Broadbill -Birdwatcher's site

Japanese Birds - Spring Migration

Doubtlessly, spring migration is the most exciting season for Japanse birdwatchers.

Spring migration starts from March, while most of winter migrants start going back to their home in the northern Asia, the earlist summer visitor, Barn Swallow arrives. Barn Swallow is traditionally a familar bird among Japanese people. While they catch insects which are pests for their crops, people protect the bird which nests under their roof.

After the cherry-blossum festival, in Osaka (where I live in), peak spring migration starts. Eastern Crowned Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher are probably earlier summer migrants. They pass through lowland forests before going back to their breeding sites. In that timing, chestnut or some other trees have started budding.

Between April 20 and May 10, I used to get up by 5:00 am to go to a small forest close to my house. Particularly after the heavy rainfall, I was able to see many summer visitors. They include Blue-and-white Flycatcher (photo left), Narcissus Flycatcher (refer to Japanese Birds), Siberian Blue Robin, Pale-legged Warbler (photo right), Short-tailed Bush Warbler and Japanese Yellow Bunting.

Their songs early in the morning wake me up very much and give me very peaceful hours. During the migratory season, Japanese birdwatchers assemble in several famous islands on the Japan Sea side. I was also one of the twitchers before. During a week of May 1993, I went to a small island, called Hegura-jima with my friend. We saw totally over 160 species in the week. It includes many rarerites in Japan, such as Amur Red-legged Falcon, Indian Cuckoo, Short-toed Lark, White-throated Rock-thrush (photo), Dusky & Raddes's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Chestnut (refer to photo galley), Tristram's (refer to autumn migration) and Yellow-browed Bunting and Black-naped Oriole. The trip was the most impressive trip for me to the island. It is very risky to go to the small islands on the Sea side while there are often nothing. However, when they are excited with many lifers, they are no more able to stop going to the islands.

Towards the end of the migratory season, observed birds are changed. In late May or early June, migratory species are mostly Hokkaido-limited breeding species. Gray's & Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler are often seen the season. Unlikely the grasshopper warblers, Siberian Rubythroat (photo) is seen even relatively earlier season.

Along the coast or paddyfield in Japan, spring is an attractive season for shorebird watchers. Dunlin shows rustic back and black belly which is more striking comparing with the grey winter plumage. Bar-tailed Godwits and Great Knot are commonly seen on the tidal flat in the spring while Red-necked Stint (photo), a sparrow size wader, is also regularly seen with a flock.

In the lotus or paddyfield, yellowish Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is often seen together with distinctively black Spotted Redshank.

However, because of loss of paddyfield and lotus field, unfortunately the spring scenery has been lost gradually. I hope that we are still able to enjoy the seasonal scene through birdwatching.

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