Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)

OTHER NAMES: Lords and Ladies, Painted Duck, Totem Pole Duck, Rock Duck, Glacier Duck, Mountain Duck, White-eyed Diver, Squeaker, Blue Streak

Latin Etymology: Histrionicus ("like a harlequin") histrionicus ("like a harlequin")

Adult Male Harlequin Duck (subspecies H. h. pacificus) at Shiranuka, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: Histrionicus histrionicus pacificus
Weight: 600g  /  Length: 38-43cm  /  Wingspan: 66cm
ABSENT FROM UK  / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Harlequin is a very endearing little Seaduck found in Arctic, Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.  The male is a very colourful and attractive bird while, as with most ducks, the female is a bit drabber.  In Europe they only live in Iceland, but are a common visitor to harbours in Winter in Hokkaido - Shiranuka harbour had a good number of them present, and were reasonably confiding as ducks go.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Histrionicus
Subspecies: H. h. histrionicus, H. h. pacificus

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese: シノリガモ  /  Shinori-gamo ("Morning Wildduck")

Scarce but locally common Winter visitor. 

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Around fifteen seen in harbour at Shiranuka in early December.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)

OTHER NAMES: American Scoter

Latin Etymology: Melanitta ("black duck") americana ("American")

Thee adult male Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) at Shiranuka Harbour, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 980-1100g  /  Length: 49cm  /  Wingspan: 71cm
ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The Black Scoter was until recently considered as part of the Common Scoter, but has subsequently been split off into a full species.  The Black and Common are apparently differentiated primarily by their distinct vocalisations.  I first got brief views of this species from the train between Kushiro and Akkeshi but was unable to photograph it due to the movement of the train, but later found a small flock at the mouth of Shiranuka harbour.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Melanitta
Subspecies: None - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - クロガモ /  Kuro-gamo ("Black Wildduck")

Locally common Winter migrant in harbours on Hokkaido

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: One seen on the sea at Akkeshi, a small flock in the harbour at Shiranuka

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Pelagic Cormorant (Urile pelagicus)

OTHER NAMES: Baird's Cormorant, Violet-green Cormorant

Latin Etymology: Urile (Russian name for Red-faced cormorant) pelagicus ("marine/pelagic")

                             Winter plumage Pelagic Cormorant (subspecies P. p. pelagicus) at Shiranuka, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: Urile pelagicus pelagicus

Weight: 1.4-2.4kg  /  Length: 64-89cm  /  Wingspan: 100cm

ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Pelagic Cormorant is a fairly small cormorant found around the rim of the Northern Pacific, from Southern Japan to Mexico. I saw this species twice, both times in Hokkaido.  Despite the name, both of the individuals I saw were close in to shore, the former close out on the sea, and this second individual that the picture above shows one that was feeding inside Shiranuka harbour itself.

Related Species:
Order: Suliformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Genus: Urile
Subspecies: U. p. pelagicus, U. p. resplendens

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - ヒメウ  /  Hime-u ("Princess Cormorant")

Widespread Coastal Resident

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Seen at Shiranuka (1 Winter plumage adult, on the sea) and Akkeshi (1 Winter Plumage adult, on the sea)

UNITED STATES 
Found along the Pacific Coast
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at San Francisco and on Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Larus ("gull") schistisagus ("slate cloak")

Adult Winter Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus) in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Spain - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 1-1.7kg  /  Length: 55-68.5cm  /  Wingspan: 132-160cm

ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Slaty-backed Gull is a fairly standard sort of Larus gull visually - pink legs like a Herring Gull and a dark back like a Lesser Black-backed.  What I found fairly striking about the individuals that I got a close look at was how the darkened area around the eye and the fairly stocky build gave it a slight air of aggression that I'd normally associate with something like a Glaucous gull.  When it sits on a post above you, eyeing you up there is a bit of a hint of it trying to decide whether to try and eat you.  I found Slaty-backed Gulls abundant in Hokkaido, replacing the Vega Gulls which had been the most common species in Tokyo.  There was actually within the period I've been making this blog a Slaty-backed visitor to Britain, including visiting the landfill adjacent to Rainham which is a site I've frequented before.  However, given the quality of this view of this species in Japan, I'm glad I didn't bother then.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larus
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - オオセグロカモメ  /  ō se-guro kamome  ('large black-backed gull')  

Common Winter Migrant to Hokkaido and Northern Japan

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Abundant on Hokkaido Coast, dozens seen at each of Akkeshi, Kushiro and Shiranuka

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Japanese Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus)

OTHER NAMES: Temminck's Cormorant

Latin Etymology: Phalacrocorax ("cormorant ; bald raven") capillatus ("hairy")

                      Ten Japanese Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus) in various states of plumage at Kamakura, Japan - November 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 2.3-3.3kg  /  Length: 92cm  /  Wingspan: 152cm
ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Japanese Cormorant is a close relation of the Great Cormorant, however, unlike them, it has a far more restricted range, found around the Far East - Taiwan, Japan, the Korean Penninsula and Siberia.  In this range, the Great Cormorant tends to be primarily a freshwater species while the Japanese Cormorants are saltwater species.  They look largely similar to the Great Cormorant, but have a slight greenish tinge to the plumage and a different structure of the bill.

Related Species:
Order: Suliformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Genus: Phalacrocorax
Subspecies: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - ウミウ  /  Umi-u ("Sea cormorant")

Locally abundant resident of rocky coasts.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Abundant at Kamakura and Shiranuka.

Further Notes:  BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Japanese Tit (Parus minor)

OTHER NAMES: Oriental Tit 

Latin Etymology: Parus ("tit") minor ("smaller")

Japanese Tit (Parus minor) at Shiranuka, Hokkaido, Japan - November 2014

Featured Subspecies: Parus minor minor
Weight: 16g  /  Length: 12.5-14cm  /  Wingspan: 22-25cm
ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List - Least Concern

Yet another recent split from a parent species,.the Japanese Tit is essentially the Great Tit of East Asia, essentially looking indistinguishable from them.  They were a fairly common sight in my visits to parks and forests in Japan, and the most common of the tits there.  Apparently both this and the Great Tit coexist without notably interbreeding, but personally, from the admittedly distant views I had of them, I couldn't differentiate the two in the field from the fleeting views I had if both were present.  I saw a few more in Shiranuka in a mixed flock during my second Japan visit.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Genus: Parus
Subspecies:  P. m. minor, P. m. tibetanus, P. m. subtibetanus, P. m. nubicolus, P. m. dageletensis, P. m. amamiensis, P. m. okinawae, P. m. nigriloris, P. m. commixtus

- Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - シジュウカラ / Shijū-kara ("Forty Tit")

Locally abundant resident of rocky coasts.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: A number of birds at the Imperial Palace Gardens in Kyoto.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Two birds at Shiranuka.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos kizuki)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Dendrocopos ("tree-striking") kizuki (French species name, derived from Japanese)

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker (subspecies - D. k. seebohmi) at Shiranuka, Hokkaido, Japan - November 2014

Featured Subspecies: Dendrocopos kizuki seebohmi
Weight: 13-15g  /  Length: 15cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Rd List - Least Concern

The naming of the Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker gives a fairly solid outline for this species, it is a very small woodpecker which lives in Japan and the surrounding parts of Asia.  Beyond that my observations and research of this species has given me fairly little to go on, it's behavior during my my brief sighting was essentially consistent with any other tree climbing species I've encountered.  During my second Japan visit, I encountered two as part of a small flock with Eurasian Nuthatch and Japanese Tit that were far more approachable.

Related Species:
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Dendrocopos
Subspecies: D. k. ijimae, D. k. seebohmi, D. k. amanii, D. k. kizuki

- Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - コゲラ  /  Ko-gera ("Small woodpecker")

Fairly common resident.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: A single bird in Arashiyama.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A single bird seem in Shiranuka.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Large Billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)

OTHER NAMES: Jungle Crow

Latin Etymology: Corvus ("raven") macrorhynchos ("great billed")

Adult Large Billed Crow (subspecies C. m. japonensis) at Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens, Kyoto, Japan - July 2013

Featured Subspecies: Corvus macrorhynchos japonensis
Weight: 500-700g  /  Length: 46-59cm  /  Wingspan: 104cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Large-Billed Crow found in Japan is sometimes split into a separate species (Corvus japonensis) but as I can currently find fairly minimal support for this, I'm changing this article to reflect the original setup. - either way it is one of the common crows of Japan, being found in a broad range of habitats, both urban and rural much as the Carrion Crow does in Europe, although it also co-exists with that species.  It is pretty much the most easy species to come across in Japan of all birds short of the Feral Pigeon and Tree Sparrow.  Personally, I really like the sound these birds - it is a lot less harsh than that of Carrion Crows and echoes in a pleasing way, although in Japan they are regarded as a nuisance.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Subspecies: C. m. intermedius, C. m. tibetosinensis, C. m. mandshuricus, C. m. japonensis, C. m. connectens, C. m. osai, C. m. levaillantii, C. m. culminatus, C. m. colonorum, C. m. macrorhynchos, C. m. philippinus

- Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - ハシブトガラス  /  Hasgi-buto-garasu ("Thick-billed Crow")

Abundant throughout Japan.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: Common throughout Kyoto, Osaka and Arashiyama

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Very common throughout Tokyo, Kushiro, Kamakura, Akkeshi and Shiranuka.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)

OTHER NAMES: Scaup, Bluebill

Latin Etymology: Aythya (a seabird named by Aristotle) marila ("charcoal" or "coal dust")

Top: Adult Female Greater Scaup (subspecies A. m. marila) on The River Nene at Wellingborough, Northants - January 2011

Bottom: Mixed gender flock of twelve adult Greater Scaup (subspecies A. m. marila) in Shiranuka Harbour, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: Aythya marila marila

Weight: 720-1300g  /  Length: 39-56cm  /  Wingspan: 71-84cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Greater Scaup is primarily a Winter visitor to the UK, although it does also breed in tiny numbers. Best looked for relatively near the coast, for more inland sites, look through Tufted Duck and Pochard flocks to spot odd individuals like this one. The main difficulty is that both genders do look similar to tufted ducks (eg. female scaup look similar to female tufted ducks, and males to males), so you may have to look relatively closely to pick one out of the far more numerous tufted ducks.  In Japan during the Winter, finding Scaup is a much simpler affair, as they are one of the most common migrant Winter ducks, and can be found in flocks.  In Japan, I found this a very different affair - I caught glimpses of Scaup on Rivers in Central Tokyo, and encountered a decent sized flock in the town of Shiranuka near to Kushiro.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Aythya
Subspecies: A. m. marila, A. m. nearctica

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A generally scarce but locally common breeding species (12000 birds) and rare breeding species (1-5 pairs)

 - A single bird seen on the River Nene in January 2011.

JAPAN - Japanese - Suzu-gamo (スズガモ) - "Bell Wildduck"

Common to locally abundant Winter migrant.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A few in Central Tokyo and common in Hokkaido, with birds seen at Akkeshi, Kushiro and Shiranuka.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)

OTHER NAMES: Nuthatch, Wood Nuthatch

Latin Etymology: Sitta (bird mentioned by Aristotle) europaea ("of Europe")

Top: Adult Eurasian Nuthatch (subspecies S. e. clara) at Shiranuka, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Bottom: Adult Eurasian Nuthatch (subspecies S. e. caesia) at Geddington, Northants - April 2012 

Featured Subspecies: Sitta europaea clara AND Sitta europaea caesia

Weight: 17-28g  /  Length: 15cm  /  Wingspan: 27cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List - Least Concern

I have to say I find the nuthatch to be one of the prettier birds in the UK, but unfortunatly it is also fiddly to photograph well. Some people are lucky enough to have them come to their bird tables - unfortunatly despite the fact that they live in nearby woods to me I've never seen one in the garden let alone on the bird table. They can be easily be located by their distinctive call (see the RSPB link) and their orange and blue coloration. Unfortunately they are more flighty than the behaviorally similarly Eurasian Treecreeper and so, as with most woodland birds photographing them requires contending with leaves and branches and poor lighting. If you get them in your garden you'll probably have an easier time.

My single encounter with the Hokkaido subspecies clara was a very different experience.  It's chest is entirely white compared to the orange of the British birds, and it showed very well in associating with some Japanese Tits and Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, coming very close to me on exposed low trunks of trees where I got to look at it at close range.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sittidae
Genus: Sitta
Subspecies: S. e. caesia, S. e. hispaniensis, S. e. cisalpina, S. e. levantina, S. e. persica, S. e. caucasica, S. e. rubiginosa, S. e. europaea, S. e. asiatica, S. e. arctica, S. e. baicalensis, S. e. sakhalinensis, S. e. clara, S. e. albifrons, S. e. amurensis, S. e. hondoensis, S. e. roseillia, S. e. bedfordi, S. e. seorsa, S. e. sinensis, S. e. formosana

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Widespread resident (220,000 territories)

 - Birds seen at Geddington and other sites.

JAPAN - Japanese - ゴジュウカラ  /  Gojū-kara ("Fifty Tit")

A fairly common resident.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A bird seen at close range at Shiranuka.

SPAIN - Spanish - Trepador azul ("Blue Climber")

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: A pair at El Pardo.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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