大山の野鳥
変化する木々の葉色や虫の鳴き声だけではなく、行き交う鳥たちからも、大山の季節の移ろいを感じることができる。大山は約 160 種類の鳥の生息地であり、通年いる鳥と繁殖期にエサを求めてやって来る渡り鳥の両方を観察することができる。標高 800 ～ 1,400 メートルに見られるブナとミズナラの林は、多くの鳥たちを迎えている。林床を覆う藪が鳥たちを守り、冬の間にエサも提供してくれる。
3 月の雪解け時期になると渡り鳥ではない種の鳥たち、特にシジュウカラ族が活動を始める。大山自然歴史館付近の屋根にセグロセキレイやホオジロが留まっている姿が見られる。道を下った大山寺橋に集うイワツバメは、3 月下旬に橋げたに巣を作る。
5 月下旬にはオオルリとキビタキという夏鳥が到着する。多くのカッコー種も生息しており、ホオジロやセンダイムシクイの見ていない隙を狙って自分たちの卵を巣に入れ、抱卵させる。秋の始まりまでにエナガやツグミなどの多くの種が群れてエサを探す。大山の厳しい冬の間でさえ、騒がしい鳥たちの群れをスキーリフトの下に見ることができる。
Birds of Mt. Daisen
More than the changing leaves or the songs of insects, the passing seasons on Mt. Daisen are marked by the comings-and-goings of birds. The mountain serves as a habitat for around 160 bird species, including both year-round residents and migrant species that are attracted by food during the breeding season. The forest of Japanese beech and Japanese oak, which ranges from 800 meters to 1,400 meters in elevation, hosts the majority of these species. The forest floor is thickly covered with shrubs that provide both shelter and a food source that lasts well into the winter months.
As soon as the snowmelt begins in March, many non-migratory species—particularly members of the tit family—are already active. Rooftops near the Daisen Museum of Nature and History are a frequent perch for Japanese wagtails (Motacilla grandis) and meadow buntings (Emberiza cioides). Just down the road, Daisenji Bridge is a gathering place for the vocal flocks of Asian house martins (Delichon dasypus) that build their nests on the bridge girders in late March.
By late May, two representative birds of summer have arrived: the blue-and-white flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana) and the narcissus flycatcher (Ficedula narcissina). Numerous cuckoo species are also present, sometimes taking advantage of inattentive meadow buntings (Emberiza cioides) and eastern crowned leaf warblers (Phylloscopus coronatus) by laying their own eggs in the other birds’ nests. By autumn, many species have begun to gather in huge flocks, with those like the long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) and dusky thrush (Turdus eunomus) collecting in the treetops to search for food. Even during Daisen’s harsh winters, these noisy gatherings can be seen below the ski lifts.
