Lake Miike Wild Bird Forest
Lake Miike Wild Bird Forest is a 115-hectare national wildlife sanctuary located in the eastern Kirishima mountains. The forest is home to many local and migratory birds and is an important breeding area.
The sanctuary is also a haven for mammals and other wildlife, including deer, wild boar, Japanese badgers, and Ussurian tube-nosed bats.
Some of the forest’s trees can reach 20 to 30 meters in height, such as the ichiigashi (ring-cupped oak), kagonoki (Litsea), tabunoki (Machilus), and Japanese bigleaf magnolia. Smaller trees such as camellia and conifers like Japanese torreya are also numerous.
Wild mushrooms thrive on decaying plant matter on the forest floor, including amihikaritake, a type of agaric; usukikinugasatake, a mushroom completely encased in a vivid yellow net-like structure; hamakitake, a southern variety rarely found outside of Miyazaki Prefecture; and the ethereal inusenbontake inkhorn. These mushrooms can be spotted in the forest between June and November, depending on the variety.