Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Japan April 2014



To get some body-clock-reviving sun after arriving, we went to Hamarikyu Gardens near our hotel.

The lake there had Spot-Billed Duck*, Great Cormorant, ‎Little Egret, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Shoveler. In the air, Black Kite, Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Great Tit and White Wagtail.



Spot-Billed Duck

White Wagtail






Travelling out to Mitaka for the Ghibli Museum, in the lovely park we added Oriental Turtle Dove, Brown-Eared Bulbul*, White-Cheeked Starling* (which had looked like Mynas to me yesterday).


Oriental Turtle Dove
White Cheeked Starling

















A Grey Heron flew past, 20 stories up in central Tokyo. 

On a day trip to Kamakura and Enoshima, we saw Long Tailed Tit, Large-Billed Crow*, Dusky Thrush*(ecunumus) and a distant duck which zooming reveals as Greater Scaup*.





Greater Scaup
Large Billed Crow
Then deep into the Alps, and at Tsumago we saw Japanese Robin*, Grey Wagtail, Barn Swallow. And on the 13km walk from Magome to Tsumago ‎and Nagiso JR, Jay, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker*, Peregrine, Meadow Bunting (thought it was Alpine Accentor initially, but strong head-stripes), Japanese Grosbeak*. Also a weird mammal called a Serow.

Grey Wagtail


Japanese Wagtail


White Cheeked Starling
Brown-Eared Bulbul
Barn Swallow



At the station I finally figured out that the ringing call we have been hearing everywhere is the Japanese Bush Warbler* (apparently and appropriately, considered a sign that spring is here).

In Kyoto, along the Philosophers Walk, Japanese White-eye*, Varied Tit* and Mallard. (30,11)
Varied Tit
Japanese White Eye

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