Blue Eyed Birder: Japan for Bird's Wildlife & Nature Tours

The cold light of snow pushed through the paper shutters and a freshly coated town was waking up below. A fishy breakfast (bit of a shock to the system) and then we were all packed up and off on the short drive to Jigo Kudani – home of the Japanese Macaques.

Breakfast

It was a steady walk along a snowy track through the towering Pines, Oaks and Cedars where the snow lay deep on the high branches and was pillowed up on the steeply sloping forest floor below. It was very quiet other than the crunch of feet through snow. A roving flock of small birds contained our first frosty Willow, Coal and Japanese Long-tailed Tits along with Asian Goldcrests, Japanese Tits and Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers.

Mini personal snow plough!

Large-billed Crows kronked overhead and us back markers were lucky enough to find a solitary Japanese Serow – a strange goat-like antelope deer-thingy as it stood motionless down slope from us. We could hear the river below and eventually reached an open area where small houses had their own (monkey free) hot baths and the river steamed in places. A fat fumarole of ice was belching forth high pressure steam down in the river bed and our first troop of Macaques were already visible crossing the river on low slung power lines.

Japanese Serow

A climb up some icy steps and then the final walk to the visitors centre where the throng of Japanese Macaques beyond was matched by the crowd of multi coloured happy snappy tourists. The apes were all around us, playing and squabbling in the snow and inevitably returning to the sulphurous warmth of their favoured hot spring. Like my encounters with the Gorillas and Chimps last year, there was no interaction with the public and absolutely zero concern at us being within their community.

It was another one of those TV wildlife moments made real and tangible and I loved every minute. Three Asian Rosy Finches flew up and down the valley but we could not find any Alpine Accentors of Brown Dippers.

We had go there early to avoid the crush and so soon headed back passing hundreds of people on their way up. Four Sika Deer were seen on the hillside on the way down and Dave delighted in telling us that the Japanese for Deer is Sika – so Deer Deer… just saying.

Sika

It was time to hit the road for the tunnel-fest road back to Karuizawa. We stopped at a 7-11 for lunch pick up in an area of extensive orchards. There were even berry laden Pyracanthas but alas no Waxwings. Japan was have a poor winter for them as they had not left Russia. Oriental Crows and Black-backed Wagtails painted an Asian equivalent of a UK car park.

Gizzards, Gristle and Guts... mmm what to have

Few other birds were seen on the journey bar zooming Oriental Turtle Doves, Black-eared Kites and Eastern Buzzards but the highlight was a Mountain Hawk-Eagle that rang all kinds of Bonelli’s Eagle bells. It was just a pity we could not stop.

We arrived in more snow at the Shiotsubo Onsen to be greeted by our first glorious Varied Tits – looking like heavyweight crosses between a Coal Tit and a Nuthatch on the bird table along with Grey-capped Greenfinches and Japanese Tits.

Varied Tit

Grey-capped Greenfinch

Grey-capped Greenfinch - perched they look like Greenfinches but in flight they have Goldfinch wings

Time to get some more layers on and then out into town and onto the Kose Rindo up through the snowy woodlands. As with all winter woodlands it was quite hard going but with some patience we ended with good views of Japanese Pygmy and Green Woodpeckers, local race Nuthatches, Long-tailed Tits and Wrens, a couple of Daurian Redstarts and even a sneaky Japanese Accentor which is seemingly always a difficult bird to connect with.

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker - better to come

Japanese Green Woodpecker - not the best but you get the idea!

A pair of Brown Dippers eventually appeared on the fast flowing river and I was delighted to find a party of 17 Mandarins lurking on a pool upstream of a weir. They were skittish and soon quietly moved out of view but it was so special to encounter these iconic birds in their native realm.