Oshima Island, Fukui Prefecture

Lying off the coast of Fukui Prefecture, tiny Oshima Island comes alive with birdlife in the early summer. Oriental reed warblers rest in the grasslands near the shore while Narcissus flycatchers and Asian brown flycatchers hunt for insects in the forest that covers the center of the island. Many of these birds are migrating from southern lands on the Asian continent to breeding grounds in the north. Others, like the house martin, raise their young on the island itself. They must always be mindful of peregrine falcons that threaten their young from above.

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