Author: vc-dev

I found some Ardea cinerea chicks that appear to have hatched strong and healthy.
They have grown some, so they must have hatched several days ago.
The photo was taken from a distance so it’s difficult to see, but the chicks are with their parent on the left side. (On the right is another nest. The bird in that nest is still incubating its eggs.)
From here on, the parents will be busy feeding their chicks. As the crows are always waiting nearby, we can only hope that the chicks will grow into fledglings.
The area has become noisy with the calls of the chicks and their parents as well as the crows.
Photo: Female Ardea cinerea May 29

May 27, 2014 Clear 19°C (2:50 p.m.)
The temperature outside the center has currently reached a high of 19°C.
This is the warmest it has been this spring.
Sounkyo is gradually being filled with fresh green leaves.
The forecast predicts fairly high temperatures for the end of the month.
If the weather stays like this, we can expect the snow to melt rapidly.
Photo: Sounkyo Gorge May 27

Today the Visitor Center held a course on “Springtime Mountain Trekking: The Kumoigahara Marshland.”
A misty rain fell early this morning but later gave way to a cloudy sky that was perfect for a day of pleasant mountain trekking.
The area around the marshland was almost entirely covered by hard snow. We walked through a forest of giant coniferous trees and on the marshland itself, places that are not passable in the summer.
A large amount of snow remains, so the only blooming flowers we could see were Lysichiton camtschatcense. Nonetheless, the course came to a successful conclusion amid the delightful singing of Tarsiger cyanurus and Erithacus akahige.
We also spotted the tracks of large animals, so people planning to go to the marshland should carry noisemakers.
Photo: Near the marshland, Aizan Gorge May 25

The low outside the center early this morning was below zero, but the temperature has since risen and currently stands at a warm 15°C.
Despite our thinking that the snow season must surely be over, blizzard conditions were reported on Hokkaido’s Sea of Okhotsk side early this morning.
What kind of weather will the coming days bring?
I, for one, am hoping that the snow will continue to melt.
I was concerned about the recent snowfall’s impact on the Daisetsuzan peaks. However, it appears that the snow is melting, as the mountain’s surfaces are starting to appear.
Photo: Mt. Aibetsu seen from Kamikawa Town May 23

The Visitor Center Report’s May edition (No. 61) has been issued.
The cover features some Loxia leucoptera, a species of bird that is very difficult to catch sight of.
The three presented here were spotted mixed in with a group of Loxia curvirostra. This year, two-barred crossbills have been observed in all parts of Hokkaido.
The May edition also contains a section on Japan’s three most popular songbirds, excerpts from the Visitor Center’s mountain reports, and snowfall data reaching back to the year the Japan Meteorological Agency began keeping records.
Although there is naturally variation from year to year, the data show that snowfall amounts have been declining slightly.
The report can be viewed by clicking on the link below. We think you’ll find it worth reading.
(The report can also be viewed from the main page of the Visitor Center’s website.)
http://sounkyovc.net/newsletters/61.pdf
Photo: Cover of the Visitor Center Report’s May edition May 22