Naganuma Town is located less than an hour's drive from Sapporo city, making it the perfect place to visit on a drive. Naganuma Town is also home to a spot where you can observe many wild birds. This spot is the Maizuru Reservoir. Let's take a look at what kind of place it is! The Maizuru Retarding Basin is a flood control facility built in the Maizuru district of Naganuma Town for flood control. It is said to be quite large, covering an area of about 200 hectares.

Photo courtesy of Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, Sapporo Development and Construction Department

In the photo above, can you see the trapezoidal plaza in the middle of the field? That plaza is the Maizuru Retarding Basin. There is also a watering hole on the premises that is popular with wild birds.

Naganuma Town was originally an area of marshes and swamps, and many waterfowl used to live there. With the construction of the Maizuru Retarding Basin in 2015, many different birds can now be seen again. For example...

When you look at the gracefulness of the swans flying in formation and the faces of the swans as they land on the water's edge, you'll notice how cute and charming they are.

Photo courtesy of Takitsubo Isao

Photo courtesy of Kiichiro Hirabayashi

The sight of the white-tailed eagles circling leisurely in the sky is truly majestic. The sight of all the migratory birds taking flight at once is a spectacular sight! If you see it for yourself, it will be an unforgettable sight.

But you may not know where to look for such scenery in the vast Maizuru Reservoir. In such a case, first visit "Maoi-to Bird Station" built on the premises. In the aerial photo above, it is located in the lower left corner of the trapezoid-shaped Maizuru Retarding Basin. There is also a parking space, making it a perfect base for bird watching.

Inside the hut, there are many exhibits where you can learn about the types of birds you can see here and the efforts being made by Naganuma Town. In fact, Naganuma Town is working on "town development where red-crowned cranes can live", and it has been confirmed that red-crowned crane chicks have been born in the Maizuru Retarding Basin for the first time in over 100 years.

This year (2022), the red-crowned cranes have been spotted again (by the way, the heron on the left in the photo above is a heron). When observing, do not get too close, and watch from inside a building or car. Also, the types of birds you can observe vary depending on the season. Why not enjoy watching the seasonal activities of birds with kindness and joy?

<Interview cooperation> Naganuma Town Policy Promotion Division Location: 1-1-1 Chuokita, Naganuma-cho, Yubari-gun, Hokkaido Contact: 0123-76-8015 Official website Naganuma Town: https://www.maoi-net.jp/ Creating a city where cranes can live: https://www.facebook.com/NaganumaTancho (Thumbnail provided by: Council for the Study of Urban Planning for Red-Crowned Cranes)