I lately took a trade shuttle to Tokyo and sought after to check out to peer one of the commonplace city birds within the global’s greatest metropolitan space (pop. 36,000,000+). There are valuable few parks and gardens that seem big enough to enhance many species, and I sought after to peer one of the points of interest as properly (this used to be most effective my 2d shuttle to Japan), so I determined one of the vital absolute best mixtures of sightseeing and birding used to be the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. In order that is the place I went for the primary birding of my shuttle.
In keeping with the Wikipedia access for the East Gardens:
The development of the trendy gardens started in 1961. The lawn is over 210,000 sq. metres. The lawn used to be finished in 1968, and used to be opened on October 1 that 12 months. It’s been open to the general public except wanted for courtroom functions or public vacations.
A lot of the grounds of the Imperial Palace are closed as a result of it’s the place of abode of the Emperor of Japan, however the East Gardens are open and unfastened to the general public. Since I most effective had one eBird tick list from my previous shuttle and feature no longer another way birded any place in Asia, even most of the maximum commonplace birds would nonetheless be new to me.
The Imperial Palace and its East Lawn are close to Tokyo Station and are proper within the middle of the town. The eBird hotspot is “Chiyoda Ward–Imperial Palace–East Gardens” (eBird bar chart) and there were just about 300 checklists submitted and 91 species were seen. That turns out like a remarkably low selection of checklists for such a huge town with such a lot of guests. (The traditionally susceptible yen has made Japan a magnet for international vacationers. Presently $1 = roughly ¥160.)
Despite the fact that commonplace birds, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Brown-Eared Bulbul, White-Cheeked Starling, and Grey Heron (technically no longer within the lawn, because it used to be simply outdoor the palace partitions) have been all lifers for me. Huge-Billed Crow used to be no longer a lifer, however it’s well-named. (Despite the fact that the eBird bar charts prompt it used to be commonplace, I didn’t see an Japanese Spot-Billed Duck in any respect all through my talk over with.)
The gardens are beautiful, and there’s a preferrred space referred to as Ninomaru Woods that used to be planted within the Nineteen Eighties to imitate a then-rural space west of Tokyo that used to be being misplaced to suburbs.
The Imperial Palace is surrounded by means of a moat, and one of the structures come proper as much as the moat. The more than a few gates to the Imperial Palace grounds are spectacular.
While you get the cling of it (use Google Maps), the Tokyo subway gadget is remarkably environment friendly (and, for American citizens, stunningly blank). Thus, journeys across the space are slightly fast and simple, even if it’s scorching and humid and/or raining, because it used to be for my shuttle in past due June. The eBird observe presentations how the Imperial Palace grounds are a unprecedented spot of inexperienced within the middle of Tokyo. The Fukiage Lawn is to the left of the observe and it accommodates Fukiage Palace, the primary place of abode of the Emperor. As indicated above, that segment is in most cases closed to the general public.
Throughout my shuttle, I controlled a couple of different fast birding tours to one of the different massive parks and gardens (e.g., Meiji Jingu Shrine and Shinjuku Gyoen Nationwide Lawn), although maximum have been in the midst of the day and there have been crowds of folks. A useful younger Eastern birder identified a Eurasian Goshawk at Shinjuku Gyoen Nationwide Lawn, which used to be a pleasant marvel. An eBird Go back and forth Record is right here (and spot underneath). 9 lifers in 5 checklists within the middle of one of the vital greatest metropolitical spaces on Earth is beautiful excellent in my ebook.
I will be able to undoubtedly make extra work trips to Tokyo and there are a number of promising hotspots (e.g., Kasai Rinkai Park, which has just about 2,000 checklists and 215 species seen) that have been too a ways from the lodge I stayed at this shuttle. I stay up for returning.