| Japan - spring migration and endemics
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| The Japanese archipelago stretches some 3,500 kms from the cold, northern island of Hokkaido, through the temperate climate of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and down to the sub-tropical southern island chains. The diversity of climate and geography provides a rich mixture of habitats for a wide range of birds, and the combination of familiar Palearctic groups with more exotic and endemic species makes for some exciting birding. We will travel the length of this diverse country seeking out many of Japan's wonderful birds. On the island of Tsushima, in the Sea of Japan, we hope to encounter a staggering array of migrants on their journey further north. On the sub-tropical Ryukyu Island chain we will visit Okinawa and Amami-Oshima to search for the globally threatened endemic Okinawa Rail, Pryer's Woodpecker, Lidth's Jay, and Amami Woodcock. No birding visit to Japan should be without a boat trip. To the south of Tokyo are the Izu Islands and a ferry ride from there should allow us to see a mouth-watering variety of seabirds, while the islands have the endemic Izu Island Thrush and Ijima's Warbler. Closer to the vibrant city of Tokyo we will stop to look for Fairy Pitta, known locally as the yairocho (the eight-coloured bird), while in the shadow of Mount Fuji we will explore forested slopes for Japanese Accentor and Japanese Yellow Bunting. We will end the tour searching for more rare species including Latham's Snipe, Japanese Marsh Warbler, and Japanese Reed Bunting. Japanese culture, old and new, has intrigued the west for centuries. The ancient Taoist reverence for nature and the natural flow of life still pervades the country today, and when this combines with modern Japan the result is a culture that is at the same time reflective, mysterious, almost mystical and yet dynamic, innovative and even, occasionally, bizarre. This is certain to be a fascinating tour.
PLEASE NOTE THIS TOUR WILL NOT RUN IN 2005.
withJames Lidster as leader.
Day 1: The tour will begin in London where we will take an overnight flight to Tokyo’s international airport at Narita. Day 2: Arriving at Narita we will transfer into the centre of Tokyo to our hotel near Haneda Airport for an overnight stay. After time to recover from our overnight flight, we’ll spend the remainder of the day visiting Oi Yacho Koen and Shioiri-no-ike, a local birding spot within easy reach of the hotel. Here we will encounter some of Japan’s more common species such as Rufous Turtle Dove, Azure-winged Magpie, Jungle Crow, Grey Starling, Black-backed Wagtail, Brown-eared Bulbul, Fan-tailed Warbler and Oriental Greenfinch. There should also be some waterbirds present including Spot-billed Duck, Black-crowned Night Heron, and Terek Sandpiper. Night in Haneda. Day 3: We will take an early morning flight from Haneda airport to Tsushima, the place to be at migration time in Japan. Birds moving north to Siberia, and those arriving to summer in Japan, often pass through the island and the 280 species recorded there is a who’s who of Japanese birds, with species new to Japan continually turning up. Leaving the airport we will drive north to our accommodation stopping at points along the way to look for birds in suitable areas. Night on Tsushima. Days 4-5: Our accommodation is close to a valley that is probably the best birding site on the island. Although not a big area, the valley has a variety of wetland habitats - river mouth, small watercourses and paddy fields – making it suitable for passage waders. Among others we hope to see Mongolian Plover, Grey-headed Lapwing, Great Knot, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Australian Curlew, Greenshank and Grey-tailed Tattler. Chinese Pond Heron, Eastern Reef Heron and Purple Heron may also be seen here. We will visit other favoured birding spots on the island and the list of potential species is mouth-watering - Crested Honey Buzzard, Japanese and Chinese Sparrowhawks, Japanese Green Pigeon, Oriental and Little Cuckoo, Oriental Scops Owl, White-throated Needletail, Ruddy Kingfisher, Dollarbird, Olive-backed Pipit, Ashy Minivet, Japanese Robin, Siberian Rubythroat, Siberian Blue Robin, White’s, Siberian, Pale and Dusky Thrush, Stub-tailed Bush Warbler, Black-browed Warbler, Mugimaki, Tricoloured, Narcissus and Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, Bull-headed and Tiger Shrike, Varied Tit, Red-cheeked Starling, Chinese and Japanese Grosbeaks, and Meadow, Grey-headed, Rustic, Little, Yellow-throated and Yellow-breasted Buntings to mention a few. In addition, migrating Japanese Yellow Bunting is often more easily seen here than anywhere else in Japan and Tsuhima is also the only place in Japan to find the secretive, nocturnal Small-eared Cat. Nights on Tsushima. Days 6-8: Leaving Tsushima after an early breakfast, two short flights will take us to Naha on Okinawa. This island, with miles of sandy beaches and a good climate, is very popular with the Japanese as a holiday destination. Our time on Okinawa will be spent in the less crowded north looking for some of Japan’s globally threatened endemic birds. We shall explore the hilly, forested slopes of Yambaru, areas vital for the survival of both Pryer’s Woodpecker and Okinawa Rail, both of which we hope to see. Apart from the forest we will visit the rice paddies of Kijyoka and Kin to look for Cinnamon Bittern, White-breasted Waterhen, and Watercock, and the various headlands and beaches for terns and shorebirds. Much of our birding on Okinawa will be done pre-dawn and post-dusk to find, in particular, the rail and Amami Woodcock. Other targets will include species endemic to the Ryukyu Islands, or those less widespread in Japan such as Black-naped and Roseate Tern, Red-capped Green Pigeon, Ryukyu and Collared Scops Owl, Pacific Swallow, Ryukyu Minivet and Chinese Bulbul. Any migrants that we may have missed on Tsushima could be picked up here or the following island. Nights on Okinawa. Day 9: We will spend a final day birding on Okinawa before travelling back to the airport to catch an early evening flight to Naze on Amami-Oshima and transfer straight to our hotel. Night on Amami-Oshima. Days 10-11: We will spend all day birding on Amami-Oshima, another of the islands in the Ryukyu chain with its own endemic species, Lidth’s Jay. Amami Woodcock is found in greater numbers here than on Okinawa, and Amami Thrush, an endemic race of the White-backed Woodpecker and endemic Ryukyu forms of Ryukyu Robin and Narcissus Flycatcher may also be found on the island. Our forays for the woodcock should also produce the endemic Amami Black Rabbit. Nights on Amami-Oshima. Day 12: We will have a final early morning birding session on Amami-Oshima before we transfer to the airport for a flight to Kagoshima. From there we’ll drive the short distance to the Mi-ike area. Here can be found a variety of habitats from rivers, lakes and lowland broad-leaved forests up to higher altitude forests and mountains where many of Japan’s common woodland birds can be found. Night on Kagoshima. Day 13 : We are now in a region well known for Fairy Pitta and this beautifully marked bird should have recently arrived back from its wintering grounds by the time of our visit. The endemic Copper Pheasant, Green Pheasant and Japanese Green Woodpecker are also all found in this area and may be seen as we search for the pitta. The forests also hold a number of mammals including Sika Deer, Wild Boar, Racoon Dog and Giant Flying Squirrel. Night on Kagoshima. Day 14 : We will have a few hours birding before our mid-day flight from Kagoshima back to Haneda/Tokyo (1¾ hours). Once in Tokyo we will have the remainder of the afternoon and the evening free to explore this fascinating city. Night in Tokyo. Day 15: An early morning flight to Hachijo-jima will give us most of the day free to search for the endemic Izu Island Thrush and the endemic Ijima’s Warbler. The island’s rich volcanic soil supports dense woodland, home to a variety of birds, while the rocky coastline, grassy headlands and forest should provide us a few more specialities. Both Japanese Woodpigeon and Japanese Robin should be more easily seen here than elsewhere on our trip. Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler and Japanese Scops Owl (both recently split from Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler and Collared Scops Owl respectively) should provide more of a challenge. The island also holds a distinctive form of Varied Tit. Night on Hachijo-jima. Day 16: The ferry from Hachijo-jima back to Tokyo is one of the worlds great seawatching experiences. The journey will take just over 10 hours and will give us plenty of opportunity to watch Streaked Shearwaters in their hundreds of thousands, as well as smaller numbers of Sooty, Short-tailed and Flesh-footed Shearwater. Tristram’s Storm Petrel and Laysan and Black-footed Albatross should also be seen and, with a little luck, a handful of other species may be picked out including Japanese Murrelet. Night in Tokyo. Days 17-18: Leaving Tokyo early we will drive to Hakone, within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, arriving in the afternoon. The rest of the day and all the following day will be spent birdwatching in this wonderful setting where we hope to find three more Japanese specialities: Japanese Accentor, Japanese Yellow Bunting, here on their breeding grounds, and the now increasingly rare Latham’s (Japanese) Snipe. Although a popular area with visitors from Tokyo, this region is rich in birds and we will have the chance to pick up any woodland species that we may have missed so far. Nights in Hakone. Day 19: Leaving Hakone we will head to our final stop near Narita, taking a detour to the Ukishima Marsh. This site holds the localised Japanese Marsh Warbler and Japanese Reed Bunting. We will also look out for Yellow Bittern and a mixture of shorebirds along the muddy shores of the river and lake and in the paddy fields. Schrenck’s Bittern has often been recorded here but has now become a rarity. Night in Tokyo. Day 20: A morning transfer to Narita Airport will take us back to London where the tour ends later the same day.
Cost: £To be announced Single Room Supplement: £To be announced Maximum group size: 14 participants and 2 leaders. E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
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Izu Island Thrush is just one of the many endemic species we hope to see. Neil Gartshore |
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