They are endangered species but thanks to the effort of locals, their population has increased, particularly in Northern Hiroshima. They come to Japan in spring from the South East Asia, pair up, raise babies, and then go back in fall.
This is such a wonderful place to stay where you stand by at the large windows in the house with your camera, high-functional binoculars and a telescope on a tripod borrowed from the family my husband and I stayed with. It's a private farmhouse where only one group of travelers can stay at one time. We freely used two large rooms.
One of the man-made bird nests is 30 meters away from the windows of our rooms. And that's where you can observe the birds without being exposed to the elements.
We were extraordinarily lucky and saw a baby bird fly away from the nest.
Five babies were in the nest when we got to the farmhouse (a camera is installed in the nest to monitor their behavior for their safety) and the next day one flew away while we were out to climb a mountain 45 minutes north by car. The next two flew in the morning of the day after. I saw the third one flying to the forest.
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| The third one of the five flying away |
The food served is the very best with the freshest vegetables. The simmered fish was so savory, too, among others. Better than most of the sophisticated food served at fancy restaurants.
And it’s cool in summer in this northern part of Hiroshima. When you sleep in summer, all the windows should be closed but you can be sound asleep until the day breaks.
Better hide away in the north of Hiroshima where you will wake up with the rollers chirping - in their way - when the heat is around in Japan.
Here're a few more pictures.
