My first Japanese Twitch...Asian Dowitcher

I got an email from an English guy, Neil Davidson, whom I went birding with perviously, telling me that an Asian Dowitcher had been seen in Osaka on Thursday. Naturally, as they are a globally threatened species and one I have never seen before, I was eager to see it. I headed out this morning to go the Nanko Bird Sanctuary which between getting 3 trains, took me the bones of an hour to get to. It was worth it though as not only did I get the Dowticher, but I picked up another lifer...Long-toed Stint!! There was a supporting cast of Terek Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Pacific Golden Plover, Mongolian Plover, Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Grey tailed Tattlers, as well as the assortment of egrets, cormorants, fan-tailed warblers and swallows. It was interesting to witness a Japanese twitch, as most people there were of the semi- or fully-retired age, and with muggins here, tattoos and all getting excited with them. I think they thought I was a bit mad and not quite suited what a birdwatcher's appearance in Japan would be...

The sanctuary was nice, the usual caper with observatories is that they are always designed incorrectly, in this case the windows were wrong and there was a big black band of wood going across the exact point of where the telescope would be viewing...painful, but it's a global thing from what I hear.

Am off birding again in the morning so am off to drink a beer and listen to some Gil Scott-Heron....remember, the revolution will not be televised