wildlife Archives : Jenny Wren Rambles

Eco-tours: Visiting the Oriental Stork in Hyogo Japan

Over spring break I took a few days off to visit some Hyogo attractions: Kinosaki Onsen (hot springs) and the Oriental White Stork Park. The hot springs were to relax, but the stork park was to learn about a local conservation success.

The Oriental White Stork

In case you missed my last post covering the storks’ biology and conservation history, here is a quick overview. The Oriental White stork is a large white bird with black feather tips that lives in wetlands and eats a variety of smaller animals like fish, frogs, and small mammals. It went locally extinct in Japan in 1971, but through captive breeding, habitat restoration, and reintroduction programs it has made a comeback with approximately 90 birds living wild in Japan again.

My first stork sighting

Hopping on the Kounotori Limited Express to Kinosaki Onsen, I sat back and enjoyed watching the countryside fly past the window for the 3-hour journey from Osaka. In Japan, you never know what you might see through the train windows. Rice paddies, small villages, cherry blossoms.

A view from the train window, passing a small park with cherry blossoms

In my case, I saw something very large and white fly past as the train ran alongside a river. Too large for an egret I thought. Could it be a stork? Unfortunately, it was going in the opposite direction of the train so I only had a quick glimpse, but I think it might’ve been my very first Oriental stork sighting. Thanks to breeding and reintroduction efforts, wild Oriental storks are living in Japan again and if you’re in the Toyooka area you might spot one of them along the rivers where they can hunt for food. I can’t say for sure that I spotted one, but I think the chances are good. In any case, don’t forget to look out the windows occasionally because you never know what you might be missing.

Kinosaki Onsen Station

If you’re not familiar with Japanese, you might not have noticed what is special about the express train’s name. Kounotori is the Japanese name for the Oriental stork and the limited express train that runs to Toyooka and Kinosaki Onsen is named after it. Arriving in Kinosaki, you will also see artwork and souvenirs depicting the storks, from postcards to daruma dolls and station artwork. You can tell that the people here are very proud of the storks and that they’re a part of the local culture. I enjoyed wondering when I would see something stork-related pop up while I was walking around the town. The stork daruma dolls were tempting but my goal was to take some pictures of the storks so I managed to resist.

Hachigoro Toshima Wetlands

After taking a day to relax at the hot springs and another to do some sightseeing in nearby Izushi, I planned my last day to focus on the storks. The first stop on my stork itinerary was the Hachigoro wetlands.

Hachigoro wetlands, photo credit Visit Kinosaki website

The wetlands are named after one of the first wild oriental storks to migrate back to the Toyooka area. They are a short walk or bike ride from Kinosaki onsen so they are very easy to visit. I rented a bike from one of the visitor information facilities first thing in the morning, then headed down the road along the train tracks and took a left onto the blue bridge. Stopping on the bridge to take a few photos, I paused to enjoy the cool and quiet of the river and watch the swallows flit around me before continuing on my way.

Crossing the bridge to get to Hachigoro Toshima wetlands

On the other side of the bridge was a surprise. An oriental stork nest, just past the bridge and on top of a utility pole. The male and female were both standing on top of the nest, but after a moment one flew off towards the river. Its partner remained at the nest, rearranging sticks. I couldn’t believe I was already getting an up-close view of wild storks! I grabbed my camera and took a few shots before continuing to the wetland area, just a short distance up the road.

Stork nest on the other side of the bridge

Hachigoro wetlands is a wetland habitat for waterfowl that was converted from rice fields and sits in a floodplain near the Maruyama river. It has one artificial nesting platform near the edge of the woods that is in use by a pair of oriental storks. Visitors can only access one side of the wetland so that they don’t disturb the birds. As you approach, you will see there is an observation shelter you can go inside with open windows looking out over the water. There are a couple of benches as well as information panels showcasing some of the species you may see. I sat on one of the benches and spent some time quietly watching and trying to take some pictures. It was a bright and sunny day and although there didn’t seem to be many birds out, I was able to see some egrets and ducks as well as the nesting pair of storks in the distance.

The artificial nest platform is set back farther away from the shelter so if you want a good view you should plan on bringing either a very large zoom lens, binoculars, or a viewing telescope. I’m still very much an amateur when it comes to birding so I don’t have my own binoculars and rely on my camera’s zoom to get a closer look. That being said, you can still enjoy watching the birds without binoculars and you don’t need a telescope to enjoy listening to the storks’ beak clattering.

Map of the wetlands showing the stork nest and observation shelter.

Cafe Lamp Eye

After quietly watching for a bit I made my way over to Cafe Lamp Eye for some breakfast. This cute cafe is just past the wetlands, a minute or so walk through the parking lot, and across the street. The interior reminded me of a cozy grandparent’s house with comfy floral couches and an assortment of armchairs and tables to choose from. The morning air was still a little chilly so they had a portable heater set up in the room, adding to the cozy atmosphere.

I took a seat in one of the armchairs set up in front of a table with a view of the cherry blossom trees in the back garden. Sinking into the chair, I felt an urge to stay there all day with a bit of crochet or a book to read. I ordered some fruit waffles for breakfast (absolutely delicious) and took my time to enjoy the food and atmosphere before finally pulling myself up out of the armchair to pay and head to my next destination.

Hyogo Oriental Stork Park

My second stork stop was the Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork in Toyooka. After returning my bike I went back to my hostel to pick up my bag and catch a bus to Toyooka station. It’s a bit of a bus ride to Toyooka, and another to the stork park, so I would recommend eating before you go as I later found out the food options there are very limited. On the bright side, there is a direct bus to the park from Toyooka station so you won’t get lost and you can also buy food or small lunchboxes from the station convenience store before you go. Once there however there is only one cafe that serves pizza, some coffee, and drinks, and the food orders end around 3:00.

After catching the bus, I arrived at the park around 2:00 and headed straight in, not realizing I was setting myself up for a very hungry afternoon. Entry to the park is a small 100 yen donation which comes with an oriental stork origami gift, and they do have English instructions and an English park pamphlet you can ask for. The museum itself also has a good amount of English information on the displays; most of the information about the storks and their conservation seemed to have English translations with only some of the specimen displays or smaller displays being Japanese only.

Stork origami, bird specimens, and oriental stork information in English

In the entrance area, there were some bird specimens of egrets, herons, and storks and in one of the education rooms, they had a side-by-side specimen display of the Oriental and White storks so you can see their differences.

Left: White stork, orange beak, black skin around dark eyes Right: Oriental stork, black beak, red skin around white eye

Observation Cages

Out through the back is the captive stork observation cages, biotope, and nature trail. The cages have terraced pools for the storks to wade in but most were hanging out inside their eating area. When I came back later a few came out and were wading in the water closer to the fence so I could get some better pictures. At the biotope past the cages, I could see insects flying around and listen to the many frogs croaking. There’s also a nature trail you can take into the forest a bit but I passed on it this time around as I was on a bit of a time crunch.

A short walk up the road from the museum is another biotope and an observation area for the breeding cages. You can really only see into one of the cages and you can’t get very close to it, but up on the hill is another observation point with binoculars and a display showing videos and information about the breeding cages.

Final Thoughts

The Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork is a great way to learn about the storks and a nice area to walk around and take in some of the natural landscape. Depending on your timing, you might be able to see some more of the wild storks hanging out in the terraced pools and nearby fields. Hachigoro Toshima wetlands are also a nice area for some relaxed birding and a chance to see some wild storks. Both are affordable attractions to visit at the low low prices of free (Hachigoro wetland) and 100 yen ( ~$1, Oriental Stork Park) and are easy to visit from the Kinosaki Onsen area for a conservation or wildlife-focused day trip. I definitely enjoyed my time visiting and would love to bring my family for a visit someday.

If you want to see some of my pictures from my trip, or an abridged storyline of it, check out my Instagram and the Oriental Stork highlight on my profile.

For more about visiting the storks and the Kinosaki or Toyooka area, check out the Visit Kinosaki website.

Conservation Tales: The Oriental White Stork in Japan

If asked to name an iconic bird of Japan, most people would probably go for the red-crowned crane. Though rare, it is captured in many works of art, folk tales, and even company logos. Known for its elegant dancing during mating season, it is often featured in nature films and photography about Japan.

If you’ve paid attention to the title of this post though, you have probably realized this is not the bird I will be talking about. I’ll save that for a different day. Today I’d like to tell the story of another large rare Japanese bird: the Oriental white stork.

Description

The oriental white stork shares the red-crowned crane’s color scheme, with a mostly white body and black wing feathers. Although it is smaller than the more famous crane, it is still a sizeable bird at 43-59 in (110-150 cm) tall, roughly 6.2-13 lb (2.8-5.9 kg), and with a 7.3 ft (2.2 m) wingspan. Similar in appearance to the European white stork, it can be told apart by its black beak, red skin around the eyes, and white irises.

Historic and Current Range

Oriental stork distribution map By © Sémhur / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19083437

The oriental stork was historically found across Asia, from the Siberian region of Russia and Northeast China to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and further south with some birds wintering in parts of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Phillippines.

It became locally extinct in the Korean Peninsula and Japan in 1971. As a result of conservation efforts, the oriental stork has returned to Korea and Japan and most of the population appears to be found in China, with smaller population clusters in Russia, Korea, Japan. They are less commonly seen in other parts of Asia such as India and the Philippines.

Diet and Behavior

Storks are carnivores and eat a range of insects, small invertebrates, fish, amphibians, small reptiles, and small mammals. In Japan, they are a top predator in their wetland ecosystem, and their presence an indicator of a healthy habitat. The Oriental white storks mainly hunt by wading in wetland or river edge areas as well as rice paddies.

They are migratory birds that travel to breed or winter in other areas and are usually solitary except during breeding season. They nest in tall trees or man-made structures such as electricity poles or nesting platforms. They do not have much in the way of vocalization and mainly communicate by loudly clattering their beaks.

Road to Decline

While the oriental stork was once widespread in Asia, the species has declined and is considered endangered. The main threats and reasons for its decline are hunting, habitat loss, and other effects of human development and industrialization such as prey loss and environmental pollution.

In Japan, the storks were initially able to live alongside humans and hunt for prey in the flooded rice fields. But as agriculture became more industrialized, it soon led to problems for the storks and other smaller species that lived or hunted there. With industrialization, traditional farming practices were changed for higher rice production. Heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers not only reduced the storks’ natural prey but also led to the buildup of mercury and other chemicals in their bodies, a process known as biomagnification, which left them sick and unable to breed.

Traditional practices where fields were connected to natural waterways and left flooded for longer periods in the year were altered; concrete irrigation and drainage isolated from the fields prevented natural movement of aquatic species like fish, and fields left flooded for a shorter period meant that tadpoles didn’t have time to develop into frogs, further reducing the prey population. These factors coupled with the loss of natural nesting sites from logging of the pine forests led to the decline of the species in Japan.

The last wild birds were seen in 1971 in Toyooka, and after their deaths, the stork was declared extinct in Japan.

Conservation Timeline

Capture and Breeding

With the wild stork population at risk of local extinction, the oriental white stork was designated a special natural monument, and protection groups were established to help conserve the species from 1956. At this time, there were only 20 wild birds left in Japan. As the number of wild storks continued to decline, plans were made to set up a captive breeding facility.

By 1963 their numbers had dwindled to just 11 birds and an attempt was made to remove eggs from the wild to incubate in captivity. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful. The next step was to capture some of the few remaining wild birds for captive breeding. From 1963 to February 1971, three wild adult birds were caught and taken into the breeding center. In May of 1971, the last wild stork was captured in Toyooka but subsequently died resulting in the local extinction of the stork in Japan.

In 1985, Russia sent 6 young storks to Japan to help bolster the captive breeding population. Finally, in 1989, the captive Russian storks successfully bred and raised a chick. From this point on, the captive storks have successfully raised chicks every year.

Reintroductions

As the captive population grew, plans for re-introduction to the wild were formed and additional facilities, such as the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork were developed. From 1999 on, the breeding population was added to with birds from zoos within Japan as well as wild birds from Russia. By 2002, the captive population had risen to over 100, and the first captive-bred birds were released in 2005. Two years later, in 2007, the first chick from reintroduced storks fledged in the wild.

Since then, captive breeding and re-introductions in Japan have continued along with efforts to restore and protect the storks’ habitat. And in 2014, the Graduate School of Regional Resource Management was established on the grounds of the Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork to support the sustainable management of natural resources.

Conservation Initiatives

Stork friendly rice-growing methods

Stork-friendly rice cultivation. From Visit Kinosaki: Stork Natural Rice webpage

For the storks to thrive again, it was crucial to restore their habitat. Stork-friendly farming methods were established and supported by government subsidies to encourage rice farmers to change their methods. This includes a 75-100% reduction of pesticide and fertilizer use and a return to leaving rice paddies flooded for a longer period. Reduction of pesticides allows natural prey to survive for the storks to feed on and prevents bio-accumulation of chemicals which could hinder storks’ ability to breed again. Leaving the fields flooded also provides additional habitat for waterfowl and prey such as frogs and insects.

Wetland Restoration

While storks can find prey in rice paddies and co-exist with organic farming methods, they need more habitat than that to thrive. In addition to the stork-friendly rice-growing methods, the city of Toyooka has established several habitats for wetland preservation. These include the Hachigoro Toshima wetland, Kaya wetland, Maruyama river, Tai wetland, rice paddy biotope, and lower Maruyama river.

Hachigoro wetlands. Image from Visit Kinosaki website

Some of these are wetlands or biotopes converted from unused rice paddy fields. These expand the habitat and feeding areas for the storks as well as function as natural corridors connecting wetland areas. Along the rivers, wetland areas and shallows are created to expand habitat and foraging areas for the storks. These habitats benefit not only the storks, but the species they feed on, such as insects, fish, and amphibians, and other waterfowl.

Current Status

While the stork has rebounded thanks to captive breeding and habitat restoration efforts, the population in Japan is still small. There are approximately 95 storks in captivity and 90 in the wild. The main location of breeding and conservation efforts is the Toyooka area in Hyogo Prefecture. As the captive population grew, reintroductions have expanded to other prefectures such as Chiba and Fukui. Worldwide, the population is estimated to be between 1,000-2,500 mature individuals.

Where to see them:

In addition to habitat restoration and stork-friendly farming methods, Toyooka city has also become an ecotourism spot to see the storks. From local schoolchildren to international tourists, university students, and researchers, visitors to the park and other nearby attractions have increased over the years with over 1,000 package tours sold since 2006. But if package tours aren’t your thing, no worries. It is very easy to see them on your own. And the best part is, you can pair it with a visit to the famous hot springs of Kinosaki.

Kinosaki Onsen: Hachigoro wetlands

The Hachigoro wetlands are located just outside of Kinosaki Onsen. They are free to visit and easily reached on foot or by bike from the town. Just a short ride/walk down the road and across the bridge and you will find them in no time flat. Only one side is open to the public to prevent disturbing the birds, but there is a viewing hut with some identification information and a view of the nesting platform.

Toyooka: Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork

Captive stork viewing cage at Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork

The Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork can be reached with a direct bus from Toyooka station and requires only a small donation of 100 yen to enter. In the museum, you can learn more about the storks’ biology, conservation efforts, and local history. There are also many specimens of other local birds and wildlife, an education room, and videos of the storks on their nest. Outside, you can view some of the captive storks, visit a biotope, and even hike a nature trail. At the end of your visit, you can buy stork-friendly rice or other goods at the nearby souvenir stands.

Conclusion

Although the Oriental stork was once extinct in Japan, it has been brought back through the hard work and perseverance of local communities and governments as well as international cooperation with other countries that the stork calls home. The numbers are still small, but hopefully, the population will continue to grow as the Oriental stork is re-established in its historic range.

Resources and Further Reading

Birding in Kyoto: Imperial Park & Kamogawa

Another weekend, another day I force myself outside because I could use the fresh air and exercise. This time, in Kyoto. Normally, I go to Kyoto for the temples and shrines, the markets, or the scenery. This time I would be trying to look for birds.

First stop: Kyoto Imperial Park

This is the location of the Imperial Palace (closed except for scheduled tours you must reserve) as well as a few other imperial buildings and other attractions. The park is fairly large, with some trees and green areas around the perimeter but also large gravel pathways surrounding the palace. At first, I didn’t see much because the birds were higher up in the trees and moving a little too fast for me to catch. Sparrows and pigeons of course were easy to see. Eventually, though, I found a small shrine where quite a few different birds were hanging out.

Shrines and temples in Japan can often be quiet havens of nature. They may have large mature trees protected as part of the shrine, inner gardens, and are almost always a lot quieter. This one had some shrubs and shorter trees where there were quite a lot of birds foraging among the leaf litter. Distracted by a crow gathering nest materials at first, I hung out here for a little while as I spotted more birds up in the branches and down in the leaves.

Large-billed Crow

This bird hopping across the entrance to the shrine is what first drew me in. It was collecting pine needles for nesting material and at one point, turning its head, reminded me of Nigel Thornberry with the way the needles stuck out on either side of its bill like a large mustache. After pulling at some paper litter, it eventually flew off to deliver its load to the nest.

Oriental Turtle Dove

I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed these doves before, maybe mistaking them for pigeons because of their size, or just not seeing them as often. The mourning doves we have back home are smaller and more vocal, but the turtle doves were quietly rustling around in the leaves. Flicking them out of the way looking for food, keeping one eye on the people walking past, but otherwise unconcerned.

Pale thrush

I have an image of thrushes being very spotty birds, so this one confused me at first. But I suppose its name fits because it had a pale unspotted belly and pretty solid coloring. It blended in well to the shadowy brown leaf litter. As it hopped around it kept stopping to look at me, warier of my presence than the dove.

Varied Tit

I believe this may have been a recently fledged young bird and its parents. It was easy to locate as it screeched for food, mouth open and wings fluttering in a familiar begging pose I had seen when caring for orphaned birds. After another bird deposited a sizable grub in its mouth, it quieted down and started hopping around in the branches, exploring on its own.

Japanese Tit

Quick as ever, this little bird wouldn’t sit still and quickly moved on, but I finally managed to get a full side view of it.

Brown-eared Bulbul

Briefly spotted this bird peeking out from the leaves of the camellia tree.

Dusky thrush

Got a better view of the dusky thrush away from the shrine in a more open grassy area beneath some taller pine trees. These thrushes had the more familiar speckled belly and were foraging in the grass.

Next stop: Kamogawa (Kamo River)

Not going to lie, I mainly just wanted to enjoy hanging out on the riverbank. Japan has a lot of rivers and they are often set up with walking paths and benches, so many people enjoy hanging out by the riverside. But water means wildlife, and there was no shortage of birds even at this popular river walkway.

Black kite

One of the first birds to catch my attention was the black kite. These raptors are incredibly common and are easy to spot circling above the rivers. They also call frequently and, to me, make up one of the distinct natural sounds of Japan. There was a pair hanging out in the top of a cherry blossoms tree, making for another great spring photo.

White-cheeked Starling

These birds might seem familiar to Pokemon fans because they resemble the pokemon Starly, with their brown bodies and white cheeks. These are also pretty common to see around local parks and were making their way along the bank in a little group.

Grey Heron

Another common sight near water, there were a couple of these wading around the bridge area and near the rocks.

Little Egret

On the other side of the river, this little egret was admiring its reflection in the water. Or maybe looking for food. One of those.
The big giveaway for this species is the black beak, most of the other egrets have a yellow beak.

Japanese Wagtail

This one was perched on some rocks in the middle of the river. This was another bird new to me, I didn’t know that white wagtails and Japanese wagtails were 2 different birds because they always move so fast! The Japanese wagtail has a smaller white mask above its eyes, while the white wagtail has a broader white mask across its face.

And now for some ducks.

Mallard

This male was hanging out in the shade of the bridge so he didn’t have the strong green sheen to his head and it was more of a dark blue, with a bit of green showing on the cheek. The female was not far behind, dipping below the water to dabble for food.

Green-winged teal

A pair hanging out in the middle of the river, enjoying the sun.

Eurasian Wigeon

This male was cruising with his girl around the bridge, enjoying the fine weather.

Baer’s Pochard

A pair of dark diving ducks, these two would quickly disappear under the water leaving only ripples. They were in the middle of the river where the water was deeper, going after aquatic insects maybe.

At first glance, the imperial park and the riverside didn’t seem to have that many birds (other than the usual pigeons, sparrows, and ducks), but once I slowed down and looked a little closer I began to notice more. Even in a city as large as Kyoto, there is plenty of nature and wildlife to be found.

Until next time. . .

Enjoy this pigeon photobomb!

Birding at Osaka Castle Park

Spring is around the corner and after weeks hiding from the cold in my apartment, I finally dragged myself outside for some fresh air and a bit of birding.

Around the end of February in Japan, it’s plum blossom season. It’s one of the first big blossom events after the winter but often overshadowed by cherry blossom season which comes in March-April. That being said, the fragrant plum blossoms still attract plenty of people to the groves planted around castles and temples.

In addition to people, the groves also attract many birds with the sweet nectar of their blooms and insect life waking from winter. And when it comes to plum trees, there is one bird, in particular, you can expect to see and which everyone wants a picture of. The Warbling or Japanese White-eye. An olive bird with white spectacles around its eyes, these little birds flit from tree to tree drinking the nectar from the plum blossoms. Sitting atop the blossoms, they make for beautiful spring photos which is why you’ll often see a group of photographers with big telephoto lenses all pointed at the same tree.

To get this same picture, and hoping to find some more birds, I went to Osaka castle park for a late morning of relaxed birding.

Stepping through the castle gate, I entered the grove on the left and began to wander through, keeping an eye out for the birds while basking in the pink clouds of blossoms.

To get the most out of the view, groves of flowering trees are carefully tended and arranged with meandering paths around roped-off patches of trees. This lets people get close enough to the trees for pictures but maintains large patches where birds can land and forage out of reach.

After wandering around, taking some pictures of the castle and the blooming trees, I made my way toward the back of the grove. This area is a little quieter and in the shade of some bigger pine trees and a castle wall. I find it tends to have a little more bird diversity than the more open and active area near the gate.

True to expectations, this is where I found and photographed most of the birds on my outing.

Warbling white-eye / Japanese white-eye

These little birds seemed to usually be in pairs or small groups, hopping among the branches drinking the nectar. They’re fun to watch and hold still long enough to take your pictures before they move on to another branch or tree. They’re also popular as a symbol of spring in Japan, hence why everyone wants to get that perfect flower framed pic of them!

Brown-eared bulbul

I was surprised to see that this bird, larger than the white-eye, was also feeding on the nectar from the blossoms. Although, because of its big size, when it landed on the smaller branches it tended to knock some of the petals loose and scare off the smaller birds.

Daurian redstart

I only saw one of these birds, hanging out at the very back of the grove. Rather than feed on the nectar, this one was foraging on grubs and insects from the ground.

Japanese Tit

I was trying for a picture of this little bird since its black and white head reminded me of the cute chickadees back home. Unfortunately, after getting a picture from behind, it was scared off by someone talking to me and never came back down from the castle walls.

Eurasian sparrow

These birds are common everywhere but still cute to see and easy to snap a picture of.

White wagtail

A speedy little bird that doesn’t sit still for long, running along the ground before flying off.

Dusky thrush

It blends in perfectly with the brown brush behind it.

Not 100% sure of this I.D., but seems like this brown bird may be the dusky thrush. It blended in pretty well with the brown leaves and branches, so I only noticed when it moved!

After getting my fill of blossoms and birds at the castle, I headed down to the moat to check out what waterfowl were hanging around. Unfortunately, most of them took off to the far side of the moat, but I managed to get a few pictures of the ones closer to the rail before they swam off.

Eurasian coot

These birds seemed less bothered by people approaching the rail and continued to paddle around, fairly close, just doing their own thing.

Tufted duck

You can see from the tuft of feathers on the back of its head where it gets its name from

There were quite a lot of these guys swimming around.

Eastern spot-billed duck

I think these are pretty common to see around, the average duck if you will.

Green-winged teal

It was difficult to see the color on these due to the cloudy weather, but after some photo editing, I’m pretty confident I got the ID right.

Redhead duck

This was one of the ducks that was too far away for a good picture, but it stood out for its color. I’ll try for a better picture next time.

All in all, not a bad day. I haven’t tried bird watching in a while, but it was a nice change of pace. I also had a new camera lens to work with which made it fun to try and get pictures of all the birds I was seeing. Now that the weather is warming up, I’m going to try and get out more often and see what else I can find in the parks and gardens around here.

Until next time . . .

Enjoy this fine pigeon!

Japanese Birds of Spring

There’s still a bit of winter chill hanging around but spring is just around the corner. Here in Japan, we are in the midst of plum blossom season, oft-forgotten in the shadow of sakura season. With the days growing longer and the weather (ever so gradually) warming, the birds and beasts are coming out. If you ever happen to visit Japan during this time, here are a few Japanese birds of spring to keep an eye out for and where you may spot them.

1. Japanese White-eye/ メジロ (me-ji-ro)

Japanese white-eye perched on some plum blossoms at the plum grove in Osaka Castle Park

If you visit some of the plum blossom groves in February or March, there is a good chance you will see this bird perched among the blossoms. The Japanese white-eye, also known as the warbling white-eye, is easy to spot among the pink with an olive green head and back and the white circle around its eye from which it gets its name. These agile birds flit from branch to branch drinking the nectar of the plum and cherry blossoms and eating small insects. If you’re looking to spot some, look towards the tops of the trees where they like to hang out. Otherwise, keep an eye out for where groups of people are pointing their cameras!

Where to see it:

My go-to spots are Osaka Castle Park’s plum grove as well as Jonangu shrine in Kyoto, where you can enjoy the weeping plum blossoms and camellia. Since the trees are a little shorter than the cherry blossom trees, but just as packed with blossoms, there’s a solid chance you can get a good look at the white-eyes. For cherry blossom season, you can go to just about any park. Japan’s love for sakura means they have them planted everywhere, so it only takes a quick google to find a park or cherry blossom spot nearby.

2. Japanese Bush Warbler/ ウグイス (u-gui-su)

By Alpsdake – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31779418

The Japanese Bush Warbler is a nondescript bird you are more likely to hear than see. Many in Japan mistake the white-eye above for this bird, because they can often hear it but only see the olive white-eyes flying around in the trees. The bush warblers are brownish in color with a lighter gray-brown belly and a bit of a darker stripe along their eye with light “eyebrows”. Despite this lackluster appearance and their tendency to stay hidden in the brush, they are considered the true harbingers of spring in Japan. In fact, another name for them in Japanese is “harutsugedori” or the “bird that announces spring”. This is because their iconic breeding calls can be heard in spring, and some consider this to signal spring’s true start. The breeding call sounds like a low whistle ending in a warbling trill.

Cultural symbolism: Spring & Sutras

This bird has great symbolic meaning in Japan. They believe its call sounds like “Ho-hoke’kyo”, one of the other names for the Buddhist Lotus Sutra. Additionally, the bush warbler’s name in Japanese, “uguisu”, is one of the kigo words used in traditional poetry to symbolize spring, and is featured in poetry anthologies from the Nara and Heian periods. It has such a strong association with spring, they even have a traditional sweet named after it: uguisu mochi. If you are visiting Japan in spring, see if you can hear this call when you go out, and don’t forget to stop by a Japanese sweets shop to pick up some uguisu mochi along the way!

3. Barn Swallow/ ツバメ (tsu-ba-meh)

Barn swallows are migratory birds that return to Japan in the spring in preparation for their summer breeding season. They are small-bodied birds with pointed wings and a long, deeply forked tail. Dark, metallic blue feathers on their head, back, and tail make a bold contrast to their rusty throats and white or cream bellies. These acrobatic birds swoop through the air eating flying insects such as flies and moths (and come summer, hopefully, mosquitos!).

Symbols of Spring: Traditional Poetry

Barn swallows also have a place in Japanese traditional poetry as kigo, words or phrases that represent the seasons, representing spring and summer. In spring kigo, swallows appear as swallows in flight: hi en 飛燕 and first swallow of the season: hatsu tsubame 初燕. Next time you head outside, look to the skies and see if you can spot your hatsu tsubame!

Photo from https://www.miyanomayu.com/archives/8939297.html

Where to see it:

Another great place to see this bird is, surprisingly, local train stations or shop buildings. Swallows build their mud nests against the wall of a building, usually under an overhang. Because of their special significance in Japan, rather than try and remove these nests to prevent bird droppings from disturbing customers, businesses will often simply put up an umbrella under the nest to catch the droppings and put up signs to alert customers. I see this often at my local supermarket where they will put out a little sign on a cone to get people’s attention and an umbrella to keep things clean.

These 3 birds are symbolic of springtime in Japan and have been memorialized in traditional poetry, sweets, and of course on Instagram. They can be found throughout most of Japan so odds are high you’ll be able to see them (or in the case of the bush warbler hear them) during a spring visit.

Are there any birds symbolic of spring where you are from? Or any you look forward to seeing once winter ends? Comment below and let me know!

3 Ways Feeding Wildlife is Dangerous for Humans

In the last post, I talked about why feeding wildlife, especially at tourist sites, can be bad for the health and well-being of the animals. Today I want to go into why feeding wildlife is also dangerous for humans. There is the obvious risk of bites, but feeding can also create conditions for disease spread and pose risks to community safety.

1. Increased Aggression/Attacks

Kangaroos are built to fight, with strong legs and long claws for kicking and slashing.
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

When tourists become a regular source of food for wildlife, the animals begin to expect food from any human that approaches. If they don’t get the food they are expecting, they can react aggressively; chasing, biting, or scratching to get the food they think the tourist has, or the food the tourist has but isn’t giving them. Watching an animal trot up to you looking for food may seem cute, but it becomes significantly less so when it’s a kangaroo ripping a gash in your stomach for not sharing your chips. One popular spot for seeing kangaroos in Australia saw a noticeable increase in aggression after tourists kept feeding them junk food. This led to gashes and stitches for several unlucky tourists. If you don’t want 17 stitches to your face as a souvenir, it’s best not to encourage aggressive behavior in wildlife by feeding them.

This aggression towards humans has been documented in many cases around the world with a variety of animal species that have been fed by humans. Bears in U.S. national parks, primates in a variety of countries, and marine mammals such as sea lions and dolphins. Sea lions, used to eating the scraps thrown from boats in the marina, now haul out and rest on the docks and pose a threat to the people working on the boats. Their willingness to be so close to humans has also resulted in attacks on tourists. You may remember a few years ago when a video spread showing a young girl being pulled from the edge of a dock and into the water by a large sea lion, who had food tossed to him minutes before.

Pure muscle waiting to launch out of the water and grab you. . .
Photo by Paul Macallan on Unsplash

Scientists have also documented many cases of dolphins biting, ramming, and even pulling people underwater. In our books, and movies, and myths, we often characterize these animals as friendly and playful. We forget that they are apex predators, very capable of harming us. Can you imagine going for a swim, hoping for a magical encounter with a dolphin only for it to turn into a nightmare when it grabs your leg and starts to drag you down? If you don’t want hangry dolphins coming after you, don’t feed them junk food and let them catch their own healthy meals. And if that’s not enough of a deterrent, consider the up to $100,000 fine you may have to pay for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the U.S.

2. Risk of Disease

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

Diseases that can jump from animals to humans are called zoonosis.

Do you know what helps those diseases to jump to humans?

Close contact with animals.

Do you know what encourages animals to get up close to humans?

Feeding them.

When tourists feed animals and encourage them to be in close contact with humans (through the expectation of food) it increases the opportunity for disease to jump to humans. Especially if those now aggressive animals scratch or bite, providing direct transmission through body fluids (their saliva). Getting 17 stitches to the face is a bad souvenir, but getting herpes from a monkey bite or an antibiotic-resistant strain of “seal-finger” is probably worse.

This particular point may be of additional significance given the current state of the world. We are experiencing a pandemic of unprecedented scale and for the first time for many, it has directly affected their daily lives. While the host has not been confirmed, it is believed the coronavirus originated in bats with pangolins as a possible intermediate host before jumping to humans. These are 2 wild animals that humans would not usually have close contact with. But once brought into the crowded, unsanitary wet markets where people could purchase them for meat, it bred the perfect conditions for the virus to spread.

“Hey, don’t blame us just because you humans can’t keep your hands to yourselves.”
Photo by vishu vishuma on Unsplash

Wet markets are a separate topic, but the important thing to remember is just like humans, animals have evolved with their own unique sets of disease. To them, these diseases may cause little to no harm because they are naturally exposed and have their own antibodies to fight it. The problem is when you introduce this new disease to populations that have never encountered it before. Studies have shown that over half of new disease outbreaks are from zoonotic diseases, and the more we bring the animals into our environment (or push into theirs), the greater our chances of having another epidemic. This is not the first time it has happened (SARS, Ebola), and it is happening with increasing frequency.

3. Disrupt Community

Despite signs asking them not to feed the animals, tourists often ignore them and feed the animals anyway.
By Tess McBride, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

And finally, once the tourists leave, it’s the local community that’s left to deal with the mess they created. The aggressive, bitey, potentially disease-carrying mess. We’ve already established that feeding can increase attacks and aggression as well as pass on diseases. For tourists that are only there for a few hours, this may not be a concern. People always like to think, it won’t be me. I’ll just give the animal some food so it won’t bite me and take a selfie while it’s munching away. The problem is, now everyone that lives near those animals have to constantly deal with the risk of those animals coming after them, in expectation of food, while they’re trying to carry on with their daily life. Those kangaroos from before? Live just outside a functioning hospital. And while we’re on the subject of Australia, you know the whole “dingo ate my baby” story? Yeah, that might be tourists’ fault too. One area that had experienced dingo attacks blamed it on tourists feeding and drawing in dingos because tourists expected that they could see them up close from tour pamphlets.

In my other post I also mentioned animals, addicted to human foods, raiding garbage. These are “nuisance” animals that break into garbage cans and dumpsters outside of homes, shops, and restaurants. This can create animosity between people in the community and the animals, and may put them in a difficult position with visitors who want to see these animals. They need to be able to live their lives safely, but if animals continue to attack and cause problems, they may decide to remove or eliminate those animals for public safety. This is a common occurrence with bears in parts of North America. In some cases they may be caught and relocated. But if they keep coming back, authorities will make the choice to euthanize them. People in tourist areas may have to weigh the value of the animals as a tourist attraction with their own safety, and chances are safety is going to come out on top.

Human Nature vs Wild Nature

The urge to cuddle is a strong one.
Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash

Humans are social, tactile animals. We want to befriend and touch everything we see and there are plenty of posts online joking about our willingness to “pack-bond” with anything, including inanimate objects like roomba. We keep pets of all shapes and sizes and treat them as beloved family members, so it would seem it’s in our nature to want to share that love with other animals we see. But we need to learn to suppress that nature and respect wildlife’s need to stay wild. We need to maintain a respectful distance and not try to lure in animals for the sake of a “cool selfie”. This is not only for the animal’s health but for our personal and community safety and health.

The scale of the current outbreak has forced many to change their daily habits and drastically reduced global and domestic travel. If anything good comes from this, I hope that perhaps the break from tourist feeding will allow time for wildlife to unlearn begging behaviors and return to more normal, natural feeding behavior. And perhaps people will be more cautious of trying to touch and get close to the wildlife so that they can stay wild.

In the future, if you are ever traveling and come across local wildlife at a natural park, or beach, or wherever, please keep these points in mind and educate your friends and family about them as well. And if you want a closer picture of an animal, maybe consider a telephoto lens. It might be cheaper than the hospital visit to treat your stomach gash from the hangry kangaroo (at least in the U.S.).

They even make telephoto lenses for phones!
https://www.amazon.com/Apexel-Telephoto-potencia-tr%C3%ADpode-Smartphone/dp/B07TB6N6LJ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=telephoto+lens&qid=1590410136&sr=8-3

References/Additional Reading

5 Ways Tourists Feeding Wildlife is Harmful to Animals

The recent spread of Coronavirus and subsequent restrictions on travel have led to a significant and noticeable drop in tourist numbers in many areas around the globe. It is also bringing to the surface issues regarding public health and safety. One issue that is often overlooked is the feeding of wildlife in tourist areas.

A deer from Nara park that followed people into an underpass near the park after being fed. This photo is from 2013, but deer are now wandering farther outside the park and into the streets looking for food.
Photo credit: Anna Ayvazyan

One video being shared shows a large group of monkeys in Thailand spilling out into the road, fighting over a yogurt cup. In Japan, the deer of Nara Park are roaming outside the park and deeper into the surrounding city in search of food, hungry from the lack of the usual crackers they would receive from tourists. While it may seem like a fun activity on vacation, feeding wildlife can be harmful to their health.

1.Poor/Inappropriate Diet

A monkey, known as “Uncle Fatty”, was fed sugary and high-fat foods by tourists.
Photo Credit: Viral Press

Animals are evolved to eat a very specific diet, one that does not include the numerous junk foods that humans eat. If they eat too much of the wrong foods, it can have serious consequences for their health. Our junk foods are highly addictive (have you ever eaten just 1 chip?), and once exposed many animals may prefer the high calorie highly flavorful human foods. You will probably not be surprised to hear that when wild animals eat too much junk food, they can develop some of the same problems as humans. Obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, joint issues. The reduced mobility and added pressure on their immune system can make it more difficult for them to forage for natural foods and encourage them to continue going after the easy human foods.

Eating nutritionally deficient foods (or the wrong nutrition balance) can also impact the growth and development of young animals. A good example of this is the feeding of bread to ducks and waterfowl. Bread is not a natural part of their diet and lacks the nutrients they need. Birds that eat too much bread (or popcorn, or crackers) can go on to develop conditions such as angel wing and metabolic bone disease (MBD). Birds with these conditions have weak or malformed bones which can lead to malformed wings and feathers that grow in wrong. If not caught and corrected in the early stages, birds suffering from these conditions become unable to fly, leaving them vulnerable to predators and less able to compete and find food.

Muscovy Ducks with Angel Wing
By Cengland0 – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4936599

I mentioned the addictive nature of human foods before, and this is important because it feeds (pun intended) into another problem. Once animals get hooked on human foods and associate human areas with that easy food, they will actively go in search of it. This can mean monkeys stealing food from tourists, deer going after the trash from food stalls, or bears breaking into cars. In my visits to Nara park which is famous for its friendly deer, I have personally seen people holding out sharp wooden skewers, smelling of sauce, out to the deer to eat or plastic containers for them to lick the sauce out of. Despite signs warning people to keep their food and trash out of reach and put away, many see this as a way to entice the deer closer, laughing as the deer follow them around. The direct consequences of this have already been seen as multiple deer in the park have been found dead with stomachs full of plastic. Enticed by the smells on the trash, they end up eating it and developing blockages or internal damage that prevents them from eating.

2.Exceed Natural Carrying Capacity

Regularly feeding wildlife can artificially increase the population size in 1 of 2 ways. The first is that it attracts individuals that would normally be more spread out in the environment to a smaller more concentrated area. Animals naturally devote a lot of their time foraging for food and moving throughout their environmental range in search of that food. When large numbers of tourists become a reliable source of easy food, animals will be drawn to that and converge on the area. The other way population size increases is through natural births. If animals can meet their caloric needs and fill their stomachs with easy food quickly, this frees them from having to spend as much time and energy foraging. This allows them to spend their time on… other pursuits, leading to more babies.

The consequence of this increase in population size is that the animals may exceed the environment’s carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is the number of animals (or plants, or people) that an area can support without becoming degraded. This means that the environment has enough resources (food, water, space) for that population to survive. Once that population exceeds that capacity, there may be environmental degradation (for example, eat all the plants or trample the ground and then nothing can grow) and because there are not enough resources to go around, it can lead to animals going hungry and possibly dying. This may be happening to the deer in Nara park, who, due to the lack of tourist handouts, are leaving the park to head into the city in search of food.

3.Increased Disease/Injuries

When more animals are drawn into an area and in close contact with each other, this can lead to greater competition and fighting over food. The animals can be injured through these fights. Also, having the animals in close quarters in high numbers, where they are all eating and pooping in the same concentrated area, makes it easier for the animals to spread disease and parasites to each other. A study assessing stingrays fed as an attraction in the Cayman Islands showed that the tourist-fed stingrays had more parasites, more injuries (bites from other stingrays competing for food), and higher stress levels. With higher stress levels and open wounds, injured animals can have a harder time recovering and may spend longer periods healing than in less crowded conditions. So even though it may be an easy meal for them, the conditions created by tourist feeding sites can actually cause greater disease and injury spread.

Why did the deer cross the road? To get the deer crackers on the other side!
Photo by Christian MacMillan on Unsplash

And of course, feeding encourages animals to come closer to human areas. When they try to scavenge or are hanging out waiting for food, this puts them at risk of further injury. Currently, herds of deer at Nara have been wandering city streets and disrupting traffic. Animals gathering near roads or crossing roads looking for food can be hit by cars. Animals that get into garbage can be cut digging through or trying to eat the garbage. (I’m sure we’ve all seen the videos of animals with their heads stuck in food cans.) There are also dogs and unkind humans for them to contend with, so it would be in their best interest to stay away.

4.Reduced Ability to Survive on Their Own

If animals get used to handouts from humans they can lose vital survival skills. This is because they will spend less time foraging and gaining experience of what foods they can eat and where or how to find them. This is especially a problem if the adults are choosing to go for the easy food and don’t pass the necessary survival knowledge on to their young. Instead, the young are led to the handouts or the garbage to search for food. One study showed that bears learned nuisance behaviors, such as raiding livestock feed and garbage, from their mothers. Rather than learn proper foraging behavior. the behavior of relying on human foods is passed on to the next generation. Without these foraging skills and knowledge, it can be difficult for animals to feed themselves once the tourist handouts stop. If they are not given food to supplement their diet, and if they are unable to find food from lack of experience or lack of natural food, they may starve to death. Otherwise, they will continue scavenging and targeting human foods which will put them in more conflict with humans.

Do you think mom will bring back McDonald’s?
Photo by anthony renovato on Unsplash

5.Vulnerable to Predators

Finally, the last reason I want to cover is that feeding wildlife can make them more vulnerable to predators. Ill, injured, or less mobile animals congregating in the same area make an attractive target for predators. They are also in a predictable location and higher numbers which could mean an increased chance of success for the predator. Studies show that exposure and habituation to humans can make animals less wary of natural predators or other humans, or more bold in their interaction with predators. This has been demonstrated in tourist habituated gorillas that were slower to run or hide from poachers and were killed with greater frequency than non-habituated gorillas. While the gorillas were not fed by tourists, it does show that increased exposure to humans can have serious consequences when it alters animal behavior.

Feeding wildlife has direct (nutrition, disease, injuries) and indirect (survival skills, predator vulnerability) consequences. When we travel, we want to have a good time and enjoy the chance to see local wildlife. However, we need to respect wildlife and recognize the influence of our actions. Animals will eat any food they can get because they are concerned with getting enough to survive. They do not know the nutritional or caloric content of what they are receiving, but we do. It is up to us to make the responsible choice, and push aside our self-indulgence for the health and wellbeing of the animals.

Sources

3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Give Injured Wildlife Water

The devastating fires in Australia have destroyed wide swathes of habitat and left many animals injured and homeless. Rescue organizations, firefighters, and citizens have come together to do their best to help these animals in need. You may have seen many images and stories, like those below, of people giving injured and dehydrated koalas water from their water bottles. Unfortunately, while this is an admirable gesture, it can actually be deadly for animals already suffering from the traumas of bushfire.

Pouring water into a thirsty koala’s mouth may seem kind, but it actually does more harm than good.
Image: YouTube Colin Phil Cook

Animalia wildlife recently shared a post explaining what happens to the koalas given water this way. Many can develop a condition known as aspiration pneumonia and subsequently die from the infection it causes.

What is aspiration pneumonia?

Aspiration pneumonia is a condition that occurs when a human or animal accidentally inhales food, liquid, or other foreign matter into their lungs. This causes irritation to the lung tissue and the foreign matter that was inhaled can spread bacteria to the sensitive lung tissues, causing an infection. For an animal that is already injured or under stress, this can make recovery even more difficult. They will have to fight off an additional infection on top of trying to recover from other injuries or illness, all while struggling to breathe. This was the case for Arnie the koala from Animalia Wildlife’s post. Even though his burns were minor, he was unable to fight off the infection that developed from the water he inhaled while drinking from a water bottle, and sadly he died.

How does it happen?

While thirsty humans can easily sip water through a straw or take a big swig from a water bottle without choking on the contents, other animals do not get their water this way. As explained in Animalia Wildlife’s post, koalas get most of their moisture content from the leaves they eat. When they do drink water, they lap it up with their head angled downward, similar to how a dog or cat might. When people offer water to them by holding a bottle up above their head and tipped down towards their face, too much can flow out too fast for them to handle and they can end up inhaling some of it. Animalia suggested offering water in a bowl or cupped in your hands so that the koalas can lap it up safely, and do not try to force them to drink.

Providing bowls or tubs of water where animals can reach it is safer for koalas who can then drink it at their own pace.
Image: Youtube/ Koalification

Not Just Koalas

While this issue has recently been put in the spotlight for koalas given the recent impact of the bushfires, this is not just a problem for injured or dehydrated koalas alone. Many people want to help when they find injured or abandoned wildlife and may try to water or feed animals such as baby birds or mammals. However, this carries the same risk that koalas are facing. If improperly given, water or inappropriate foods can hasten the death, or at the very least lengthen the recovery process, for injured wildlife. Across the board, wildlife rehabilitators advise not to give injured wildlife water or food and to bring them to a licensed rehabilitator as soon as possible instead. Giving incorrect food can cause its own set of problems, but for this post, I’m going to focus on water. With that in mind, here are 3 reasons you shouldn’t give injured wildlife water.

The Dangers of Giving Water

1. Aspiration Pneumonia

As stated above, giving water improperly can cause the animal to inhale it and develop aspiration pneumonia. To the untrained, it can be difficult to get the water “down the right hole”, especially without proper tools such as elongated syringes or tubing. If the animal is injured or has other underlying issues, it may be lethargic and unwilling to drink on its own. In cases like this, trained rehabilitators can enact a proper fluid protocol and give fluids via subcutaneous injections (under the skin so it can be directly absorbed) or a tube passed directly to the stomach. Improper tools or techniques will greatly increase the chances of aspiration which can be a death sentence for the animal.

Giving water to an injured animal isn’t as simple as pouring it in its mouth. Special tools and techniques may be needed.
Image: *Bjorn Olesen* , https://wrscomsg.wordpress.com/tag/wildlife-rescue-centre/

2. Reduced Body Temperature

If using poor technique, the wrong tools, or just struggling to deal with an injured and non-compliant animal, you may end up spilling water over them. If the animal becomes damp or wet, this can lead to a drop in body temperature. For animals suffering from heatwave conditions, it may be recommended to mist them with water to cool off. But in other cases, this can be deadly. Animals need to maintain proper body heat to be able to digest their food. If an animal is sick, a drop in body temperature can affect their ability to fight off disease or infection because they are expending energy trying to keep their body warm. This is why rehabbers often give fluids that are room temperature or slightly warmer so that the animal doesn’t have to spend extra energy trying to warm up. If an injured animal is found, rehabbers recommended keeping them warm until they can be brought to a licensed professional. This is especially important for small animals which can lose body heat rapidly, like birds or small mammals.

Young animals especially need to be kept warm, so rehabilitators will often provide soft bedding and use a heating pad or incubator until they are healthy enough to go without.
Image: Mary Cummins/ Flickr

3. Stress and Shock

An injured or ill animal is under stress, and coming into contact with humans, however benign their intentions may be, is only going to cause more stress. Too much contact or handling of an animal, like trying to make it drink or eat, can raise stress levels to the point of impacting their recovery. Increased stress levels can reduce an animal’s ability to fight infections, disrupt its appetite and ability to digest food, and when coupled with shock from an injury may cause the animal to die. Chintimini Wildlife Center provides a more detailed explanation of how stress affects an animal physically so check out their post about handling injured animals if you want to know more. The important thing to remember though is instead of trying to treat the animal yourself, the best option is to keep it in a calm, dark environment and handle it as little as possible.

Wild animals naturally want to stay away from humans, so being handled can cause a lot of stress.
Image: https://www.chintiminiwildlife.org/injured-animal-handling.htm

What should I do?

In the case of a heatwave or fire, if you find an animal in need of water, the best thing you can do is provide water in a container or bowl they can lap from. Do not try to force it into their mouth. Make sure the bowl is solid/heavy enough to not easily tip over and spill. If you are leaving water out, try to provide ramps or bowls of varying sizes so different animals can access it or climb back out if they fall in. Clean the containers regularly and change out the water so that it does not stagnate and stays clean.

A tub of water can provide much-needed water for a variety of species. Perfect Pets Australia provides some helpful guidelines sourced from wildlife experts for providing water to wildlife.
Image: Perfect Pets

For injured wildlife, the first thing you should do is call a local rehabber or wildlife center. They can tell you whether the animal is really in need of help and how you can safely capture them to bring in for help if needed. In this case, you will need to keep the animal warm and quiet. The safest thing, for the animal’s sake, is do NOT try to give them water or food.