Numbers of all ducks caugth in the three duck hunting refuges of Shinhama, Koshigaya and Hama-Rikyu since 1929 were tabled here. The catch rates (number of catch for one species/number of total catch x 100), by year or by refuge show interesting alternation in the predominat species in the duck catches. After around 1965 the pintail Anas acuta has remarkably ascended in the catch rate, becoming predominant, at the both refuges of Shinhama and Koshigaya. On the contrary, the teal Anas crecca, which was formery predominant, has remarkably decreased at the said refuges. Also, the results of duck censuses at the Shinobazunoike show similar phenomenon, increase of pintails and decrease of teals in recent years. Besides the above, the recent increases of wigeons Anas penelope and pochards Aythya ferina in Shinhama, shoverllers Anas clypeata in Koshigaya and pochards in Shinobazunoike should be noted.

View full abstract

During the period covered by this report, April 1, 1969 to March 31, 1970, total of 27, 080 birds, 139 species were ringed at about 50 localities in 21 prefectures of Japan and Soutnern China Sea. The number of birds ringed and released is shown in Table 1. The names of principal ringing sites and cooperating ringers are shown respectively in Table 2 and Table 3. Recoveries of birds rinds ringed by our ringing team and its cooperators are totalled to 103 birds of 22 species, of which 17 individuals of 8 species were reported from foreign territories. Those recovered at or in close proximity to places where ringed, and less than 6 months after ringed, are not described here. Furthermore, those of Motacilla alba and Delichon urbica recovered at the ringing places, even in casa of more than one year after ringed, are also excluded. Recoveries of birds ringed by the ringing team of the Forestry Experiment Station, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are mentioned in Appendix, but their ringing information arenot described in this bulletin. During this period, recoveries of 21 birds of 9 species ringed abroad were reported from the interior Japan. Among these, the specially interested are, one Anas acuta ringed in New Mexico, U. S. A. and one Gallinago hardwickii which were ringed at New South Wales, Australia.

View full abstract

During the period covered by this report, April 1, 1970 to March 31, 1971, total of 12, 404 birds, 106 species were ringed at 34 localities in 21 prefectures of Japan and Southern China Sea. The number of birds ringed and released is shown in Table 1. The names of principal ringing sites and cooperating ringers are shown respectively in Table 2 and Table 3. Recoveries of birds ringed by our ringing team and its cooperators are totalled to 97 birds of 25 species, of which 6 individuals of 5 species were reported from foreign territories. Those recovered at or in close proximity to the places where birds were ringed, and those less than 6 months after ringed, are not described here. Furthermore, those of Motvcilla alba and Delichon urbica which were recovered at the ringing places, even though more than one year after ringed, are also excluded. Recoveries of birds ringed by the ringing team of the Forestry Experiment Station, Ministry of Agriculture and For estry are mentioned in Appendix, but their ringing information are not described in this bulletin. During this period, recoveries of 21 birds of 8 species ringed abroad were reported from the interior Japan.

View full abstract

This paper is concerned chiefly with the moult of some passerines captured at Subashiri, Mt. Fuji from late summer to autumn in 1972 and 1973. The banding area is situated at the altitude of 1150 meters on the foot of Mt. Fuji. Banding works were carried out four times at intervals of 20 days in 1972 and twice in 1973. The birds captured are shown in Table 1, and number of birds from which moulting was examined are given in parenthesis. Findings worth while to note as follows,
1. Through post-juvenile moult Cettia diphone cantans moults all feather tracts including all large wing feathers and rectrices. The average duration for the post-juvenile moult in 1972 was about 55 days (Table 2 & Fig. 1).
2. The average duration for post-nuptial moult of Emberiza spodocephala personata in 1972 was about 80 days (Fig. 2).
3. As regards post-juvenile moult of Emberiza spodocephala personata, there are complete and partial moulters: the former moults all feather tracts including all large wing feathers and rectrices, the latter does body feathers, excluding large wing feathers and rectrices.
4. Among Japanese passerines, the species that do complete post-juvenile moult on the breeding grounds are as follows (Yamashina 1934, 1941; this paper and own unpublished data), Alauda arvesis, Hypsipetes amaurotis, Cettia diphone, (probably) Aegithalos caudatus, Zosterops japonica, Emberiza cioides, (presumably) E. fucata, (presumably) E. aureola, part of E. spodocephala, Passer montanus, Carduelis sinica and Sturnus cineraceus, although Hypsipetes amaurotis and Zosterops japonica breeding in northern parts migrate to warm southern winter quarters moulting large wing feathers and rectrices (unpublished own data).
5. As a matter of fact, most of these species listed above are typical residents or short-distance migrants, except Emberiza aureola a summer visitor to Hokkaido. In this respect, the finding on Emberiza spodocephala in Subashiri is very interesting. It may well be that the feature, viz, complete post-juvenile moult would have evoluved in connection with sedentary nature, and that complete post-juvenile moult type of E. spodocephala is a form which had establised the feature through colonizing to Japanese Islands, being isolated and becoming resident. We can not say whether these two forms are isolated reproductively, and also, anything more than this until further studies are progressed.

View full abstract