I selected the field trip to Oku-Nikko, a highland forest, and Watarase-yusuichi, a relatively new wetland site that has been classified as a RAMSAR site. Usually, field trips meet very early so that we can arrive at our destination at prime birding time: sunrise! Things were structured a bit differently here in Tokyo. All field trips met a little before 0700, which was a bit late considering that all field trips had a least an hour's drive to the first stop. Ours had a two-hour drive, so I hoped we would still be able to see some new species.
The woodlands did not disappoint: it was a beautiful forest!
Our group was rather large, and the park was happily crowded with other visitors. Our guides let us know that Japanese custom was to greet everyone you met on the trail. Our group of 30 birders gave our best "Kon nichi wa!" to the other tours in the forest, which made for quite a chatty excursion. Despite our numbers and noise, I did get a good look at Eurasian Nuthatch.
The path warned of other wildlife possibilities, but I was fairly certain that our numbers would keep us more than safe from any large mammals in the area.
The dirt path soon changed to a boardwalk that skirted by a lovely field on one side and a creek on the other. It was nearly 1030, and so probably a bit late for good flycatching activities.
On our way back to the vans, someone spotted a Narcissus Flycatcher. Although it was not close and never really gave us a nice perch in the sunlight, it was a handsome bird.
The area was busy that morning. I love seeing people outside and enjoying the parks in the ways that make them happy. This man and his dog struck me as an especially tender moment in the great outdoors.
The Japanese have a knack for stating the obvious.
After leaving the woodlands, we stopped briefly at a shrine for some bird watching. I think a few of us were not quite at ease with this stop, because shrines are a place for quiet contemplation and not necessarily chasing a bird around with binoculars and cameras. However, our guides reassured us that birds sometimes sought refuge under the eaves of buildings, so we spent an hour walking around, admiring the buildings, and looking for anything that flew.
Varied Tits are not especially rare, but they are pretty birds.
These Japanese Redwoods were amazing. They reminded me of a grove of the same species that we found on the island of Kauai during our honeymoon. I remembered the hike seemed to go suddenly from lush, tropical forest to tall redwoods with a quiet floor covered with needles. Near the shrine, I noticed a smaller tree growing out of a hollow in one of the larger redwoods.
Finally, we reached the wetland site with perhaps an hour before sunset. This is a new protected area, made by the fact that a poorly managed mine made the area uninhabitable and unsuitable for farming. Ah, the story of so many new protected areas: when productivity is gone, convert it to a park. Despite the dubious beginnings, the wetland proved to be a great area for grassland birds preparing to roost. The manager of the area was invited to speak to us. I appreciated the challenges he had with a new area, trying to attract the public to spend time there, and the immediate difficulty of trying to distract several birders from the last minutes of sunset - and their last chances at a life bird! - to hear about management.
All in all, it was a good day and a wonderful break from the concrete jungle of Tokyo. However, I think we all wished we'd gotten an earlier start in order to maximize our time with the birds of mainland Japan.
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