Visitor Center Report

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

Today I took a walk into the nearby woods.
At one point, I heard something rustling around inside an abandoned building.
I paused for a while and saw a fox kit stick its face out from the building. At first I thought there was only one inside, but then I saw another.
Was the mother away looking for food? Or perhaps she was watching us from afar.
After stepping back and observing from a distance for about 10 minutes, I saw the two kits come out playfully. They then began a spirited search for food.
Last year, we had cases of mothers abandoning their kits. I hope that this wasn’t a similar case…
Among foxes, it is the female that cares for the kits. She and her kits stay together until the fall.
Photos: Fox kits seen at Sounkyo May 21

Given the recent snowfall, there is some concern about conditions in the mountains. The photographs show the northeastern face of Mt. Kurodake as seen from the Sounkyo Picnic Site.
The photo on the left was taken today, while that on the right was taken on May 25 of last year.
Although no definitive conclusions can be drawn due to differences in lighting and angle, it seems that conditions now are not so different from what they were last year.
As I did last year, I plan to enter the mountains early in June to check conditions.
Photo: Views of Mt. Kurodake from the Sounkyo Picnic Site May 20

During a walk near the Ishikari River I encountered a small group of Histrionicus histrionicus.
The colorful birds are males. On this day I found three pairs making a total of six birds.
Although this is still in the future in the case of these birds, only the females will care for the young, as the males will leave the group. Later, the females will also leave before their chicks are fully independent.
Like land animals, birds have various ways of raising their young.
Histrionicus histrionicus are classified in the Red Data Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered population.
Photo: Histrionicus histrionicus at Sounkyo May 20