Bird Watching in Japan & Asia

2025-08-11

Birdwatching in Mae Nikko, Tochigi (20 May, 2025)

When I lived in Osaka, I would hear its song every year in early April in the hills near my house, but I rarely saw it.

After moving to Tochigi, where the habitat is closer, I gradually came to understand the bird's lifestyle, and as a result, I have had more opportunities to encounter it.

Unlike the similar Siberian Blue Robin, this bird seems to prefer slightly damp environments with moss-covered rocks near streams, and the individual I encountered was in just such a habitat.

On the day, it was a clear, sunny day with high temperatures, and when I arrived, the bird was not singing, making it difficult to find. After searching for over 30 minutes, I finally spotted an individual perched on a rock.

Although I encounter this bird several times a year, each encounter remains a much-anticipated event.

Red Fox

2025-08-10

Birdwatching in Mt Tateyama, Toyama (May 16, 2025)

The main purpose of our two-day visit to Mt. Tateyama was to see the Rock Ptarmigan. The weather forecast for the second day was rain, so I was a little anxious about whether we would be able to see them on the day of my arrival.

Upon arriving at Tateyama Murodo at an elevation of 2,400 metres, where snow still remained in abundance, we began walking along the trail, carefully watching our footing. After about ten minutes, I spotted a male Rock Ptarmigan moving white in the shadow of low shrubs. Over the next two hours of birdwatching, we were able to encounter approximately ten individuals.