Birdwatching in Japan
Birding contacts and birdwatching information
Check our personalized year round birdwatching tours for small groups in Japan
Local Birdingpal Contacts
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Local Birdwatchers
Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. | ||||||
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Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| S | Minns | Hiroshima | Weekend | English/Japanese French |
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| I | Kanno | Hiroshima | Weekend | |
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| Y | Kurosawa | Tsurui, Hokkaido | Anytime | English/Japanese |
| I am a bird lover and a nature history translator. I live in a village which is a very famous Japanese crane habitat. You can see many cranes during winter and some in Summer. There is Kushiro Shitsugen National Park nearby, so you can see many other birds like Steller's Sea Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Latham's Snipe etc. | ||||||
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| M | Jansen | Fukuoka, Kyushu | Anytime | English/Dutch some Japanese |
| I'm living on a sailboat and move around Asia a lot, but Fukuoka is home. | ||||||
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| G | Clendennen | Nana | Anytime | English/limited Japanese some German/French |
| Near-retired university teacher, birding since I was seven. Our area has northern ducks and a few others in February and March, @35 species per morning. | ||||||
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| S | Isoe | Suita, Osaka | Anytime | Japanese/English |
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| M | Hashimoto | Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto. Kansai | Anytime | Japanese/English |
| A member of Wild Bird of Society of Japan,Osaka Chapter,retired from a trading firm for 40 years. I have been enjoying birdwatching for about 20years. I am familiar with birds in Osaka city and Kansai area. I can come to Kansai Air Port or any hotel downtown Osaka to see foreign Birdingpals as I live in downtown Osaka. I like watching birds with Birdingpals at Yodo river, Nankou Bird Sanctuary and Minoo park. Even Kyoto. I drive a light vehicle, friendly to global environment, however big enough to carry 3 Birdingpals. | ||||||
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| L | Indelicato | Naha, Okinawa | Anytime | English |
| New to Okinawa, but quickly becoming acquainted with the birds here. Originally from Toronto, where I call the Rouge Valley my home birding base. | ||||||
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| T | Marko | Yomitan-son, Okinawa | Anytime | English |
| I have lived in Okinawa since October 2008 and have birded the island extensively. The island is best known for its endemic species (Okinawa Rail & Pryor’s Woodpecker) found in the northern Yambaru forest, as well as several species endemic to the Ryukyu Islands (Ryukyu Scops Owl, Ryukyu Minivet & Ryukyu Robin). Fall brings both passage migrants and winter visitors to include waders, ducks, passerines (thrushes, pipits & wagtails) and a variety of other surprises. The endangered Saunders’s Gull & Black-faced Spoonbill winter here in limited numbers. Spring brings the summer breeding birds (Roseate, Black-naped & Little Tern, Ruddy Kingfisher & Japanese Paradise Flycatcher) to the island. Summer months tend to be very warm & humid, not ideal conditions for birdwatching. I can provide information regarding the best birding sites on Okinawa or, if my schedule permits, accompany you around the island. Although I don’t charge a fee, fuel & nourishment are appreciated. | ||||||
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| S | Fukuhara | Shizuoka-ken, Shizuoka | Weekend | Japanese/English |
| I am a novice birdwatcher who occasionally enjoy watching birds in the pond. I can hardly recognize the birds without guidings and assistance from experienced birdwatchers or reference books. Popular birdwatching sites in and around Fujieda include Rengejiike Park and the mouth of Oi River. | ||||||
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| T | Bannister | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka | Weekend | English/German French/Dutch Japanese |
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| C | Cook | Tokyo | Weekend | English/Japanese |
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| C | Harper | Yokohama | Weekend | English/Japanese |
| Relaxed birding near Yokohama on a Sunday (Sorry, I'm working the other 6 days). No running madly around to get every bird possible, but we'll have a nice walk in the woods or along the riverside, pick up at least a couple of endemics, and see some locations not included in the bird finding guides to the area. I've been birding around here since 1990. | ||||||
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Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services. | ||||||
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| Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| M | Brazil | Sapporo, Hokkaido | Anytime | English some Japanese |
| Author/Naturalist ("Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia" 2009; "Birds of Japan" 1991; "Birdwatcher's Guide to Japan" 1987) based just outside Sapporo, western Hokkaido, with easy access to all areas of Hokkaido. Birding Japan since 1980. I live close to Nopporo Forest Park - the only large area of protected lowland forest in west Hokkaido; an ideal location to visit when in Sapporo. Close to various groups of mountains with year round access, within reach of Miyajima-numa (a Ramsar site renowned for its passage of Greater White-fronted Geese and other waterfowl) and Lake Utonai, another wetland site famous for geese, swans and in summer for birds such as Latham's Snipe and Gray's Grasshopper Warbler. Further east, common targets in winter are: Blakiston's Fish Owl, Red-crowned Crane; Steller's and White-tailed Sea Eagles, and in summer all of the regular breeding birds of Hokkaido. Winter birding is great from November to March, and summer birding is excellent in May and June, the autumn is great too! | ||||||
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| K | Shinoda | Tokyo | Anytime | Japanese/English |
| I’m a male Japanese birding guide with more than a decade’s experience. I frequently guide individuals and small groups of visiting birders in the Tokyo area on day trips. Longer trips can be arranged throughout the country as well. My guiding philosophy is to give my clients the most enjoyable and rewarding birding experience possible in Japan. | ||||||
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| J | Wright | Shimabara, Nagasaki, Kyushu | Anytime | English/Japanese |
| John Wright has lived for more than 15 years in Japan in both the Kansai and Kyushu regions. He is currently based in Shimabara, Nagasaki, and is extremely familiar with birding areas in both Kyushu and western Honshu. John enjoys wildlife photography with an emphasis on avifauna. He specialises in capturing images of shy bird species, in particular Copper Pheasant and various species of flycatchers and thrushes. John's photographs have been published in newspapers, books and even museums. He is available to lead birders to sites in his region of southwest Japan. | ||||||
Local Information
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| Name | Description
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| Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Japan |
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| Local weather | Yahoo |
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| Electronic maps | |
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| Field guides recommended by Birdingpals | Japan |
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| Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. | BookFinder4U |
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| Bird check list | Printable |
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| Japanese Society for Preservation of Birds | Club |
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| Kabukuri Wetlands Club | Club |
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| Wild Bird Society of Japan | Club |
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| Wild Bird Society of Japan Osaka Chapter | Club |
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| Japan Aalcid Society | Club |
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| Shiokawa Tidalflat Preservation Association | Club |
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| Birding Hotspots around the world | Sites |
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| Masahiro Hashimoto's | Birdwatching in Osaka |
Last update 31/03/2012