Last weekend a US couple residing in Shanghai came over for a few days of birding in my region of Japan. They arrived late Friday afternoon, and we had just enough time to briefly check out Isahaya. We missed the juvenile male Pied Harrier that has been patrolling the area, but it was a nice introduction to the area for them.
The next morning we visited Mount Unzen before heading out to Kabashima. Both locations were a bit quiet, but the weather was great and the scenery superb. Then on Sunday morning we had a very early start to be at Daijyugarami in time for daybreak and the high tide (08:30). Living up to its reputation, Daijyugarami had hundreds of shorebirds even though it was “out of season”.
Finally we toured the Isahaya Reclaimed Land Areas and spent the last hour or so at our original Friday afternoon spot where we could finally get great views of the Pied Harrier catching and devouring a host of different kinds of prey! Overall, 78 species were confirmed in the field. Highlights included Narcissus Flycatcher, Pied Harrier, Black-faced Spoonbill, Varied Tit, Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Japanese Bush Warbler, Streaked Shearwater, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Brown Shrike and Lesser Sand Plover.
Below is the complete list:
Carrion Crow Large-billed Crow Eurasian Tree Sparrow Bull-headed Shrike Great Cormorant Osprey Great Egret Grey Heron Little Egret Common Snipe Common Sandpiper Eastern Spot-billed Duck Common Moorhen Rock Dove Blue Rock Thrush Black-eared Kite White-cheeked Starling Oriental Turtle Dove Black-tailed Gull Mongolian Gull Streaked Shearwater Brown Booby Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Brown-eared Bulbul Meadow Bunting Red-billed Leiothrix Varied Tit Eastern Great Tit Long-tailed Tit Japanese Bush Warbler Narcissus Flycatcher Grey-streaked Flycatcher Grey Wagtail White Wagtail Eurasian Teal Little Grebe Pacific Reef Egret Japanese White-eye Brown Shrike Daurian Redstart Eurasian Sparrowhawk Eastern Buzzard Oriental Greenfinch Broad-billed Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Red-necked Stint Greater Sand Plover Lesser Sand Plover Grey Plover Dunlin Common Greenshank Great Knot Terek Sandpiper Whimbrel Far Eastern Curlew Eurasian Curlew Kentish Plover Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Black-faced Spoonbill Peregrine Falcon Common Magpie Eurasian Skylark Eurasian Wigeon Gadwall Northern Shoveler Common Pochard Vega Gull Black-headed Gull Whiskered Tern Common Coot Eurasian Kestrel Common Ringed Plover Pied Harrier Indian Cuckoo Zitting Cisticola Chinese Pond Heron Eastern Marsh Harrier
John Wright
John Wright is an Australian wildlife photographer and bird guide based in Kyushu, Japan. John became seriously engaged in nature photography while living in Japan and then Thailand. He returned to Japan in 2008 and has since concentrated on wildlife photography, especially birds. John visits Southeast Asia and Australia regularly, but usually travels within the Japanese archipelago, where he also guides visiting birders and wildlife photography enthusiasts.
Leave a Reply