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Links to other sites of interest

Bird-related links

• The Tofutsu-ko Waterfowl and Wetland Center
• Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ)
• Ornithological Society of Japan
• Yamashina Institute for Ornithology
• Avibase  (A highly detailed database of the world's birds)
• BirdBase Hokkaido  (Not updated since 2004?)
• Fatbirder page on Japan  

Nature Guide links

• Japan Nature Guides  (Mark Brazil's site. Mark is the author of Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia, introduced on the References page. In addition to tour information, you will find the resourceful "A Birdwatchers Guide to Japan Online" which includes a section on Hokkaido.)
• Abashiri Nature Cruises  (Information on birding and other nature cruises out of Abashiri aboard the Chipashiri in the Sea of Okhotsk, highly recommended)

Okhotsk Region links

• Abashiri City Travel Site  (Abashiri municipal government site)
• Shiretoko Shari-cho Tourist Association  (A wealth of information for visitors to Shiretoko)
• Shiretoko Nature Foundation  (NPO conducting conservation and educational activities in Shiretoko)
• Shiretoko National Park Nature Center  (Operated by the Shiretoko Nature Foundation)
• World Heritage, Shiretoko  (World Heritage Centre of UNESCO page)
• Shiretoko World Natural Heritage  (Hokkaido prefectural government page)
• Ramsar Sites in Japan  (Page on MOE site. Tofutsu Lake is a Ramsar-listed site near Abashiri.)
• Live Camera at eastern end of Tofutsu Lake  (Taken from the roof of the facility at Koshimizu Wildflower Park, now (July 2015) looking west with the lake on the south side of route 244)

Conservation-related links

• Kiritappu Wetland National Trust  (An NPO dedicated to preserving land in and around the Kiritappu Wetland between Kushiro and Nemuro. The people who run the Trust also run Pension Porch, a wonderful accommodation for nature lovers at the edge of the wetland.)
• Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary  (On the WBSJ website. A facility devoted to research and conservation of the Japanese crane [Tancho], located in Tsurui village next to the Kushiro Wetland. This page also provides links to other WBSJ pages on birds and birding in the surrounding area.)
• Akan International Crane Center  (This site is in Japanese but includes basic information in English on opening hours, how to get there, etc.)
• Ministry of the Environment  (MOE)
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands  Profile on Japan (Tofutsu-ko [lake] is a Ramsar-listed site in the Okhotsk region.)
• World Heritage Centre of UNESCO  (Shiretoko is a World Natural Heritage site in our region.)

Other links

These links have been provided or suggested for addition to this page by visitors to the Okhotskbirds site. We are happy to include them here and thank you for your interest! We hope that this list of links will grow further to become a colorful mosaic of our visitors' birdwatching activities around the world.

• Audubon Society  With over 400,000 members and about 460 local chapters, the Audubon Society is the primary organization of birdwatchers in the United States. From an Okhotskbirds visitor in Oregon, USA. (September 2014)
• Complete Guide to Bird-Watching From Your Window  This link comes thanks to a young birdwatcher in the United States who enjoyed Okhoskbirds and thought it would be fun and informative to other visitors to our site. The link takes you to the site of a window company in California whose owner, the author of this article, shares his love of windows in a way that bird-lovers can also appreciate! (December 2014)

A flock of around 30 Bean Geese (Hishikui; Anser fabalis serrirostris, or Tundra Bean Goose, in our area) were spotted here on the bank of mostly frozen Tofutsu Lake feeding at an exposed grassy area enroute from their wintering location in northern Honshu to their breeding grounds in Kamchatka. It was a surprise to see them this early; three days later another snowstorm arrived. (Tofutsu Lake, 2 March 2010; photo: DB) On 5 March, the day of our snowstorm, I received news that 244 Bean Geese were sighted feeding near Yambetsu, between Hama-koshimizu and Shari. The daytime temperature was not below freezing and the snow was wet; the geese were probably getting enough to eat.