Sasebo Birding
Bird watching has been growing in popularity in Japan. Sasebo birding refers to the hobby in the area around the large American naval base at Sasebo, Japan.
Sasebo Birding
Actually, the entire country is a hot bed of bird watching activity. Japan is a chain of islands that run longitudinally over quite a long distance. This gives a rather wide range of climate zones from north to south. The fact that Japan is an island also means that there is a lot of coast line and almost 60% of the birds in Japan are migratory from the Asian mainland. Within Japan, the bird watching associations will point to several other locales as being the prime bird watching areas. Sasebo, in the southern island of Kyusho, is not often mentioned.
The reason Sasebo birding is more known in the West is the fact that such a large number of American military personnel and their families have been stationed at the Naval Base there. Many of these Americans have carried their interest in bird watching with them and have reported back on the amazing quality of Japanese birding in general and Sasebo birding in particular.
This is not to say that they were wrong to be impressed. Sasebo is a beautiful place. It is a natural harbor isolated by a mountain. Along the coast, there is a chain of small islands. The name of the islands translates from Japanese to mean either “99 islands” or “too many to count” islands. In other words, there are a lot of them and they are home to many species of migratory water birds.
Among birders, there is an expression that refers to a sighting of an extremely rare bird, or a bird thought to be extinct. This expression is “twitching” in the UK and “chasing” in the USA. Sasebo birding areas have a reputation for being good twitching areas in addition to its large variety of water birds.
Bird watching like hunting and fishing is a hobby that has spectacular scenery and wild life outdoor settings as a perk. Those who travel the world to pursue their interest can also take in the history and culture of the places they visit. Although the pursuit of the bird, animal, or fish may always come first, the locale is still there to be enjoyed. Sasebo, Japan is one of those places that would be worth a visit simply for its scenic beauty and cultural attractions even if there were no birds to be found there. Fortunately for the birder, there are a lot of birds in and around Sasebo.