Visitor Center Report

Sounkyo famous sightseeing spot “Momijidani”

There is a lot of snow left.
Some place is very dangerous.
This course is not good for everyone.
There are fallen trees and fallen stones.
Flower has not bloomed yet.
Please wait for a while.

Look at the picture.
Wild rabbit almost change his fur.
We think that it will be summer fur half a month later.

Breeding season is from end of February to July.
Birth season is from April to August.
It is very rare to find baby rabbits..
And more they are eaten by natural enemy
Survival rate of rabbit is only 10%.

They don’t make nest for babies.
They give birth to a baby on the grass.
Some rabbit make a nest with blanch.
Natural enemy like a fox find and attack.

*Mt.Kurodake ski lift was closed.
Reopening is June 1st as summer lift.

Beginning of May we got much snow in Sounkyo.
So many wild birds fly down to flat ground to find foods.

The picture is “Tarsiger cyanurus”
“Cyanoptila cyanomelana”, “Larvivora cyane”and “Tarsiger cyanurus” are called “Lapis lazuli colored birds”
Recently “Tarsiger cyanurus” is very popular.

Soon weather will stay calm.
Shall we go out and do bird watching in the field.
Bird watching have a lot of good effects, for example exercises, peace of mind, enriching your mind.
*Prefectural road 223 Aizankei~Kamikawa line was supposed to open.
But there is a lot of snow on the road.
So it will open on May 10th or later.
We will tell detail again.

Today’s Sounkyo
It has been snowstorm since early morning.
In the morning Onsen moll was covered with snow, but now snow is melting.

We never thought all staff shoveled snow in May.
Spring starts with much snow.

It will be warm from tomorrow, we can feel spring.
(Weather forecast might change, end of this week temperature might be under 10°c.
Be careful!)

It is hard to find food for wild bird such a heavy snow.
“Uragus sibiricus” in the picture fly with group, but it seems they are in a hurry.

Brown bears woke up from hibernation.
Look at the picture.
We found baby bear’s footprint.
We didn’t check mother’s one, we thought there was mother’s one nearby.
After hibernation a single bear wakes early morning.
Mother bear and baby bear wake up later than other bears.
But already they moved.
Hibernation period depends on climate.
In case temperature is high and snow melt quickly in spring, bears wake up early.
In these days it was snowy, and there was snow on the ground depending on the location
It is very hard to find foods for bears, so they will move long way.

Many people go to woods to find wild plants.
When you go to mountains and forest road, be careful!