My eyes have been carefully trained on the barren fields outside Izumi Crane Park Museum for at least 20 minutes, but I¡¯ve yet to spot any of the locality¡¯s most famous feathered friends.
It¡¯s both laughable and more than a tad frustrating because, ever since I landed in this unassuming Kyushu city by the sea in northern Kagoshima Prefecture, I¡¯ve seen images of the photogenic cranes everywhere ¡ª on posters, manhole covers, kitschy key chains, road signs and more.
Yet what¡¯s brought me to Izumi from my Kumamoto home on this bitingly chilly morning isn¡¯t the lure of any such stuff ¡ª but hopes of witnessing the great winter gathering here of Japan¡¯s protected crane species. However, I¡¯m finding that birding takes more than a bit of patience and luck.
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