Goosander on the Kamogawa river
In January, the Kamogawa River is teeming with ducks. The most remarkable of these is the Goosander. These ducks are slimmer than common ducks such as mallards and teal, making them look one size bigger. The Goosander is called kawaaisa ‘川秋沙’ in Japanese and uses the autumn kanji ‘秋’. It flies to the Kamogawa River between October and November and returns north in early spring, although some individuals may remain until June. In the past, they were found mainly in large rivers, particularly those with strong currents, and were so few in number that they were included on Kyoto Prefecture's list of near-threatened…
