Bird Watching in Japan & Asia

2026-07-17

Birdwatching in Inbanuma, Lake Saiko, Karuizawa and Komoro (January 23-25, 2025)

I went birdwatching in central Honshu—at Lake Imba and Karuizawa—as part of a Rockjumper tour. At Lake Imba, I saw a flock of tens of thousands of Baikal Teals, and in Karuizawa I was lucky enough to spot a Mountain Hawk-eagle.

Brambling

Mountain Hawk-eagle

Dusky Thrush

Baikal Teal

Lesser White-fronted Goose

Smew

2026-07-02

Birdwatching in Oku-Nikko (January 16, 2026)

During the winter of 2025–2026, Common Redpolls were observed in various locations. Having heard that there was a flock in Nikko, I went there straight after returning from Hokkaido. The weather that day was rough, with occasional snowstorms, but perhaps because of this, there were few other birdwatchers, and the Common Redpolls were occasionally seen coming down to the ground to forage at a relatively close distance.