We conducted annual one-day researches of the early winter bird community in Harima, Hyogo Prefecture from 1993 to 2002. The study area is a pond-arable complex with patches of residential areas. We usually recorded more than 30 species of birds per research and 59 species were recorded over the 10-year period. Of the 59, 16 species of water birds (true water birds and wading birds) and 14 species of land birds were regular within the community, while 21 species were recorded in less than four winters. The great cormorant, the feral pigeon and the tree sparrow increased during the 10 years. The lapwing began to appear in the latter half of the 10 years. The increase of the pigeon and the sparrow could be related to the urbanization of the study area during the study period. Although no bird species were shown to have decreased, the records of endangered water bird species listed in the Kinki Red Data Book were restricted to the earliest three years. This could be the result of the changes in pond environment caused by gardening, waste and removal of reed beds that occurred after 1995 in this area.
