• Bird Sanctuary or Mortuary (May 2007)
• Bird Rescue Underway: Six Saved Thousands to go (December 2007)
• Save the Birds (December 2007)
• Kasumigaura Bird Rescue (January 2008)
• Bird Rescue Stuck in the Mud (February 2008)
• Kasumigaura Bird Rescue Meeting (February 2008)
• Still Caught up in Kasumigaura Bird Rescue (December 2008)

Today, I decided to shadow Avi on one of his trips to survey the situation and rescue any birds that were caught in the nets. As we pulled up to one of the sites, Avi spotted a duck that was hanging from one of its feet and ran out to rescue it -- almost before I could stop the car! He only had one set of hip waders, so I had to watch on the sidelines, but that was probably for the best anyway, as the fields that he had to traverse today were really difficult to manoeuvre in and my short little legs would probably not have been able to propel me forward very effectively.

He rescued a small duck and a coot in one field and then we moved along the shore until we spotted a larger duck that was caught up in a net but still actively struggling to get free. The larger duck (a mallard) was located far into one of the fields and it took Avi a long time to reach him. Once the duck was free, he swam away into a neighbouring pond and then flew up and away with a vigorous flap of his wings. Unfortunately, the smaller duck and the coot did not seem to be very far off from perishing when Avi rescued them. They both must have been hanging upside down for a long time because even after they were rescued, they just sort of sat in the water, dazed. By the time we returned to where they had been rescued, there was no sign of either one of them. We think they both must have died in the interim.

Avi says that there is definite progress being made on this issue. Many fields that were completely covered in nets are now either open or only covered on the sides. Also, just as we were leaving, we think we spotted some city hall people who had come to remove the birds and the carcasses. I guess it is a bit of an embarrassment for the city to have a bird mortuary on the shores of one of their biggest tourist draws.

However, there is still work to be done. We saw many, many carcasses of birds who had gotten stuck and perished, and Avi assures me that I only saw a very, very small percentage of the fields today. It is important not to let people forget that so many birds are out there hanging from their feet or wings, starving (or freezing) to death. The worst part of it is that the nets are not even effective at keeping the birds out! The fact that the birds get inside the nets is proof enough of that fact, but even worse is the fact that some of the birds can also fly out of the nets -- proving that the nets are not really effective at keeping the birds away at all.

If you have some time to spare, I would urge you to contact Avi (avi[at]tora.email.ne.jp) and volunteer to go out to Kasumigaura with him. If you are strong enough (and tall enough), you can help him with the rescuing, but if you aren't, you can help by taking photos, getting the word out to your friends, helping to find ways to publicize this issue in the Japanese media or on blogs, translating information into Japanese, etc. As with any animal-welfare issue, the faster you offer to help, the fewer animals end up suffering.

These famed harbingers of spring arrive in the Kanto area in April, having flown great distances from southern China,and as far as Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. They arrive just in time to make use of the freshly tilled mud in the paddy fields to make their distinctive nests.  In Japan, swallows have come to live closely with humans, mostly nesting in settled areas, including large cities. They make their mud and grass nests under the eaves of houses and shops and usually return to the SAME HOUSE every year, OFTEN ON THE SAME DATE! The annual return of the tsubame has been considered a happy occasion by their host families. Having your house or shop selected by the swallows for nesting has traditionally been considered highly auspicious and you can still find home-owners and shop-keepers putting out boxes or newspapers to catch the droppings and maybe even putting up a screen or wind-shield for additional protection. In late May, while the swallows are raising their first brood it is most usual to notice these DROPPING BOADS before noticing the birds themselves (if you see a sheet of newspaper or cardboard covered with white droppings just look up and you will probably see the nest!). You can probably be sure that there will also be hungry crows , cats or snakes nearby (that is why the nests are tucked ingeniously into unreachable areas under the eaves).

 In older villages and towns and in the older sections of large cities, one nest or more under the eaves of an old building, with chicks poking their beaks out expectantly waiting for their mothers return, as their father stands guard close by, is an endearing image of a Japan quickly disappearing.

Year by year, the swallows are finding themselves less and less welcome. The traditional belief in the luck that the swallows bring is being gradually replaced by the the modern worship of THE STERILE and clean, and by this I mean an intense dislike of bugs, large trees, animals or anything else that smacks of DIRTY.

These days, proud owners of little, plastic, half-million dollar houses, are most likely to have swallows nests quickly removed or more cruelly just closed off, separating parents from young.

Still, the old values come to the rescue sometimes. Here is a story about the swallows at Misao Ito’s house in Kukizaki. Misao lives in a grand old neighborhood, just across the street from Mrs. Noguchi’s (of the mask fame) thatched-roof manor house. Her family decided to knock down their old house and build a modern style home, one which did not seem appropriate for swallows nests.

When her family was looking into ways of removing the nest which had been constructed by their front door, the neighbors came to intervene. Don’t destroy the nest, they warned. If you do that youre house might burn down!

They told Misao’s family that having the nest would bring good fortune to the family and that if the number of chicks hatched was an odd number, they should celebrate by eating sekihan (red rice for festive occasions). The Ito`s followed their neighbors advice and in the end all parties were satisfied. The birds raised their young,the kids enjoyed watching the dramatic, private nature show on their front porch and the neighbors are at ease, because tradition was not broken. And most of all their is the anticipation of the same birds return next spring and the spring after that.

With more and more swallows returning from overseas to find themselves unwelcome, I think it’s time to re-instill in everyone this old excitement which the swallow used to bring.

Besides their miraculous annual return, they are beautiful, graceful, hardworking parents, who eliminate plenty of mosquitoes (without poisons)!

Why shouldn’t we welcome them! 

You can find many nests with chicks in them under the walkway of the Art and Physical Education Department of Tsukuba University. Parent birds can be seen for the next few days scrambling for as many insects as they can catch. Watching them over the deep green, young rice plants is the best way to view them in Tsukuba.

Look at some ways that Japanese people help the nesting birds (by making platforms for nesting) and protect their homes from swallow poop:

www.biodic.go.jp/reports/5-4/p028.html

3 Comments

• At May 22, 2009, Nora wrote:

  One week to swallow this delicate observation between many others topic. After all, this remind me so many feelings! Like the birds some people tried to live together in or outside a neSt...

  How about the lonely one (my favorite), 'Birdy' from William Warton?

  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3919515/William-Wharton.html

  And what happens with the birds during the typhoons?

• At May 22, 2009, Mamoru Shimizu wrote:

  Pro Baseball team Kokutetsu(National rail way)Swallows, my old man in heaven now was be a big fan more than 50 years ago. Also he used to ride Tokaido-line Express Tsubame with navy blue color. My area Onogawa is so so newly developed residential area, so I don’t see swallows near by, because of plastic toy like houses? Cats? Claws? Or no swallows ever make nest around here that they would not return to unfamiliar un known houses? I would not break down there home if they would make it in my house, and rather give them cheers. Nice photos!Thanks Avi-san.

• At May 30, 2009, debbie wrote:

  I am trying to find somebody who lived in Namiki, Tsukuba and was an exchange student in the United States 13 years ago. Her name is Keiko Hoya. Her exchange mother in the US was Eileen Fahey, and lived in Los Gatos, California. Can anybody help me find her? Eileen would like to say hello. Thank you!-Debbie

Knowing that there is is little time left to savor Tsukuba`s distinctive wild winterscapes, I took a long walk through the fields and woods near my house in Konda. It was not all just dried out reeds and branches

A new goshawks nest in the Konda Woods (Tsukuba)

I decided to start out by heading to the area above which I have often seen, in recent weeks, one of our neighborhood goshawks ( O-Taka) perched high up on some sort of communications tower. I thought that perhaps it was around  there that the majestic birds will be nesting this year.

Stepping into the woods in my neighborhood can sometimes be creepy. With all the owls, and the goshawks, there are often plenty of small animal and bird remains, the feather, fur and bones, which the birds of prey ( and later the scavengers) leave behind. Right away, I knew that the goshawks were active in that area. The route I had chosen was littered here and there by blotches of such leftovers. There were also plenty of hawk droppings.

Getting deeper into the forest, I often stopped to scan the canopy ( still thick in winter because of all the evergreens), in the hope of spotting a nest.  Just at the point which was probably furthest from any road ( in any direction), I found it, letting out a big WOW! Very impressive- amazing, even suddenly coming across it.

I then resumed my ground search in the general area around the nest.

Another view of the nest

About 20 meters east of the grand tree high atop which the goshawks had chosen to make their home, was a little slope- the remains of an ancient burial mound (kofun, 古墳). Still scouring the ground, I slowly proceded up it. What I found on top almost made me forget all about the nest- in fact it brought me back the original purpose of this hike- marvelling at the interesting withered vegetation of winter.

I found myself suddenly walking among what at first seemed to be the commonest of dried out reeds- but raising my eye-level to what would be my chest height, I found that the little ridge I was on was covered with one of the most beautiful features of the Japanese woods in winter- the dried out UBAYURI (姥ユリ), a type of wild lily ( with the scientific name  Cardiocrinum cordatum )

Of course, by this time of year these plant`s flowers had long disappeared. So what, you may ask, makes them so special.

Well, after their blossoms have fallen away, the fruit of this lily appears. Eventually, this dries, too, and opens up into three petal-like parts- which are connnected by what look like fine filaments. Really something special to look at. And how strange I thought that, though many types of lily flowers are spectacular, the UBAYURI`s blossoms are rather dull and plain ( though they ARE large!). That means in winter, without their white cone-like flowers, they are probably more attractive than they are in summer!

 In fact, they are often added to winter flower arrangements, as symbols of the season.

Looking closely I could still find some of the lily seeds with had been blown out of their casing. These, too are remarkable to examine, as they look like very finely sliced flower bulbs. Since lilies are famous BULBS, some are surprised to hear that they also have seeds. Well, they do, and they are worth a close look.

The Ubayuri as it looks in winter after having released its seeds ( Tsukuba, Konda 2011)

Japan is considered to be something of a TREASURE HOUSE of lillies, with more than 10 indigenous species ( some of which were introduced to Europe in 1829 by the German physician Von Siebolt, who was at the Dutch trading post of Dejima, Nagasaki).

And though the Europeans and others took up these flowers with great enthusiasm for decorative purposes, in Japan ( and the rest of North-East Asia) lilies have not only been admired for their beauty and scent- they have also been EATEN.

The bulbs of various types of lily were an important source of starch for the ancient Japanese andYuri Ne ( lily bulbs) are still an important feature of Japanese special O-Sechi dishes eaten over the New Year holiday. 

The dried out fruit of the UBAYURI- in Tsukuba (2011)

Besides the holiday season Lily bulbs are available at supermarkets and food cooperatives and can be prepared in a variety of ways. One variety in particular, the Ko Oniyuri, is cultivated for its bulb ( though some other varieties can also be eaten)

 When cooked these bulbs look like pieces of GARLIC (also bulbs) when served, and their texture is also quite similar to the STINKY ROSE. Their flavor , however, is very subtle and starchy, and is influenced by the seasoning used ( as opposed to influencing the taste of everything else, as garlic does).

The ubayuri stand tall in one area of the woods

One very interesting thing that I learned after I got back from my walk and started doing a little research on the UBAYURI was that a larger type of the same lily, called the O-Ubayuri (Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii) is one of the most important food sources for the Ainu people.

The O-Ubayuri grows mostly in Hokkaido and in the colder, snowier, Japan Sea side of Northern Honshu.

Two UBAYURI seeds stuck on a nearby leaf

For anyone interesting in the process used to make TUREP, which is the dish that the Ainu make of of the starch of the O-Ubayuri, have a look at this page:

http://www.frpac.or.jp/kodomo/html/bunka/tabemono2/tabemono_01_ooubayuri2.html

A staple food of the Ainu- TUREP- made from the O-Ubayuri

In a couple of weeks I plan on going back to that same spot and dig up a few of the bulbs and try to make some Japanese dishes with them.

I think I will give TUREP a try , too, using the smaller type of UBAYURI.

I will tell you how it goes!

Ubayuri as they look when blooming in summer

And I hope that before the bulbs are ready for the taking, I will be able to get back a coupek of more times to enjoy Tsukuba`s wonderful winter wilds.

For some pictures of Japan`s lillies IN SUMMER see:

http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~seiji-t/liliy.htm

Ainu with traditional facial tatoos digging up O- Ubayuri

2 Comments

• At February 22, 2011, Mamoru Shimizu wrote:

  Avi-san you are living quite a good place near township and near big area of plenty of nature both animals birds and wild flowers. You wrote one of your neighbor goshawks, that means there are few of them? Can you sight them with ease? Also there are owls? Is that possible to watch them in daytime or should I spend several hours in midnight preparing sleeping bag? I have never seen them so I wish I have opportunitie to watch or for owl case only to hear their voices.

  We call owl Fukuro or Mimizuku, zuku means tree-rabbit(木兎） in Chinese letter it was said their legs looked like those of rabbit and Mimi means ears because top feathers of owl resemble ears. 　Zuku→tuku⇒tsuku⇒Tsukuba, City administration made Owl as a symbol bird of Tsukuba-city in 2002.

  It sounded a little bit distorted, but owls are living in Tsukuba and they somehow intelligent and lovely birds. So I don’t mind. Please you never mind too!

  Yuri bulb think I ate in a Japanese Hotel in rural area many years ago but only slight impression of its taste like Kuwai(arrowhead). If they were sold in supermarket in certain time of year, I would like try to eat again thinking about history of Inu people.

• At February 22, 2011, Avi Landau wrote:

  Hello Mamoru-San!

  Yes, the area in Tsukuba in which I live IS quite fantastic in terms of nature and historical sites.

  There are two goshawks, a mating pair, a pair of SASHIBA, and numerous owls. If you would like to go owl watching, I would recommend starting just before dawn. I often see large owls- FUKURO, perched on top of utility poles at that time.

  Its excting to see them fly, silently away.

  But in the night time, especially in the late spring, the hooting of the owls is anything but quiet.

  It can keep you awake at night. Sometimes I want to open the window and shout- STOP MAKING ALL THAT RACKET- but I never do, not wanting to disturb their mating rites.

  The goshawks can be seen in the day time. They can often been seen soaring so high that they are barely visible.

  At other time, though you can never predict when that would be, they come VERY close overhead.

  Once, only once, one of the O-Taka perched for a short while on my veranda. A happy surprise!

In Japan, people often pay more than 100,000 yen (roughly $1000) for pet cats and dogs. That is a completely NORMAL price to pay at a pet store here. Sometimes the breeds are a bit special, but often people are shelling out that kind of money for "American Shorthair" cats which can be easily adopted for free from any shelter.

The problem is that most people here don't know about shelters, so they think that if they want to have a pet, they have to save up their money for a few months and go to a pet shop. In the meantime, thousands of perfectly good pets are being euthanized by the authorities in every prefecture every year.

As an example, Ibaraki Prefecture (one of 47 prefectures) captured or took in 7,642 dogs and cats in 2006. Of that number, 222 pets were returned to their owners. The rest, 7420 cats and dogs, were euthanized. That is just in a single prefecture. And, in fact, that number is actually low compared to the 16,565 pets that were taken in by the prefecture in 2001. (In 2001, Ibaraki started a plan to halve the number of pets who get taken in by the prefecture every year. So the 7,642 figure is actually the result of strenuous efforts by the authorities!) The number for all of Japan must be just shocking, especially since it seems that Ibaraki was the second prefecture to adopt this plan to halve their numbers, so they might just be doing a better job than the authorities in many other prefectures. (I looked for a number for all of Japan, but wasn't able to find it. Can anyone help me with this?)

In the past, it was impossible to find any information in English about adopting pets in Japan. These days, however, there are a few groups that are making it easier for people to find pets who are in need of new homes -- without having to fork over hundreds of thousands of your hard earned yen. In particular, Angels with Fur Japan has recently put a panel on the side of its website showing dogs and cats who are up for adoption through Tokyo ARK and other organizations.

So, if you are looking for a pet, PLEASE have a look at the Angels with Fur Japan website before you go to a pet store. Also, if you know of someone who is considering getting a pet, please let them know about the site. If there are no pets of interest to you on the site, there are plenty more to choose from at the shelters, so please contact Angels with Fur Japan for more advice.

(In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that I am the webmaster for the Angels with Fur Japan site. I don't profit in any way from the site though, other than feeling REALLY good when I hear that a pet has been adopted because of it!)

The tremendous advances made in the medical sciences over the past few centuries have been simply astounding. Much of this progress can be attributed to the efforts of diligent, talented, and sometimes just-plain-lucky researchers who set about looking for solutions to medical questions by applying the scientific method -- which depends heavily on observing the results of controlled experiments to prove hypotheses.

Animals, in their forced role as experimental subjects, have played a crucial part in this March Forward, as many important medical studies from the times of Pasteur and Pavlov to the present day, have been made with the use of test animals. Every year at least tens of millions of vertebrates (and so many more invertebrates) are used around the world in tests which end with these creatures being SACRIFICED.

At Tsukuba University Medical School, as well as at other research institutes in Japan, the role that animals play in scientific progress, and the suffering often involved in their making a CONTRIBUTION to humanity (and sometimes to their fellow animals as well) does not go unrecognized or unacknowledged (for whatever that is worth) .

Once a year, usually in the first week of November (when the climate is most comfortable), an announcement is made throughout the medical school complex, that a special memorial service (ireisai, 慰霊祭) will be held at the IREIHI (慰霊碑), a memorial tablet which is tucked away in the shadows of the small woods, just east of the hospital's power plant. The IREIHI itself was made 20 years ago by a student of the university and the inscription on it reads "JIKEN DOBUTSU IREIHI", or "monument for consoling the spirits of experimental animals".

On the day the ceremony is announced, hundreds of  doctors, researchers, administrators, office staff and representatives of the companies which supply the animals attend, many bringing flowers, or foods which the animals might like. Since Tsukuba University is a government institution which must abide by rules separating church and state, incense, which would usually be offered on such an occasion, is not used, because of its overtly religious (Buddhist) connotations. Usually, a distinguished researcher or administrator makes a short speech about the number of animals sacrificed and the need to reduce this number and alleviate suffering. Those assembled then close their eyes for a moment of silence. I am told that many of those who attend this ceremony feel a sense of satisfaction or solace in having shown their respect and gratitude to the sacrificed lab animals.

Some laboratories in Tsukuba affiliated with private companies hold more elaborate and overtly religious IREISAI. For several reasons, I, myself, do not  like the idea of using animals for experiments (when it is not absolutely necessary to do so). But since millions of creatures ARE being used (and abused) in the name of science, I think it is a good thing to give them a little (even if it's only on one day) RESPECT.

Thanks to Dr. Sugiyama, director of Tsukuba University's Center for Experimental Animals for giving me his time and for showing me his dedication to providing the best conditions possible for the animals under his care. Still I get the willies every time I pass his building. If anyone would like to attend the ceremony please let me know and I will inform you about it (on the day it is held).

1 Comments

• At October 30, 2008, avi wrote:

  That's so sad about the animals. I love that one Ali G episode where he asked if animals would get the right to vote. That was funny!

The tremendous advances made in the medical sciences over the past few centuries have been simply astounding. Much of this progress can be attributed to the efforts of diligent, talented, and sometimes just-plain-lucky researchers who set about looking for solutions to medical questions by applying the scientific method — which depends heavily on observing the results of controlled experiments to prove hypotheses.

Animals, in their forced role as experimental subjects, have played a crucial part in this March Forward, as many important medical studies from the times of Pasteur and Pavlov to the present day, have been made with the use of test animals. Every year at least tens of millions of vertebrates (and so many more invertebrates) are used around the world in tests which end with these creatures being SACRIFICED.

At Tsukuba University Medical School, as well as at other research institutes in Japan, the role that animals play in scientific progress, and the suffering often involved in their making a CONTRIBUTION to humanity (and sometimes to their fellow animals as well) does not go unrecognized or unacknowledged (for whatever that is worth) .

Once a year, usually in the first week of November (when the climate is most comfortable), an announcement is made throughout the medical school complex, that a special memorial service (ireisai, 慰霊祭) will be held at the IREIHI (慰霊碑), a memorial tablet which is tucked away in the shadows of the small woods, just east of the hospital’s power plant. The IREIHI itself was made 20 years ago by a student of the university and the inscription on it reads “JIKEN DOBUTSU IREIHI”, or “monument for consoling the spirits of experimental animals”.

On the day the ceremony is announced, hundreds of  doctors, researchers, administrators, office staff and representatives of the companies which supply the animals attend, many bringing flowers, or foods which the animals might like. Since Tsukuba University is a government institution which must abide by rules separating church and state, incense, which would usually be offered on such an occasion, is not used, because of its overtly religious (Buddhist) connotations. Usually, a distinguished researcher or administrator makes a short speech about the number of animals sacrificed and the need to reduce this number and alleviate suffering. Those assembled then close their eyes for a moment of silence. I am told that many of those who attend this ceremony feel a sense of satisfaction or solace in having shown their respect and gratitude to the sacrificed lab animals.

Some laboratories in Tsukuba affiliated with private companies hold more elaborate and overtly religious IREISAI. For several reasons, I, myself, do not  like the idea of using animals for experiments (when it is not absolutely necessary to do so). But since millions of creatures ARE being used (and abused) in the name of science, I think it is a good thing to give them a little (even if it’s only on one day) RESPECT.

Thanks to Dr. Sugiyama, director of Tsukuba University’s Center for Experimental Animals for giving me his time and for showing me his dedication to providing the best conditions possible for the animals under his care. Still I get THE WILLIES every time I pass his building. If anyone would like to attend the ceremony please let me know and I will inform you about it (on the day it is held).

2 Comments

• At October 23, 2010, Mamoru Shimizu wrote:

  We Japanese usually say "Itadakimasu" before eating food(breakfast,lunch,supper,or some sweets or even money?). It contains meaning of gratitude for grain, vegitable,fish,meat,those are creatures in nature. I think it is a very decent custom.

  It reminds us somehow that we should always be conscious that we human are dependent on creatutures very much,on nature too.

  LIKE TARZAN!! Aaa Aaa Aaa!!!.

• At October 23, 2010, Tomoko Watanabe wrote:

  I also do not like the idea of using animals for experiments. Becasue animals are nothing wrong.

  I think it is better to use the murderers for experiments, not Animals.

Since LIFE was somehow first came to be generated in the primordial cosmic soup, it has taken on countless shapes and forms. Competing for nutrients and shelter, living creatures have fanned out to occupy every possible niche, from deep under the sea or under the ground, to high up in the atmosphere and everywhere else in between. In the struggle for species survival it also happened that each creature developed its own unique behaviors with all possible time and seasonal slots being taken up by the various activities of these organisms. The result is a natural world so diverse and AMAZING that many have been (and some even still are!) tempted to conclude that this could only be the work of an intelligent and omnipotent being.

For the Japanese, autumn had always been a time to admire some of the animal world’s most awesome spectacles. The aristocrats of the Heian Court composed some of their greatest poems on the migrations of KARI, wild geese, and of course the non-Yamato inhabitants of Eastern and Northern Japan were filled with religious awe with the mysterious return of salmon (like manna from heaven for them) to the rivers and streams where they were spawned.

In today’s Japan, we unfortunately have little opportunity to observe these phenomena. In all my years of birdwatching here, I have never seen a LARGE FLOCK of geese. In contrast, I am often saddened by the lonely sight of a solitary duck flying off on what looks like a solo migration. As for salmon, pollution, dam construction and overfishing have reduced the upriver runs of autumn to a mere shadow of what they once were.

In Tsukuba (as well as most other parts of Japan) one UNIQUE and startling form of animal behaviour can still be encountered in late autumn, though in fact the animal involved actually performs it in early fall. It is only when the foliage falls away, however, that evidence of this creatures activity is revealed. I am talking about the MOZU (鵙 ) or (bull-headed) shrike, which because of its startling (for us) habit is often called the BUTCHER BIRD.

What the MOZU does is impale its prey on thorns or the tips of branches. In my neighborhood, the most common victims are lizards, though I have heard that frogs, grasshoppers and other insects can be found hanging out to dry in people’s gardens. I have also seen photos of mice and sparrow chicks which have been skewered by these birds. Actually coming upon these macabre leavings can be upsetting. The phenomenon has made a strong impression on the Japanese and the expression for the impaled prey, MOZU NO NIE (the shrike’s sacrifices) has become a KIGO, or seasonal keyword for Japanese HAIKU poetry.

Ornithologists are not exactly sure of why shrikes do what they do. There are several theories.

They do it to preserve food to be eaten later (the leavings are never come back to in my garden).

They do it to mark out their territory.

Or, most logically for me, they use the thorns to pin their prey while they rip off pieces with their sharp curved beak (shrikes it seems have weak legs).

Whatever the reason for this behaviour, the MOZU NO NIE　(or mozu no hayanie) can’t help but fill one with amazement with the fast disappearing natural world around us .

Listen to the mozu’s call at here. (For those who can’t read Japanese, the shrike is the ninth bird featured. Click the blue link at the bottom of its square.)

Watch a mozu in action on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lj0w9jWcio&feature=player_embedded

Or have a look at more OFFERINGS at this site. Just keep scrolling and clicking away at the links.

Those of us involved in trying to have Tsuchiura's lotus root farmers take down their deadly bird-ensnaring nets have been making efforts to rescue as many birds as possible from slow starvation, until that end is achieved.

We have become, however, metaphorically and quite literally, stuck in the mud. First, there are the technical problems which need to be dealt with. These are: slogging through waist high muck which in this season is covered with a sheet of ice and makes the going very slow and dealing with the entanglements themselves which can be amazingly complex and even more time consuming as we do not want to damage property by cutting the nets.This is exacerbated by the weight of the birds themselves with makes the nets harder to deal with.

Maurice, who drives the long way from Iwama to look for and save living danglers has applied his ingenuity to making our activities more efficient. He has bought chest-high waders, has found tools useful for untangling knots, has found that covering the birds with a sack calms them down, and has developed a sling which takes the birds weight off of the entanglement.

Even for Maurice, the going is still very slow and we need more volunteers. We thought that an article in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper would give some publicity which would help our cause. Even though the reporter showed an interest in the problem and in what we were doing and was generally quite sympathetic, the subsequent article left us highly disappointed in that it didn't mention many of the crucial points related to the issue. There was also no mention of our volunteer activities.

One reason for this might be that many Japanese are currently upset and emotional about the foreign protesters who boarded their whaling ships. If this is the case, it was very bad timing for us.

Though we have had many disappointments, we are not about to give up. We will continue to push for changing the situation. Many other publications besides Asahi Shimbun have shown an interest in this problem and we will continue to appeal to the public. If you have any good ideas, PLEASE contact us.

Something MUST be done about the senseless and cruel slaughter of birds in the nets around Lake Kasumigaura. And because Maurice, a Canadian living in Iwama has gotten involved, the beginnings of a volunteer rescue movement have started to germinate.

Maurice is an experienced environmental activist whose approach to getting things moving is to engage the farmers in friendly discussion in order to win them over to our side. Then if farmers refuse to or are not available to free birds entangled in their own fields, Maurice takes action, but strictly within the bounds of the law. He has purchased a pair of chest-high water-proof waders, and rubber gloves, and carries tools which are not used for cutting. He refuses to cut any nets in order to free birds (as the farmers themselves would do), because that could be considered an illegal act. Instead, he patiently and painstakingly untangles the ensnared wings legs and necks. He also takes precautions against bird flu by wearing a protective surgical mask. This approach is extemely time consuming, and we were only able to rescue six birds today. I felt impotent, standing on firm ground as Maurice plodded, like an astronaut on a planet with a strong gravitational pull, through the waist deep muck, slowly toiling to free the struggling survivers which he spotted with his uncanny eagle eyes.

Birds are continually being caught. Saving a handful of birds has no effect on the big picture and our ultimate aim is to have the nets come down as soon as possible. However, it was still extremely heartwarming and relieving to see birds that would have hung until starvation set in swim freely out into the lake.

We DEFINITELY need more people to get involved and we need more input and ideas.

Please contact us if you are interested in making a difference and doing THE RIGHT THING.

Thanks alot

Avi Landau
avi[at]tora.email.ne.jp
090-4221-4194

1 Comments

• At May 5, 2008, TsukuBlog » Kasumigaura Bird Rescue wrote:

  [...] There is a serious animal cruelty problem in Kasumigaura. Birds are being trapped in lotus farmers’ nets and being left to die a slow and painful death. Read more about this issue and what Avi and Maurice are doing about it. [...]

As I have mentioned in a previous entry, this surprisingly large area of unused land located in the very heart of Tsukuba, received a temporary stay of execution when Kayoko Takahashi caught the construction company involved with the project red-handed as it attempted to secretly wipe out a hawk's nest whose existence she had previously reported to the city office. Because of this incident, Ibaraki Prefecture has given the area a three year lease on life.

Takahashi-san has been working feverishly to make local residents aware and to get the local government to reconsider the future of this remarkably complete ecosystem. This month's event was organized in order to give anyone interested a look at the richness of the Konda woods, which have made it possible for its resident hawk couple to successfully raise ALL THEIR YOUNG over the past three years. Not an easy feat, and one that shows the ecological strength of the Kondai-Dai woods.

Professor Satoshi Ohori, an ornithologist at Waseda University drove all the way to Konda to have a look at our local hawks, and give us some advice regarding how to go about a grass roots movement to protect the area.

We started with a walk through the village of Konda. As we shuffled along in the cruel heat, the wooded hill where Hanamuro Castle used to stand was directly behind us, while the forest under which the ruins of Konda Castle now rest lay dead ahead. These were wooden fortresses, or palisades, which were built to dominate the area in the Kamakura Period.

We stopped to examine a Batto Kannon Sacred Stone which stands at the head of a path leading to an ancient and beautiful stairway which ascends through a thick bamboo grove. At the top is the site of the old manor which was the residence of the court official who used to oversee this area in the Nara Period. I pointed out the rare sacred stones which are still carefully tended to by the local villagers.

We then headed into the woods where the hawks live. The three chicks are doing fine and fortunately did not seem to mind the large group of intruders. We tried to be as quiet as possible and quickly left filled with the excitement of a dramatic wildlife encounter.

We then returned to the Sakura gym where we had reserved a room for Professor Ohori's talk. We stressed how it would be possible to save a portion of the woods which would allow the hawks to remain in the area if we got enough people involved, by signing petitions and calling the city and prefectural offices. He said that if enough people raised their voices, some of this forest might be saved.

With those encouraging words Ohori-Sesei rode off into the sunset leaving us with a sense of mission.

We will be having more meetings about the future of Konda-Dai in the near future. If you are interested, or would like to get involved contact Takahashi-san at kayoaro[AT]pd6.so-net.ne.jp or me, Avi Landau at avi[AT]tora.email.ne.jp. (Change the [AT] to an @ sign.)

And yes, that is Mt. Tsukuba in the background in the wood-block print of a bird of prey by Utagawa Hiroshige. It is almost the exact same scene that I see when I watch the hawks from my bedroom window.