Author: vc-dev

It was so cold it hurt…
Not only my body, but my hands, feet, and face…
However, it’s only on days like this that a very beautiful icing phenomenon can be seen.
Scenes like those shown in the photos can be found everywhere…
The ice is so beautiful, it makes one forget the cold and want to gaze at it forever.
The phenomenon in the photos occurs when fine droplets of cold water attach to a tree branch or other object and immediately freeze. The result is a fragile white ice called “rime.”
This fragile ice lies scattered all around, having been knocked to the ground by the gentle breeze.
It creates a scene of considerable beauty.
Photos: Rime Dec. 19

The Sorbus commixta mentioned in a recent report are still laden with berries.
A variety of birds have arrived to feed on them. The ground under the trees along the road is littered with berries that were dropped by the birds, creating spots of bright red on the pure-white snow.
The bird in the photo is Coccothraustes coccothraustes. The hawfinches take turns eating the berries with large numbers of Bombycilla japonica, Bombycilla garrulus, Turdus eunomus, and other birds.
Bird-watching is an activity that can be enjoyed all through the year.
Even though this season offers fewer opportunities to venture outside, it might be a good idea to keep your binoculars ready.
Photos: Coccothraustes coccothraustes at Sorbus commixta berries. Dec. 18

The theme of course was “Walking at the Foot of Daisetsuzan: The Old Growth Forests of the Ishikari River.”
It involved an observation tour of a place where many large trees can be seen along the Ishikari River that is near the Sounkyo Rikuman national park entrance.
Although the trees can be seen from National Route 39, the scenery changes dramatically just by walking away from the road a short distance. There, a magnificent forest waits to be enjoyed.
The weather on the day of the course was snowy with high winds. However, the wind calmed within the old growth forest, and the freshly piling snow made for a pleasant walk on snowshoes.
This low-wind environment is home to a variety of large trees, including Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Fraxinus mandshurica, Betula maximowicziana, Populus suaveolens, Abies sachalinensis, and Picea jezoensis.
In 1954, a typhoon known as the “Toya-maru Typhoon” blew through Sounkyo and knocked down a great many trees. However, damage in the area visited by the course was slight.
The course considered the effects that topography and wind have on trees.
It should be noted that heavy snow fell in Sounkyo for several days prior to the course. The day of the course alone had snowfall of up to 45 cm. It may be too early to say for sure, but it appears that snowshoe season may finally be here.
Photo: Course participants heading to the old growth forest. Dec. 15

Although Sounkyo has had little snow so far this year, the last two days have brought a total of almost 60 cm.
Even so, there still isn’t enough snow to use snowshoes. The snowshoes get snagged on bamboo grass and make it difficult to walk smoothly.
It looks like the snow will let up. Although too much snow would be a bother, it would be nice to get just a little more.
Photo: Cervus nippon yesoensis is also covered with snow. Dec. 14

The Asian rosy finch (Leucosticte arctoa brunneonucha) is a wild bird that is difficult to observe and rarely seen.
Although difficult to see in the photo, which is unclear because it was taken in poor weather, this bird (which belongs to the family Fringillidae of the order Passeriformes) is slightly smaller than a sparrow.
Its song sounds something like “bee, bee, chi, chi.” However, because it moves about in groups, it can be hard to distinguish by its song alone.
Although it is a winter bird, it has been observed in the Daisetsuzan mountains during summer, and may even breed there.
It feeds on plants, and mostly eats seeds on the ground.
On this day, some 30 of them were flying around in a small flock despite the bad weather.
Photo: Leucosticte arctoa brunneonucha at Sounkyo Dec. 8