Japan Life List

Updated November 2023 with Red Crossbill. Full list at BUBO.org

My final good birds for Japan were Amur Falcon, Forest Wagtail and an unconfirmed phylloscopus which was most likely a Willow Warbler. So very many highlights over my 10 years there, but this year finding a first for Japan in the shape of a Blunt-winged Warbler with the help of Mark Carmody on Mishima island was pretty special. Other good personal finds include Spectacled Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Japanese Murrelet, Tufted Puffin, South Polar Skua, Short-tailed Albatross, Bulwer's Petrel, Swinhoe's Storm Petrel, Tristram's Storm Petrel, Chinese Pond Heron, Black-naped Oriole, Baer's Pochard, Canvasback, Long-billed Dowitcher, Short-billed Dowitcher, Whiskered Tern, Swinhoe's Egret, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull, Steppe Gull, Pale Martin, Black Drongo, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Two-barred Greenish Warbler,Little Whimbrel, Dusky Warbler, Radde's Warbler, Silky Starling, White-billed Diver, Lapland Bunting, Swinhoe's Robin, Blyth's Pipit, Common Rosefinch, Little Bunting, Yellow-browed Bunting, Taiga Flyctcher, Styan's Grasshopper Warbler, Grey Nightjar and Japanese Night Heron. Still haven't seen 3 of the endemics: Okinawa Rail, Bonin Honeyeater or Japanese Marsh Warbler..but I'll save those for another day!

Total amounted during a few excellent tours to the country - Short-tailed Albatross, Bonin Honeyeater and nearly all goodies with the exception of Japanese Night Heron!

Back in Ireland now

Got Rock Sandpiper at long last!

accumulated over 6 trips with varying amounts of birding. Highlights include Baer's Pochard, Scaly-sided Merganser, Short-tailed Albastross, Copper Pheasant, Tropical (Bannermann's) Shearwater, Okinawa Rail, Siberian Crane, Red-crowned Crane, Amami Woodcock, Blakiston's Fish Owl, Okinawa Woodpecker, Pleske's Warbler, and Marsh Grassbird

Updated 7 March 2011. Latest: Short-tailed Albatross

2019-Lesser White-fronted Goose in Sendai

Last upd: 20-June-10. Two trips.

One winter and seven summer visits: Tokyo/Kyoto, Karuizawa, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Amami, Miyake Jima & Sasagawa in Chiba, Kyushu and Mt. Fuji rea. Latest additions, and the last two missing breeding species, were Japanese Leaf Warbler and Japanese Night Heron, both recorded close to Mt. Fuji in June..

Latest addition Schrenk's Bittern. Particular thanks to consummate birder Charles Harper and to Watanabe-san, the perfect Hokkaido birdguide. Best bird must be Okinawa Rail, which seems to have a minimum cruising speed of about 30mph.

last updated - 4/25/2011; recently added - Eurasian Oystercatcher, Little Curlew (Kasai Rinkai Park, 4/24/2011), Garganey (Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park, 4/24/2011)

Two trips, once in January 2009, and June 2013. Highlights include all Nansei Shoto endemics, Styan's Grasshopper Warbler, Ijima's, Yellow Bunting, Copper Pheasant, Palla's Rosefinch, Short-tailed Albatross, Great Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Tufted Puffin, Blakiston's Fish Owl and Bufflehead!

On 3 trips 2 short 2 in summer, 1 in Autumn, 1992, 2010, 2017

1993-1994 visit only

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Smew, Green-winged Teal, White-winged Scoter, Black-necked Grebe, Red-crowned Crane, Siberian Crane, Common Crane, Steller's Sea-Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Baikal Teal, Saunders's Gull, Black-faced Spoonbill, Eurasian Spoonbill, Chinese Penduline Tit, Hwamei, Red-billed Leiothrix, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Whiskered Tern, Black-billed Magpie

including 5 endemic species

One trip Feb/Mar 2006. Oriental Stork; BLACK-FACED SPOONBILL; SWAN GOOSE; Snow, Lesser White-fronted & Lesser Canada Goose; Baikal Teal; Steller's Sea-Eagle; Green Pheasant; RED-CROWNED CRANE; White-naped & Hooded Crane; Ruddy-breasted Crake; Saunder's Gull; Japanese Murrelet; BLACKISTON'S FISH-EAGLE; Japanese Green Woodpecker; Ryukyu Minivet; Japanese & Bohemian Waxwing.

Blakistan's Fish-Owl, Rhinoceros Auklet

All seen in free time/weekends on business trips 1989-2004

Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Gray-faced Buzzard, Narcissus & Blue-and-white Flycatchers, Japanese Grosbeak, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Okinawa Woodpecker, Japanese Woodpecker, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Great Crested Grebe, Mandarin Duck, Common Pochard, Little Ringed Plover, Lesser Sand-Plover, Gray-tailed Tattler, Bar-tailed Godwit, Far Eastern Curlew, Ryukyu Minivet, Bull-headed Shrike, Brown Dipper, Blue Rock-Thrush, Eastern Crowned Leaf-Warbler, Hawfinch, Azure-winged Magpie, Red-billed Leiothrix, Hwamei (Okinawa; Kyoto to Chiba, n. to Nikko N.P., May '06 & Apr. '08)

Latest: Lidth's Jay, August 2014

13/6/19. IOC 9.1 White-tailed Eagle

Dollarbird, Ruddy Kingfisher; all birds in May-June 2005 (most thanks to Sean Minns)

1992-life birds seen only