Yoshinori Mizutani: The songs of wild birds that gather in Ueno

About 50 kinds of birds appear around the hills of Ueno and Shinobazu Pond. The trees and water provide food, while other animals that fear humans scarcely visit, making this a haven for birds. The species of these visitors varies from season to season, as do their calls. Often seen around Ueno Park while the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the brown-eared bulbuls have a loud and noisy impressive song, which goes "heeyo, heeyo, heeeeyo."

The sounds that birds make include both everyday calls and the songs that males sing during the breeding season. For the warbling white-eye, the everyday call is "chii chii," while the male's song goes "chuichui chochopiichui" Throughout the breeding season, you might also hear the adorable tweets of various chicks. 

Shinobazu Pond is more lively in winter. From winter to spring, one of the most common birds is the black-headed gull, which cries out "gii, gii." It is rare to see these birds inland like they are here in Ueno, but the reason they often come here during winter is probably because the pond is so large. The tufted duck is another bird that can usually be found on the Shinobazu Pond during winter. It doesn't call out very often, but when it does, it softly says "gue-gue." Other birds that come to Ueno for overwintering include the Eurasian wigeon that whistles "phewoo," and the mallard that says "quack." The call of the kingfisher, which is often found near the water, is "chee chee,” while a higher pitched "queck-queck" would probably be a dusky thrush. 

Familiar city birds like crows, pigeons and sparrows are also regular visitors in Ueno Park. The large-billed crow, which clearly cries out "kaaw, kaaw," is often found in the urban areas of Japan, and comes to the hills of Ueno for a rest. There are actually very few of this species in the world, and it's rare to find such a large number in urban areas. Then there are the naturalized rock pigeons. These birds once swept across the Ueno area, and although their number has decreased since feeding was banned, they are still going strong with the sound of their cooing. The tree sparrows, which make adorable "chun chun" sounds, also have a strong presence. As well as being seen around the park itself, they can sometimes be found dust bathingat the base of the trees near Ueno Station.

The sound of a bird's presence is not just limited to their calls and songs. A group of great cormorants lives on Shinobazu Pond, and flying down low, they both look and sound impressive as they move fast against the wind with their wings flapping. These birds have built a nest in a low tree over on Nakanoshima Island, which sits in the middle of Shinobazu Pond and is also home to the Benten Shrine. Their chicks can be heard crying out, "kyururu, kyururu." The existence of these birds and the various sounds they make is an inextricable part of Ueno.