Visitor Center Report

The Visitor Center just held a course on “Ginga-no-Taki and Ryusei-no-Taki Falls.”
A total of 18 people participated.
We would like to extend a warm “Thank You!” to everyone who attended.
Although the trip to and from the fall was only about 1.5 km, the trail became fairly steep as it approached the fall.
The photo shows the participants heading toward Ryusei-no-Taki (in the upper left).
Mt. Eboshidake and the Odakinosawa stream serve as the source of this waterfall (Ryusei-no-Taki), while the Metakinosawa and Takinosawa streams provide water for Ginga-no-Taki. Participants learned basic information about waterfalls and their various types before the course was
successfully concluded.
The next course will be held on Sunday, February 23. It will feature a walk at the base of the Daisetsuzan mountains and have a portion dedicated to Seiryu-no-Taki Fall. Although the trail will be just under 1 km (each way), the section near the waterfall at the end will be fairly steep.
We hope you can join us.
Please note that we begin accepting reservations for courses one month in advance, so now is the time to reserve a spot.
Photo: Near Ryusei-no-Taki Jan. 26

Quite possibly, this is the first time we’ve presented the Visitor Center Report in this blog.
Every two months (January, March, May, July, September, and November) for a total of six times a year, we upload a Visitor Center Report to the top page of our website.
Although coming up with topics each time does present a challenge from time to time, for this report we placed an extremely rare weather phenomenon (Mt. Kurodake in shadow) on the cover and just a few photos that look back at the previous year on the following pages.
We cannot provide all of the details here, so we ask you to please visit the top page of our website!
Photos: Visitor Center Report No. 59 Jan. 26

I always think this is an adorable bird, with its round body and shoe-button eyes.
It is one species that enchants me every time I see it.
And I find its song, which sounds something like “chururi, chururi” and “chi, chi, chi,” to be positively delightful.
Aegithalos caudatus males that could not find a mate and pairs that failed to reproduce are known to help others of their species care for their young. Thus, they are not just cute; they are also “kind.”
Photos: Aegithalos caudatus Jan. 23

In the photo, an animal has dug a hole (or more specifically, scraped away snow) to capture a mouse or other prey in the snow.
When I measured it, I found that it was about one meter deep.
All around were piles of scraped out snow.
From the tracks remaining in the area, I deduced that this was the work of Vulpes vulpes schrencki.
Vulpes vulpes schrencki have an extremely keen sense of smell. With it, they can even find small animals hidden under deep snow.
And when they are done digging, they spray the area with urine as a way of stating that “I dug this hole.”
However, foxes also appear to have an excellent memory. It is said that they do not depend solely on their sense of smell, as they can remember where they buried prey with remarkable accuracy.
It is also thought that they use their urine as a kind of marking. By marking a place with urine, they tell themselves that there is no need to dig in the same place again.
Photo: A fox’s search for food Jan. 19

Last time, I had little success in photographing the Carduelis flammea, so I decided to try again.
Today I found a small group of about 30 of them. Mixing with their group were some Carduelis spinus.
I waited very quietly for an hour until they came nearer. They were concentrating on feeding and seemed to have let their guard down somewhat.
Finally I succeeded in photographing them at close range.
The Carduelis flammea is similar in size to the sparrow and has a cute song that sounds something like “chu-een.”
Photos: Carduelis flammea females at Sounkyo Jan. 19