Japan, with its great range of climatic zones and habitats and consequently its exciting mix of species, is a fascinating country in which to birdwatch. The Japanese archipelago is on the migration route of many species breeding in Siberia and wintering in mainland southeast Asia, in Indonesia and even Australasia. It is the wintering grounnd for many northern birds, for thousands of cranes, hundreds of thousands of waterfowl, thrushes and buntings and the breeding ground for a wide variety of species of more southerly origin. The long isolation of the archipelago has been conducive to the evolution of numerous distinct sub-species and also a number of endemic species. The range is extraordinary from the northern pink-cheeked and grey-breasted bullfinch, to the southern local race of the Narcissus flycatcher in the Nansei Shoot; even some of the endemic species have distinct populations. Over the last two decades there has been a marked increase in the number of Japanese birdwatchers, as leisure pursuits have become fashionable and as the Japanese have become increasingly affluent. The science of ornithology has expanded too during the same period, resulting in a major advance in the study of Japanese birds. This book brings together information on the avifauna of Japan. It is not designed as a field guide but as a comprehensive overview of the status, range, habits of Japanese birds.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Mark Brazil (1955~) was born in Worcestershire, England, and has lived in Scotland and New Zealand, but currently resides in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island.
Educated at Keele and Stirling Universities, he has been writing since the late 1970s. Since 1982 his column Wild Watch has been published in The Japan Times newspaper.
Mark's books include: A Birdwatcher's Guide to Japan, Birds of Japan, Wild Asia, The Whooper Swan and Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia. More about his writings and work can be found at http://wildwatchjapan.com/
Mark is an active field naturalist, leads birdwatching, nature and photographic tours of Japan, and is a frequent lecturer and leader for Zegrahm Expeditions (http://www.zeco.com).
