Karuizawa is famous throughout Japan as a treasure trove of wild birds and is one of the three major bird-watching areas in Japan (Karuizawa, Oku-Nikko, and the foot of Mt. In the early Showa period, Nakanishi Godo, founder of the Wild Bird Society of Japan, often visited Karuizawa, and at that time, bird-watching parties were attended by Kitahara Hakushu, Yanagida Kunio, and others.
Karuizawa has an elevation difference of 1,500 meters from the top of Mount Asama to the foot of the mountain. The diverse natural environment, including forests, grasslands, and wetlands, makes it possible for many species of wild birds to inhabit the area, and their populations are large.
The variety of summer and winter birds changes with the seasons, but about 130 species of birds can be seen throughout the year. Especially from late April to June, there are more bird species than any other time of the year, and about 100 species can be seen. The early morning chorus of birds during this period is especially wonderful.
In the deciduous broadleaf forests and larch forests at the foot of Mt. Asama, you can see wild birds living in the forests, and in the fallow rice paddies and fields in Minamikaruizawa and Hatsuchi, you can observe wild birds living in the grasslands. In Kumoba Pond, birds living near the water can be seen throughout the year.
■Birds of the town, red-breasted nuthatch
The red-winged blackbird is designated as the town bird. The red-winged blackbird is a summer bird of the thrush family, about the size between a sparrow and a dove, and as its name suggests, it is characterized by its bright orange color from breast to flank. From May to July, in the mornings and evenings, they perch on the cords of tall trees in the villa area and chirp in a clear voice that reaches far into the distance. It is a rare bird in the world with a limited distribution, with breeding grounds ranging from central Honshu to the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. In recent years, its population has been declining in Karuizawa, and there are concerns about the bird’s survival.
■ Recommended birding spots
- ~Karuizawa Wild Bird Forest, a National Establishment
- About 5 minutes drive from Nakakaruizawa Station. There is a 3-km observation trail in the 100-hectare forest at an elevation of about 1,000 meters. Most of the typical summer birds that come to Karuizawa can be seen here, such as the yellow-rumped warbler, oriole, black thrush, and nojiko.
- ～Chigataki Waterfall Trail
- This is a 1-km walking trail that leads north from the Sezon Museum of Contemporary Art to Chigataki Falls from the end of the forest road. While listening to the cool sound of the stream, you can observe wild birds that live along the stream, such as the Japanese wren and the raven.
■Summer Birds Birds that migrate from the south to raise their young in the summer.
Of the approximately 130 species of wild birds found in Karuizawa, 50, or half of them, migrate from the south to raise their young. These are “summer birds. Summer birds are birds that spend the winter in Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. and come to Japan in the summer. They generally arrive in late April or early May, right around Golden Week, and leave Japan in September or October. Of the approximately 100 bird species seen during the breeding season from April
to August, about half are summer birds. The males of the summer birds that migrate to Karuizawa establish a roost to raise their young, perching high up on the cribs of trees and chirping actively. Their singing peaks in late April and May, when they are in the early stages of their migration, and the most beautiful chirping can be heard for about two hours before and after sunrise.
Birds in the forest
Many of the summer birds that come to Karuizawa are forest dwellers. The red-winged blackbird, which is the town bird, the yellow-and-black contrast of the yellow and black woodpeckers, the oriole with its beautiful cobalt blue plumage on its back, the black thrush with its conspicuous orange beak on its black body, the red-eyed blackbird with its round, round eyes, and others are busy raising their young here and there in the forests. There are also birds that prefer to stay in the thicket and are rarely seen, such as the red-collared bulbul, whose beautiful lapis lazuli-colored backs are rarely seen, and the buzzard, which chirps like an insect.
(Other summer birds seen in the area include the tree thrush, the yellow-throated warbler, the mamijiro, the sanshokuin, the jucinoe, the katydid, and the red-cheeked bulbul).
■Birds in the meadow
Summer birds that prefer the grassland environment migrate to the fallow fields and farmlands of Minamikaruizawa. The most common are the great tits, which fly around noisily in the sky in the mornings and evenings, and the white-throated reed warblers, with their cute reddish-brown cheeks and wonderful rhythmic chirping.
（Other summer birds that can be seen here include the northern grosbeak, the great reed warbler, and the red-breasted nuthatch.)
Resident birds Birds that can be seen in Karuizawa all year round
Resident birds are birds that stay and live in the same place all year round. However, just because the same type of bird can be seen all the time does not mean that the same individuals stay there (for example, sparrows can be seen in the same place all year round, but they are migratory). Even though they are resident birds, they come and go within Japan.
The most common resident bird seen in the forest is the titmouse. It is characterized by a single black line running from its breast to its belly. This pattern looks as if it is wearing a tie. There are many other species of tits in the tit family, such as the kotara, higara, yamagara, gojyukara, and enaga, all of which are collectively referred to as the tit family.
There are also many species of woodpeckers that perch perpendicularly on tree trunks to feed. The red-headed woodpecker, with its conspicuous white inverted “figure eight” pattern on its black back, the blue-headed woodpecker, which is light green in color, and the woodpecker, which is about the size of a sparrow, are also frequently seen.
（Other resident birds include: buzzards, mountain lions, rufous turtledoves, turtledoves, owls, Japanese bush cicadas, wagtails, shrikes, kinglets, wrens, wrens, Japanese night herons, sparrows, jays, and others.)
■ Winter Birds Birds that migrate from the north to overwinter in winter.
Winter birds are birds that migrate from northern countries such as Siberia to the warmer climate of Japan to overwinter. They do not come to Japan to breed, but simply live quietly looking for food, so they can often be overlooked if one is not careful. The most common winter bird in Karuizawa is the Japanese nightingale.
The rosy-colored rose-breasted merganser, which stands out from the rest of the flock, is one of the most distinctive birds in Karuizawa.
In addition, ducks and other ducklings rest on the surface of Kumoba Pond in winter. （Other winter birds that can be seen here include the Kashirahaka, the Reverdin’s Blue, the White-throated Thrush, the White-winged Blackbird, the Mahiwa, the White-throated Flycatcher, the Brown-crowned Nightjar, the Yellow-rumped Lapwing, and the Yellow-rumped Lapwing.)
