R: Great-spurred Violet?
Today we visited a couple spots inside Shiretoko National Park, on the other side of the Shiretoko Peninsula. The amazing-sounding National Parks on Hokkaido was another reason I was hoping to see this island while in Japan.
After getting to the summit of Shiretoko Pass (where I was lucky to find a cute caterpillar on a fence, newtome Drinker Moth?), and getting incredible views of Mount Rausu in the process, we first stopped at the park’s Nature Center.
I had seen a trailhead sign with a Totoro/Owl image on it while we drove into the Nature Center. And I was lucky we had time for a ten minuteish walk on the trail (just to take a look-see) before we had to go.
And in that short time, we saw some things!
Brian spotted a Bull-headed Shrike, which I wasn’t able to see. One Life Bird for him. Then I saw an Asian Tit, followed by a blue fairy butterfly that kindly landed on the trail to pose for me. Newtome Holly Blue!
We then saw what looked like a small raptor fly overhead. And soon after, we started hearing a super loud call unlike anything we’d ever heard before. Somewhere back near the trailhead. Hm!
After I stopped to admire an adorable violet low on the ground (newtome Great-spurred Violet?) and randomly find a caramel-colored ladybug on my jacket sleeve (Cream-spotted Ladybird?), it was time to head back.
But that bird was still calling. Loudly. And Brian was able to find it! A Cuckoo of some kind, which made perfect sense given its call. I’m not confident what Cuckoo it was, based on our Merlin ID. So he has to look more closely at the three possible Cuckoos it could’ve been before he can make his best guess. Two Life Birds for him!
Next was our main destination, Shiretoko Goko Lakes. Now, this is Bear Country. Over on the East Coast of the peninsula, the Brown Bears don’t come down the mountains until the Fall. Must be good Salmon in the East? But on the West Coast, they start appearing in mid-to-late Spring.
And there was already evidence of them in the lakes area in earlyish May!
We took a guided hike through the middle of the area, which bordered the forest edge. The longer route (that we didn’t have time for, and that Brian would’ve opposed us doing) was further out into the forest. Where the evidence was.
We had to ensure we packed no food with us and no liquid other than water or green tea. We had to watch an eight minute video teaching us what to do and not to do. And we had to brush our shoe bottoms before we started. Awesome.
NO, we did not see any bears, nor evidence of them. Our guide (equipped with bear spray) was very friendly and bear-certified and told us that he hoped we wouldn’t see bears. If we did, the tour would be cancelled!
The whole intention of the tour is to show you their habitat safely and to teach you about them (like all the things they eat and in which season). Not to get you to see bears.
From a couple spots along the way, we had incredible views of the Rausu-Shiretoko Io Volcano Group (of which, Mount Rausu is the most southern). They all still had good amounts of snow on them, but notably less so than on the East side.
I wished we were able to take more time to try finding the handful of birds we heard. But I did manage to see AND get photos of the Masked Bunting we saw, as well as spot a super cool Jumping Spider (Mendoza genus) and a bunch of midnight blue beetles (Agelastica coerulea).
But it was special to have this guide lead us and stop to show and tell about this and that along the way.
We were able to find a singing Masked Bunting before our time there was done. And that was a satisfying way to end our time in Hokkaido before we had to head out to Memanbetsu to fly back.
Hokkaido reminded us of Michigan at times and of British Columbia at times. But it is definitely its own thing. All the low Bamboo and Giant Butterbur everywhere. The sprinkling of wild cherry blossom trees (that we were so lucky to see, since they’re pretty much entirely done on the main island right now), providing pops of pink on the hillsides. The dramatic mountains almost instantly becoming the sea below. So much going on.
And I love that the northernmost end of it has no roads!
I’m so glad we came. I only wish we had more time here.
