Due to loss and fragmentation of natural forest habitats, wildlife in many regions now depend heavily on networks of forests preserved as parkland and open space. In this research, capture and observation methods were used to analyze the avifauna of a small, isolated forest preserved as suburban parkland on the outskirts of Tokyo. The research was implemented at Asaka City, in Saitama Prefecture (Fig. 1), just north of Tokyo, from May 2001 to February 2002. The research site was a small secondary forest of oak and hornbeam, located on a 15 degree slope facing eastwards, and isolated among vegetable fields and housing development (Fig. 2). Capture and banding research using three mist nets set inside the forest (Fig. 3) was implemented on a total of 8 days. In addition, birds were identified by sight and sound while walking along the park pathways at a pace of 2km/hr. The results are presented in Table1. A total of 13 species were identified by capture method, and 18 by observation. The total number of species identified was 18. Of these, two species were recorded only by capture, and seven only by observation. In addition, several other species were recorded more frequently using one method than using the other. These results indicate that these two methods tend to complement one another, and can effectively be used in combination. In addition, the number of birds recorded tended to increase throughout the morning hours, then level out in the afternoon (Fig. 5-1, 5-2). This indicates that conducting research from dawn until about 1200 or 1300 hrs is sufficient.

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Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea is a small species with restricted, distribution in arctic areas. Breeding ground are on arctic tundra, and the total number of breeding pairs is estimated at between 10,000 and 25,000. Even during the winter months, this species sticks to northern latitudes, and has been thought to move only as far south as the edge of the drift ice allong the north Pacific coast. The seasonal movements, however, are still poorly understood, and in 1999-2001 several confirmed observations were reported in the Kanto Region of central Honshu. One 1st winter plumage gull (Fig. 1) was observed at the Yatsu Tidelands, Chiba Prefecture, along the northernmost coast of Tokyo Bay, from Nov 23th 1999 to Mar 18th 2000. This individual was observed foraging and scavenging on the tidal flat, and also feeding on marine worms in a flock of Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus. A single 1st winter plumage bird was also observed on Dec 4th 1999 at nearby Funabashi Seaside Park, and another on Mar 5th at the mouth of the Obitsu River, along the eastern shore of the bay. In addition, a single juvenile was observed on Dec 28th 1999 at Kujukuri hama, a long sandy beach located on the eastern (Pacific Ocean) side of Chiba Prefecture, and another juvenile (molting into 1th winter plumage Fig. 2, Fig. 3) from Jan 9th through 16th 2000 around the mouth of the Tone River in Chiba and Ibaraki Prefecture.

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Various records, supplemented by field research, were employed to verify the status of owls (Family Strigidae) in Niigata Prefecture, located along the Japan Sea side of central Honshu. Records surveyed included injured birds reported from October 1971 through March 2001, and dead specimens brought to government branches from April 1978 through March 1988. For purpose of analysis, the Prefecture was divided into four sections (Fig. 1); north (1), central (2), and south (3) areas of the mainland, and Sado Island (4). A total of 6 owl species were identified.
Ural Owl (Strix uralensis): This species was by and away the most common, with 288 injured and 297 dead individuals reported. In addition, banding research has demonstrated that this owl shows a strong tendency to remain in a restricted area. Common in all three mainland areas but absent from Sado Island. Collared Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena): A resident throughout the prefecture, most common on Sado Island. Research has shown that birds on the island lay their eggs from April through May, and the chicks fledge out in June; while on the mainland the eggs are laid in May and June, and fledging takes place in July. Scops Owl (Otus scops): Summer breeder throughout mainland areas, most common in north area. On Sado Island is primarily a passage migrant. No records occur from December through March, indicating that this species does not spend the winter in Niigata. Long-eared Owl (Asio otus): Until the 1960s this species was rare in the prefecture, but numbers have increased since the 1970s. A resident species, this owl is unusual in that it winters in roosts of up to several dozen individuals. Brown Hawk-owl (Ninox scutulata): Records run from May through November, indicating that this species breeds the Prefecture but does not winter. In adeition, birds that breed further north pass through Niigata on their migration routes. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus): Records occur from October through March, indicating that this owl is primarily a winter visitor in Niigata. The total number of records was lowest among the six species.

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A single record of Black-headed Bunting was obtained on May 17th, 2003, at Maki Town, Niigata Prefecture, located along the Japan Sea coast of central Honshu. The bird, an adult male, represents the first confirmed record of this species for Niigata Prefecture, and the fourth record for Japan as a whole. It was found dead in a forest of Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), beneath a branch on which perched a newly fledged Ural Owl (Strix uralensis). Black-headed Bunting breed along the European Mediterranean and in western Asia, and winter in India and sometimes but rarely in southern China. There is a possibility that the record may be an escaped cage bird, but as several nonconfirmed but reliable observations of this same species have also been reported from the prefecture in recent years, most likely it represents a straggler.

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