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Recently 2 good field guides have been
published:
Tadao Shimba (2007) A photographic guide to the birds of
Japan and North-east Asia. Christopher Helm, London, 504 pp. (in addition
to the photos a brief description, distribution map, and status in
Japan)
Mark Brazil (2009) Field guide to the birds of East
Asia. Christopher Helm, London, 528 pp., 236 plates [covers Eastern
China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Eastern Russia] (far more descriptive text and
more distinctive maps than in Shimba's guide)
Regarding the Redhead (Aythya americana) Rob Geraghty
mentioned, it is in both guides classed as a vagrant. Nearest occurrence to
Japan is Alaska.
Michael Lenz
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 12:12 AM
Subject: [canberrabirds] more birding in tokyo- oi yacho
koen
Hi All
I am in Tokyo at the moment and as there is a bit
of a Japanese thread running I thought I would let you know about a great bird
park that reminded of Kelly?s Swamp- sort of. Also I am here for 3 months- if
anyone has any birding contacts I would love to meet them.
The Tokyo Port
Bird Park (Oi Yacho Koen) is an easy trip from Shibuya and run by the Wild Bird
Society of Japan (300 yen entry- like $4). It an amazing large park, that has
been regenerated around several reed bed fringed ponds. There are 3 fresh water
ponds and one salt water tidal pond (which is very large), 5 hides with free
spotting scopes, toilets, picnic tables, a small market garden, a nature
education centre (a beautiful wooden teaching room), AND a 3 story centrally
heated visitors centre that has a panoramic glass wall equipped with scopes on
mobile stands, onto the large salt water pond- amazing! There is a ranger
station there and they had field guides in different languages for reference.
You need to go in there to defrost- it was 2 degrees on my first visit. The
whole park is ringed by the industrial port of Tokyo and is a place that birds
are using despite the oddness of the setting. - hence the Kelly?s
reminder.
The whole place is really well maintained by staff and
volunteers. The hides where not only spotless, with floors freshly mopped but
they had air freshners. It was a bit disconcerting as one of them was
eucalyptus.
I have been there twice this week. The birds I have seen on
those to trips are: Little Grebe, Common Cormorant, Spot-billed Duck, Pintail,
Pochard (I?m going to have to double check the beaks now), Tufted Duck, Common
Kingfisher (4 in total- they are like a cross between a sacred and azure, with a
iridescent light blue racing strip down their backs- breath taking), Grey Heron,
Common Coot, Common Sandpiper, Rufous Turtle Dove, White wagtail, Brown eared
Bulbul, Brown Thrush, Dusky Thrush, Great Tit, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Reed
Bunting, Grey Starling and the ever present Jungle Crow.
Three rare birds
where also present- the Common Buzzard (3), Northern Goshawk (1) and a European
Bittern.
On my second visit on Saturday there was a small group of
birders encamped especially to see the Buzzards who are visitors at this time of
year, and hoping to see the Bittern who is a new visitor. They where really
friendly and a great help with identification, about as many women as men, and
all with super-duper cameras. But if you like to be alone, it was only 2 others
and me there mid week.
For anyone looking for a field guide ? I bought a
second hand copy of Mark Brazils? Birds of Japan, it's a large and heavy book
with only 6 pages of colour plates (one being an enormous Stellar Eagle- one I
would think you would not have to cross check with another bird). I was hoping
to get a guide with roman script that I could use in the field and have Brazils
book for translations but the best field guides I have found are only in kanji.
The Wild Birds Society?s Field Guide to the birds of Japan (in English) is out
of print- copies go from $50 to $500 on Amazon. Their Field Guide to the Water
Birds of Asia is still in print and available from their
office.
Best
raquel
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