最終更新日 2024-09-01
If you live in Nisshin City, you will encounter rare wildlife. The following are some of what I have come across so far.
1. Nutrias
Walking along the Tenpaku River one early evening, I found something moving near the water. It was like a giant rat or a beaver. Later, I learned it was a nutria. After that, I always pay attention to the waterside when I walk along the river.
So far, I have been able to see one around twice a year. A nutria, or some nutrias, must live somewhere on the riverside. Living there is difficult as the river gets rough with heavy rainfall, often in summer and autumn.
2. Pheasants
Between April and mid-June, until rice fields have been filled with water, I sometimes see one prowling through weeds in the rice fields. A colorful male pheasant has a green body with its head portion in black and red. On the other hand, a female pheasant’s body is in quieter colors, such as gray or light brown.
In the early mornings or before sunset, you hear it give sharp and shrill cackling sounds, and you know that a pheasant is somewhere not far away. Pheasants are very cautious. They will quickly hide themselves in the weeds if you approach it. I tried to take a photo of a peasant while walking, but I always missed the best shot. Pheasants teach me every year that the summer is approaching.
3. Birds (name unknown)
I have heard birds singing from midnight to before dawn for a few years. They are singing beautifully and loudly. They change tones and deliver some messages which I cannot understand. The sounds are too loud to keep the windows open and too early for a wake-up alarm. Some bushes and hills in my area have been turned into residential areas, and, most likely, birds are losing their nests.
4. Spot-billed ducks
There are some small rivers and ponds in Nisshin City. I am usually not excited to see spot-dilled ducks because they are everywhere. But two instances of encounter with them surprised me. They both relate to the march or journey by the mother spot-dilled ducks and her ducklings.
The first instance occurred one early morning (a little past 5 am) when I walked to work. I felt something approaching through the side road of a house. So I looked in that direction and found a mother duck walking with her ducklings. I knew a small river ran nearby, and I thought they would move to another place for some reason. They passed me one after another and went somewhere.
The second instance occurred when I was driving a car in the late afternoon. On a road with two lanes on each side, several vehicles in front of me began to stop with their hazard lamp blinking. I slowed down to stop and found that a mother duck and her ducklings were trying to cross the road. Nobody got out of their cars. Meanwhile, the duck family has successfully crossed the road. They came from the pond on the other side of the road. I hoped they would also find a better place to live on the opposite side of the pond.
A variety of wildlife are residing in the natural environment of Nisshin City. In our daily lives, we rarely come across one. Whenever I see one, I feel lucky and hope to see see them next year.