A bright blue of something dashed across over the river. It was truly vibrant cobalt blue. I immediately noticed it was a bird, but it took me some moment to tell what kind of bird it was. Little larger than a sparrow, and metallic blue coated the back and the head. I could see light brown on its underpart. And the bill disproportionately long and large for such a small body. It was a kingfisher, a kind of bird I've never actually seen but on encyclopedias or TV programs.
And before I knew it, the bird dived into the water.
I stood there for a while, being impressed by the fact that we have a kingfisher in the middle of our town.
※To locate Hinpun Banyan Tree on Google Map, click here.
This tree stands in the middle of the Nago Main Street. The Kouchi River runs right next to the tree, and a bridge over the river is a part of the street. The Hinpun Gajumaru stands at that point, where the street crosses over the river.
My office is right next to the tree and the river, so I watch them every day.
Ever since that day, I often see the kingfisher in the river. After I took the photos of the bird, it quickly flew into a space between the bridge and the river bank. I couldn't help but think the old banyan tree is providing a safe space underneath itself for the kingfisher.
The Kouchi River, that runs through the downtown, was at one time very polluted. We have a citizen volunteer organization called "The Kouchi River Restoration Society," and as the issues of sewage treatment have been gradually solved, the river has become considerably clearer.
The fact that I can catch a sight of the bird in the downtown could be considered as a proof of the river's cleanliness. Or, maybe it is the bird's capacity to adapt to the environment that we need to be aware of.
