Birding at Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park in Summer
I went birding at Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park in August 2021. My big, heavy Fujifilm 100-400 mm lens was needed for that shoot. It had the length and reach to get quality photos. I have no regrets about carrying it on that hot, sticky summer day.
Even going to the park is good. I get to see and do things differently from my daily routine. The first is the monorail, which I rarely use. And I also like the fifteen-minute walk through the warehouse area of Tokyo. It puts me in a positive mood, especially on warm sunny days.
For this photo shoot, I started with the park’s number three and four huts. They are tiny with basic amenities, but that is all bird photographers need. Unfortunately, the birds were missing. I spent an uneventful thirty minutes at them. Eventually, I packed up and moved to the big pond. Oh well.
A move to the other side of the park improved my shots. In the big pond, there were lots of birds! I saw great cormorants, egrets, and great white herons. Quite a few ducks too.
At the end of my time in the park, I was happy. The birds were quite cooperative. Some of them came near my camera. But my photos weren’t perfect, of course. So, I self-critiqued at home to see how I could improve.
Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park birding tips
- Get a bird-watching scope! They are lightweight and small. That would make it quicker to see birds high in trees. If you don’t have one, the admin office can loan you binoculars.
- Birds move fast and in all directions. That can make capturing them difficult. Lots of practice is needed to get a good image of a bird in flight.
- Birding at Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park in summer is hard. It is harder when you carry around a lot of gear. You need to keep in the shade and hydrated.
- I need a bigger lens! Yes, I got lucky today, but that won’t happen every time. And cropping photos for when they are further away isn’t the best option. Hopefully, Fujifilm will have its 150-600 mm lens out one day.
Conclusion
So that is it for this story! Birding at Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park in summer was fun. Of course, it was hot! But, I made some improvements from this trip, and that was good. Things are looking up for sure. It is far from my house so I might go to some places closer to home.
A walk along the Kanda River might be good. I’ve heard Aoyama Cemetery can be good for birdwatching, too (which I didn’t know). Please look at my main article about Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park. Leave questions and comments below.
Photo gear for this shoot
- Camera Body: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lenses: Fujifilm XF100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
More birding articles
External related websites
- Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park (official website)