Walking in the winter forest
#2Look for wild birds in the woods!

Today, along Lake Akan, where temperatures are reaching below 0 degrees celcius, it's beginning to look a lot more like winter.

The days are quiet and peaceful as it is not the high season of the area. Mt. Akan, which stands on the west side of Lake Akan, is covered in snow and appears to be well into winter.



▼Previous articles

Frozen Lake

https://www.kamuylumina.jp/en/sp/enjoy/enjoy-5287/

Frosty Forest

https://www.kamuylumina.jp/en/sp/enjoy/enjoy-5375/



This time we would like to introduce you to some fantastic winter phenomena that can only be seen during the bitterly cold season.

Please enjoy this phenomenon unique to Lake Akan, where the temperature can drop to as low as -30℃.

With winter just around the corner, we would like to introduce you to a unique way to enjoy walking through the forest on the Bokke walking trail, which we have introduced several times on this webpage.



▼Click here for the train during summer time

URL: https://www.kamuylumina.jp/en/sp/enjoy/enjoy-1258/

Enjoy walking through the forest while feeling the changes in the air from autumn to winter in nature using your senses.

Look for wild birds in the woods!

Wild birds, like the Eurasian red squirrel, can be found between the trees without leaves. Akan's forests are home to a variety of wild birds, and some of the more familiar ones are crows such as great tits and nuthatches.

The great tit looks like it's wearing a necktie, and the nuthatch has a distinctive bluish-gray color that makes it look like it's wearing sports sunglasses.

You can't help but follow the sight of a nuthatch as it moves freely up and down the tree trunk. Because only the buttocks are brown, they are sometimes called "rottenbutts".

It's also easier to spot woodpeckers if you go with larger ones, and you may come across giant red-headed black woodpeckers and Great spotted woodpecker along the walking trail.

The food marks of woodpeckers can be found everywhere. Even at such a low place.

Sometimes those seeds won't be found until snow melts down, which will grow and be part of forest instead of being food for squirrel.

When looking for woodpeckers, start by listening carefully. If you hear the sound of pecking at a tree (drumming), a short cry of birds such as "kyik" or "pik", it is a sign that they are nearby.

The drumming can sometimes sound like a construction site, so if you think, "There's no way they're doing construction in a place like this!", take a look around.