Morning at Utonai-ko ✨ The silhouette of a large all-white heron, the Great Egret, gleams against the morning sun. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Today I visited Tsukigase Plum Grove in Tsukigase, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The plum trees were about three to five percent in bloom.

A 200,000-year-old guide to water The Mikata Five Lakes Nature Cruise website has been renewed! https://mihama-lakecenter.com// It is now easier to check the operating status for the day. Mihama Town Lake Center Location: 24-4-1 Hayase, Mihama Town, Mikata-gun, Fukui Prefecture Phone: 0770-47-5960 Closed: Wednesdays (the following day if a public holiday) Year-end and New Year holidays: December 29 to January 3

A long-tailed rosefinch nibbling on seeds. This charming wild bird is slightly smaller than a sparrow and is notable for the reddish coloring on its head. The bird in the photo is male, since both its head and chest are red. (Females have a white chest and only a red head.) (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

A tiny bird even smaller than a sparrow, with round, charming eyes—the subspecies of long-tailed tit known as the shiraneaga (shimaenaga). Found only in Hokkaido, this wild bird is beloved by birdwatchers and nicknamed the "snow fairy." In winter it grows a fluffy, pure-white plumage and looks just like a snowball! It mainly lives in forests and woodlands; with leaves gone in winter it becomes easier to spot, and it is often seen along the Lake Utonai lakeside. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Taken from Osaka Castle Park. I snapped the shutter as a crow flew through vivid ginkgo leaves, its black silhouette contrasting beautifully.

Recently, part of Utonai-ko (Lake Utonai) froze over. A swan standing on the ice flaps its wings✨🦢 Roadside Station Utonai Lake, which posts many stunning photos on social media, is open in winter from 9:00 to 17:00. It offers plenty of delicious local food and goods, so please stop by for a break during winter road trips. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Lake Utonai in mid-October. Swans, geese and other autumn migratory birds are gathering here one after another. In particular, the communal dawn flight to nearby feeding grounds, known as the "negradachi" roost flight, is a must-see. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

When you come to Kushiro Prince Hotel, why don't you feel the charm of Kushiro Wetland, the largest wetland in Japan, by canoe? Canoeing is one of the pleasures of paddling, but you can also spend a quiet and leisurely time! There is also a chance to see wild birds and wildlife.

By the shores of Lake Utonai. A red songbird, the benimasiko, and a narcissus flycatcher with a striking black-and-yellow contrast. They look like vividly colored wild birds straight out of a fairy tale. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

The black, white, and red color coordination looks stylish! This is a woodpecker species, the great spotted woodpecker (akagera).✨ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Will Tomakomai continue into spring...? On March 17th the city recorded about 25 cm of snowfall. Since it was wet March snow, it is expected to melt soon. At Utonai Lake, the snowy landscape made a great backdrop for a graceful great egret in flight.✨ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Winter Activity 2025 MOMBETSU Lake Komuke & Native Flower Garden Snow Trekking Stroll through Lake Komuke and the Komuke Native Flower Garden on snowshoes with an expert guide. Why don't you feel the scenery and charm that is different from the green season? For details, go to the official website "Monbetsu Tourist Information Center"

Is it the moment it lands on the branch? This shot perfectly captures the majestic presence of a white-tailed eagle ✨ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

A tilting long-tailed tit at Utonai Lake ✨ (shimaenaga) (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

A great egret standing still in the cold wind. It looks as if it is shrugging its shoulders. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake Wildlife Protection Center)

Izumi no Mori, one of Yamato City's premier nature parks, lies within walking distance of Yamato Station on the Odakyu Enoshima Line and the Sotetsu Main Line. The park’s spacious grounds showcase a variety of plants and animals through the changing seasons. Even in winter, birds gather at the springs, reflecting their graceful, free movements on the water as they search for food and groom themselves. Izumi no Mori offers many birdwatching spots where you can enjoy the birds’ different behaviors and expressions depending on the season and location.

A scene at Utonai Lake on one day. I thought it was a gathering of swans…? January is a time when most of the lake freezes over, so there are few waterfowl, but due to various circumstances you can still see a few swans wintering at Utonai Lake. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Snow Fairy Did you know that there is a snow fairy in Hokkaido? Its name is "Shimaenaga" Originally, this wild bird called Enaga resembled a long-handled ladle in appearance. The chief of the handle (e) → named Enaga In fact, there are long-tailed moths in Honshu, but this pure white subspecies of long-tailed moth only lives in Hokkaido That's why Hokkaido is called Shima. The long-tailed moth, which lives only in Shima→ was named Shimaenaga It is only called the snow fairy, and you will see it from the time when the leaves fall and the snow begins to fall For that reason, it is also called a bird that signals snow

【 A town where you can meet the red-crowned crane, Taiki Town 】 Taiki Town is home to many red-crowned cranes, a species designated as a Special Natural Monument of Japan. The season when they are especially numerous is autumn, right around now. You can often see them searching for food in fields after the crops have been harvested. The cranes tend to appear more often on the seaside side than the mountain side. Give it a try and see if you can find them! By the way, the small bird in the center of the first photo is not a red-crowned crane but a hooded crane. Taiki Town is appealing because you can spot many different kinds of wildlife together ✨

Notice of the End of Night Cherry Blossom Illumination Thank you to the many visitors who came this year. As of today, Monday, May 6, the night cherry blossom illumination has ended. From now on, Mt. Shintoku will deepen in fresh greenery and be filled with the voices of wildflowers and birds. Please come and enjoy mountain walks such as hiking and birdwatching.

The sprout-eating blue pigeon came to the trees in Iwamotoyama Park in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture in mid-March! I hope that we will be able to maintain an environment where wild creatures can easily rest their wings in the future!

This is Sakujiro taken at Antaiji Temple, Nishio City. Kawazu cherry blossoms were beautiful ^^

Hokkaido also has zero snowfall. Fukujukusou is blooming At the end of the month the cherry blossoms will also bloom. Spent the winter in Miyagi and Iwate Migratory birds rest their feathers in Hokkaido Heading further north, one after another I'm going to leave.

I was looking around to see where I could hear the cry from, and I was able to take a picture!

*Please click to see the photos. It just so happened that a bird flew in and it was a perfect match with the Sky Tree, which is also a symbol of Japan.

During springtime, it's a joy to watch birds get excited amidst cherry blossom- happy to capture pink sakura framed bird moment. Its a spring fest for birds. This photo was taken in Oizumi central park in Nerima.

Kawazu cherry blossoms and mejiro In Kawazu Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, there was a whitetail in the cherry blossoms at the Kawazu cherry blossoms festival, so I pulled it out with a telephoto lens and took a picture.

Spring in Japan is all about cherry blossoms. Kawazu cherry blossoms bloom earlier than Someiyoshino, signaling that spring is near. The wild bird "Mejiro", which had never been seen before, is coming in search of nectar from Kawazu cherry blossoms. Kawazu cherry blossoms shine in the bright blue sky, and if there is a komejiro, it is "the first in spring". In a world where war is spreading, while looking at the Kawazu cherry blossoms on a calm day, I feel that I am happy to have been born in such a wonderful country.