pigeons and cuckoos

Black Woodpigeon occurs on islands around the coast of Wakayama and Mie but I've never tried to see them there as they're so much easier to find elsewhere. I usually see them on Hegurajima in October and on Mishima, Yamaguchi in April/May.

A bird just catching the sun in dark woodland on Mishima 30 April 2009.

 

A digiscoped image of one of three or four birds on Hegurajima 16 September 2006.

Oriental Turtle Dove is not only very common throughout the region but also very tame in the city streets and parks.

Extensive black on the outer web of T6.

Presumably stimpsoni on Iriomote 4 April 2013.

There was a Red Turtle Dove in neighbouring Ishikawa in 2012 so it could occur in the region but it would be a major rarity. The only one I've seen was a bird I came across on my first trip to see the cranes at Arasaki in Kyushu many years ago.
Eurasian Collared Dove exits as an introduced but I believe now dwindling population. Otherwise it is a vagrant to Japan. The only one I've seen was a bird that spent a few days at Nanko in Osaka in April 2011, though there was some discussion as to whether it could have been an escape.

Nanko, Osaka 7 April 2011.

Emerald Dove and Ryukyu Green Pigeon are both southern specialities and won't be seen here but White-bellied Green Pigeon is a different matter. It's quite common and frequently heard in the forested hills of the region though getting good views can be a challenge. In winter it sometimes comes into the Imperial Palace Park in Kyoto, I once saw a flock of about 20 from the window of a city bus, but its appearances are irregular.

A typically rather distant view, 5 August 2009.

Ryukyu Green Pigeons were surprisingly easy to see on Iriomote, birds would sit on the wires after rain and seemed more approachable along woodland edge.

Common Cuckoo is the "rare" cuckoo here, I hear a few in spring but it's the only breeding cuckoo that can't be found throughout summer. Oriental and Lesser are both reasonably common in forests even if they are more often heard than seen. I even hear Lesser singing in flight over the city on summer nights. Northern Hawk Cuckoo is also common and frequently heard at night singing over forests. Shortly after dawn is the best time to see them as they often sing from prominent perches before melting away.

A juvenile Northern Hawk Cuckoo on Hegurajima 18 October 2011. Most have already left by this date.

Oriental Cuckoo on Hegurajima October 2007. 

Lesser Cuckoo Hegurajima, 1 October 2007

owls

Running into an owl by chance is a far less frequent than in the UK and in Kyoto the only species that is more or less guaranteed is Brown Hawk Owl. They're summer visitors of course but, for anyone visiting at that time, pairs in the Imperial Palace Park are straight forward. There's a softball area in the north east corner and just to the south across a broad gravel drive there's a roped-off area where you'll see several owl nest boxes and you should be able to find the male near by during the breeding season or even the young birds once they've fledged.
Ural Owl can be found on the hills surrounding the city but they require more work. Perhaps it might be easier to try for birds at the International Conference Center, I've never looked for them there but I have heard them when picking up visiting birders from the hotel there at night. They're quite widespread throughout the region.
Two scops owls Japanese/Collared and Oriental breed in the region. Japanese is quite common in forests in Kyoto prefecture, and no doubt elsewhere, though that doesn't mean they are easily seen, and in the city I've only seen a single singing migrant at Fushimi Inari Shrine. Oriental is far less common, in fact I haven't heard one in my usual nocturnal haunts for several years. Many local photographers head across to Tottori which certainly suggests they're difficult to get here.
Going back a few years Short-eared Owl used to be a common wintering bird at Ogura but they went into rapid decline and have totally disappeared. This seems to have been the case throughout the region as a whole and Short-eared has become quite a rare winter visitor.
Migrant Long-eared sometimes turn up in riverside trees along the Uji River near Ogura but the only regular winter roost I know of is in Osaka.

Oriental Scops rufous form male, Tottori 24 July 2011.

Female rufous form, Tottori 24 July 2011.

Oriental Scops male grey form 24 July 2011.

Blakiston's Fish Owl Washi no Yado, Hokkaido 4 January 2013. Finding a nest with a fledged young many years ago was a thrill but quite honestly the views at this famous location take some beating.

Brown Hawk Owl Hegurajima 10 October 2007.

(Ryukyu) Brown Hawk Owl Ishigaki 10 April 2013.

Migrant Long-eared, Hegurajima 11 October 2009.

A good sighting of Long-eared at Nosappu, Hokkaido 27 December 2012.

Short-eared Owl hunting along Cape Nosappu, Hokkaido 27 December 2012.