Rausu and Notsuke

From the Blakiston's Fish Owl atYoroushi Onsen we cut across to the coast to head up to Rausu and the next iconic Hokkaido sight, the flocks of eagles around Rause harbour.


The eagles were the main target and though it would have been good to connect with the likes of the returning Bufflehead, the local wintering Ravens or anything else of interest we moved soon moved south to the Notsuke Peninsula once we'd had good views of the eagles and checked the various (largely empty) harbours.

Imagine this on your doorstep.

The usual birds were in the harbours but from the Kansai perspective Harlequin Duck, Glaucous-winged and Glaucous Gulls were the pick.

Harlequins



Glaucous-winged Gulls

Juvenile Glaucous takes some beating...

The first birds we saw on Notsuke were Snow Buntings but it was really difficult to get decent shots because they were quite flighty and the grass stems meant some were always out of focus. It was only after going through the images at home that I realised Snow Bunting was a photograph tick!

In late afternoon hundreds of Sika Deer were coming out into the open along the peninsula.

I've never been to Lake Biwa when there wasn't a long line of photographers' cars and ranks of cameras at the ready to capture 'our' Steller's every move. It almost seems sinful to have a solitary Steller's all to yourself.

eagles

White-tailed Eagle is probably annual, with odd birds along the northern Kansai coast and beyond up the Noto Hanto (Noto Peninsular) as well as occasionally south as far as northern Lake Biwa. When birds do arrive they usually stay throughout winter but, between wandering over a large area for food and sitting for long periods in a favourite tree, even long stayers can be tricky to see on any given day.


Of course Hokkaido is the place to see the haliaeetus eagles and White-tailed can be found quite easily in summer as well as winter.

Adult Ochiishi Peninsular, Hokkaido, January 2013.

Immature Notsuke Peninsular, Hokkaido, January 2013.

Immature Cape Nosapu, Hokkaido January 2013.

Adult Shiretoko Peninsular, Hokkaido, August 2012.

For years there's been a wintering adult Steller's Sea Eagle at Kohoku-cho in northern Biwako, if my memory serves, November 26 is its expected arrival date. Though I've seen three additional birds on the lake over the years, it'll be a big miss when it no longer turns up. It's easy to find the bird, from the Kohoku-cho Wild Bird Center look back across the fields away from the lake and you'll see a hill. The eagle is always sitting in the trees when it's not duck hunting on the lake, there are invariably lines of photographers waiting for it to fly! As with White-tailed, Hokkaido is by far the best place to see this species.

Immature Steller's Notsuke Peninsular, Hokkaido, January 2013.

Adult Notsuke Peninsular, Hokkaido, January 2013. All the white-winged gulls are a dead giveaway this isn't in Kansai!

Adult Notsuke Peninsular, Hokkaido, January 2013.

Heading south to the opposite end of the country Ryukyu Serpent Eagle is equally easy to see. It's very common on Iriomote and only slightly less so on Ishigaki. They sit on roadside telegraph poles and are impossible to miss. They are also quite approachable.

Iriomote, April 2013.

Iriomote, April 2013.

Iriomote, April 2013.

Immature Iriomote, April 2013.

Immature Iriomote, April 2013.

The place to see Golden Eagle in Kansai is Ibukiyama, on the border of Shiga and Gifu prefectures. The 17km access (toll) road is closed to vehicles during winter but it is nevertheless a great platform for birding on the forested slopes. Snow makes for heavy going and I've never made it all the way to the top during winter. It might be possible to walk the much shorter zig-zagging path directly from foot to summit on the west side, I've never tried it. 


I don't know of any other aquila records from Kansai but for many years a Greater Spotted Eagle spent each winter in Kyushu. When that bird stopped coming it seemed there'd been no more opportunities to see the species however a juvenile appeared in the winter of 2014/15 so perhaps it'll continue the tradition.

Juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle in Kyushu, December 2015.

Golden Eagle Ibukiyama, November 2006.

Birds settling to roost Ibukiyama, November 2006.

Mountain Hawk Eagle is a low density breeder throughout the region's higher mountains including the Ibukiyama area, central Kyoto prefecture and the spine of the Kii Peninsular, but they are wide-ranging birds and luck is needed to see them. Away from Kansai, I've had great views of them in roadside trees along a stretch of route 317 in Aomori pefecture on different visits to the area over a number of years.

The distinctive shape of an overhead Hawk Eagle. Kyoto prefecture April 2014.

Mountain Hawk Eagle near Hirosaki, Aomori, August 2013.

Near Hirosaki, Aomori, August 2013.

Lake Biwa

The lake is the largest in Japan, as wide as the English Channel and over 60km in length. Only a fraction of it and the surrounding habitats can be covered in a day but for the visiting birder there are a number of key locations to visit allowing a good variety of species to be found. This is a must do area in winter for anyone in the region but a car is essential to do more than scratch the surface of the lake's potential.

The only important location that can be reached by public is Kohoku Wild Bird Center. From Kyoto take JR Tokaido line to Maibara and change to the Hokuriku line getting off at Kawake station. There is a mini bus that runs to the wild bird center on the lake or the 6km walk across the fields can be productive, there can be Dusky Thrushes, lapwings, and Daurian Jackdaws on the fields and there are frequently Long-billed Plover on the river at Kawake near the station.


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My personal preference is to start with woodland birds north of the lake at dawn, snow depth affects access, then work down the east side. There are plenty of good locations in the north west too but fewer good birding opportunities heading south on that side of the lake.

Woodland species aren't much different to those found around Kyoto except White-backed Woodpecker is fairly common and Nuthatch and Treecreeper are possible. Japanese Woodpecker is more common up here and Elegant Bunting, very uncommon around Kyoto, is also to be expected. However woodland birding might be better thought of as an optional extra.

There are ducks everywhere on the lake though some are easier to see in certain areas, for example Goosander and redhead Smew are more common at the northern end while drake Smew gather further south. Baikal Teal are mainly at Kohoku-cho. Other rare ducks there have been include Green-winged Teal, Red Crested Pochard (annual), Baer's Pochard, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ferruginous Duck, and birds like these could turn up anywhere.

This isn't actually the regular Steller's, others occasionally turn up and winter around the lake.

Many visiting birders I take there are keen to see Steller's Sea Eagle and the regular bird is easy to find at Kohoku-cho in the north east, though who knows how old that bird is or how much longer it will continue to winter there. This is also the best place to see Baikal Teal, Eastern Water Rail, a variety of ducks, birds of prey and birds of open country such as Daurian Jackdaw with any Rook flocks you come across.

If you stop at every likely spot heading south from there, you won't reach the southern end in daylight but it's risky recommending other sites because where birds might be is unpredictable and it may be better just to trust to your instincts. However the area just north of Omihachiman is often productive, Lake Sainoko is a roost site for Hen Harrier and Eastern Marsh Harrier and these can often be seen cruising along the edge of route 526. The fields stretching north from Sainoko to Lake Biwa can be interesting, Merlin, Daurian Jackdaw, Buff-bellied Pipit are all possible, there was a wintering Hooded Crane a few winters ago. The two rivers, especially the Notogawa are good for ducks and even waders. Long-billed Plover is frequently around the second road bridge from the lake on the Notogawa. Also the coast road around the wooded hills often has large concentrations of ducks and Black-necked Grebes, the commoner woodland birds are also well represented.


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