Spring is here!

In America we determine spring by when the robins return. Always noted for their bright red chests as they scavenge the ground for worms to be pluck in the morning. 'Ahhhh spring' is what you tell yourself at the much welcomed sight of them. No more frost covered mornings, the shucking of those heavy winter jackets, and of course the diets for the following bikini season that begin to get underway. Yup. Spring.


Well, there are also groundhogs, but that is just for fun really.
In Japan, they have sakura trees as the most world wide notable season changer, they have festivals and parties and picnics. But before that, just as the weather changes, they have a little birdie indicator as well. As Japan has a bit of a shortage of robins, none to be exact, they rely on a little bird they call uguisu. So I don't see any of those red breasted birdies plucking worms from the ground bright and early in the morning. Instead there is a little guy called uguisu.

Uguisu is a green little birdie most noted for his songs. To hear it described by a Japanese person, "it sounds like little bells, and then you know spring is here." They are really small and fast paced, they really remind me of hummingbirds, only that you can see them in a resting state. It seems they like flowers and are often spotted in plum and saukra trees, but that is probably because of the green/pink-white contracts as opposed to the green on green of other trees. Translated to English  uguisu is a type of bush warbler, though I have not seen them in America, at least not quiet like these.