Monday, May 14, 2007

Mishima - Spring 2007

Well without any hitches Neil Davidson and I met up on Sunday afternoon, April 29th, ready for his first visit to Mishima and my 6th, the 5th in spring.

Once we had done some last minute shopping, as there are not too many shops on the island and we were planning to camp, we made it acorss to the island by 5.20 and arrived at the campsite just before 6.

The crossing was relatively quiet, with only a few Streaked Shearwaters breaking the monotony.

Once we reached the far port of Uzu, where the campsite is, we managed to just dump our stuff and squeeze in an hours birding before it got too dark. We were lucky enough to bump into a couple of nice birds in the shape of 2 Chinese Pond Herons(AKAGASHIRASAGI), one in fine summer plumage, which remained throughout. Other birds on show were three very noisy Black-winged Stilts (SEITAKASHIGI), and a less showy Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (UZURASHIGI) and some quietly feeding Common Snipe (TASHIGI). Walking close to the small marsh near the village, we also flushed up a Brown Thrush (AKAHARA) which would turn out to be a very common bird on the island throughout.

Chinese Pond heron

We bumped into Imai-san, a good young birder who had co-found the Blunt-winged Warbler on the island and a few other birders who told us what else had been seen on the island on preceding days and it was quite a mouthwatering list - Silky Starling (GINMUKUDORI), Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (MAMIJIROKIBITAKI), Yellow-browed Bunting (KIMAYUHOIJIRO), Grey-backed Thrush (KARAAKAHARA) and Short-toed Lark (HIMEKOTENSHI), as well as Radde's Warbler(KARAFUTOMUJISEKKA) and Temminck's Stint (OJIROTONEN). At least two of these were lifers for Neil and two others Japanese ticks.

So, as the sun started to go down, we set up camp and chowed down on some delightful curry pot noodles, which apart from a blow-out last night feast were to be our staple food for the week. Just before nodding off I could hear an Oriental Scops Owl (KONOHAZUKU) calling distantly...one of several heard over the week but as usual not seen. This would have been a prefect lullaby to get me to sleep, but the less dulcit sounds of a few drunken scuba-divers staying in the beach house nearby, put paid to that!

Monday April 30th
The next morning, after a resonably uncomfortable nights sleep (Neil with his ancient sleeping bag faring better than me as it later turned out I had slept on neil's camera half the night, which was stuffed inside his coat pocket), we loaded up on tea and weetabix and set off for our first tour of the island.

I decided to show Neil the route up to Otoge, the mountain on the top of the island, passing en route one of my favorite 'secret' spots, where Mark and I had seen a few good birds the year before.

We checked out the stilts again, with the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper having been replaces by a Greenshank (AOASHISHIGI) and a Wood Sanpiper (TAKABUSHIGI).

We started off slowly not really adding much to the totals of birds seen on the previous day, though we did see or hear plenty of Siskins, a few Eastern-crowned Warblers (SENDAIMUSHIKUI), the constant Daurian Redstart-like call of Sakhalin Leaf Warbler (EZOMUSHIKUI) and the odd chuuit of a Yellow-browed Warbler (KIMAYUMUSHIKUI). We also encountered a very confiding Narcissus Flycatcher (KIBITAKI) that posed for the camera, living up to it's English name.

1cy male Narcissu Flycatcher

Other birds seen or heard on the way up, were Blue and White Flycatcher (ORURI) and Swinhoe's Robin (SHIMAGOMA) and the resident raptors, Osprey (MISAGO), Black Kite (TOBI), and Peregrine (HAYABUSA) with the first sightings of Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Japanese Sparrowhawk(HAITAKA and TSUMI). Finally we veered off on a small track through some more mature forest, skirting the edge of the mountain.

Only some 100 meters or so down the track we suddenly saw a small dark heron feeding quietly on the side of the track, but beofre we could stop and admire it, the Japanese Night heron (MIZOGOI) took off and flew into cover, giving excellent if short views, story of my life with this species!

We reached the top of the mountain without much further incident and found there were few birds of note, with only the odd Japanese Woodpigeon (KARASUBATO) flushed up and more of the same birds from the morning, though a singing Brown Flycatcher (KOSAMEBITAKI) and the only Red-flaned Bluetail (RURIBITAKI) were new. This island does not have resident Japanese Pymy Woodpecker, Great Tit or Varied Tit (KOGERA, YAMAGARA & SHIJUKARA), like other similar size offshore islands and indeed we failed to see these three species the whole week.

After a brief rest we made our way down to the large expanse of rice fields and dry reedbed and marshy areas called Hachihata, near the larger village of Honmura in the south of the island. En route we passed through various tangles of scrub and fields, before reaching the new dam above the fields. The dam only had a few egrets and a pait of Little grebe (KAITSUBURI), so once again after briefly stopping to recharge we headed on down to the fields, the first surprise being two Swinhoe's Snipe (CHUUJISHIGI) flushed from the edge of a small marshy area. We continued on to an area that is usually good for buntings and pipts, and we were not disappoited as we encountered our first Yellow-browed Buntings (KIMAYUHOJIRO) of the trip, quickly followed by several Yellow Bunting (NOJIKO), 'spodcephala' race Black-faced Bunting (SIBERIAAOJI) and a Chestnut-eared Bunting (HOAKA).

Japanese Yellow Bunting

A search by the sea failed to reveal the reported Short-toed Lark (HIMEKOTENSHI), but there were two races of White Wagtail and a lone Whimbrel. A brief look at the area around the old JOmon period graves, gave us close views of 3 species of Hirundine - Eurasian Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow and Asian House Martin (TSUBAME, KOSHIAKATSUBAME & ) and 2 swift species - Little and Pacific (HIMEMATSUBAME, AMATSUBAME) with the ntoicieable absence of Sand Martin (SHODOTSUBAME) and White-rumped Needletail (HARIOAMATSUBAME). A walk around the rest of the fields revealed a few Red-throated Pipit (MUNEAKATAHIBARI) and Yellow Wagtail (TSUMENAGASEKIREI) calling and 4 species of white Egret (AMASAGI, KOSAGI, DAISAGI, CHUUSAGI), as well as the odd Wood Sandpiper.

Late afternooon we started to make our way back across the island, but apart from a mystery bush warbler that Neil spotted we saw little else of note. Lat we decided to check out the far corner of the UZU harbour and were rewarded with good views of a pair of dark phase Eastern Reef Herons(KUROSAGI) hunting the shoreline. A final search of the pines by the shrine on the hillside above the campsite revealed just a few more species, the pick being a few more Yellow-browed Bunting and Tristram's Bunting (SHIROHARAHOJIRO). While Neil's stakeout of the reported White-shouldered Starling(KARAMUKUDORI) possible roost site failed to produce anything.

Yellow-Borwed Bunting (Neil Davidson)

As we sat down to curry pot noodles for tea, the first spots of ran began to fall, bringing with it the prospect of new birds, but also a rough night as the wind began to pick up from the south. Around 11pm the wind and rain really began to pick up, ripping the top of our fragile accomodation, the most sheltered spots already being taken. Abandoning ship, we hastily gathered up our gear and decided to bed down in the disabled toilet, struggling out of wet things. It seemed a good temporary fix to our situation, with running water, electric light a clean floor and toilet nearby. it would end up being our digs for the remainder of the trip.

home sweet home (Neil Davidson)

Tuesday May 1st

After shocking the hell out of one of the scuba-girls when she cam to make her morning deposit, we got up to a dull, overcast morning with rain still in the air, and so it remained until the afternoon.

Siberian Stonechat

Amazingly, unlike our tent, which was now a paddling pool, the Stilts had not been blown away in the night. Once again we did a tour of the nearby headland and were not able to add much to the previous days list except a nice, but rather washed out male Siberian Stonechat (NOBITAKI). So we deceided to make our way to the lighthouse in the north of the island, with Imai-san. in the hopes of finding something blown inby the wind. We were for the most part sadly dispappointed, with the only bird of note being a female Grey-backed Thrush (KARAAKAHARA) on the way back , which unfortunatley Neil failed to get on to, thanks to my rather crap directions before it disappeared into the scrub. We did however, manage a few of the commoner migrant warblers and flycatchers.

Blue and White Flycatcher

Neil decided to stake out the thrush, as it was a lifer for him, while I returned to basecamp. I decided to walk along by the beach and the rain provided me plenty of opportunity to photograph commoner species such as Common Sandpiper (ISOSHIGI), Grey-tailed Tatler (KIASHISHIGI(), Great Egret (DAISAGI)and Blue Rock Thrush (ISOHIYODORI). I was also able to find some new birds for the trip, with Pelagic Cormorant (HIMEU) fishing a little offshore, and two divers, one Pacific (SHIROERIOHAMU) and one Black-throated (OHAMU) unusually fishing side by side, as well as an Oriental Honey Buzzard (HACHIKUMA) coming in low off the sea from the east..a rahter unusual direction.

The beach
Blue Rock Thrush
Pacific Diver
Black-throated Diver
Oriental Honey Buzzard (Chikako Miyazawa)

Neil and I met up finally mid-morning, and though he said he hadn't had much, it soon transpired that he had seen and photographed a Daurian Starling (SIBERIAMUKUDORI). Despite searching for it, we could not relocate it and I had to be content with the hope that it might come to roost that evening. We slowly made our way up the mountain, stopping off to see a couple of White's Thrushes (TORATSUGUMI) in the old Kindergarten garden, rustling among the leaves alongside Brown Thrush and Pale Thrush (SHIROHARA).

White's Thrush

We finally made it to the top of the mountain, again without any new birds of note and 1 more White's Thrush along with the commoner Pale and Brown Thrushes near the top.

The rest of the day, passed in a blur, as despite the wind and rain, no other birds of note were seen, though we did have a Grey-faced Buzzard (SASHIBA) perhced halfway up the valley.

Despite extensive searching neither the Daurian or Grey-backed Starling could be found. We retired to bed at a resonable hour, hoping that the brighter weather the following day would give us a chance to seeif the birds we thought might have come in, but had been hampered by the wind and rain were still around. We were not to be disappointed.

Wednesday 2nd May

Up again early, with brighter, less windy conditions. it soon became apparent that a lot of birds had been brought in. We soon had Black-naped oriole (KORAIUGUISU) singing, and lots of other migrants singing from cover, mainly Siberian Rubythroats (NOGOMA) and Siberian Blue Robins (KORURI). Two species we heard on subsequent days, along with Swinhoe's Robin, but were unable to see..except Rubythroat. Neil decided to make is way to the lighthouse hoping to find something good. He was able to find Grey Thrush (KUROTSUGUMI) the first of several over the next few days. Imai-san and I searched for the oriole without success, but among the larger numbers of Tristram's, Little (KOHOAKA) Yellow-browed and Black-faced Buntings, Imai-san and I were lucky enough to find a fine male Chestnut Bunting (SHIMANOJIKO). There were also plenty of Yellow-browed Warblers fresh in, along with Eastern-crowned and Sakhalin Leaf Warblers. I also had brief views of a Middendorf's Grasshopper Warbler (SHIMASENNYU) and heard Dusky Warbler (MUJISEKKA), one of several seen or heard on the island and Manchurian Bush Warbler (CHOSENUGUISU), with a song not dissimilar to the commoner Japanese Bush Warbler (UGUISU) but more melodius in quality.

Luckily, we were all finally able to catch up with the White-shouldered Starling (KARAMUKUDORI), which finally decided to show off in the overgrown allotments.

White-shouldered Starling

Japanese Thrush (Neil Davidson)

Neil and I independently made our way up to the mountain mid-morning, with Neil and I both hearing the song of Pale-legged Warbler (USUIMUSHIKUI) along the 'secret' path, and bumping into several Yellow-throated Buntings (MIYAMAHOJIRO). Neil also heard and saw 8 Crossbill (ISUKA) en-route. While I rested at the top, Neil came and told me he had also seen and photographed a Wryneck (ARISUI) at the Sefl-defence Force barbecue area, where a Hoopoe had been seen the day before. He was lucky enough to also see the only Japanese Paradise Flycatcher (SANKOUCHO) flitting through the tops of some pine trees. I relocated the Wryneck, but the flycatcher seemed to disappear into thin air.

Neil and I parted ways once again, as headed back down the moutain to Uzu, while I made my way on a different route to the ricefields of hachihata. Neil was lucky enough to finally find a Grey-backed Thrush (KARAAKAHARA) and later got nice photos of a Dollarbird (BUPPOSO) perched on wires above the 'mystery' track, after a telling off from the local defence force for stepping too close to their fence!

Dollarbird (Neil Davidson)
Wryneck (Neil Davidson)

As I walked down towards the ricefields, I was able to see a few more warblers and flycatchers. At the bottom of the dam I met Imai-san, who told me he had found a Daurian Starling (SIBERIAMUKUDORI) with 15 Red-cheeked Starlings (KOMUKUDORI). We quickly relocated the Daurian Starling among the Red-cheekeds feeding in long grass at the side of the dam, but it was soon flushed and moved to trees, by the side of the Dam. Flushed again, it was briefly seen in flight, to never be relocated. Around the side of the dam were several Brown and Grey-Streaked Flycatchers (EZOBITAKI), as well as plenty of Brown and Pale Thrushes.

We continued on down to the ricefields, and were able to see more Tristram's and Yellow-browed Buntings, as well as a few Yellow and Black-faced Buntings. We deceided to have a look for the Short-toed lark (HIMEKOTENSHI) by Honmaru Port, and were lucky enough to find him, alongside 2 Richard's Pipits (MAMIJIROTAHINBARI), as well as more Red-throated Pipit and Buff-bellied Pipits on the rice paddies.

Short-toed Lark

A report of a male Yellow-breasted Bunting (SHIMAAOJI) and I took Imai-san in vain for a tour around the jomon tombs, before heading back over to the ricefields for a last look, before heading back to Uzu. As we were trying to work out the varous races of Yellow Wagtail, Imai-san suddenly noticed a small bunting feeding quietly on the deck. We soon both realized it was a male Palla's Reed Bunting (SHIBERIAJURIN). We managed to get good close views as he fed just 15 meters away, but proved difficult to photograph.

Palla's Reed Bunting

The walk back to Uzu, once again proved uneventful, but a final look up on the hillside above the campsite, produced a Sooty Flycatcher (SAMEBITAKI), among the commoner warblers, flycatchers and buntings. A final look at the ricefields nearby also had us face to face with a Japanese Snipe (OJISHIGI), despite Neil and my best efforts to dismiss it at first as a Common Snipe!
The camera however, doesn't lie..well not always.

Japanese Snipe

Thursday May 3rd to Saturday May 6th

The last 3 days of the trip were to prove not as productive as the Wednesday, with far lesser numbers of birds, but new species, though mostly not rare being added.

Thursday saw Imai-san and I do the lighthouse and then me walk down the west side of the island in the morning. This produced a few new birds, a Korean race Meadow Bunting, stunning views of Japanese Woodpigeon, a Black-browed Reed Warbler ( KOYOSHIKIRI - another had been been briefly heard the day before), a Little Bunting and singing Japanese Robin (the only one of the trip).

Once again Neil and I split up, but our seperate paths eventually took us to the other side of the island, with Hobby (CHIGOHAYABUSA) and Russet Sparrow (NYUNAESUZUME) being the only bird of note for me. Neil finally managed to catch up with the Short-toed lark, but not much else. up to 3 Palla'S Reed Bunting were in the field we had seen the male the day before. A Red-necked Stint (TONEN) had joined them, and there was 1 of two new Chinese Pond Herons closeby, as well as 3 of the previous days 7 Yellow Wagtails. Two more Red-necked Stints and a White Wagtail had also taken up residence on the beach.

Red-necked Stint
White Wagtail

On the Friday a few more common birds were added to the list, a Daurian Redstart (JOUBITAKI) in off the sea, a Brambling (ATORI), a Bull-headed Shrike (MOZU). I had brief views of another Japanese Night Heron (MIZOGOI). There were still quite a few buntings, Little now taking over from Yellow-browed as the commonest and warblers with a single Arctic (MEBOSOMUSHIKUI) the only bird of note and a few flycatchers on the island, as well as Red-cheeked Starlings (KOMUKUDORI). Neil had the best birds of the day, a Quail (UZURA) flushed on an area I usually checked out in the center of the island, a lifer for him, which we couldn't find despite searching nearly every blade of grass, and another Richard's Pipit (MAMIJIROTAHIBARI)..again avoiding mine and Imai-san's eyes.

Little Bunting
Red-cheeked Starling

The Saturday morning, was a starling day and also the day of the one that got away. Little Bunting were it seemed everywhere still, with at least 11 near the campsite, and as well as erroneous reports of the Daurian or a another Daurian Starling, there were plenty of Red-cheeked and a few grey Starling (MUKUDORI). While I was on the loo, Neil phoned me with news of a mystery bird, only 50 meters away from where Mark and I had found the Blunt-winged Warbler the year before. it was photographed and videoed before disappearing never to be seen again, as an old man deceided to chop wood right where it had last been seen to fly into. Further inspecition of the photos and video revealed to me that it was a Song Sparrow (UTASUZUME), probably from the Aleutuains or NW Alaska. Despite going back later in the day, the bird never materialized. Had I known it responded to pishing at the time I would have pished away.

Just as Neil and I were getting ready to leave the island sure nothing else would turn up, I got a phonecall from Imai-san telling me that a Black-capped Kingfisher (YAMASHOBIN) had been found. We legged it up the hillside and Neil got brief, if good views through bins before legging it back and just making the 10 o'clock ferry.

Encouraged by this bird, the presence of the Song Sparrow and the weather slowly turning to misty conditions, I decided to saty on until the 4 o'clock ferry. So Imai-san and I set off up the mountain road, with little on the way. However, once at the top, a few birds gave themselves up, first a female Siberian Thrush (MAMIJIRO), next a small flock of Hawfinch(SHIME) feeding on cherries, and then 4-5 Grey-faced Buzzard (SASHIBA) and no less than7 Japanee Sparrowhawk(TSUMI) circling overhead. On the way back down the mountain brief tantalizing views of two Broad-billed Roller (BUPPOSO) were had as they flew into cover. later on we watched one bird distantly hawking and another flying to the north of the island and into the mist.

As the mist rolled in, I had a last look in vain for te Song Sparrow and a green Heron that had been reported by Imai-san on two previous occassions, but could only turn up a Grey-tailed tatler and a 3rd race of White Wagtail.

Even with the mist, the ferry journey back proved more eventful than the one 6 days before. Among the larger numbers of Streaked Shearwaters (OMIZUNAGIDORI) were a couple of darker shearwaters, most likely Sooty . There were also a few Red-necked Phalarope (AKAERIHIREASHISHIGI), three auklets, one close enough to see it was a Japanese Murrelet (KANMURIUMISUZUME) for which a big cheer went up from all the birders on the boat. Finally 4 terns diving distantly were too far way to ID for sure, but were most likely Common Terns.

All told Neil and I managed to see or here 135 species in and around the island. Will I be back next year, you betcha.

Grey-tailed Tatler
Black-winged Stilt
Yellow Wagtail

Imai-san and several other birders stayed on until the Monday, but few other birds of note were found despite the ensuing wind and rain. the best being Common Rosefinch (AKAMASHIKO), Yellow-breasted bunting (SHIMAAOJI), Chestnut Bunting(SHIMANOJIKO), Silky Starling (GINMUKUDORI) and Tree Pipit (YORROPPABINZUI).