tringa to arenarea

Spotted Redshank is uncommon and another species I've only encountered in coastal areas but there's no reason it shouldn't turn up inland but the usual problems of finding temporary suitable habitat at the appropriate time apply. Similarly Common Redshank could stop off anywhere on passage but I've yet to find one away from the usual coastal sites.

One of eight migrant Spotted Redshanks on a pool in Mie in April.

Redshanks coming into breeding plumage April 2013, Yonaguni.

Marsh Sandpiper is much easier to find than the previous two and I'd be surprised not to see any at either of my usual coastal wader sites (Nanko and Mie) during passage.

Adult 9 September, Mie. Two shots of the same bird, the upper in soft morning light and the lower at midday.

Juvenile with adult Common Greenshank 11 August 2011, Mie.

Common Greenshank is common, it's relatively easy to find inland on paddyfields as well as on estuaries. Nordmann's on the other hand is very rare in Kansai, perhaps the least likely of the big three (along with Asian Dowitcher and Spoonbilled Sandpiper) to turn up here. But it's the only one I still need for the area so that's bound to colour my impression.

A moulting adult on a flooded fallow field, Mie 17 August 2011.

A surprisingly small adult already in winter plumage, 7 August 2009.

Juvenile on the Yodo River, Osaka. 16 September 2007.

A juvenile moulting into first winter on a river in Mie, 7 January 2012. Mid-winter birds are quite rare in the region.

Green Sandpiper is reasonably common on migration and through winter but it's solitary and often in unexpected places, deep concrete drainage ditches across fields seem a favourite. There are a couple of tiny spots around Kyoto that seem very attractive to them.

There's often a mid-winter bird on a permanently waterlogged field to the north of Lake Biwa that never seems to freeze in winter. 29 December 2011.

A flood prevention area opposite Kyoto race track is good for Green Sandpiper, this one 10 April 2011. Common Snipe and Long-billed Plover are the only other species that use this site despite it looking rather good for migrant waders.

Wood Sandpiper is a common migrant on paddyfields throughout the area and can sometimes be in quite large numbers.

Two birds at Kin, Okinawa 3 August 2011. The bird above reminding me of a threadbare carpet compared to the bird below.

 

 Two spring birds Yonaguni, April 2013. Again there's a big difference in appearance with the lower bird's moult some way to go.

 

Varying moult progression in early April Wood Sandpipers on Yonaguni.

Grey-tailed Tattler is as common on the coasts as it is rare inland. I've only seen odd ones on Kyoto rivers but they're hard to avoid at the coast, particularly at rocky river mouths or where there are concrete block and tetrapod sea defences. I've never heard of a Wandering Tattler in Kansai but in theory the southern tip of the Kii Peninsular would be the place to try for them.

Grey-tailed Tattlers at a Mie river mouth, 17 August 2011.

Mie, 2 September 2012.

Juvenile Grey-tailed in Mie, August 2014.

Terek Sandpiper is another common bird in Mie and not uncommon in Osaka but I'm yet to see one inland.

Breeding adult in a paddyfield that always attracts lots of migrants on Mishima (Yamaguchi), 30 April 2009.

Terek is a very common migrant in the area, this in Mie August 2014. 

Tereks and Tattlers, a winter plumage bird stands out, 17 August 2011. 

Common Sandpiper lives up to its name, being the most widespread wader in the region. It can be seen on all the Kyoto rivers but the Katsuragawa is particularly good.

Juvenile on the Katsura River, Kyoto 20 October 2010.

2CY in heavy moult on a small river at Ogura, Kyoto, 20 March 2011.

 

A nice spring adult on Yonaguni, April 2013.

Ruddy Turnstone can be found in the Tsu city area of Mie from August throughout winter. It is fairly common but less reliably seen in Osaka.

A great looking Ruddy Turnstone in Mie in mid-August 2014.