EPIC JAPAN! Including Taiwan, Honshu, Miyake-Jima, Ishigaki, Iriomote, Amami, Okinawa & Hokkaido
Day 1 ARRIVAL IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN - 18th May
Arrival day into Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (Airport Code: TPE) and no birding activities are planned. Night en-route to Dasyueshan.
Days 2 - 3 DASYUESHAN
Taiwan has one of the highest concentrations of endemic birds in Asia and we are going to head up into the forested mountains of Dasyueshan to try and see as many endemics as possible. High on our target list will be Mikado & Swinhoe's Pheasants, whilst a great deal of luck is required to connect with a Taiwan Partridge. We will take some short walks, mainly along quiet mountain roads but also along a trail or two that traverses fine broadleaf and coniferous forests in search of Taiwan Barbet, Collared & Taiwan Bush-Robins, Taiwan Shortwing, Taiwan Whistling-Thrush, Flamecrest, Taiwan Wren-Babbler, Taiwan & Morrison's Fulvetta, Taiwan Yuhina, Rusty & White-whiskered Laughingthrushes, Taiwan & Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler, Taiwan Whistling-Thrush, Steere’s Liocichla, Taiwan Barwing, White-eared Sibia, Yellow Tit and Taiwan Rosefinch,
There's bound to be plenty of other birds present such as Malayan Night-Heron, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Grey-capped Woodpecker, Asian House Martin, Collared Finchbill, White-tailed Robin, Yellow-bellied Bush-Warbler, Rufous-faced Warbler, Little Forktail, Snowy-browed & Ferruginous Flycatchers, Vivid Niltava, Rufous-capped Babbler, Black-throated & Green-backed Tits, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker and Bronzed Drongo to name just a few.
Day 4 TAIPEI - ISHIGAKI - IRIOMOTE
Following a morning flight, we will arrive in Ishigaki-Jima, one of the most southerly of the Ryukyu Islands where we will be searching for Ryukyu Serpent-Eagle, Ryukyu Green-Pigeon, Ryukyu Minivet, Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher, Ishigaki Tit and Ryukyu Flycatcher We will also need to take a short ferry crossing to Iriomote in order to see the very distinctive Iriomote Tit. Other birds include Cinnamon Bittern, Malayan Night-Heron, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Greater & Mongolian Sandplovers, Pacific Swallow and Large-billed Crow of the race osai and a potential split.Other birds include Cinnamon Bittern, Malayan Night Heron, Slaty-legged and Ruddy-breasted Crakes, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Northern Boobook and Ruddy Kingfisher – occasionally an over-summering Chinese Egret is present along the coastline. There's also a good chance of seeing Ryukyu Flying Fox here as well.
Day 5 ISHIGAKI - OKINAWA
We have most of the morning to catch up with any species we still need before taking an early afternoon flight to Naha in Okinawa. After collecting our vehicles we will drive roughly 2 hours to Yanbara at the north end of the island where we will stay for 2 nights.
Day 6 OKINAWA
We will spend most of our time in the north of the island around Yanbaru National Park where we will meet a local ranger who will assist us in our search to find Okinawa Rail, Okinawa Woodpecker and Okinawa Robin. All three are tricky to see but our hopes are high! There's also Ruddy Kingfisher, Ryukyu Green-Pigeon, Ryukyu Minivet, the endemic form of Brown-eared Bulbul and Japanese Bush-Warbler amongst others. We also hope to connect with Japanese Scops Owl during the course of one evening as well.
Day 7 OKINAWA - AMAMI
After a few hour's birding this morning we will take the early afternoon flight to Amami and drive to our accommodation for the next 2 nights. No doubt we will spend this first evening searching for Amami Woodcock, that should be found sat on the roadside on one of the quiet roads.
Day 8 AMAMI
We have a full day today as we go in search of the very tricky and elusive Amami Thrush and whilst looking for this we should hopefully come across Amami Woodpecker, the stunning Lidth’s Jay and even better Ryukyu Robin. Other species present include Ryukyu Green-Pigeon, Japanese Woodpigeon, Ryukyu Scops Owl, Northern Boobook, Ruddy Kingfisher, Ryukyu Minivet and the fantastic Japanese Paradise-flycatcher.
Day 9 AMAMI - TOKYO (HONSHU)
We have another full morning to catch up with any species or to get better views of anything, before flying to Tokyo this afternoon, where we will spend the night in a very nice hotel.
Day 10 TOKYO - MOUNT FUJI
We may well have a slightly later start this morning before setting out on the 2 hour drive towards Mount Fuji and our wonderful hotel situated beside a large lake. The gardens here can be very interesting with species such as Chinese Hwamei, Chestnut-cheeked Starling and Asian Azure-winged Magpie all present in the extensive gardens. In the afternoon we will begin our exploration of this fantastic area, which is dominated by the spectacular Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest volcano at 3776m. Night near Mount Fuji.
Day 11 MOUNT FUJI - KARUIZAWA
We will leave early and head up onto the slopes of Mount Fuji, visiting various elevations of the mountain. Initially we will birding on or around the treeline and high-elevation scrub primarily searching for the elusive Japanese Accentor as well as the more abundant Japanese Leaf Warbler. As we explore the forests lower down we could well encounter White-bellied Green-Pigeon, Oriental & Northern Hawk (Rufous) Cuckoos, Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian, Japanese & Brown-headed Thrushes, Narcissus Flycatcher, Eastern-crowned Warbler. Olive-backed Pipit, Spotted Nutcracker, Grey-bellied Bullfinch and Black-faced Bunting (personata). After lunch we will drive just under 3 hours to a fantastic guest house at Karuizawa for a 2 night stay. here we can look forward to home cooked British food and full English breakfasts!
Day 12 KARUIZAWA
We have a full day to explore this wonderful area of forested valleys targetting the rare Japanese Yellow Bunting, that hides very well in the forested hills here. There's also Copper Pheasant here but this species is extremely elusive and we would count ourselves fortunate indeed to catch a glimpse of this shy species. But the forests resound to birdsong and there's so much to see here, with a fantastic selection of mouth-watering Asian gems to find. Just to give you a flavour of what is in this area: Eastern Buzzard, Ural Owl, Lesser Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Crested Kingfisher, Pacific Swift, Japanese Green Woodpecker, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Japanese Wagtail, Ashy Minivet, Brown Dipper, Siberian Blue Robin, Brown-headed & Japanese Thrushes, Asian Stubtail, Asian Brown, Narcissus & Blue-and-white Flycatchers, Asian Azure-winged Magpie, Varied & Japanese Tits, Japanese White-eye, Japanese Grosbeak, Chestnut-cheeked Starling and both Chestnut-eared & Meadow Buntings. Night at Karuizawa.
Day 13 KARUIZAWA - NARITA
There's still going to be plenty to see here this morning and we cetainly won't be in a rush to leave! So we will take our time and enjoy our surroundings, walk a few trails and enjoy the biding this morning. After lunch we will drive towards the coast and another fine hotel where we will spend the night. Depending on time we may well swing by some marshes, just in case we can jam into a Marsh Grassbird along the way! Night in Narita.
Day 14 COASTAL MARSHES
First thing this morning we will explore the marshes and waterways of Inbanuma and Omigawa for Green Pheasant, Marsh Grassbird & Japanese Reed Bunting. It promises to be a very pleasant few hours and easy birding all the way! Our Japan list will jump quite rapidly and we can add a variety of more widespread species such as Eurasian & Yellow Bitterns, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Bull-headed Shrike, Brown-eared Bulbul, Oriental Reed Warbler, White-cheeked Starling & Oriental Greenfinch.
Once we are finished here we will drive an hour south into Tokyo and take the overnight ferry to Miyake-Jima,
Day 15 MIYAKE-JIMA - TOKYO
It's going to be an early morning arrival around 5.30am but that gives us the whole morning to get to grips with some very special birds. High on our 'want list' will be Japanese Woodpigeon, Izu Robin, Owston’s (Izu) Tit, Ijima’s Leaf Warbler, Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler & Izu Thrush. Hopefully we can nail them quite quickly (it took less than an hour on our recent visit), giving us a chance to fully explore this small island for other species such as Japanese Cormorant, Chinese Bamboo-Partridge, Black-tailed Gull, Lesser Cuckoo, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Pacific Swift, Japanese Bush-Warbler and a few others. The ferry returns around 1.30pm and we will be on deck the whole way back, scanning the sea for seabirds such as Streaked, Short-tailed, Sooty & Flesh-footed Shearwaters, Bulwer’s Petrel, Laysan & Black-footed Albatrosses, Brown Booby and even rarer species such as Japanese Murrelet, Short-tailed Albatross & Bonin Petrel. Night near Haneda, Tokyo.
Day 16 TOKYO - KUSHIRO (HOKKAIDO)
This morning we will transfer to Tokyo Haneda Airport for the flight to Kushiro and check-in to a nearby hotel. If time permits we can explore the nearby area. Night in Kushiro.
Days 17 - 18 KUSHIRO - RAUSU
We will be birding in a nearby forest this morning searching for two very special species - Japanese Robin & Sakhalin Leaf Warbler. There's a fine selection of other species including Hazel Grouse, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Black, Japanese Pygmy, Grey-headed & White-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Hawk-Cuckoo, White's Thrush, Narcissus, Blue-and-white & Asian Brown Flycactchers and more familiar species that include Marsh Tit and Hawfinch. Then we will drive across eastern Hokkaido to the small fishing town of Rausu where we will spend the night. And what a night this promises to be, as we will spend the evening waiting for the mythical Blakiston's Fish-Owl to come to feed at a small pool. Here, on the Shiretoko Peninsula there are apparently over 50 pairs of this huge owl present and we have a very good chance of seeing one tonight.
Our full day around Rausu promises to be action-packed as we will head up to Shiretoko Pass where we will search for Grey Bunting, a species that inhabits areas of dwarf bamboo in the mid-elevation broadleaf and coniferous forests here. There's also a wide variety of other woodland species present, along with Siberian Blue Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, Narcissus Flycatcher, Japanese Tit, Hawfinch, Pine Grosbeak, Japanese Accentor and Masked Bunting. And we need to keep an eye out for European Brown Bear up here, as there is a very healthy population residing in these mountains! We will also take a boat trip and this will give us opprtunities to see Rhinoceros Auklet, Short-tailed Shearwater, Pacific Diver, Black-footed Albatross and Pelagic Cormorant amongst others. There's also a really good chance of seeing Killer Whales, along with Dall's Porpoise and other cetaceans. The rest of the day can be spent exploring the coast, where Harlequin Ducks, Black-tailed Gulls, White-tailed Eagle and other species can be found. 2 nights in Rausu at a very convenient hotel, which will accommodate our dietary requirements and provide 'western-style' food.
Day 19 RAUSU - KIRITAPPU
This morning we will drive 2 hours south and focus our attentions on the lakes and marshes around Kiritappu for some really special species. Along the way we should see our first Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler, and maybe Siberian Rubythroats as well. High on our wish list will also be Latham’s Snipe, which we should see displaying and often perched on roadside posts, whilst stately Red-crowned Cranes should be quite easy to spot! Once we have reached Kirtappu we will focus our attentions on finding Sakhalin Grasshopper Wabler and the skulking Lanceolated Warbler. During our exploration of the area we could also come across White-tailed Eagle, Black-browed Reed-Warbler & Amur Stonechat, as well as some special mammals such as Common Raccoon Dog. We also have another boat trip this afternoon from Ochiishi harbour, which gives us chances of Laysan & Black-footed Albatrosses, Spectacled Guillemot, Rhinoceros Auklet & Tufted Puffin, as well as rarer species such as Red-faced Cormorant, Horned Puffin and Ancient Murrelet. Night in Kiritappu.
Day 20 KIRITAPPU - KUSHIRO - HOKKAIDO
Early this morning we will undoubtedly obtain better views of Sakhalin Grasshopper Warbler and also have good chances to see White-bellied Green-Pigeon, Bull-headed Shrike, Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch, as well as a few others. Later today we will return to Kushiro and fly back to Tokyo (Haneda) where we will stay overnight in an airport hotel.
Day 21 END OF TOUR - 7th June
Transfers to the airport and end of the tour.
