Visitor Center Report

“Chiri, chiri, chiri…”
TheBombycilla japonica has arrived again this year.
The birds were seen in the mountains last year, but this year they have quickly come down into the village.
Although several hundred birds are known to be flying around in the mountains, as of the present time it seems that only some 10 to 30 have come down to the village.
If you see a waxwing with a yellow tale, it is a Bombycilla garrulus; if it has a red tail, it is a Bombycilla japonica. In Hokkaido, Bombycilla garrulus are common while Bombycilla japonica are rare. However, this year Bombycilla japonica are forming groups in Sounkyo just as they did
last year.
They love to eat the berries of the Sorbus commixta and Viscum album subsp. coloratum, and serve to distribute the seeds through their highly adhesive droppings.
Known for their always beautifully colored wings and exquisite crest, their visits to the area vary greatly from year to year, which makes it hard to count on seeing them.
Photos: Bombycilla japonica Nov. 13

This tree starts the year by sprouting fresh green leaves. After flowering in June, its leaves turn bright red during the fall. It then ends the year covered with bright red berries.
In this way, the Sorbus commixta is a tree that provides viewing enjoyment throughout the year.
Even when the fall foliage season ends, the trees remain covered with many berries. However, this year the berries have grown so thickly that visitors come to us to ask about them.
There are various factors thought to be behind this year’s remarkable growth. One is the good weather the area enjoyed during the blossoming season in June and July. And another is that much of the pollen did not fall due to the low rainfall, which resulted in a higher pollination rate.
Good weather continued in the gorge through June and July of this year, and the amount of rainfall was abnormally small (based on statistical data of the Japan Meteorological Agency).
Additionally, Sorbus commixta berries do not go bad even after they have matured, which means that they stay on the branch even when the snow falls. This characteristic is thought to be caused by sorbic acid that is contained in the unripe berries.
Regardless of how they come to be there, the birds love to feast on them. Great numbers of Bombycilla garrulus, Turdus eunomus, and other birds gather on the trees and leave them completely clean of berries.
Photo: A Sorbus commixta laden with berries Nov. 9

Today has been clear and sunny since the early morning.
The gorge is covered with soft rime for the second consecutive day.
But it’s very cold…
The temperature fell to the lowest it has been this winter.
The entire hot spring village is covered with snow, and the tracks of Cervus nippon yesoensis, Vulpes vulpes schrencki, Mustela nivalis, and other animals have been spotted.
Looking for animal tracks is one of the fun things to do during the winter.
And some very good ones have already been seen.
Photos: Sounkyo Gorge Nov. 9

The gorge is covered with snow.
Early this morning, the rain turned to snow and covered the gorge with soft rime.
What appears to be a large rock in the second photograph is actually the top of the Panoramadai lookout, which is visible from the Visitor Center.
It takes about one hour to climb up to the lookout. It is a “hidden spot” that affords a bird’s-eye view of the hot spring village and Daisetsuzan mountain range from the top.
Climbing to it without proper equipment now is difficult. The center will notify the public when the time for climbing arrives. (Photos of the view from the top are printed in the fall foliage map provided in Visitor Center Report 51.)
Photo: Sounkyo Gorge Nov. 8

Just after 3:00 yesterday afternoon, a lenticular cloud appeared in the sky above.
This single cloud had a disk-like shape that somehow gave it an eerie appearance.
Lenticular clouds form on the leeward side of an area of rough topography when a strong wind blows from the south.
It is said that they often appear when a low-pressure system or warm front is approaching.
Photo: Lenticular cloud At the bottom of the photo is Mt. Niseikaushuppe. Nov. 6