Between 1993 and 1998, winter-site fidelity of passerines was studied using the banding and recapture method. The study was performed on a riverbed of Ano River, Mie, central Japan (34°45′35″N, 136°27′24″E; altitude, 16 m) during five winters. The studied species were the Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala), Bush Warbler (Cettia diphone), Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus), Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica), Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides), and Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus). Return recapture rate (RR) is the rate of birds recaptured among newly captured and return recaptured birds in later winters. RR was calculated on the basis of the data of the five winter seasons. RRs of the Bush Warbler and Black-faced Bunting were high (0.37 and 0.26, respectively), while those of the other four species were remarkably low (between 0.14 and 0.07). RR of the Bush Warbler was significantly higher than those of the Meadow and Rustic Buntings, Japanese White-eye, and Long-tailed Tit. RR of the Black-faced Bunting was significantly higher than those of the Japanese White-eye and Rustic Bunting. The study site was further divided into three sub-sites, and return to the same sub-sites was analyzed. The Black-faced Bunting and Bush Warbler showed high exact fidelity to return to the same sub-sites. In contrast, fidelity of the Rustic Bunting was low. The Black-faced Bunting and Bush Warbler stay under thickets in winter, while the Rustic Bunting and Meadow Bunting live in open grasslands and cultivated fields in flocks. The Long-tailed Tit and Japanese White-eye visit tree canopies in flocks and search for food in winter. The difference in return fidelity to the wintering site was discussed with respect to the behavior of these birds in winter.

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The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program in Japan was conducted in deciduous broad-leaved forest of Experimental Forest of Hokkaido Research Center, FFPRI (42°59′N, 141°23′E, Alt. 180-210 m) in the breeding season of 2013 and 2014. Two male, three female, and eight juvenile Grey Buntings were captured during the survey. Both males had the remarkable cloaca protuberance. One male and three females showed apparent brood patches, and all juveniles appeared to have just fledged on the basis of the plumage. Since we sometimes heard songs of the buntings near the study site during the breeding season, the breeding probability of the bunting was confirmed by the existence of such external breeding characters, although an active nest was not found. MAPS in Japan is a useful method to not only evaluate the trend of long-term population changes but also obtain supplemental information on new breeding localities of some birds by detailed observation of captured birds.

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One Gray's Grasshopper Warbler, Locustella fasciolata amnicola, was captured and banded on September 24, 2012, on the premises of the Takarazuka Golf Club located in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. This is the first banding record of L. f. amnicola in Hyogo Prefecture, although there have been several records of sightings. The bird was captured using a mist net extended in a thicket in which the Canadian goldenrod, Solidago canadensis var. scabra; Japanese rose, Rosa multiflora; and kudzu, Pueraria lobata, grew together at the edge of mixed forests composed of deciduous broad-leaved trees and broad-leaved evergreen trees. I identified the species and subspecies of the banded bird on the basis of comparisons with similar species in terms of natural wing length, difference in the lengths of the outermost and central tail feathers, and the absence of upperpart and underpart streaks. The bird was confirmed to be a first-winter juvenile, taking into consideration that all its wing and tail feathers were new, iris color was greyish brown, and skull ossification was incomplete; however, sex could not be confirmed as this species has little sexual dimorphism. Some noteworthy behaviors were also observed before this bird was captured. Since there are few banding records of this species during migration, I have summarized previous banding data and related papers and articles, hoping that this information will be helpful in future bird-banding studies.

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