We were able to get in a little birding as we drove from the airport to our hotel in Kagoshima, primarily along the Sendai River in Satsuma. In less than an hour I added three lifers: Chestnut Eared Bunting, Siberian Pipit and Long Billed Plover and four life photos: the Bunting and Plover plus Bull Headed Shrike and Meadow Bunting. I would get a photo of the pipit the next day. I was very pleased to get the photos of the Meadow Bunting and Bull Headed Shrike as they were two of the species I had seen in Japan in 1983 before I even had a camera. The Chestnut Eared Bunting has another back story. I only discovered that I had “seen” this species when an Ebird reviewer saw photos I had attached to my Ebird report and told me they were Chestnut Eared Buntings instead of Meadow Buntings per my list. The Chestnut Eared Bunting was not even on my awareness list, but the photos left no doubt – a nice new lifer. One final photo but not new or a lifer was of a Dusky Thrush, a mega-rarity I had seen and photographed in Nanaimo, British Columbia in 2019. Nice to get on its home turf.

Adding the Ural Owl and Red Crowned Cranes seen in Hokkaido, I had added 4 lifers and 6 life photos for the day. The next day would be busy starting with a visit to the Izumi Crane Observation Center promising thousands of cranes and maybe enough lifers to get to 3700, a benchmark that I had felt certain was attainable when planning the trip.

Day 5 – Cranes and More in Kyushu

Seeing cranes at the Izumi Crane Observation Center is a humbling and overwhelming experience. We spent the whole morning of February 7th at the Center and in the adjoining nearby fields. A feeding program at the center where grain is brought in for the cranes attracts two species in the thousands and also attracts other species including two crane rarities. The predominant species are the Hooded Crane (estimated to be over 12,000 the day we were there) and the White Naped Crane (several thousand) but two other cranes species – Sandhill Crane – our only regular crane in the U.S. – and the Common Crane – a mega-rarity in the U.S. that I have seen in Washington were also being reported. At the center itself, there are almost too many cranes. Rather than an up close and personal experience it is the overwhelming totality of so many cranes in the fields that is experienced. That up close connection with photo opportunities is easily found driving the many roads of the adjoining fields where many other species can be found as well. The first photo below is the best I can use to show the numbers of cranes at the center, but it is only a very small percentage of those present. I took hundreds of photos of the cranes, many very poor and none “perfect” but I am including a sampling to give the reader a taste of the experience.

Hooded Crane Photos

White Naped Crane Photos

Sandhill Crane Photos

We only saw 4 Sandhill Cranes and did not locate the single Common Crane that was being seen by some.

Other birds seen near the Crane Center included 9 more lifers and 13 life photos, but unfortunately I did not get photos of two of the lifers: Brown Headed Thrush and Chinese Penduline Tit. The latter was a little rascal in on the reed fields playing “now you see me and now you don’t repeatedly”. I thought one distant photo might have captured it, but the beyond blurry photo that I got cannot erven qualify for ID purposes only. In addition to those two species, the lifers were Swan Goose, Asian Skylark, Reed Bunting, Ochre Rumped Bunting, Common Shelduck, Daurian Jackdaw, and Black Faced Spoonbill. I got a barely acceptable photo of the Ochre Rumped Bunting, another species not on our target list. It stood out from the other buntings seen in the reed beds and was identified as such by Koji. So far the Ebird reviewers have let it stand. I cannot recall which I saw first, but either the Reed Bunting or the Ochre Rumped Bunting was species number 3700 on my life list.

Two of my lifers were birds I had seen before but were not countable either as introduced (Eurasian Skylark) or as an escapee (Swan Goose). I had seen the Skylark both in British Columbia where there was at the time a pretty strong population near the Airport and then also almost 50 years ago at American Camp on San Juan Island in Washington where a smaller population was probably immigrants from the B.C. colony and is now completely gone. In any event, both groups were recognized only as introduced. I had seen a domestic/escapee Swan Goose both in Utah and in Washington, was confounded trying to identify it and never expected to see one in the wild. It is found primarily in Eastern and north central China with occasional vagrants in Japan and Korea. The one at the Crane Center was well known and a highly sought after sighting for all birders. We found it fairly quickly in the area it had been seen the past week. It is now gone, a two or three week wonder.

In addition to the life species, there were some welcomed life photos, including Siberian Pipit which had been seen as a lifer the previous day and was now seen many times in the fields. In those same fields there were several Northern Lapwings, a species I had seen 23 years ago in Hungary but not photographed. This photo was my 14th of a Lapwing – now missing 4 photos from the 18 seen – two from Australia from days before I took photos and might someday get with a return visit and one from South Africa and another from India – misses I am unlikely to ever get.

There are both European and Cheeked Starlings in Japan. We saw several individual and one large flock of the European Starlings which are “junk” introduced species and a pest in the U.S.. More commonplace were the White Cheeked Starlings which were seen frequently and which I had first seen outside of Hong Kong in 1979 but not since. Another species I had seen previously in Hungary but not photographed was the Rook, seen here in the hundreds.

The last lifer photo of the morning was of an Asian House Martin, a species I had seen in Japan in 1983 again when I was not taking pictures. Not a great photo of a hard to catch in flight single bird.

After the full morning at the Crane Observatory and surrounding area we had a quick lunch and dropped Cindy off back at the hotel and Koji and I headed off to the Kogawa Dam and surrounding area in Izumi looking for forest birds or birds in the lake formed by the dam. We were extremely pleased to quickly find a small flock of White-bellied Green Pigeons. Unfortunately Koji was not able to stop the vehicle before they took off so no picture of this lifer. We got another chance later as I spied a single distant bird perched mostly in the open – sufficient for a photo. It was the more drably colored female, but a very welcomed addition to my world photo list.

In the lake we found a huge flock of more than 150 Baikal Teal. They were too distant for a decent photo, but were quite a spectacle. Closer and more cooperative was a mixed group of 11 Common Pochards, a life photo of a species I had first seen in Hungary and then again in India but not photographed, with both males and females in view here.

There were two other lifers on our circuit around the lake – a single Copper Pheasant that shot off the road as we rounded a corner – no photo – and a Gray Bunting, a very frustrating species that we saw flit by us more than once – again no photo. I did get a life photo of a Daurian Redstart – a female which pales, literally, compared to the male, a photo of which I got later. It was then back to the hotel.

February 8 – A Coastal Stop and then the Bulllet train to Osaka

Today we would be catching the Shinkansen, the Bullet Train to Osaka but that would follow a morning birding at the Kuma River Estuary and Osozo Ryokuchi Park targeting Saunder’s Gull and Kentish Plover – two lifers – and possibly other shorebirds. I have never seen such a convoluted route as was needed to get to the breakwater adjoining the tidelands. The tide was lower than hoped for, so the birds were not close, but we were successful in finding both targeted species, two lifers for me. The Saunder’s Gull reminded me of our Bonaparte’s Gull, small, black-headed in breeding plumage and with a black spot behind the eye in nonbreeding plumage. It has a graceful, tern-like flight and we often saw it chasing Dunlin which were plentiful on the beach. I was very happy to get the gull because it has a very restricted range, and this was likely my only opportunity to see one. I was equally happy to get a photo of one of the Kentish Plovers scurrying around on the beach. It has a large range, but I had missed one in Indonesia and was really pleased to be able to add it to my growing list of plovers, having previously added the Long Billed Plover to that list.

We saw another species that I thought was a lifer – the Vega Gull. It has recently been split off from Herring Gull as its own separate species. It is generally found in East Asia, but in its updating process after the latest taxonomic changes, Ebird changed my report of Herring Gull from Nome Alaska to this species. So not a lifer – just a life photo.

It would be a 3 hour and 45 minute ride on the Shinkansen – aka the Bullet Train – from Kagoshima to Osaka. Very comfortable and fast – for a train – and departing and arriving exactly on time, riding on this famous train was part of our cultural exposure to Japan. It was an easy walk to the hotel near the train station in Osaka. There would be one more day of birding in the Osaka area on February 9th and the next day we would say goodbye to Koji and head off to Kyoto on our own for four days of sightseeing without birds.

February 9 – Saying Goodbye to Koji and the Birds

Now in Osaka, our priority was to find a Baer’s Pochard that had been seen frequently but not every day in a small pond which would be our first stop for the day. Again Koji felt the odds would be maybe 50/50. It was a classic chase moment. As we drove up to a very nondescript little pond, a Japanese birder was there with binoculars and his camera looking out on the pond. The first rule when going after a rare bird is “go now” – meaning as soon as you learn of it because there is no guarantee it will stay. Rule 2 is if you miss the bird because you didn’t follow Rule 1, you can’t whine about it, because you knew and ignored Rule 1. A corollary of Rule 1 is that once you get to the target area, first look for another birder hopefully already on the rarity or if not, then probably with useful knowledge that might lead to its discovery. As soon as we pulled up and saw the birder already there, we were pretty sure we were good. It took all of one second to find the rare bird after we got out of the vehicle.

Ebird says the Baer’s Pochard is an “extremely rare” diving bird. Koji had told me one had been seen in Japan before I left home and I hoped it would stick around. Apparently it has been coming to this same pond for at least 5 winters in a row. Found mainly in Eastern and Southeast Asia, it would not have been even on my maybe list if this one was not in Japan. Other species at the pond included Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Eastern Spot Billed Duck and a Great Egret and some close up White Cheeked Starlings.

Our main task accomplished we would visit two local parks looking for a few more birds to end our tour on a positive note. At Kirakata-Yamadaike Park, our major add for the trip was a lifer Masked Bunting. It played hard to find for awhile but finally several came into the open. The park had a large pond/lake. The views were distant and would have been a disappointment if we had not had the great views at Odawara Castle, but there were many Smews to be seen – at least 16. On the other hand, it was here that we had our best look at Falcated Duck as both males and females made an appearance.

Not a lifer, so I cannot say it was the best bird at the park, but the killer view and photo of a male adult Daurian Redstart was a definite highlight – really a beautiful bird.

Again not lifers nor life photos, but a fun group of birds seen at the park were three Wagtails, Japanese, White and Gray.

As we were leaving the park I noted some movement in the brush on a side of the trail. Just a peekaboo view at first but then flashes in the open of some of the prettiest little birds anywhere. Red Billed Leiothorix is an introduced species in Japan just as it is in Hawaii where I also saw one in 2019 almost exactly 6 years earlier. I had also seen one, native and not introduced, but without a photo in Corbett National Park in India in 2011. They are quite simply incredibly cute.

Our last stop was at Takarazuka-Yamatayamate Park. There were three possible new birds – two lifers and the third a life photo for me and all low probability. The park was very pleasant and filled with birders or bird photographers. We asked each one whether they had seen our targets, White’s Thrush, Japanese Green Woodpecker and Yellow Breasted Bunting. The White’s Thrush had been seen but not within the last half hour. The Woodpecker had been seen briefly by a single birder at the other end of the park and the Bunting had not been seen. We had no success on the Woodpecker or the Bunting and spent almost all of our time there thoroughly covering the area where the thrush had been seen. Finally it was time to go and as sometimes happens, it was then that the White’s Thrush made an appearance, flying like a rocket right past and within 20 feet of us before disappearing over a hill into thick trees. Maybe it would have returned if we stayed but I was happy with the clear if brief view that we got even while disappointed that there was no photo. On the way back to the car we had a nice final photo op – another Red Flanked Bluetail, either a female or immature, but radiant in the sun and a good way to close the day and the trip.

It was then back to the hotel near the Osaka train station. A last dinner and Koji would be leaving early the next day to join another tour group he would lead. We would brave the Japanese rail system to get to Kyoto vis the Shinkansen with the biggest worry being navigating the huge station with three suitcases and two packs on our back. It all worked out and a final post will be about the rest of our Japan visit, the part without birds, but with the splendor of Kyoto.

Unfortunately Cindy had picked up some flu or cold and was not 100% but she had never let that get in the way and it had been a great trip. Koji came through like a champ, handling every detail excellently and finding all of the most important birds, missing only a couple and turning up some surprises as well. The final species count for 7 days was 113 species. This included 38 lifers (4 of which I had seen elsewhere but were introduced species in those locations) – and I got photos of 97 species of which 54 were life photos (including three of the aforementioned introduced species – now legitimate).

At the end of group tours, the tour leader often asks for a top bird or a top 5. The top bird here of course is easy – my Bucket List Smew. But it would be unfair to only pick 4 more top species. It would be unfair to at least Baikal Teal, Mandarin Duck, Hooded Crane, Red Crowned Crane, White Naped Crane, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, Ural Owl, Steller’s Sea Eagle, White Tailed Eagle and Swan Goose. So with those additional ten, and without ranking them, I will call that group my top ten, since there is no way I would put anything on the same pedestal as the Smew and also recognizing that there were lots of less charismatic species that were fabulous as well.