【ラムサール条約登録湿地「宮島沼」は雪の中】

この３連休は北海道は比較的温暖な気候で推移。わたしたち夫婦は賃貸用不動産の管理者として冬の間、いつ何時大雪が襲ってくるかも知れないので、その保全管理義務から長期出張などで家を空けることを避けています。とくにこの時期１月初旬は真冬まっ盛りで保守管理の在宅一択なのですが、この気候の良さに誘われ、冬の遠出ドライブ。
　実は健康維持の早朝散歩でも工夫しておりまして「冬の札幌歩きやすい道」地下鉄札幌駅からすすきの駅までの「地下歩道空間」に目をつけ、琴似駅の24時間営業店舗の駐車場を利用してJR線で札幌まで移動し、この地下歩道空間を元気に往復。途中、夜通し飲み明かした「元気いっぱいだけれどフラフラ」の若者集団をはるかに抜き去って、元気に歩数確保しております（笑）。どうだ！
　で、それに飽き足らず、冬だけれど陽射しは春の感じられるなかドライブで、北海道中部の美唄市宮島沼まで来た次第であります。「冬はどうなっているんだろうね？」〜真冬の元気な夫婦道。
　この宮島沼は日本国内で最北かつ最大のマガンの寄留地。世界でも有数のマガンの飛来地として知られ、ヒシクイやコハクチョウなどの水鳥も飛来する。これらから国指定宮島沼鳥獣保護区（集団渡来地）に指定されている（面積は25ha、全域が特別保護地区）。2002年に日本で13番目のラムサール条約登録湿地となり2015年には「生物多様性保全上重要な里地里山」（重要里地里山）に宮島沼および周辺湖沼群の農地が選定された地域。

　夏場にはよく訪れるけれど冬場どうなっているか初体験。こちらの写真は展示されている夏場の早朝の鳥の一斉群舞の様子。冬場ですが、別に道路はきれいに除雪されていて、また観察センターの建物も公開されているではありませんか。ただし、外観はこんな感じで、屋根からの雪崩雪が、一部通路を阻んでいるし、暖気にさらされてときどき屋根雪がどさどさと落ちても来る。


　ということで沼の方向を見た様子が上の写真であります。浅い水深の水面はすべて雪原になっていまして、鳥たちの姿はどこにも見当たらない。しかし雪原の先には月形町の「道民の森」方向の豊かに降雪した山並みが冬の景観美を提供してくれている。
　真冬のひと休みのような風情を楽しむことができました。この時期もワルくないですよ。


English version⬇

The Ramsar wetland Miyajima Marsh is covered in snow.
Early morning walks in the city centre to discover ‘hole-in-the-wall’ spots, followed by a search for winter scenic beauty in the suburbs. As a healthy elderly person, I will get through the winter in a positive and active manner. ...

The weather in Hokkaido was relatively mild during this three-day weekend. As managers of rental properties, we avoid being away from home for long periods of time during the winter months due to our obligation to maintain and manage our properties in the event of heavy snowfall. Especially at this time of year, early January, we have no choice but to stay at home for maintenance management in the middle of winter.
　In fact, I have been taking some ingenious steps in my early morning walks to maintain my health, and I spotted the ‘underground walkway space’ from Sapporo Subway Station to Susukino Station, using the parking lot of a 24-hour shop at Kotoni Station to get to Sapporo on the JR line, and then cheerfully walked back and forth along this underground walkway space. On the way, I have far outstripped a group of ‘full of energy but dizzy’ young people who had been drinking all night, and I have kept a healthy walking count (laughs). How's that?
　And not content with that, we drove through the winter but with a hint of spring sunshine to Miyajima-numa, Bibai City, in central Hokkaido. I wonder what it's like in winter?’ 〜A healthy couple of roads in the middle of winter.
　Miyajima-numa is the northernmost and largest stopover for geese in Japan. It is known as one of the world's leading geese fly in, as well as waterbirds such as the brown-eared bulbul and the whooper swan. In 2002, it became the 13th wetland to be registered under the Ramsar Convention in Japan, and in 2015, Miyajima Marsh and the farmland of the surrounding lakes were selected as an ‘important satochi-satoyama’ (satoyama that are important for biodiversity conservation). The area was selected as an ‘Important Satoyama’ (Important Satoyama for Biodiversity Conservation) in 2015.

　I often visit in summer but this is my first experience of what happens in winter. The photo here shows the early morning bird swarms in the summer months. Although it is winter, the roads have been cleared of snow and the observation centre building is open to the public. However, the exterior of the building looks like this, with snow avalanches from the roof partially blocking the pathways, and the warm air sometimes causes snow to fall from the roof.

　So the photo above shows the view in the direction of the swamp. The shallow water surface has all been turned into a snowfield and there are no birds to be seen anywhere. However, beyond the snowfield, the richly snow-covered mountain range in the direction of the ‘Dojin no Mori’ in Tsukigata Town provided a beautiful winter scene.
　We were able to enjoy the atmosphere of a midwinter break. It's not a bad time of year either.