Author: vc-dev

During a walk on snowshoes, I was suddenly overcome by a sense of danger.
I stopped and quickly looked to the side. And there I saw what you can see in the photos. On this cold day, the fox was apparently napping in the snow.
It immediately jumped up and disappeared into the forest, its fluffy tail trailing behind.
However, at the base of this tail is an anal gland that produces a terrible stink.
There is also another kind of “fox stink”: the smell of fox urine.
In addition to urine, foxes have a “violet gland” at the tail that, as the name suggests, produces a smell similar to violets. They also have “scent glands” between the pads of their paws that produces a slightly sweet smell as well as other glands. Thus, though cute to look at, the Vulpes vulpes schrencki produces a variety of smells.
Photos: Vulpes vulpes schrencki Jan 18

Although the current temperature has risen to -8°C, this morning the thermometer outside the center read -22°C.
It was so cold that I really thought about giving up my reporting duties for today, but I also knew that the snow would continue.
I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to photograph scenery that only winter provides, and went out.
And just as I expected, I encountered various sights that are unique to this season, including “air frost” (shown in the photo at left), “frost flowers” (center), and “snow caps” (right).
But…
It was very cold…
Photos: Air frost and other sights Jan. 18

It has been some time since we’ve enjoyed views like this, as the weather has been continuously bad lately.
The left-hand and center photos were taken from Daisetsu Kogen Asahigaoka. Although the sun had risen, it was blocked by the sun, resulting in slightly dark images. However, they still show the majesty of the peaks as seen from this spot.
The right-hand photo was taken near the Bells of Espoir in Kamikawa Town.
The weather is improving gradually, and today smoke from Mt. Asahi could be seen. (The mountain on the left is Mt. Kurodake; the volcanic smoke is on the right side of the photo.)
Photos: The Daisetsuzan peaks Jan. 18

“Kyo! Kyo!” “Kon! Kon! Kon!” I heard not just one but several of what I thought were Dendrocopos major crying shrilly and drumming.
I watched motionlessly and discovered that several males were apparently fighting each other for territory.
One of the birds glided off to another tall tree and started drumming on it loudly.
Clearly, the birds were making a louder sound than Dendrocopos major, so I moved closer and found that they were actually Dendrocopos leucotos, a species I hadn’t seen in some time.
The forceful sounds they made gave them an air of valiant presence that Dendrocopos major cannot match.
Photos: A male Dendrocopos leucotos Jan. 18

While driving I saw a large flock of small birds to the front of me.
I quickly decided to take a photograph.
When I expanded my photo, I found that the birds were Carduelis flammea.
I didn’t have my zoom lens with me, so it’s hard to make out in the photo, but the birds have a characteristic bright red patch on the forehead.
The group I saw was very large, probably comprised of over 200 birds.
Photos: Carduelis flammea males at Sounkyo Jan. 16