poecilorhyncha) zonorhyncha Pletneæbbet And About 50
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Troldand One female
Striated (Little) Heron Butorides striatus Mangrovehejre One on edge of reeds
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Fiskehejre 19/7 Yatsu Higata
Great White Egret Ardea alba Sølvhejre about 10
Little Egret Egretta garzetta Silkehejre a few
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Skarv 12
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Stylteløber 7
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Lille Præstekrave breeding 2 ad 3 young
Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii Ørkenpræstekrave 32 mostly adults in summer plumage
Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Damklire 1
Greenshank Tringa nebularia Hvidklire a few
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Tinksmed 10
Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus (Tringa) brevipes Sibirisk Gråklire one, a lifer
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis Rødhalset Ryle 2 in summer plumage
Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus Kærløber 1
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris Japanmåge several including a 1k which put up all the waders. Some few off completely
Oriental (Rufous) Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis Østlig Turteldue 3 incluind one "singing"
Azure winged Magpie Cyanopica cyana Blåskade 2 the other lifer
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Stornæbbet Krage a few
Eastern (Japenese) Great Tit Parus (major) minor Østlig Musvit 2, actually one might have been a willow tit but I didn't see it.
Swallow Hirundo rustica Landsvale a few
Brown-eared Bulbul Ixos (Microselis) amaurotis kastanjeret Bulbul 1
White-cheeked Starling Sturnus cineraceus Gråstær several
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Skovspurv common
White Wagtail Motacilla alba Hvid Vipstjært 2, including an imature
Oriental (Grey-capped) Greenfinch Carduelis sinica Brunirisk 2

It was windy and rainy building up to the typhoon, so thin on small birds. Nothing singing in the reed bed.