Kyoto by the Sea origin of Japan

The Resounding Love-Song: A Birder’s Trip

mountain life 12.1.2020

The path is more like a soft bed of fallen leaves. And almost immediately I can hear the chirping of birds close by.

Pipipi.

Chichichi.

Hohohokekyo

Their calls are friendly and inquisitive. What brings you here? they ask me.

I can hear babbling from the valley below. Small brooks have joined in the conversation. I catch a whiff of Japanese lilies, speaking in their own scented way.

The Japan Sea in Kyoto by the Sea is rich and full of life because the forest is rich and full of life. Rain and snow soak into the soil, storing minerals and nutrients from plants and animals, and these nutrients flow into the river and make their journey down the mountain streams into the valleys where the water nourishes rice, vegetables and fresh fruit. The forest is the source of life.

I can close my eyes and hear it: birds singing, the wind rushing. It’s important to notice this. We are also a part of the rich nature.

Love Songs at Daybreak

I’m at Mt. Oeyama before dawn and already countless songs are springing up from the deep green forest. How many birds are there? I sit in a chair and close my eyes. I hear the familiar voices of the Japanese Tit, Meadow Bunting, and others. But there are so many more. I hear the Japanese thrush (pictured in the lower right of the photo collage at the top of the article), with an unmistakable call, continuous and beautiful. Then there is the unique cry of the Ruddy Kingfisher (upper left of collage), calling out, Kyorororo. The warbling of the Blue-and-White Flycatcher is also cheerful on this beautiful morning (upper right of collage). These last two are migratory birds that came from the south to nest. Their songs are love songs, as they are looking for female mates. Kakakakaka. Kakakakaka. Somewhere, the Japanese Green Woodpecker is tuning up, drumming on a tree trunk. It makes me feel like I’m listening to a wild-bird concert.

*collage pictures were all taken by Toshifumi Miki.

Watch “A Lovesong Echoing in the Forest” on Youtube to listen to some of the birds in this area singing.

The Kayadani Plains are a Bird Paradise

The Nodagawa River flowing into the Kayadani Plains. A huge variety of animals live in these forested mountains and waterside areas.

The town of Yosano has excellent views of the Oeyama mountain range. The Kayadani Plain extends into the Nodagawa River basin running through the town. People grow rice and vegetables on river-fed, fertile soil. They build houses on the hills near the mountains and are able to avoid flood damage while still letting the mountain-nutrients naturally fertilize the crops. It’s an environment that birds also love, a place where forests, riversides, and wetlands (by way of rice fields) have existed for generations without disturbance. It’s truly a paradise. As many as a hundred-twenty species of birds have been identified in the town, and in the past few years, storks have crossed mountains to get here from Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture. Birds of prey like falcons, owls, mountain hawks, and eagles also live in this open-air aviary.

Japan is an archipelago of wild birds

Amanohashidate’s inner bay, an osprey is hunting. = photographed by Reiko Kadowaki

Birders come to the Tango Peninsula from all over the country. One of the reasons is that the region has birds that are no longer seen in the mountains of the Pacific side of Japan. And broader still, international bird-lovers have found the satoyama areas of Japan to have an incredible bird diversity. Because the Japanese archipelago extends from north to south across different climates (subarctic zone down to the subtropics), birds from each zone find themselves in the Tango Peninsula at some point during the year (often to raise their young) because of it’s central position in Japan.

There are a broad range of waterfowl wintering in the area. People visiting Amanohashidate’s inner bay are bound to see various flocks stopping here. The reason for this region having so many different bird species in one area (which is very uncommon) has to do with how Japan formed millions of years ago. According to "Nature Conservation," published by The Nature Conservation Society of Japan, many species of birds expanded their habitat during a period when the sea level was low and Japan was still connected to the Eurasian continent. After the archipelago of Japan was formed, it wasn’t covered with glaciers during the last glacial period, meaning that birds living in Japan evolved independently of species on the Eurasian continent, and the region grew to have many native species.

Free tickets to the Forest Concert

Mr. Nishihara has a front row seat. Bohemian waxwing (upper right), Daurian Redstart (lower right)

Nobuaki Nishihara runs Mokku, a log house coffee shop at the foot of Oeyama. It’s a great place to have fun early in the morning. When migratory birds start coming to the area in spring, Mr. Nishihara loads a portable stove and coffee brewer into his car and heads for the nearby forest road to listen to the birds while the water boils.

“The forest seems to be at its liveliest when the birds start waking up. When I hear the songs of the Japanese Paradise Flycatcher or Ruddy Kingfisher, I think I’m glad they got here safely again this year. I love visiting this forest-world and quietly having coffee. It’s bliss.”

In 2020, Mr. Nishihara’s coffee shop also started accepting overnight guests. People who stay at the lodge have the special privilege of listening to a new, nocturnal choir. If you listen closely, you can even hear owls hooting from the nearby mountain.

In spring, birds of prey are a common addition to the rice fields during the planting time. Grey-faced buzzards (pictured left) often glide silently behind tractors plowing the soil, snatching up frogs and carrying them away.

In autumn, winter migratory birds like Bramblings and Daurian Redstarts arrive. When the broad-leaf trees turn red and their leaves start to fall, it gets much easier to see birds.

If you would like to go bird-watching, please let Mr. Nishihara or the staff at Satoyama Lodge Mokku know and Mr. Nishihara will guide you to some of his favorite forest spots.

You can call 0772-43-1334. They are also on Facebook.

Satoyama Lodge Mokku

click the image to see their site.

Learning about birds

It's difficult to find birds in dense forest, and even harder to identify those birds. But for those who have a smartphone handy, there are websites that will greatly help in identifying the birds you encounter.

One such site is run by Bird Research NPO. This organization was created with the aim of helping people coexist with nature. It has a deep compendium of birds from the Japanese archipelago, and also includes a section of bird calls for a wide variety of birds. While their main site is in Japanese, they do have an English website that has birds and their bird songs listed. It’s a useful tool for birders out in the field.

Bird Research NPO

There are a variety of ways to learn about the birds in this region. Probably the best for non-Japanese visitors is to tour the forest with a knowledgeable guide. If you are confident in your Japanese ability, there are other websites that offer ways to learn about the birds in this region. More information and links to these can be found in the Japanese version of this Kyoto by the Sea Times article.

Here are a few great locations to base your bird watching experiences in Kyoto by the Sea

Kaya Yama no Ie

Kaya Yama no Ie is an amazing place in an excellent satoyama location. The renovated community space is a small inn with six rooms, all overlooking terraced rice fields above the Kayadani Plains. There is still a strong community spirit here, with a common area that includes games and a bar with craft beer, homemade drinks and juices. The rooms are simple tatami and guests are invited to schedule private bathing in large Japanese style baths.

The food is stellar. The chefs and owners use locally sourced ingredients, from rice to vegetables, to the wild game that is caught and prepared locally. The desserts are even handmade with consideration to food allergies.