Birding Hotspot 1: Kabutoyama Forest Park, Nishinomiya

This is the first in a series of blog posts about some of the more accessible birding hotspots in the Kansai region.  These posts are aimed at providing non-Japanese speaking birders, both resident and visiting, with enough information to get to the locations, and give them an idea of what birds they might expect to see there, and where and when to see them.

The first birding location, Kabutoyama Forest Park, is located in Nishinomiya city between Kobe and Osaka, and is a great place to see a variety of local forest birds and get some great views over the Osaka Plain.

Getting There
Take the Hankyu train to Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station on the Kobe line and get off at Shukugawa Station.  Change platforms here for the Koyo Line to Koyoen Station.  The train ride takes about 30 minutes from Hankyu Umeda Station and costs 280 yen.

From Koyoen Station it's a 15- to 20-minute walk up the hill to the park entrance.

Website (Japanese)
http://kabutoyama-park.com/

General Description
Kabutoyama Forest Park covers an area of 83 hectares, 90 percent of which is forested with ponds, mountain streams and some landscaped gardens. The park is well-maintained with several kilometers of walking trails, and is usually quiet enough to make birding easy.  

The park is bird- and birder-friendly with nest boxes placed throughout the park, and a regularly updated information board listing birds recently seen in the park.

Almost 140 bird species have been recorded in Kabutoyama Forest Park (see list below).  The park is also home to several species of mammal, including Wild Boar (イノシシ) and Japanese Badger (アナグマ).

Information board at the entrance lists interesting birds recently observed in the park.

Nest boxes have been placed throughout the park.

Center of the park with Kabutoyama (Kabuto Mountain) in the background.

A stream runs through the northern section of the park.  This is a good place to see Long-tailed Rosefinch,various Bunting species, and there's a chance of seeing Brown Dippers upstream of this location.

Finding Birds
The forest trails that traverse most of the park are a great place to start.  Varied, Long-tailed and Japanese Tits are common here, as are woodpeckers.  Red-flanked Bluetails, Bramblings and Goldcrests are easy to spot here during the cooler months.  The ponds in the north and south of the park are worth checking for Falcated Ducks and Common Kingfishers.  The stream that runs through the north of the park is a good place to find various Bunting species, Long-tailed Rosefinches, Grey Wagtails and Brown Dippers.

Red-flanked Bluetails can be spotted throughout the park during the cooler months

Female Goldcrest

Brambling is another species that is easy to spot during the winter months.

Long-tailed Rosefinch are relatively easy to find in the grassy flats in the northern section of the park from October to March.

Japanese White-eyes are abundant in the park and particularly easy to spot around flowering trees.

Like Japanese White-eyes, Brown-eared Bulbuls can often be found in flowering trees.  This bird's face is yellow with Camellia pollen.

Bird Species List (Source: 甲山森林公園の野鳥 and personal observations)

English Name	Japanese Name	Status
Green Pheasant	キジ	Resident
Copper Pheasant	ヤマドリ	Rare
Chinese Bamboo Partridge	コジュケイ	Resident
Mandarin Duck	オシドリ	Winter visitor
Gadwall	オカヨシガモ	Winter visitor
Falcated Duck	ヨシガモ	Winter visitor
Eurasian Wigeon	ヒドリガモ	Winter visitor
Mallard	マガモ	Winter visitor
Eastern Spot-billed Duck	カルガモ	Resident
Northern Shoveller	ハシビロガモ	Winter visitor
Northern Pintail	オナガガモ	Winter visitor
Eurasian Teal	コガモ	Winter visitor
Baikal Teal	トモエガモ	Rare
Tufted Duck	キンクロハジロ	Winter visitor
Common Goldeneye	ホオジロガモ	Rare
Smew	ミコアイサ	Winter visitor
Black-necked Grebe	ハジロカイツブリ	Rare
Little Grebe	カイツブリ	Resident
Japanese Night Heron	ミゾゴイ	Rare
Black-crowned Night Heron	ゴイサギ	Resident
Striated Heron	ササゴイ	Summer visitor
Little Egret	コサギ	Resident
Great Egret	ダイサギ	Resident
Grey Heron	アオサギ	Resident
Great Cormorant	カワウ	Resident
Osprey	ミサゴ	Resident
Honey Buzzard	ハチクマ	Summer visitor
Black Kite	トビ	Resident
Eastern Buzzard	ノスリ	Resident
Grey-faced Buzzard	サシバ	Summer visitor
Northern Goshawk	オオタカ	Resident
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	ハイタカ	Resident
Japanese Sparrowhawk	ツミ	Summer visitor
Peregrine Falcon	ハヤブサ	Resident
Northern Hobby	チゴハヤブサ	Passage migrant
Eurasian Kestrel	チョウゲンボウ	Rare
Common Coot	オオバン	Winter visitor
Common Moorhen	バン	Resident
Ruddy-breasted Crake	ヒクイナ	Rare
Eastern Water Rail	クイナ	Winter visitor
Little Ringed Plover	コチドリ	Summer visitor
Common Snipe	タシギ	Rare
Eurasian Woodcock	ヤマシギ	Rare
Oriental Turtle Dove	キジバト	Resident
White-bellied Gree Pigeon	アオバト	Resident
Rock Dove	ハト	Resident
Northern Hawk Cuckoo	ジュウイチ	Rare
Lesser Cuckoo	ホトトギス	Summer visitor
Eurasian Cuckoo	カッコウ	Rare
Oriental Cuckoo	ツツドリ	Rare
Ural Owl	フクロウ	Rare
Short-eared Owl	コミミズク	Rare
Brown Hawk Owl	アオバズク	Rare
Grey Nightjar	ヨタカ	Rare
White-throated Needletail	ハリオアマツバメ	Passage migrant
Pacific Swift	アマツバメ	Summer visitor
Crested Kingfisher	ヤマセミ	Rare
Common Kingfisher	カワセミ	Resident
Ruddy Kingfisher	アカショウビン	Rare
Dollarbird	ブッポウソウ	Rare
Japanese Green Woodpecker	アオゲラ	Resident
White-backed Woodpecker	オオアカゲラ	Rare
Great Spotted Woodpecker	アカゲラ	Resident
Eurasian Wryneck	アリスイ	Rare
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker	コゲラ	Resident
Sand Martin	ショウドウツバメ	Passage migrant
Asian House Martin	イワツバメ	Summer visitor
Red-rumped Swallow	コシアカツバメ	Summer visitor
Barn Swallow	ツバメ	Summer visitor
Bull-headed Shrike	モズ	Resident
Brown Shrike	アカモズ	Rare
Ashy Minivet	サンショウクイ	Summer visitor
Japanese Waxwing	ヒレンジャク	Winter visitor
Bohemian Waxwing	キレンジャク	Rare
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher	サンコウチョウ	Rare
Brown Dipper	カワガラス	Resident
Siberian Rubythroat	ノゴマ	Passage migrant
Siberian Blue Robin	コルリ	Passage migrant
Red-flanked Bluetail	ルリビタキ	Winter visitor
Daurian Redstart	ジョウビタキ	Winter visitor
Siberian Stonechat	ノビタキ	Passage migrant
Blue Rock Thrush	イソヒヨドリ	Resident
Siberian Thrush	マミジロ	Rare
White's Thrush	トラツグミ	Resident
Brown-headed Thrush	アカハラ	Winter visitor
Eyebrowed Thrush	マミチャジナイ	Passage migrant
Japanese Thrush	クロツグミ	Summer visitor
Pale Thrush	シロハラ	Winter visitor
Dusky Thrush	ツグミ	Winter visitor
Naumann's Thrush	ハチジョウツグミ	Rare
Brown-headed Bulbul	ヒヨドリ	Resident
Winter Wren	ミソサザイ	Winter visitor
Japanese Accentor	カヤクグリ	Rare
Japanese Robin	コマドリ	Summer visitor
Japanese Bush Warbler	ウグイス	Resident
Asian Stubtail	ヤブサメ	Summer visitor
Goldcrest	キクイタダキ	Winter visitor
Oriental Reed Warbler	オオヨシキリ	Summer visitor
Arctic Warbler	メボソムシクイ	Summer visitor
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler	エゾムシクイ	Passage migrant
Eastern Crowned Warbler	センダイムシクイ	Summber visitor
Narcissus Flycatcher	キビタキ	Summer visitor
Mugimaki Flycatcher	ムギマキ	Rare
Red-breasted Flycatcher	オジロビタキ	Rare
Blue and White Flycatcher	オオルリ	Summer visitor
Asian Brown Flycatcher	コサメビタキ	Summer visitor
Dark-sided Flycatcher	サメビタキ	Passage migrant
Grey-streaked Flycatcher	エゾビタキ	Passage migrant
Grey Wagtail	キセキレイ	Resident
White Wagtail	ハクセキレイ	Winter visitor
Japanese Wagtail	セグロセキレイ	Resident
Olive-backed Pipit	ビンズイ	Resident
Coal Tit	ヒガラ	Resident
Japanese Tit	シジュウカラ	Resident
Varied Tit	ヤマガラ	Resident
Long-tailed Tit	エナガ	Resident
Chinese Penduline Tit	ツリスガラ	Rare
Japanese White-eye	メジロ	Resident
Meadow Bunting	ホオジロ	Resident
Rustic Bunting	カシラダカ	Winter visitor
Elegant Bunting	ミヤマホオジロ	Winter visitor
Black-faced Bunting	アオジ	Resident
Japanese Yellow Bunting	ノジコ	Rare
Grey Bunting	クロジ	Winter visitor
Common Reed Bunting	オオジュリン	Rare
Oriental Greenfinch	カワラヒワ	Resident
Siskin	マヒワ	Winter visitor
Brambling	アトリ	Winter visitor
Long-tailed Rosefinch	ベニマシコ	Winter visitor
Eurasian Bullfinch	ウソ	Winter visitor
Japanese Grosbeak	イカル	Resident
Hawfinch	シメ	Winter visitor
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	スズメ	Resident
White-cheeked Starling	ムクドリ	Resident
Eurasian Jay	カケス	Resident
Carrion Crow	ハシボソガラス	Resident
Large-billed Crow	ハシブトガラス	Resident
Red-billed Leiothrix	ソウシチョウ	Resident