Stuart's Wildlife Diary

Tuesday, 3 March 2026

Japan Part 3 - Nagano

After a day of snow it was bright and sunny on Tuesday 17th February as we headed to Sapporo Airport on a ridiculously jam-packed train. The journey wasn't very pleasant but the snowy landscapes looked stunning as we passed by.

The flight back to Tokyo went smoothly and we had another distant view of a snow capped Mount Fuji poking out through the clouds as we came in to land. We caught the monorail from Tokyo Airport to Tokyo station and I saw Pochard, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Wigeon and Pintail along the way plus the usual Feral Pigeons and Large-billed Crows and after a bit of a chaotic experience at Tokyo Station we were finally ensconced on the first Bullet Train journey of our trip to Nagano and then onwards to Yudanaka.

It was cold and snowy in Yudanaka with some stunning mountain scenery and a ski resort vibe. The purpose of our visit here was to see the Japanese Macaques (or Snow Monkeys) at the Jigokudani Monkey Park in the Joshin'etsu-kogen National Park and made famous by David Attenborough in his TV wildlife programmes. Needless to say it was very busy with visitors and the Monkeys are now fed daily to encourage their continuing prescence at the hot spring bathing pool but it was great fun to see them if not a little contrived.

The View from our room, Yudanaka

Room View, Yudanaka

The path to the Snow Monkey pool

Snow Monkey

Apes watching Monkeys watching Apes

Snow Monkey

Snow Monkeys

Apes watching Monkeys watching Apes

Snow Monkey

It was quiet birdwise though with a Jay and a Black Kite seen and a Woodpecker heard drumming away, there was also a dead Hawfinch in the garden of the hotel which was a sad sight but it was interesting to see one so close up as they are a surprisingly large and chunky finch.

Hawfinch

We caught the train back to Nagano on Thursday 19th February and spent the day there visiting the Zenkoji Temple complex where I saw a Great White Egret, 2 Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, a Brown-eared Bulbul, a White Wagtail, Tree Sparrows, Feral Pigeons and a very confiding Dusky Thrush.

Great White Egret

White Wagtail

Dusky Thrush

Zenkoji Temple, Nagano

Jurojin, The God of Longevity, Nagano

Temple, Nagano

Nagano

Temple, Nagano

Nagano Drain Cover

As dusk fell I watched the sun setting over the distant snow capped mountains from our hotel bedroom window while large numbers of White Wagtails came into roost on the roof of the railway station next door with even larger numbers of Carrion Crows flying into roost on the nearby buildings.

The View from our room, Nagano

Monday, 2 March 2026

Japan Part 2 - Kushiro and Sapporo

It was back on a plane on Friday 13th February as we headed onwards to Kushiro on the island of Hokkaido for the next part of our trip. From the monorail to Tokyo Haneda Airport I saw Wigeon and Great Crested Grebe to add to my holiday bird list and from the departure lounge at the airport I had a distant view of a very large flock of Geese flying around. We also saw Mount Fuji again but this time it was just a distant view of its snowy peak poking out from above the clouds as we flew northwards.

On arriving at Kushiro it was sunny but noticeably colder and there was plenty of snow laying about on the ground and the only birds seen before it got dark were a Black Kite and Large-billed Crows.

Kushiro Train Station

Kushiro Drain Cover

Saturday 14th February was spent wandering around Kushiro and seeing the sights (which didn't take very long) but I did see some birds with a juvenile White-tailed Eagle flying overhead and spooking all the Slaty-backed Gulls the highlight. Also seen were Mallard, Wigeon, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Carrion Crow, Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Thick-billed Crow and an immature male Scaup.

Slaty-backed Gulls

Slaty-backed Gull

Red-breasted Mergansers

Sushimi at Kushiro WASHOU Market - sadly including Whale meat

Itsukushima Shrine

Sunday 15th February was cold, overcast and dull as we headed out on a morning tour to the nearby Kushiro Shitsugen National Park to look for Red-crowned Cranes, the whole purpose of our visit to Kushiro. Our driver-guide was called Yuki and our first stop was at a lay-by beside a frozen lake which had a small patch of open water close to the road. An adult and juvenile Whooper Swan immediately caught my attention stood out on the ice and there were Ducks out on the water too with male and female Goosanders, a male Mallard, male Falcated Ducks and a male and 2 female Smew all seen while a Great White Egret flew overhead. The absolute highlight though was a beast of an adult Steller's Sea Eagle sat on a lamp post right by the side of the road with a second bird seen in the nearby trees, stunning views of a stunning bird.

Kushiro Shitsugen National Park - dull light and bright white snow were not my cameras friend

Whooper Swans

Steller's Sea Eagle

We carried onwards and saw lots of Sika Deer feeding on tree bark by the side of the road and had further views of Steller's Sea Eagles with 4 adults and an immature bird seen.

Sika Deer

Steller's Sea Eagle

We eventually came across Red-crowned Cranes feeding in the roadside fields before watching a pair mating on the road right in front of our van!

Red-crowned Cranes

Red-crowned Crane with a leg ring

Red-crowned Crane

Mating Red-crowned Cranes

There were even more Red-crowned Cranes at the Tsurui village feeding station with birds loafing about in the snowy fields and whooping and dancing away while juvenile birds looked on. The Cranes are fed corn in the morning and afternoon, we arrived after the morning feed but the Cranes were still present in the fields and it was wonderful to see them so close. I could have stayed watching them all day but it did feel a little like watching the Bewick's Swans being fed grain at Slimbridge, the Red-crowned Cranes and Bewick's Swans are both wild birds but habituated to Humans.

Red-crowned Cranes

After returning to our hotel in Kushiro we headed off to the railway station for a 4 hour train ride to Sapporo, a comfortable journey through increasingly snowy landscapes to the next city on our tour of Japan.

Kushiro Train Station

There was a lot more snow around in Sapporo and the next day (Monday 16th February) it pretty much snowed all day as we wandered around the city. We visited a couple of temples in Nakajima Park which was a total snowy wonderland and where I saw Japanese Tit, 4 Brown-eared Bulbul and 2 Nuthatch. The only other birds seen in Sapporo were Large-billed Crows and a Carrion Crow, not surprising in the very cold and snowy weather.

Nuthatch

Sapporo

Sapporo Gokoku Shrine

Sapporo

Yahiko Shrine

Sapporo