Birding Spots in the Okhotsk Region
Here is a short list for now.
Abashiri area
- Yobito Birdwatching Trail. Yobito is about 10 minutes outside Abashiri on national road 39 heading toward Memanbetsu and Kitami. The entrance to the trail is about 100 meters from the first right turn after you pass Abashiri Lake. If you take a bus, get off at Yougo Gakkou Iriguchi, cross the road, and the road to the trail is the first road before the traffic light. The trail itself is about 7 kilometers along the shore of Abashiri Lake on the Yobito Peninsula. There is a map at the entrance. To come back to where you started, you need to retrace your steps, or you can walk along the dirt road that leads from the other end of the trail. The dirt road goes between fields for about 2 km, and when you see a large school-like facility on your left, you turn left there and walk down the hill back to the national road and the traffic light. This is a beautiful trail. (A glimpse of it can be seen here on the Reports page. (No toilet facilities, but there is a new parking lot just past the trail entrance on the right.)
- Swan Park (Hakuchou Kouen). The main spot at Tofutsu Lake for watching shorebirds. You can also drop inside the new Tofutsu-ko Waterfowl and Wetland Center that opened in 2012 (open year-round except Mondays) where you will find scopes to use if you like as well as lots of information about the lake. Whooper swans from Siberia winter here and at other areas from late October to late April. Tofutsu Lake became a Ramsar-listed wetland in 2005.
- Heiwa Bridge (Heiwa-bashi). At the east end of Tofutsu Lake. Go further along national road 244 toward Hama-koshimizu, pass the Koshimizu Wild Flower Park on the left, and take the first right after the lake. Go on that road for about 1 km until you come to a bridge. There are two parking spots there. And of course there are two parking spots along the national road as you pass the lake. They are all good birding spots. The above-mentioned Koshimizu Wild Flower Park (Koshimizu Genseikaen) (open 6 months from May through October) is good, too, but going there in early morning before the crowds come is recommended. (Toilet facilities available in the building at the Flower Park.)
- Cape Notoro (Notoro-misaki).
- Along the Abashiri River on the south bank from the Michi-no-Eki to the Prison, about 3 km. The Michi-no-Eki, by the way, has an excellent visitor information center, and a pleasant restaurant upstairs where you can enjoy a tasty, affordable lunch with views over the harbor. (The Abashiri Nature Cruise boats leave from here as well.)
- Kinohiroba Forest Reserve. This is up in the Komaba area of Abashiri. There are several entrances, but the main one is at the end of a residential road, a left turn just after the huge blue and white Aoyama Men's Plaza building across the street from Basic supermarket. This is near Komaba 8-chome bus stop (coming from downtown Abashiri). From the other side of the reserve there are beautiful views over the Sea of Okhotsk and beyond to the mountains of Shiretoko on a clear day. (Small parking lot and toilet available at the main entrance.)
Further afield
- Wakka Nature Center at the eastern end of Lake Saroma, north of Tokoro, about 1 hour drive from Abashiri. Infrequent bus service is also available. Wakka is mainly open coastal scrubland with a wide variety of birds and wildflowers. The Center building (open late April to late October) provides local information and includes a shop and toilet facilities, as well as bicycles to rent (500 yen) or a horse and buggy if you prefer. A glimpse of Wakka and a bit more information is here on the Reports page.
- Mt. Mokoto (Mokoto-yama; 1,000 meters). About 50 minutes drive from Abashiri, Mt. Mokoto is a very pleasant, easy-to-climb mountain with not only birdlife (abundant with Japanese bush warblers in spring) but also beautiful views over Kussharo Lake and surrounding mountains. The climb is generally 1.5 to 2.0 hours up and 1 hour back. The hardest part is the first 20 minutes. The trail starts from the Highland Koshimizu 725 parking lot which you can get to on route 102 that runs between Abashiri (Mokoto) and Kawayu. Adjacent to the parking lot you will find a small shop and cafe with simple food menu, and toilet facilities in a separate building. Open early May, when the mountain is still covered with snow, to late October. The "official" climbing season starts in mid-June.
