SENDAI -- Holding a four-digit tally counter with one hand and his binoculars in the other, researcher Tetsuo Shimada tracks the geese, ducks and swans at wetlands in Kurihara. It is 6 a.m., and the sight of more than 100,000 birds simultaneously taking flight in the morning glow is breathtaking.
Shimada observes the birds every day, and said he sometimes feels as though he can see into their minds and communicate with them. "Bird-watching means entering into a dialogue with them," he said.
