Birding Hotspot 2: Yodogawa Kasen Park, Ebie, Osaka

General Description
Noisy, drab, and right in middle of urban Osaka, Yodagawa Kasen Park near Ebie is a seemingly unlikely birdwatching destination.  However, between the concrete levee and the trash-laden bank of the Yodo River, lies one of the better and more accessible birding hotspots in Kansai, with extensive reed bed patches, ponds, and riparian habitat.  

The park is popular with local Japanese birders, and can even get crowded with groups of  birdwatchers on weekends and when something rare shows up.  At least 105 bird species have been recorded in Yodogawa Kasen Park (see list below). 

Reed beds along the edge of the Yodo River

A number of bridges cross the Yodo River in this area.  The bridges are a good place to look for perching gulls and raptors.

Getting There
Take the local train on the JR Gakkentoshi line to Ebie Station.  From Ebie Station it's a 10-minute walk to the Yodo River.  Walking north from here will take you through some of the better bird habitats in the park.

Common Reed Buntings are abundant in the reed beds throughout the cooler months.

Great Cormorants are common here throughout the year.

Eurasian Kestrels (the bird in the picture is a female) are usually easy to spot perched on the bridge crossing the Yodo River.

Northern Pintails resting on edge of the river.

Male Long-tailed Rosefinch

Common Sandpiper

Male Meadow Bunting 

Black-headed Gulls in April (some with summer plumage, some with winter plumage)

Bird Species List (Source: Wild Bird Society of Japan Osaka Branch and personal observations)

English Name	Japanese Name	Status
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
Ferruginous Duck	メジロガモ	Rare
Mallard	マガモ	Winter visitor
Common Pochard	ホシハジロ	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
Greater Scaup	スズガモ	Winter visitor
Tufted Duck	キンクロハジロ	Winter visitor
Common Goldeneye	ホオジロガモ	Rare
Black Scoter	クロガモ	Rare
Common Merganser	カワアイサ	Winter visitor
Black-necked Grebe	ハジロカイツブリ	Rare
Little Grebe	カイツブリ	Resident
Great Crested Grebe	カンムリカイツブリ	Winter visitor
Black-crowned Night Heron	ゴイサギ	Resident
Eurasian Bittern	サンカノゴイ	Rare
Little Egret	コサギ	Resident
Great Egret	ダイサギ	Resident
Intermediate Egret	チュウサギ	Summer visitor
Grey Heron	アオサギ	Resident
Great Cormorant	カワウ	Resident
Black-headed Gull	ユリカモメ	Winter visitor
Black-tailed Gull	ウミネコ	Resident
Common Gull	カモメ	Winter visitor
Vega Gull	セグロカモメ	Winter visitor
Little Tern	コアジサシ	Summer visitor
Whiskered Tern	クロハラアジサシ	Rare
Osprey	ミサゴ	Resident
Black Kite	トビ	Resident
Eastern Buzzard	ノスリ	Winter visitor
Northern Goshawk	オオタカ	Resident
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	ハイタカ	Resident
Peregrine Falcon	ハヤブサ	Resident
Eurasian Kestrel	チョウゲンボウ	Winter visitor
Eastern Marsh Harrier	チュウヒ	Winter visitor
Eurasian Coot	オオバン	Winter visitor
Common Moorhen	バン	Resident
Ruddy-breasted Crake	ヒクイナ	Rare
Grey-headed Lapwing	ケリ	Resident
Eastern Water Rail	クイナ	Winter visitor
Little Ringed Plover	コチドリ	Summer visitor
Long-billed Plover	イカルチドリ	Resident
Common Sandpiper	イソシギ	Winter visitor
Wood Sandpiper	タカブシギ	Passage migrant
Terek Sandpiper	ソリハシシギ	Passage migrant
Grey-tailed Tattler	キアシシギ	Passage migrant
Dunlin	ハマシギ	Winter visitor
Kentish Plover	シロチドリ	Resident
Common Greenshank	アオアシシギ	Passage migrant
Red-necked Stint	トウネン	Passage migrant
Bar-tailed Godwit	オオソリハシシギ	Passage migrant
Eastern Black-tailed Godwit	オグロシギ	Passage migrant
Common Snipe	タシギ	Winter visitor
Whimbrel	チュウシャクシギ	Passage migrant
Oriental Turtle Dove	キジバト	Resident
Rock Dove	ハト	Introduced
Short-eared Owl	コミミズク	Winter visitor
Common Kingfisher	カワセミ	Resident
Eurasian Wryneck	アリスイ	Rare
Sand Martin	ショウドウツバメ	Passage migrant
Barn Swallow	ツバメ	Summer visitor
Eurasian Skylark	ヒバリ	Resident
Bull-headed Shrike	モズ	Resident
Daurian Redstart	ジョウビタキ	Winter visitor
Blue Rock Thrush	イソヒヨドリ	Resident
Brown-headed Thrush	アカハラ	Winter visitor
Pale Thrush	シロハラ	Winter visitor
Dusky Thrush	ツグミ	Winter visitor
Brown-headed Bulbul	ヒヨドリ	Resident
Japanese Bush Warbler	ウグイス	Resident
Asian Stubtail	ヤブサメ	Rare
Oriental Reed Warbler	オオヨシキリ	Summer visitor
Zitting Cisticola	セッカ	Resident
Siberian Stonechat	ノビタキ	Summer visitor
Arctic Warbler	メボソムシクイ	Summer visitor
Dusky Warbler	ムジセッカ	Rare
Eastern Crowned Warbler	センダイムシクイ	Summber visitor
Narcissus Flycatcher	キビタキ	Summer visitor
Asian Brown Flycatcher	コサメビタキ	Summer visitor
White Wagtail	ハクセキレイ	Resident
Japanese Wagtail	セグロセキレイ	Resident
Japanese Tit	シジュウカラ	Resident
Chinese Penduline Tit	ツリスガラ	Winter visitor
Japanese White-eye	メジロ	Resident
Meadow Bunting	ホオジロ	Resident
Rustic Bunting	カシラダカ	Winter visitor
Black-faced Bunting	アオジ	Resident
Chestnut-eared Bunting	ホオアカ	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
Hawfinch	シメ	Winter visitor
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	スズメ	Resident
White-cheeked Starling	ムクドリ	Resident
Chestnut-cheeked Starling	コムクドリ	Passage migrant
Crested Myna	ハッカチョウ	Introduced
Carrion Crow	ハシボソガラス	Resident
Large-billed Crow	ハシブトガラス	Resident