We have an enormous variety of birds here in Japan. Not just homegrown types. Some very interesting breeds, for example, migrate from China and Siberia. Colorful, exotic, fascinating to watch. My house is on the edge of a forest, in a very quiet setting. I often just sit and view them from my rear window as they come and go.
There are two large, majestic birds that most definitely migrated here many decades ago but now are permanent residents. They can be seen everywhere, along the riverbanks, in the rice fields, soaring high overhead above our rustic town.
I’m referring to the great egrets and gray herons, which must number in the hundreds here in Sasayama.
They have a nesting tree — actually several in various locations in the region — very close to my home. I pass it everyday when I ride into town to buy groceries and other sundries.
Every spring the great egrets build nests, lay eggs, and give birth to their next generation. I’ve never seen any gray herons there. I’m not certain where their maternity ward is.
Anyway, here’s a short movie. Both Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis turned me down for the lead role. It is what it is.
