In Karuizawa, however, there are birds galore (you ever want to go birding in Japan, Karuizawa is not a bad choice), and I took the time for birding there. The first interesting one I spotted was just outside the hotel, a Chestnut-cheeked Starling. Far more interesting than the white-cheeked version so common in Tokyo.

In the same location, I saw some Great Tits, Oriental Greenfinches, Meadow Buntings, Wagtails, and one I could not identify–as one birder I showed it to said, “a female something.”

Here’s the “something”–probably a Flycatcher of some variety (less probable but still possibly, a warbler), but I can’t tell myself. This was the only angle I got it at.

In Karuizawa, there is a special birding area–“yacho no mori,” or the “bird forest.” I caught great images of a misosazai, a Winter Wren, when Sachi and I went there five years ago. I immediately spotted some Long-tailed Tits:

Coming out of the park, I spotted something I had never seen before: Coal Tits.

Here’s a beautiful shot of two of them, click for a larger version:

And another nice shot with a larger version:

The catch of the day, however, was a Blue-and-white Flycatcher wooing a potential mate. The Blue-and-white is kind of iconic to Japanese birdwatching; the deep blue colors and contrast with the whites get it put on the covers of most birdwatching books.

It wasn’t too hard to spot; in its display, it was hanging around the female, which had perched along the walking path; the male was hopping from branch to branch, trying to be in easy view (unlike most birds in the park), and singing like, well, a songbird.

A lot of its display was wagging its tail up and down.

The female is less spectacularly colored, but still nice: