A hearty hello to all of our loyal readers around the world!
Today's entry will focus on a few species of bird that you can now see whilst walking the footpaths of Kamikochi. As (almost) always, we'll be drawing from a recent post by our friends at Five Sense adressing this very topic.
We begin by introducing the red-flanked bluetail, seen in the larg picture above. Called ruripitaki in Japanese, this little fella can be seen in Kamikochi between April and June. When the time comes to raise their chicks, they head for higher ground. The male of the species sports a rich shade of blue plumage said to resemble lapis lazuli. Females and younger males display more modest, olive plumage. Enocountering a red-flanked bluetail is considered good luck in Japan.
Fingers crossed!
The next bird in this brief survey is the willow tit. This species can be seen in Kamikochi all year round. They spend most of their time in the higher portions of trees and you'll have the best chance of seeing them in the morning before the air temperature rises.
We next turn our gaze to the Eurasian jay. If you're reading this somewher in the British Isles, then you're probably accustomed to this bird simply being called a "jay." Despite being a member of the crow family, it sports colorful plumage. If you hear its distinctive chattering cry, scan the branches just above eye levlel to see if you can spot one.
That concludes this week's blog. We'd like to send a big thanks to Five Sense blogger, Yuushi, for supplying the photos and detailed explanations used in today's blog.
Till next time.
Source of Information:
Bature Guide Five Sense, Kamikochi blog: https://fivesense.guide/blog/today/140740/
