Steller’s Sea-Eagles are perhaps the iconic winter image for birders visiting Japan. Photo: Steve Rooke
Every world birder should experience Japan in the winter. The long chain of islands that make up Japan straddle the Pacific coast of Asia, providing an ideal wintering ground for some of the worlds most sought-after birds, and although the species list is not large, it contains some real gems.
Our tour visits three islands in this long archipelago. First we spend time on the main island of Honshu, where we visit the densely wooded slopes of one of Japan’s many extinct volcanoes, haunt of endemics and winter visitors. Then we travel south to Kyushu to see one of the greatest gatherings of cranes in the world. Finally we head north to the island of Hokkaido, a winter wonderland and home to some iconic birding images, including Red-crowned Cranes dancing in the snow, mighty Steller’s Eagles swooping over the pack ice, or a huge Blakiston’s Fish Owl staring back at you in the frosty night air.
Japan is much more than just a birding trip: it’s a complete cultural event, one that is bound to captivate even the most hardened birder. In some places we stay in Japanese inns, where we gain insight into the famous traditional lifestyle, and everywhere we go the Japanese passion for order and neatness is evident. And of course there is all that fascinating food to sample…
Day 1: The tour begins this afternoon at the Tokyo airport, where we’ll transfer by coach to Tateshina, situated in the mountains northwest of Tokyo. On the way we should catch sight of Mount Fuji and arrive in time to see some of the birds local to the region. Night at Tateshina.
Day 2: This morning will be the perfect introduction to Japanese birding. As it gets light, we can sit with a cup of coffee and watch as our hotel’s well stocked birdfeeders attract a mouth-watering selection of species. During a leisurely breakfast we should see good numbers of Bramblings, Hawfinches, Japanese Grosbeaks, and Asian Rosy-Finches all feeding just feet away from the windows. Also likely are Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker and Lesser Gray, Varied, Long-tailed, and Willow Tits. The local race of Bullfinch with its striking pink cheeks should be seen, and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, and the local race of Eurasian Jay are all possible. In some years even Pallas’s Rosefinch pays a visit, although it’s never guaranteed. After breakfast we’ll explore nearby woodland and streams that may provide our first Meadow and Elegant Buntings or maybe a Brown Dipper. In the afternoon we change accommodation to another small guesthouse slightly higher up the mountain, where we are ideally situated for exploring habitat ideal for two local specialties, Copper Pheasant and Japanese Woodpecker. Night near Tateshina.
Day 3: After breakfast spent watching a different set of birdfeeders, we’ll head out for the day in search of Japanese Macaques, the famous Snow Monkeys. A few hours drive from our hotel is a hot spring where the Macaques come to bathe each day. Birds are likely throughout the day, and we may see Bewick’s Swans, Common Merganser, and Smew on the river, or maybe our first Japanese Wagtail, Daurian Redstart, or Rustic Bunting. Night near Tateshina.
Day 4: Today we leave the mountains and return to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport for our afternoon flight south to Kyushu. From Kagoshima airport we will transfer to Izumi, our base for the next 3 nights.
Days 5-6: A few miles from the town of Izumi is the reclaimed land of Arasaki, an expanse of coastal rice fields that every winter play host to an amazing gathering of more than 10,000 cranes. As autumn approaches, elegant White-naped Cranes make their way from remote breeding grounds in northeast Asia by way of the Korean Peninsula to spend the winter here in southern Japan. Over 3,000 of them join far greater numbers of the smaller Hooded Cranes, which winter here and at only one other site in Japan. The area is well protected and served by an excellent visitor center, where we can watch in comfort if the weather is bad. Along their journey from vast areas of eastern Asia to this one small region of Japan, the flocks pick up other crane species along the way, and it is usually possible to see individual Common and Sandhill Cranes here; occasionally even a Demoiselle Crane or a majestic Siberian Crane joins them. There may also be a few of the highly endangered Black-faced Spoonbills among the throng.
Arasaki’s rich mosaic of habitats boasts many other wintering birds. Here, at one of Japan’s best all-around winter birding sites, Daurian Jackdaws can be seen feeding among the cranes along with the local race of Rook. Close by are agricultural fields and small stands of trees that hold such species as Oriental Turtle Dove, White-cheeked Starling, Brown-eared Bulbul, Dusky Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Daurian Redstart, Bull-headed Shrike, and Japanese Grosbeak. The fields can be a good place to find smaller birds such as Meadow Bunting (and perhaps other buntings) and Buff-bellied and possibly Red-throated Pipits, while Green Pheasant is also possible.
During our two full days in this region we’ll explore other sites as well. Along the coast we may encounter such east Asian specialties as Japanese Cormorant and wintering gulls including Saunders’s Gull and the larger Vega Gull; Black-faced Spoonbill and Pacific Golden Plovers are also possible. Small stands of scrubby reeds should hold White-crowned Penduline Tit and Black-faced and Chestnut-eared Buntings, and perhaps the much rarer Pallas’s Reed Bunting. Along small streams and rivers we’ll search for waterfowl, egrets, Japanese Wagtail, and perhaps Ruddy-breasted Crake or Long-billed Plover, while in overgrown parks lurk Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Pale Thrush, and Japanese Bush Warbler.
Day 7: Weather permitting, we’ll spend a last dawn with the cranes before leaving Izumi to head southeast towards the wooded hills and volcanic slopes of the Kirishima-Yaku National Park. Along the way we will make stops at local rivers to search for Long-billed Plover and Crested Kingfisher. Our destination today is Miike, a neat circular lake surrounded by lush evergreen laurel forest. At this time of year the lake is thronged with wildfowl, and we should find the exquisite Mandarin Duck here, along with Asian Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, and, with luck, a few delightful Baikal Teal. Wandering the adjacent forest we’ll be looking for the secretive Copper Pheasant, Japanese Green Pigeon, and local woodland species including Varied Tit.
Day 8: After a morning’s birding we’ll transfer to Kagoshima airport for our flight to Tokyo, and then connect with our next flight to the northern frontier island of Japan, Hokkaido. We land in darkness at Kushiro Airport and drive cross-country to our friendly and comfortable family-run hotel, where a welcoming open-air hot-spring bath awaits in which to relax after our long day. Night in Tsurui.
Days 9-10: Hokkaido is far north, and we’ll notice a distinct change in the climate as we wake to a snow-covered landscape and low temperatures. Not far from our hotel is one of Japan’s most famous wildlife spectacles: stately Red-crowned Cranes. More than 100 cranes (and innumerable photographers!) gather here to feed and dance in the snow, an iconic image guaranteed to get the cameras going.
We’’ll take in a circuit of Kushiro Marsh today, stopping at frozen lakes in search of White-tailed Eagle, Eastern Buzzard, and perhaps our first flocks of Whooper Swans. Timing our arrival at another crane gathering, we’ll watch as feeding time attracts a melee of White-tailed Eagles and Black-eared Kites. Once the frenzy has died down, we’ll head east to our hotel in a secluded forested valley, our base for the next two nights. As darkness falls we gather outside to search for one of the world’s largest and rarest owls, Blakiston’s Fish Owl. Our two-night stay may turn into a vigil, but we are in prime territory and as it’s already the breeding season, birds should be calling.
On our second day here we’ll take an early morning stroll near the river to watch for Brown Dipper, Eurasian Jay (the attractive cinnamon-headed brandtii form), woodpeckers, Eurasian Nuthatch (a distinctive subspecies), and another chance at Crested Kingfisher. The bird tables are likely to be active during breakfast, but we’ll tear ourselves away and head southeast for a day on the coast where, time permitting, we’ll visit Cape Kiritappu, Cape Ochiishi, and Lake Furen for our first Harlequin and other sea ducks, wintering gulls including Glaucous, Glaucous-winged, and “Kamchatka” Mew Gulls, and a very good chance of our first Steller’s Sea Eagle. Seawatching from one of the headlands could reveal Ancient Murrelet, Common and Thick-billed Murres, Pigeon and Spectacled Guillemots, Least and Crested Auklets, and possibly even Long-billed Murrelet. Nights in central Hokkaido.
Day 11: Today we head east to the low coastal spit called Notsuke Peninsula, where we can expect Black and Asian White-winged Scoters, perhaps accompanied by other seaducks; this is a another good place to see Asian Rosy Finch. Our journey then takes us north along the east coast and eventually to the harbor town of Rausu on the Shiretoko Peninsula. Night in Rausu.
Day 12: Sea ice permitting, we leave Rausu before dawn this morning by boat for the waters separating Shiretoko from Kunashir Island. Our destination is the extensive rafts of sea ice, which we should reach just as the rising sun catches the awesome snow-clad mountains of the Shiretoko Peninsula. The ice floes here are covered with Siberian, Glaucous, and Glaucous-winged Gulls, but dwarfing them are the eagles. White-tailed Eagles seem impressive enough, but they fade in comparison with the star of the show, perhaps the most impressive raptor in the world, the mighty Steller’s Sea Eagle. The eagles can be incredibly confiding, especially when our well-prepared captain begins to put fish out onto the ice for them. The effect is amazing as these superb raptors come in right alongside the boat, creating no end of outstanding photographic opportunities.
Returning to Rausu from our dawn adventure, we’ll warm up, have breakfast, and then explore further along the peninsula, checking harbors or perhaps heading over to the Okhotsk Sea Coast for more winter wildlife. Night in Rausu.
Day 13: A second dawn in Rausu gives us a second crack at the fabulous eagles, and even if we do not put to sea, there are plenty to be found around town, with hundreds sometimes seen roosting in roadside trees. Later we drive to Kushiro for our flight to Haneda and our road transfer to Narita. Night in Narita.
Day 14: The tour concludes this morning in Narita.
Updated: 10 March 2008
Prices
- 2009 price not yet available.
- (2008 price $6,630)
Notes
Maximum group size 12 with 2 leaders. Please note that some nights are spent in old-style Japanese inns where washing facilities are often communal. In some of these, people traditionally sleep two, three, or four to a room on tatami mats and futons. Because of this, single rooms cannot be guaranteed. However, if single accommodation is essential, it may be possible to arrange at a supplement in addition to the single occupancy supplement given above. Please contact the WINGS office for details.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.