Coming from a rural area in England I have always been interested in wildlife. Before I came to Japan, I thought it would be something I would not see much of whilst I was here. The impression I had in my mind when it came to Japan was skyscrapers and industry, so I have been pleasantly surprised by what I can see near my house.
I walk my dog every morning, in a green belt area behind my house, and I have been amazed by the amount of wildlife I have seen. I remember camping in a National Park in New Zealand and being very surprised when a park ranger was telling me how Japan had more woodland than New Zealand and maintained it better. It’s because Japan is an industrial nation and doesn’t need its woodland to be profitable. Lots of countries have cut down vast amounts of forest for the timber, but in Japan the woodland is left alone. The result is that you can see quite a variety of birds of prey.
The bird above is called a “Taka” which means Hawk and I sometimes see them when I walk my dog. Beautiful birds.
This is a “Tombi” which in English is a Japanese Black Kite. They are massive and are in the same family as Eagles and Buzzards. There are loads of them along the coast as they predominantly hunt fish. There is a pair of them that live near my house, and seem to be creatures of habit. They are often in the same trees, hunting in the same areas.
This is a “Hayabusa” which I think is a Sparrow Hawk in English. A few weeks ago I saw a load of birds pecking at the vegetables on my neighbours land. They had somehow got through the net he had put over the vegetables to keep them away. They saw me coming and panicked, and some of the birds escaped, but some got caught in the net. I was amazed to see that one of them was a “Hayabusa.” I was going to get it out, but by the time I had tied my dog up, it had managed to escape on its own. When I told my neighbour he said it has happened before, and when he helped the bird escape it ripped open his hand with its claws. So, I was quite glad that didn’t happen to me!!
A really beautiful bird though……………..
We have owls everywhere!!! When I walk my dog at night I usually always see an owl or two. I am always amazed at how silent they are when they fly. Once when I was at a local vets I saw two owls in an aviary outside, so I asked the vet about them. He said people had brought them to him after they had been injured, and that there were a lot of them in the area.
Someone else told me that it’s because we have a lot of bats in the area, and so the owls are attracted to them. I told Mami about them but she had never really seen any. Then a while ago, I opened the bedroom window and saw a big owl standing on the telephone line in front of our house. So I told her and she was surprised by how big it was.
I haven’t seen one of these yet. It’s called an “Anaguma” and I think it would be called a Japanese Badger in English. I have seen the claw marks it leaves next to its droppings, but haven’t actually seen one in real life. My neighbour told me he has seen the odd one or two, but generally they tend to avoid humans.
One of these ran across the track in front of me a while ago, and I was surprised by how fast they are. It’s called a “Tanuki” and is a Japanese Raccoon. I have seen quite a few at the side of the road after they have been run over. I think they tend to stay deep in the bush, so aren’t easy to spot.
This is the animal I see the most of though. The “Kiji” or Japanese Pheasant, are everywhere. As there is no real hunting, they don’t really have any predators. I did find one dead one once, but have no idea what killed it. It hadn’t died naturally, but had been attacked as the feathers were everywhere. I wondered if one of the bigger Hawks would take it, but my neighbour reckoned it was more likely be a big cat!!
I have seen the odd “Nousagi” or Wild Rabbit. In Japan they don’t live in burrows like in England, but in tunnels in the undergrowth.
There are so many snakes!! I wouldn’t mind at all if there were none!! I am not too fond of them, but as there are so many I have learnt to distinguish between the safe ones and the dangerous ones.
The one on the left is an” Aodaisho” which is called a Japanese Rat Snake in English, and it’s not poisonous. There are really long, and have beautiful scales.
This one is poisonous though. It’s called a “Mamushi” and is a kind of viper. There aren’t many of them near where I live, but I have heard of people catching them in their vegetable patches. Most people say the best thing to do is where long boots in the summer to avoid getting bitten, but they are so hot. I just hope that my dog Koo would kill it before it got to me!!
Anyway, that’s all for now,
take care,
Eddie
