We report a summary of banding data of migratory birds banded at a fallow paddy field in Nanae, Hokkaido, Japan. Between 1990 and 2014, a total of 37,868 birds from 108 different species were released from the study area. The top four species with the highest number of banded birds were Common Reed Bunting,Emberiza schoeniclus, the Rustic Bunting, E. rustica, Black-faced Bunting, E. spodocephala, and Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica. This study site is characterized by the following two aspects: large amount of Rustic Bunting in autumn and increased recovery records of Common Reed Bunting. According to previous banding records or observations, Oshima Peninsula including Nanae-cho seems to be a big pass of Rustic Bunting in autumn. Therefore, acoustic attraction and/or geographical features of the study site would increase the likelihood of the buntings to gather at the site. Many Common Reed Buntings were captured in both autumn and spring. Of all recovery records of Common Reed Bunting of Nanae, 181 were released at other sites and later recaptured at Nanae, while 359 were released at Nanae and then recaptured at other sites. Released or recovery sites relevant to Nanae were distributed in entire Japan and a part of Russia. It means that Nanae is one of the important areas for Common Reed Bunting, which migrates in Japan, as a passing point. During the period of the study, Barn Swallow and Sand Martin, Riparia riparia, were using this site as a roosting site.

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We compared measurements and colors of feathers between male and female Long-billed Plovers Charadridus placidus during the breeding season at the Toki-river in central Saitama, Japan. The female has a greater body weight and slightly longer natural wing length than the male. The male bird had slightly wider forehead black band feathers than the female. However, measurement values of these parameters overlapped between the two sexes. The color of the forehead black band, ear part feather, and underside eye feather differed significantly between the two sexes. The male's feathers were more blackish in color, while the female had feathers that were more drab in color or that had a color similar to its body feathers “olive-brown.” Although these colors also overlapped between the two sexes, it is helpful to enhance accuracy of determination of sex, use together measurement values.

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Age determination of the Collared Scops Owl Otus lempiji was carried out based on the mist-net-captured owls in Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan. Flight feathers and rectrices of juveniles are narrow and pointed. However, those of the adults were broad and rounded. While the juveniles had pale and short primary coverts, the adults had dark, long ones. Juveniles do not molt these feathers in Autumn and therefore, recording these factors is useful for age determination until the complete molt takes place during the following summer.

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To date, dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis) have apparently shown few external morphological sexual differences. In the present study, sexual differences in body weight and primary feather color of dollarbirds were observed during banding research in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, from 2010 to 2012.

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A Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus was captured during a ringing survey in southwest Hokkaido on September 12, 2016. This is the first ringing record and the second national record of this species in Japan.

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During bird observation in July and August, 2014, and from June to August, 2015, in coastal grassland in Zenibako (43°09´N, 141°13´E), central Hokkaido, the breeding record of Von Schrenck's Bittern Ixobrychus eurhythmus was confirmed by observation of juveniles. One juvenile was captured by hand and banded with Kankyosho ring 8A-29943 on August 10, 2015. Measurements of the juveniles are as follows: natural wing length: 109.2, Maximum wing: 120.0, exposed culmen: 36.5, Tarsus: 41.5, Total length: 290, Wing span: 480 in mm. Body weight: 110 g.

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Two cases of molt of remiges of Ruddy-breasted CrakePorzana fusca recorded in the Hidaka, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan in Autumn were reported in this study. The molt pattern of the juvenile Ruddy-breasted Crake observed in September 2015 was not a complete molt, suggesting that the juvenile is considered to have hatched late in the breeding season, and was growing the juvenile remiges at the same time. The juvenile remiges were more blackish than those of the adult birds. In contrast, the adult Ruddy-breasted Crake observed in October 2015 had completed molt of remiges which were redder than those of the juvenile. These observations provide new information on the molt of remiges of the Ruddy-breasted Crake and suggest that the color of remiges is an important factor in determining the age of the Ruddy-breasted Crake.

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