Visiting the red crowned crane at Kushiro, Hokkaido/Carlos Pueblo

 Visiting the red crowned crane at Kushiro, Hokkaido/Carlos Pueblo

After a two nights stay in Sapporo, Hokkaido, we left on a limited express train to the Hokkaido West Kushiro for a visit of the famous red crowned crane, Tanchotsuru. It's my dream to visit such rare birds in the nature reserve. I didn't see them flying yet it's still very wonderful and I did visit at least 15 of them beyond the fence.

The bird has a black and white figure with a red color spot on the crown weight between 6-12 pounds. It's a longevity bird. Japanese have put an effort to preserve such bird since 1925 and now they are able to reproduce the bird under their tender care. I was advised by a Taiwanese professional tour guide at the Hiroshima Castle that I at least could visit one of the gardens at Kushiro with all year around birds. Another one may have to be in the season while they either flying to Manchuria and Russia in the spring or flying back to Japan in the winter. I check with the entrance ticket, in 2021 survey 1900 birds in Japan and 1400 birds outside of Japan in the world. Birds stay in Japan all year around. I have taken many photos on the park and shall show you 4 of them.

They are provided a large space with the reed on the back and wet land space in the front with small brook flowing through. I learn the Japanese name of the reed, Susuki grass, from a Japanese song translated by my late Japanese language teacher, Professor Watanabe in Houston, Texas. Generally, in the mid of March, they will fly back to Akan Marchi and Tsurukuo Village in Kushiro for food, then build their nets in the tall Susuki Grass grove to lay 1-2 eggs 10 cm length. Both couple birds take turn to hatch the egg in about a month and the chick break out. In about 100 days, the young chick will grow about the size of its parents yet not with the distinguished red crowned. They will ga

ther around the resource of the food when the winter arrives.

I still have the fantasy to all the migrant birds, geese and ducks in the United States. I read books about them and did attempt to visit them in the rice field outside of Houston, Texas  in vain, yet I do see them flying over my head both in the spring back to Canada and and Mexico in the fall all passing through Texas.