Advanced Guide for Birds of Japan Mountains and Fields 247 Species

This advanced guide is for veteran birdwatchers who have observed basic species and for avid birdwatchers who wish to expand their current knowledge. In total some 240 species and subspecies are listed here. They will cover close to all the species you will encounter in the field except for very rare migrants that will be observed once in several years somewhere in Japan.

For each species the following information are provided:

English, scientific, and Japanese names, length, wingspan, weight, status, habit, voice, identification, behavior, name, and others related to the species

How to Observe Birds:

To observe wild birds without scaring them, I recommend the following items:

Costume: In green or camouflaged, avoid red, yellow, and shining
fabric
Shoes: Mountain boots or rubber boots that were well broken in
Hat: With wide brim and chinstrap
Binoculars: 8 to 10 time magnification and water proofed
and object lens diameter from 30mm to 42mm. Object lens diameter
from 20 to 25mm will tire your eyes in a short time. I recommend
the following models: 8x42, 8x56, 9x42, 10x42, 10x50
Spotting Scope: Not mandatory but nice to have if you want to see
detailed plumage of birds with big magnifications from 30 to 60 times.

How to Take Bird Pictures:
In addition to the above, the following are needed:

Telephoto lens with focal length of 400 to 800 mm with a vibration
resistance function
Digital Camera with about 20 million pixels or more
Folding Chair: Sitting position is better than standing not to scare
birds and stay in the same place for a long time
Camouflaged Blind or Sheet

How to take good pictures
Birds at rest
ISO 400-800
Shutter Speed of 500th of a second
Aperture 5.6-8.0 for a single bird, F11 or more for a flock
Enable an image stabilizer or vibration reduction feature

Birds in flight
ISO1600-6400
Shutter speed of 4,000th of a second for a small bird, 2,000th for a big bird,
Aperture F8 or more
Disable an image stabilizer or vibration reduction feature for quicker focusing

Taking Field Notes
I strongly recommend taking field notes by using binoculars or spotting scope. Good field’s notes should cover the following points:
Feeding methods, walking or hopping, direct or indirect head scratching, calls and songs, living alone or in a large group or making a mixed flock with other species. The most important thing in taking notes is writing down only in the field. You should not wait taking notes until you go back to your hotel or your home. If you do that, you tend to make mistakes by trying to remember what you have not actually memorized or what had actually happened.
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BIRD INDEX
African Stonechat Alpine Accentor Amur Falcon Ashy Minivet Asian Brown Flycatcher Asian House Martin Asian Rosy Finch Asian Stubtail Azure-winged Magpie Barn Swallow Barred Buttonquail Black-browed Reed Warbler Black-capped Kingfisher Black Drongo Black-faced Bunting Black Kite Black-naped Oriole Black Woodpecker Blakiston’s Fish Owl Blue-and-white Flycatcher Blue Rock Thrush Bluethroat Bohemian Waxwing Bonin White-eye Brambling Brown Dipper Brown-eared Bulbul Brown Hawk-Owl Brown-headed Thrush Brown Shrike Buff-bellied Pipit?Bull-headed Shrike Carrion Crow Chestnut Bunting Chestnut-cheeked Starling Chestnut-eared Bunting Chinese Bamboo Partridge Chinese Grey Shrike Chinese Grosbeak Chinese Hwamei Chinese Sparrowhawk Cinnamon Sparrow / Russet Sparrow Coal Tit Collared Kingfisher Collared Scops Owl Common Blackbird Common Buzzard Common Crossbill Common Cuckoo Common Kestrel Common Kingfisher Common Myna Common Pheasant
Common Redpoll Common Reed Bunting Common Rosefinch Copper Pheasant Crested Kingfisher Crested Myna
Crested Serpent Eagle Dark-sided Flycatcher Daurian Jackdaw Daurian Redstart Daurian Starling Desert Wheatear Dusky Thrush Dusky Warbler Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler Eastern Marsh Harrier Elega