Standing Tall and Red: Wild, Red-Crowned Crane at the Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary

Located approximately 50 minutes by car from Kushiro Tancho Airport and 1 hour by bus from Kushiro, the nearest city, the Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary is a must-visit for birdwatchers. While a number of different bird species call this area home, the most spectacular of them all is the red-crowned crane. From November to March, about 300 red-crowned cranes stop in the sanctuary for food. These majestic creatures can be seen standing tall in the distant snowy plains, seemingly chatting amongst themselves before taking flight gracefully through the skies again. In mid-February to early March, the cranes perform their mating dances. This is often considered an ideal time for birdwatchers to snap rare shots of these culturally significant birds.