Marsh Grassbird to acros

Marsh Grassbird used to be a scarce winter visitor to Ogura when I first arrived in Kyoto but it no longer seems to occur. There used to be 3-4 Japanese Reed Bunting each winter in the same area too but I haven't seen one for over 15 years. Given their similar breeding range and habitat it's interesting that both should drop off the local birding map.

Marsh Grassbird display flight, Hotokenuma, Aomori, 7 August 2009.

It was a pleasant surprise that such a localised species was so numerous at Hotokenuma.

Asian Stubtail is quite a common breeder on the hills around Kyoto. It's a forest floor skulker but not shy and can be easily call in.

A poor shot of a migrant Asian Stubtail on Mishima, Yamaguchi. 1 May 2010.

Japanese Bush Warbler is a very common species in and around the city. I've yet to see Korean Bush Warbler here but I have seen ssp borealis on Hegurajima in October so they certainly could occur. I've also heard singing Cettia c. canturians (Manchurian Bush Warbler) on Mishima in spring.

Japanese Bush Warbler in the Kyoto botanical gardens, 3 February 2013.

The nominate race diphone on Chichijima, Ogasawara. A potential split.

Korean Bush Warbler C.c.borealis on Yonaguni, early April 2013.

Pleske's Warbler is the only locustella breeding in Kansai, on islands off the Kii Peninsular. Others are possible on migration, Lanceolated has occurred in Osaka Castle Park for example and I've seen a Middendorff's at Ogura, but none should be expected.

Some years quite a number of Middendorff"s pass through Hegurajima and sometimes just sitting in the undergrowth is enough to get reasonable views. 10 October 2010.

Middendorff's on Hegurajima, 14 October 2013.

Pleske's Warbler, Wakayama, July 2007. The bill is obviously much larger than that of Middendorff's.

Pleske's Warbler, Wakayama, 23 June 2013.

Oriental Reed Warbler is the only breeding acrocephalus in Kansai and it's common in suitable habitat. I once heard about six Black-browed Reed Warblers singing in May at a site near Kyoto city and more recently a summer bird at Lake Biwa.

Oriental Reed Warbler at Ogura, Kyoto city, 3 May 2004.

Oriental Reed, Mie 14 August 2014. 

Oriental Reed, Lake Biwa 7 June 2014.

Breeding Black-browed Reed Warblers at Hotokenuma, Aomori, 7 August 2009.

Migrant Black-browed Reed Warbler on Hegurajima, 7 October 2011.

Kamchatka Warbler?

The three-way split of Arctic Warbler to create two new species, Kamchatka Leaf Warbler and Japanese Leaf Warbler, must have had more than a few people digging through old note books to see how their lists' might be affected. It certainly did me. But perhaps chipping would be more  appropriate than splitting given the restricted breeding range of the new taxa compared to the territory borealis occupies. And fantastic for me that they're on the doorstep rather than in the depths of China for a change!

The affect on my Japan list was two steps forward one step back. Not unlike trying to get to grips with these birds on migration. I've sought out migrants locally over the last three autumns and am coming to the conclusion that there is probably only one taxon passing through the Kyoto city area. But which? Japanese Leaf is the closest breeder but generally Japanese summer visitors leave early, September sees a mass exit of other warblers, the cuckoos, Asian Brown Fly peaks then, and so on. In October non-native Grey-streaked Flycatcher and "Arctic Warbler" are the commonest migrants in Kyoto. So are these later migrants Kamchatka Leaf? I suspect they are, certainly the calls match.

At the moment vocalisations seem the only safe way identifying these warblers but because Japanese Leaf Warbler doesn't breed around Kyoto I'm not as familiar with their calls as might be expected for a long-term Japan resident, it's only in October when birds are passing through that I get to hear calls regularly, and as I said I believe these are Kamchatka not Japanese. Morphologically I don't see anything different about these birds either.

I get out to Hegurajima most Octobers and, though I'm not as focused on the complex there, I check all the birds that cross my path. The vast majority look and sound the same as those in Kyoto but it is  only on the island that I do see and hear variation. This gives me more confidence that I'm not overlooking anything in Kyoto and that there really is just a single common autumn taxon passing through.

The following images are of four presumed Kamchatka Leaf October migrants in the Kyoto city area.

In neutral light, even if viewed from below, it's usually possible to see the sides of the breast are extensively grey. This runs along the flanks and narrows across the centre of the breast. The yellowish throat, belly, vent and undertail coverts are most obvious head on or from below. Viewed from the side the underparts look predominantly grey.

Obviously yellow centrally below when viewed head on, but much greyer from the side. The bill is quite long and strong with a slightly decurved tip to the upper mandible.

The supercillium is yellowish before the eye but whiter behind.

Upperparts green but dulled by a slight greyish shawl.

While most Hegura birds looked basically the same as the previous birds there have been some that differed. I've heard three birds which must have been Japanese Leaf but of the two of them I saw I couldn't get meaningful views. Below are images of two birds I've seen on the island which look rather different to the the usual birds I see.

This bird has a slighter feel to it, it looks paler and brighter lacking the dirty underparts. The sunny conditions may play some part comparing images.

The bill is shortish and spiky without the curved tip. The supercillium is straighter and narrower, it lacks the bulge above the lore and doesn't flare at the rear. Eyestripe is narrow. Rear flanks hint at greenish-grey rather than dirty-grey. Vent and undertail coverts white.

14 October 2013

Another large, strong warbler. Very green above, it doesn't seem to have the greyish cast. Ear coverts also rather green. 10 October 2013.

Underparts strikingly white with throat and vent washed a delicate yellowish-green.

Faintest hint of colour down down centre breast but otherwise very clean.

Not so clear in these low resolution images but the p2 tip appears to be level with that of p6. This is the only shot I have showing the relative position of this primary tip but on all the presumed Kamchatka I've seen the p2 tip consistently falls close the tip of p5, there is a strong indication of this in the shot below. Both these shots were in overcast conditions so the apparent difference in upperparts colouration should be a reasonably honest reflection in these two sharpened but otherwise unaltered images.

phylloscopus

Eastern Crowned Warbler is the only widespread breeding phyllosc in Kansai. It can be found throughtout the forested hills in the region including those surrounding Kyoto city. Japanese Leaf Warbler also breeds in the region but at higher elevations, the centre of the Kii Peninsular is the only area they are likely to be found on a casual visit.

During migration Eastern Crowned can be found in city parks from late August. Arctic complex warblers are more common passing through the area from September through October mostly after Eastern Crowned have moved through but there is some overlap in September. Since the recent three-way split I've been looking out for autumn passage birds in city's parks and believe not only is there a single taxon involved but that they are Kamchatka Leaf rather than Japanese Leaf.

In spring I occasionally find a Sakhalin Leaf singing in trees along the Uji River in the Ogura area. This river attracts a wide range of migrants so perhaps it isn't surprising I've found them there but not elsewhere. There have been one or two Yellow-browed in Kyoto while I've been here but they're rare. They are quite common on Hegurajima however and I've seen many in Ishikawa on the Japan Sea coast.

Radde's and Dusky are both reasonably common on off-shore islands and can be found along the mainland coast but I've never found either in the Kyoto area.

Other phylloscs are rare to very rare in Japan, I've seen several Willow warblers on Hegura as well as a couple of migrant tristis Chiffchaffs there, plus a wintering Chiffchaff in Osaka. Wood Warbler also occurs on Hegura but I haven't been lucky enough to connect yet! Tickell's, or presumably Alpine Leaf, has occurred there too but it seems to be a spring specialist unlike the others. Greenish and Two-barred Greenish are also possible, as no doubt is Pale-legged but the latter is probably only identifiable when singing so it will be another spring speciality. Personally I've had two singing Pale-legged on Mishima but only un-tickable views of one of them. having said that I'm not sure what would constitute a tickable view as they're only identifiable by song, a ticking dilemma.

Not a phyllosc but convenient to include here, I found this Booted Warbler in Kyushu in December 2014. There had been three prior records in Japan, all in Sept/Oct on off-shore islands.

Four shots of a Siberian Chiffchaff wintering in Osaka, 2014/15.

Dusky Warbler are reasonably common on Hegurajima and I'd imagine also along the Japan Sea coast. This bird 7 October 2011.

Radde's Warbler on Hegurajima, 11 October 2011. Radde's seems to be considered much less common than Dusky but I think the imbalance might be overstated, in some Octobers I see as many Radde's. 

First autumn Radde's can be strikingly yellow below, this on Hegurajima, 14 October 2013. One of three I saw on the island during the week I was there.

A typical bright Yellow-brow on Hegurajima, 9 October 2009. They can be fairly common on the island and many must go undetected on the mainland.

A fairly bright bird with a very clear central crown stripe, again on Hegura, 8 October 2011.

A surprisingly grey-mantled bird for the date, 17 Ocober 2009. More surprising, the bill lacks an upper mandible!

 

Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, Hegura May 2014, the crown/mantle contrast is obvious here.

 

Eastern Crowned Warbler on Mishima (Yamaguchi), 1 May 2009.

Eastern Crowned Warbler on Mishima, Yamaguchi, 29 April 2009.

Eastern Crowned Warbler in less strong light, Mishima, 29 April 2009.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel image-wise just to complete the breeders, this is actually an Ijima's Warbler on Miyakejima, 17 May 2013.