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60,000 Swallows Roost at Nara’s Heijo Palace

NARA, Aug 05 (News On Japan) - A summer spectacle is reaching its peak at the Heijo Palace Ruins, a World Heritage site in Nara, as tens of thousands of swallows gather in the night sky.

Each evening after sunset, around 60,000 swallows can be seen swirling overhead, eventually settling into their roosting site and covering the sky above Nara City’s historic grounds.

The phenomenon, known as "tsubame no negura-iri" or swallow roosting, occurs when swallows—having finished raising their young—flock together in large numbers for protection and spend the night in reed beds and riverbanks. The peak season is in early August.

The roosting site at the Heijo Palace Ruins is considered one of the largest in Japan. Visitors were awestruck by the scale and beauty of the scene.

"The number was overwhelming, truly spectacular," said one onlooker. Another added, "It was so beautiful—I want to come again next year."

The swallows are expected to begin their journey south in early October to escape the winter cold.

Source: YOMIURI

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