In Kanagawa Prefecture, winter is the time for bird watching. Our prefecture has lots of forest of deciduous trees that was once for procuring firewood. Now they are often a part of city parks, with rather too large trees for harvesting fuels. The tall trees shed leaves in late autumn and lay bare their boughs and branches. Forest becomes “empty” where we can see canopies like beams of large structure under construction. For birds, both migratory and otherwise, tall trees in so-so urban area where humans can provide meals are nice winter places. They perch at the top of trees in a park, and stay there looking for foods in around 360° area. If the park has nearby farmland or pond, the variety of birds is wider. We can find not only urban birds, but also species that loves such field, e.g. Eurasian skylarks (Alauda arvensis), hunts animals in farm land like Bull-headed shrike (Lanius Bucephalus), or water birds, e.g. a group of ducks. Bonus: “city park” means the access is perfect. Sagamihara Park of Kanagawa Prefecture 県立相模原公園 is one of such places.
 |
| Sagamihara Park has a large greenhouse as well. |
In Japan, we can find land birds (1) on boughs, hopping from one branch to another, (2) tree tops where they stay often still, (3) within bushes where birds can often be recognized only by calls, but if lucky with their figures, (4) in a field for those foraging ground insects et al, and (5) in pond, either on shore or swimming and diving for food. During winter, surely birds don’t sing. But they certainly call. Above all, not many leaves hide their activity high above us on tree tops. Especially for novice bird-watchers like me, it’s a perfect time to ask them their company. So, one day when the first snow fell in urban parts of Kanagawa Prefecture, we’ve been there guided by Mr. Sachiya Akiyama 秋山幸也 of Sagamihara City Museum 相模原市立博物館.
 |
| Navi-Station
of the Park where we can bring questions about living creatures in the Park. |
Sagamihara Park is located right next to Sagamihara Campus of Joshibi University of Art and Design 女子美術大学 in Sagamihara City 相模原市. To go there by public transportation, we can catch many bus services to Joshibi campus departing from the north exit of very urban Odakyu Sagami-Ohno Station 小田急相模大野駅, Terminal 3 or 4 (Mon-Sat, 7:20~9:50), or JR Yokohama Line Kobuchi Station 横浜線古淵駅, Terminal 2. Moreover, the park has substantial parking spaces, along a busy prefectural road #52 connected to Sagamihara-Aikawa IC of Ken-O-Express Way 圏央道. There would be no problem going there by your car for weekend stroll on paved flat roads meandering through perfectly manicured French gardens. Er, well, all sounds very artificial, isn’t it? But for wild birds, whether the greeneries and ponds are man-made or not is completely irrelevant. North of the park is Sagamihara Chinden Pond 相模原沈殿池 which is a facility of water authority of Sagamihara City, surrounded by vegetable farms. The impeccably aligned forest of Dawn redwood (Metasequoia) and Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima), healthy bushes of forest floors, large pond, and farm lands. Perfect. This is a locally famous place for bird watching. We can meet many kinds of birds from tiny to large, from raptors to vegetarians, and from ambushing to water birds.
 |
| Joshibi Bus Terminal, right next to the Park |
Mr. Akiyama said for winter bird watching, cloudy sky is better compared with a day of fine weather. As low winter sun could easily create backlit scenery, under sunshine it becomes difficult for us to identify birds. In addition, when weather is not good, birds must concentrate to find and eat meals for survival. We can observe their life from not far while they are too busy to care the existence of humans. The trees are showing off their skeleton of trunks and boughs without leaves obstructing our eyes to spot birds above. When we walked quietly, we were welcomed by tiny calls of Japanese bush warbler (Horornis diphone) from somewhere in bushes of sasa bamboos in forest floors. Here they were! Mr. Akiyama brought several monocles that could show us the details of birds tens of meters afar. On boughs here and there, we met lots of Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes … hey, why is its Latin name so strange?). They looked roly-poly in silhouette of our naked eyes, and had creamy gradation of bright browns in monocles. About Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla), according to Mr. Akiyama, this year is a kind of banner year for Sagamihara Park. They formed a large flock and moved from a canopy to a canopy of large Japanese zelkovas (Zelkova serrata). Watching them at tree tops, they looked like sparrows, and acted like sparrows. “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” … Really? With monocles, we could figure out Bramblings’ slightly mohikan-ish heads and brown chest feathers, which gave us an impression very dandy ... Bird watching under occasional snow was very similar to enjoying Wayang, Balinese shadow puppets. First, we are told the story in shadows in a magically dreamy theatre. After the show, there always are surprises of exquisitely colored puppets welcoming us in auditorium … Birds on tree tops, birds in monocles …
 |
| Shadow
Play 1. A large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) on a top of a perfectly lined Dawn redwoods for a French garden in Japan … !!!??? |
 |
| Japanese bush warbler somewhere … |
 |
| Shadow
Play 2. Sagamihara Chinden Pond. We identified at least 10 species of waterbirds on that day, including cute Eurasian teal (Anas crecca) and Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus). |
 |
| Shadow play 3. Hawfinch! |
 |
| Shadow Play 4. Japanese pygmy woodpecker (Dendrocopos kizuki) is here. |
In occasionally snow-showering weather, I found the whole process of quiet bird watching very pensive and relaxing … after a busy week, I found myself very sleepy walking in a freezing park forest near cold pond … Then, one of my fellow forest instructors saw me in disbelief. “Unbelievable! I’m always very nervous during bird watching. How could we know what comes out next!” Hmmmmmmmmmm. Well, mental reaction could be different from a person to a person for the same thing, I guess. Everybody told me, “Well, when birds are relaxed in winter, they looked very fluffy. If not, it’s a sign they are alert to catch any signals of danger, and to escape!” That day, all the birds looked downy, even a raptor, Bull-headed shrike. So, they had a freezing but relaxing weekend, just like me. Naomi was flying high in sync during their shadow play. 😌
 |
| Shadow
play 5, or a chorus line: a large flock of brambling is on the top of Japanese zelkova. |
If you find any issues in Sagamihara Park,
please make a contact with the admin of the Park:
Sagamihara Park
3277 Simomizo, Minami-ku Sagamihara, 252-0335
〒252-0335 相模原市南区下溝 3277番地 相模原公園内
Phone: 042-778-1653
FAX: 042-778-6314
You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the
boxes (one for the Park in general, another for living creatures) at
http://www.sagamihara.kanagawa-park.or.jp/contact.html
No comments:
Post a Comment