John's Wildlife Wanderings: Japan!

I had a awesome 2-week holiday in Japan towards the end of September / beginning of October. The main lure was the Rugby World Cup, catching a couple of games. While it was not a nature holiday, I did find the time to spend a bit of time wandering around a few parks and suburban areas.

The trip began right up in the north, in Hokkaido. Staying in Sapporo for the rugby, I had the chance to have a good wander around Nakajima Park in the centre of the city on Sunday 22/09, a short distance from where we were staying. New birds included several gorgeous Varied Tits, Japanese Tit, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Large-Billed Crows, as well as a few familar species such as (genuine) Mandarins, Tree Sparrows, Great-Spotted Woodpecker and clara Nuthatch.

Following Sapporo, we were back south, spending a few days in Tokyo. Walking around the city, very few birds were apparent to be honest, other than the occasional echoing squawks from the numerous Thick-Billed Crows. It is though possible to find a few little Oases within the largest city in the world. Hamarikyu Gardens, close to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market provides a lovely bit of rest bite from the hustle and bustle, with a nice array of birds too.

Highlights here included a Philippensis Blue Rock Thrush, stonking views of an Oriental Turtle Dove, several Black-Tailed Gulls, lots of White-Faced Starlings, Japanese White-eyes, Brown-Eared Bulbuls, a Kingfisher several beautiful butterfly species and even a Pochard!

Following Tokyo, we headed on west to Kyoto. The river here was pretty shallow, a great lure for fishing herons with really confiding Grey Herons, Great White & Little Egrets. There were also quite a few more Spot-Billed Ducks, stunning Japanese & lugens White Wagtails, plus a handful of Teal and all the usual common species, including lots of Brown-Eared Bulbuls.

Some of my last holiday birding, was a a wander around the Imperial Palace Park in Kyoto, during the morning of the 29/09. It was freakishly humid - 27 degrees but 08:30am! A nice walk about brought a few new bits of interest,including a shy Narcissus Flycatcher, a couple of Grey-Streaked Flycatchers, a group of japonica Red-Rumped Swallows, and my favourite, a Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker within a mixed tit flock that also included a possible Japanese Leaf Warbler.