FAIRY PITTA
Richard Carden, 22 May 2007
I visited Mi-ike in Miyazaki-ken, Kyushu, this weekend, hoping to see Fairy Pitta. The weather was great, the scenery, onsens and forest walks fabulous, but I did not see or hear any pittas. Japanese birders felt that I was at least 2 weeks early and that the birds do not arrive until early June, although Mark Brazil wrote in his book that calling peaked from May 25 - June 10. An American birder who has been a regular visitor to Japan and on his 3rd or 4th trip to the area guiding two Canadian guests reported hearing pitta calling intermittently and getting brief views of a bird. I did not see any conclusive signs of their arrival although I am sure one or two birds must have arrived.
Nick Lethaby, 22 May 2007
The one time I have seen Fairy Pitta was on Koje-do on the south coast of Korea. This was around June 10, but I was told by a local warden there that he had heard birds two weeks earlier and suspected they had stopped calling because they were mated. In addition, the species had greatly declined there between 1988 (very common) and 1995, when I saw them. I think it is conceivable that you were a few days early, but I think it is also possible that Fairy Pittas may stop calling once mated. However, this is speculation on my part. Indian Pittas call even in the winter, but their calling then is strictly immediately pre-dawn and one needs a spotlight to get a decent look.
Sean Minns, 22 May 2007
Yes the pittas are there [at Mi-ike], but you have to be up early to hear them. They arrive from the 3rd week of May. Most of the Japanese birders get up to the main area at the top of the valley around 4 am, because the pittas, like most of the other birds, are active between then and 5.30 or 6 am, with a brief resurgence around 9 to 10.30 or so. I went a week later than you, Richard, and did have some success near the hide, but still only a 30-or-so second view.
Apparently they start off singing high up in the trees and sing from several perches, having a set route, and as the singing season continues, they come closer to the ground and as Nick says, they stop singing once they have found a mate-- and then start the process of finding a suitable nesting area.
They have certainly declined in the Miike area, but I still heard about 5-6 singing males, and I heard there was a maximum of 16 males in the area. I think local birdwatching and conservation groups are quite rightly worried about disturbance from visiting birders and especially photographers. Even in mid-week, this site is so famous that it can attract several coachloads of birders! However, the one benefit is that it may take the pressure off other less well-known sites.
It would seem the main stream has been redirected underground, which can't be a good sign for the future of the area though.
Richard Carden, 22 May 2007
Thanks for the comments. I do think that there were probably one or two pittas in the area even though I did not hear one. I dont think it was a timing issue as I was on site both days by 5 am. I think that the numbers are certainly less than 10 years ago but from talks that I had with a few local birders, there does seem to be 12 20 birds turning up most years. I think I was probably a week too early to have given myself a good chance of even a brief view.
Surprising to me was that on Saturday there was only one Japanese birder in the area and on Sunday between 5am - 9am only four. A group of 7 or 8 birders turned up after 9am but none of them were there to try for the pitta, but just to get photographs of the Ruddy Kingfishers. I guess when the calling activity does increase, the local birders pass the word out.
I did also wonder where all the water was. The main stream, which obviously carries a huge amount of water at various times of year, was completely dry. I certainly had not realized that this had been as a result of an underwater diversion, which is very worrying.
Fergus Crystal, 25 May 2007
I was based in Kagoshima-ken between 2002 and 2006, and had several opportunities to visit Miike, just over the border in Miyazaki-ken.
Birds arrived only on or after 16th May, and the latest date I saw a bird was Sept 15th. At Miike, sleeping at night in the car park area or near the shrine above the lake is good because these birds often sing at night, and you can get a good idea which area of the forest they have chosen to breed in, and go there at dawn. Birds tend to come down to the floor to feed at 10am, then 12-1230 pm, then at 4ish, and maybe again later on.
In the four years I was there, the river was always bone dry in the summer, even in May, and I think this has nothing to do with the fewer pittas there these days. It is the hordes of birders and photographers that are probably more to blame, as there are bound to be several who enter the breeding areas each year. This site is monitored by a couple of wardens, but still I think nests are disturbed. Another possible factor is the high density of deer in the forest (a no-hunting zone that is linked to the forest around Kirishima Shrine), and it is possible that areas of scant weedy vegetation which appear to be used for 'worming' by the pittas is being culminatively grazed each year by deer.
A better idea is to visit pitta sites (including Miike) in early August, when fledged juveniles are often rather tame, and there is often an adult nearby. Pittas sing from the tops of tall trees and spend a lot of time up in the high canopy (at Miike it is very high, and the birds stick to the highest conifers for their song posts).
If you have a hire car and a Mapple road map, you can go one step further and suss out other possible areas. 600 m asl is the altitude for pittas in south Japan, and if you can find some good evergreen forest at this level, it is worth a shot. Pittas are not averse to breeding in areas of old cedar plantation near evergreen forest, either.
Visits to Miike and nearby forests in late August and early September produced the best sightings I ever had of these birds; one was an adult just 2 meters from the car on a tarmac road, and the other three were adults and juveniles at close range from the paths around Koike, the small crater pool just 2 km west of Miike.
Shikoku has more pairs, and this would be a good destination in late May or through the summer to find pittas. Don't let the rainy season put you off.
Taiwan, however, is easily the best place to see this species-- a recent estimate put the population there at around 10, 000 pairs, with birds breeding in a variety of habitats, from bamboo groves to cedar plantations, 300- 600 m asl on both slopes. Miike in May is not the only answer!
Akiyo Nakamichi, 25 May 2007
I went to Miike on May 23rd and 24th. Pitta song was confirmed in the early morning of the 23rd, which seems to have been the first confirmation of this year. I heard two songs during the two days, both very short. Their arrival was late, as their arrival is about 16 May in an average year..
I must add another concern about this forest-- desiccation. It was after a long absence that I returned to this forest this year. In comparison with the past, I felt that it was very light under the canopy. One cause is the damage of trees by a strong typhoon. A forest ranger told me that mushrooms have decreased, and the moss on the fallen trees seems to be dry. Of course, I am not saying that this is a permanent situation; it may continue changing and may be restored to the original state again.
Regarding where the river has dried up: the upper part of that river is the weathered lava zone, which does not retain water. Rarely, big mud floods occur, as happened in the mid 1990's. That one destroyed most camping areas downstream. Small-scale mud floods often occur at the end of the rainy season in July, and this is evidenced by the banks of this river becoming hollowed out. Anyone going into the forest in this season should be careful.
Richard Carden, 22 May 2007
I visited Mi-ike in Miyazaki-ken, Kyushu, this weekend, hoping to see Fairy Pitta. The weather was great, the scenery, onsens and forest walks fabulous, but I did not see or hear any pittas. Japanese birders felt that I was at least 2 weeks early and that the birds do not arrive until early June, although Mark Brazil wrote in his book that calling peaked from May 25 - June 10. An American birder who has been a regular visitor to Japan and on his 3rd or 4th trip to the area guiding two Canadian guests reported hearing pitta calling intermittently and getting brief views of a bird. I did not see any conclusive signs of their arrival although I am sure one or two birds must have arrived.
Nick Lethaby, 22 May 2007
The one time I have seen Fairy Pitta was on Koje-do on the south coast of Korea. This was around June 10, but I was told by a local warden there that he had heard birds two weeks earlier and suspected they had stopped calling because they were mated. In addition, the species had greatly declined there between 1988 (very common) and 1995, when I saw them. I think it is conceivable that you were a few days early, but I think it is also possible that Fairy Pittas may stop calling once mated. However, this is speculation on my part. Indian Pittas call even in the winter, but their calling then is strictly immediately pre-dawn and one needs a spotlight to get a decent look.
Sean Minns, 22 May 2007
Yes the pittas are there [at Mi-ike], but you have to be up early to hear them. They arrive from the 3rd week of May. Most of the Japanese birders get up to the main area at the top of the valley around 4 am, because the pittas, like most of the other birds, are active between then and 5.30 or 6 am, with a brief resurgence around 9 to 10.30 or so. I went a week later than you, Richard, and did have some success near the hide, but still only a 30-or-so second view.
Apparently they start off singing high up in the trees and sing from several perches, having a set route, and as the singing season continues, they come closer to the ground and as Nick says, they stop singing once they have found a mate-- and then start the process of finding a suitable nesting area.
They have certainly declined in the Miike area, but I still heard about 5-6 singing males, and I heard there was a maximum of 16 males in the area. I think local birdwatching and conservation groups are quite rightly worried about disturbance from visiting birders and especially photographers. Even in mid-week, this site is so famous that it can attract several coachloads of birders! However, the one benefit is that it may take the pressure off other less well-known sites.
It would seem the main stream has been redirected underground, which can't be a good sign for the future of the area though.
Richard Carden, 22 May 2007
Thanks for the comments. I do think that there were probably one or two pittas in the area even though I did not hear one. I dont think it was a timing issue as I was on site both days by 5 am. I think that the numbers are certainly less than 10 years ago but from talks that I had with a few local birders, there does seem to be 12 20 birds turning up most years. I think I was probably a week too early to have given myself a good chance of even a brief view.
Surprising to me was that on Saturday there was only one Japanese birder in the area and on Sunday between 5am - 9am only four. A group of 7 or 8 birders turned up after 9am but none of them were there to try for the pitta, but just to get photographs of the Ruddy Kingfishers. I guess when the calling activity does increase, the local birders pass the word out.
I did also wonder where all the water was. The main stream, which obviously carries a huge amount of water at various times of year, was completely dry. I certainly had not realized that this had been as a result of an underwater diversion, which is very worrying.
Fergus Crystal, 25 May 2007
I was based in Kagoshima-ken between 2002 and 2006, and had several opportunities to visit Miike, just over the border in Miyazaki-ken.
Birds arrived only on or after 16th May, and the latest date I saw a bird was Sept 15th. At Miike, sleeping at night in the car park area or near the shrine above the lake is good because these birds often sing at night, and you can get a good idea which area of the forest they have chosen to breed in, and go there at dawn. Birds tend to come down to the floor to feed at 10am, then 12-1230 pm, then at 4ish, and maybe again later on.
In the four years I was there, the river was always bone dry in the summer, even in May, and I think this has nothing to do with the fewer pittas there these days. It is the hordes of birders and photographers that are probably more to blame, as there are bound to be several who enter the breeding areas each year. This site is monitored by a couple of wardens, but still I think nests are disturbed. Another possible factor is the high density of deer in the forest (a no-hunting zone that is linked to the forest around Kirishima Shrine), and it is possible that areas of scant weedy vegetation which appear to be used for 'worming' by the pittas is being culminatively grazed each year by deer.
A better idea is to visit pitta sites (including Miike) in early August, when fledged juveniles are often rather tame, and there is often an adult nearby. Pittas sing from the tops of tall trees and spend a lot of time up in the high canopy (at Miike it is very high, and the birds stick to the highest conifers for their song posts).
If you have a hire car and a Mapple road map, you can go one step further and suss out other possible areas. 600 m asl is the altitude for pittas in south Japan, and if you can find some good evergreen forest at this level, it is worth a shot. Pittas are not averse to breeding in areas of old cedar plantation near evergreen forest, either.
Visits to Miike and nearby forests in late August and early September produced the best sightings I ever had of these birds; one was an adult just 2 meters from the car on a tarmac road, and the other three were adults and juveniles at close range from the paths around Koike, the small crater pool just 2 km west of Miike.
Shikoku has more pairs, and this would be a good destination in late May or through the summer to find pittas. Don't let the rainy season put you off.
Taiwan, however, is easily the best place to see this species-- a recent estimate put the population there at around 10, 000 pairs, with birds breeding in a variety of habitats, from bamboo groves to cedar plantations, 300- 600 m asl on both slopes. Miike in May is not the only answer!
Akiyo Nakamichi, 25 May 2007
I went to Miike on May 23rd and 24th. Pitta song was confirmed in the early morning of the 23rd, which seems to have been the first confirmation of this year. I heard two songs during the two days, both very short. Their arrival was late, as their arrival is about 16 May in an average year..
I must add another concern about this forest-- desiccation. It was after a long absence that I returned to this forest this year. In comparison with the past, I felt that it was very light under the canopy. One cause is the damage of trees by a strong typhoon. A forest ranger told me that mushrooms have decreased, and the moss on the fallen trees seems to be dry. Of course, I am not saying that this is a permanent situation; it may continue changing and may be restored to the original state again.
Regarding where the river has dried up: the upper part of that river is the weathered lava zone, which does not retain water. Rarely, big mud floods occur, as happened in the mid 1990's. That one destroyed most camping areas downstream. Small-scale mud floods often occur at the end of the rainy season in July, and this is evidenced by the banks of this river becoming hollowed out. Anyone going into the forest in this season should be careful.
Yuko Sasaki, 26 May 2007
In 2005, from 29th to 30th of May, I saw several Fairy Pitta at Miike in Miyazaki. At that time, I heard the pittas' song in 5 or 6 different places in the Miike area. As Sean wrote, pittas sing in the canopy of high trees for only a few days after their arrival; it is easy to find pittas by their song during this period. Thereafter, pittas select a place for breeding and become quiet except for short-time calls with two or three 'ho-hi, ho-hi' notes. As Nick wrote, once mated, pittas stop singing in the canopy and move onto the ground; so it is not easy to find pittas during this period. In 2003, on June 29th, when I saw Fairy Pitta breeding in another prefecture, the birds made several 'ho-hi' calls at intervals.
At the end of May 2005, one pitta, which may have had a territory in the center of the Miike area, sang on the branch of the same high tree around 8-9 AM, then moved to another place while singing in the canopy from tree to tree. Finally, around 10AM, it started feeding on the ground in silence. The bird did not sing again until at least 11:30 AM. Local birders knew the feeding place of this bird and waited with large cameras set up. Since this bird may have had several different patterns for moving round in his territory each day, the birders had to change their location. In the middle of June of the same year, no pitta was found in the Miike area. So, in my opinion, the 19-20th of May, when Richard went to Miike, was not too early. The last week of May was, at least at Miike in 2005, very good, while the middle of June was probably too late. I have not tried for the bird in August.
By the way, what I have been worried about this year was the 'yellow dust' (fine-grained sand blown to Japan from deserts in China by the prevailing westerlies), which came to Japan from April until early May this year. (Was it rather earlier than usual?) I heard from a Miike forest ranger, who has been patrolling almost every day for many years, that after several days of 'yellow dust', he very often found several pittas. His idea is that the Fairy Pitta uses strong prevailing westerlies to migrate from China to Kyushu. He also told me that some fisherman saw flying pitta heading toward Japan in the season of yellow dust.
Sean Minns, 26 May 2007
The river may not have direct effect on the pittas, but I was concerned by the dryness of the river. I did feel that, as Nakamichi-san says, the forest was drying out. I am not sure whether this is from a previous typhoon or because of diversion of the river's source or indeed some other factor. I did notice the large number of deer at night in the forest and can see that overgrazing of ground cover could also be a problem.
Although the population of pittas is between 12 and 20 pairs at Miike, as Fergus said, I think we are agreed that unfortunately it is in decline. I would agree that disturbance from photographers and birders is one major factor. Though of course we have no idea of the true number in Japan, it can't be as high as the estimate for Taiwan. Taiwan's population is also thought to be resident, I think.
Fergus is also right that the pittas occur elsewhere in Kyushu. Atle Olsen heard them calling in several places other than Miike. Of course, Miike is very famous, so it gets far too many visitors. I visited one of the areas in Shikoku where Fairy Pitta occur, but in the wrong season, and the habitat was not dissimilar to Miike: mixed woodland with tall song perches and quite a lot of ground cover. There are also pairs recorded from the Chugoku Mountains in some years and even as far north as the Kanto region, but they are not as common as in Kyushu or Shikoku, where they are still scarce to rare.
In 2005, from 29th to 30th of May, I saw several Fairy Pitta at Miike in Miyazaki. At that time, I heard the pittas' song in 5 or 6 different places in the Miike area. As Sean wrote, pittas sing in the canopy of high trees for only a few days after their arrival; it is easy to find pittas by their song during this period. Thereafter, pittas select a place for breeding and become quiet except for short-time calls with two or three 'ho-hi, ho-hi' notes. As Nick wrote, once mated, pittas stop singing in the canopy and move onto the ground; so it is not easy to find pittas during this period. In 2003, on June 29th, when I saw Fairy Pitta breeding in another prefecture, the birds made several 'ho-hi' calls at intervals.
At the end of May 2005, one pitta, which may have had a territory in the center of the Miike area, sang on the branch of the same high tree around 8-9 AM, then moved to another place while singing in the canopy from tree to tree. Finally, around 10AM, it started feeding on the ground in silence. The bird did not sing again until at least 11:30 AM. Local birders knew the feeding place of this bird and waited with large cameras set up. Since this bird may have had several different patterns for moving round in his territory each day, the birders had to change their location. In the middle of June of the same year, no pitta was found in the Miike area. So, in my opinion, the 19-20th of May, when Richard went to Miike, was not too early. The last week of May was, at least at Miike in 2005, very good, while the middle of June was probably too late. I have not tried for the bird in August.
By the way, what I have been worried about this year was the 'yellow dust' (fine-grained sand blown to Japan from deserts in China by the prevailing westerlies), which came to Japan from April until early May this year. (Was it rather earlier than usual?) I heard from a Miike forest ranger, who has been patrolling almost every day for many years, that after several days of 'yellow dust', he very often found several pittas. His idea is that the Fairy Pitta uses strong prevailing westerlies to migrate from China to Kyushu. He also told me that some fisherman saw flying pitta heading toward Japan in the season of yellow dust.
Sean Minns, 26 May 2007
The river may not have direct effect on the pittas, but I was concerned by the dryness of the river. I did feel that, as Nakamichi-san says, the forest was drying out. I am not sure whether this is from a previous typhoon or because of diversion of the river's source or indeed some other factor. I did notice the large number of deer at night in the forest and can see that overgrazing of ground cover could also be a problem.
Although the population of pittas is between 12 and 20 pairs at Miike, as Fergus said, I think we are agreed that unfortunately it is in decline. I would agree that disturbance from photographers and birders is one major factor. Though of course we have no idea of the true number in Japan, it can't be as high as the estimate for Taiwan. Taiwan's population is also thought to be resident, I think.
Fergus is also right that the pittas occur elsewhere in Kyushu. Atle Olsen heard them calling in several places other than Miike. Of course, Miike is very famous, so it gets far too many visitors. I visited one of the areas in Shikoku where Fairy Pitta occur, but in the wrong season, and the habitat was not dissimilar to Miike: mixed woodland with tall song perches and quite a lot of ground cover. There are also pairs recorded from the Chugoku Mountains in some years and even as far north as the Kanto region, but they are not as common as in Kyushu or Shikoku, where they are still scarce to rare.