divers

Large numbers of divers winter on the Inland Sea (Seto Naikai) between Honshu and Shikoku but unless you have a boat that isn't much help.

The two common species in the region in winter are Black-throated and Pacific, both of which are easier to find on the Japan Sea side of Kansai where mixed flocks occur in some areas and these birds can linger well into spring. Perhaps surprisingly I've only seen one inland diver, a Pacific on Lake Biwa.

A Pacific in the harbour on Mishima, Yamaguchi in May.

Great Northern and White-billed are rare in Japan and are very unlikely to occur in Kansai whereas Red-throated, though commoner further north, is more reasonably to be expected down here.

 

A confiding Red-throated in a small harbour in Hokkaido January 2013.

grebes

Little Grebe is a common resident and very common winter visitor in the region. It can be found on even shallow rivers like the Kamogawa and there are huge numbers on Lake Biwa. It's actually Shiga's prefectural bird.

Breeding plumage on the Kamogawa, Kyoto city March.

A non-breeding bird on the Katsuragawa, Kyoto city January.

A September juvenile, Matsusaka city, Mie. I've seen birds like this as late as December in Kyoto.

 

Great Crested Grebe is another very common bird in winter, though less widespread than Little. There are large numbers on Lake Biwa where it's also a very uncommon breeder.

Coming into breeding plumage on the Yamatogawa, Osaka.

Red-necked Grebe is very common on the Japan Sea side of Kansai in winter but I've never seen one on Lake Biwa, nor in the Osaka area. The shot below was taken in Hokkaido in winter.

Abashiri harbour early on a miserable December morning.

Slavonian Grebe is rather rare here, I've only bumped into them on three occasions. I once saw two on the lower reaches of the Yodogawa in Osaka and surprisingly once inland, a bird at Kisenyama Dam near Uji city. The most recent was a bird in Mie. Black-necked on the other hand is common, mainly near coasts but also on Lake Biwa where there can be large concentrations and on smaller lakes closer to the Japan Sea.

Slavonian Grebe is quite rare in Kansai and this in Mie (January 2015) is my first for several years.

Black-necked Grebe is a common bird here in winter.

cormorants

Great Cormorant is common, really common. The population has been growing at an amazing rate while I've been living in Kansai and they've made enemies of trout fisherman, they're killing trees on Biwako islands and are taking over formerly rich mixed heronries. Adults used to disappear from around Kyoto during the breeding season leaving immatures on the rivers but now they are breeding close enough to be met with in any season.

There are always loafing immatures at the flood water control gates at Yodo, opposite the race track.

                     A young adult that hasn't yet developed a full head of white filoplumes.

Probably a youngish adult white far less white about the head than many.

They are very common in Osaka and I always keep an eye out for Temminck's, so far without success but the bird below had my heart racing for a few minutes wondering if I'd found a Double-crested! Though even brown immatures usually have white face patches, I have seen adults with very subdued white during moult or due to soiling but this bird looked exceptional. It seemed the yellow gullar skin was more extensive and the plumage much greener than other Greats but before it flew off into Osaka Bay it showed a clear feather spike on the underside of the bill so it was back to gulling again.

Though I've never seen Temminck's in Osaka, they can be found off more open coasts from autumn through winter, especially on the Japan Sea side of the country.

One of many on Tsushima in early May, this clinging to an off-shore stack in the teeth of a gale.

Immature Temminck's in Ishikawa, May 2014.

Immatures with a Pelagic in Hokkaido.

Pelagic is a very uncommon winter visitor which can sometimes be seen off Wakayama or on the Japan Sea coast.

Pelagic Cormorants on icy cliffs in south east Hokkaido in winter.

Red-faced is rare anywhere in Japan and I've never heard of any in Kansai. I've always been unlucky with weather in Hokkaido in summer, fog, rain, drizzle you name it. The shots below were taken on the Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido in winter. Birds were fairly easy to find on the sea but they didn't come onto the cliffs until the light was going.

Red-faced on the left and Pelagic on the right, the light was already fading before this bird came in from the sea so decent digiscoped images were already out of the question.