We examined the factors affecting the amount of crop damage caused by Cervus nippon, using a questionnaire to assess the amount of damage caused by wild animals conducted by Memuro Town in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, Japan, in 2014. A generalized linear model was used to assess the relationships of the amount of crop damage with the species planted and with the proximity of the farmland to forest. Damage was substantial in farmland producing Vigna angularis and other beans, and in farmlands close to remnant forests. Our results showed that we can estimate seriously damaged farmlands based on the species planted and the proximity of the farmland to forest to implement countermeasures to crop damage using a questionnaire with positional information of damaged farmlands. We also suggest that revealing the mechanism of crop selection by deer and its areal difference will help predict serious damage to farmlands by regions.

We installed 36 nest boxes at four sites in Nopporo Forest Park, an urban forest in Hokkaido, Japan. We checked the nest material in the nest boxes during winter from 2013 to 2016, and estimated the inhabitation of Pteromys volans. Nest boxes were used by P. volans, birds and Apodemus argenteus. We found only two cases of P. volans using nest boxes at one site. We also found that P. volans and birds use higher nest boxes than A. argenteus. We concluded that the habitat of P. volans is restricted and the population is small.

Birds have been observed since 1992 at the Takizawa Forest Park, Iwate Prefecture by the staff members and visitors to the Forest Park Nature Center. The names of bird species were recorded almost every day when the Nature Center was not closed. We analysed the data from 1992 to 2016 and found that 115 species were recorded. The highest number of species was recorded in May (81 species) and the lowest in January (53 species). The most frequently observed species was Parus minor, followed by Poecile varius, Hypsipetes amaurotis and Dendrocopos major. Among birds which are resident in the Forest Park, several species showed specific seasonal patterns in terms of the frequency of occurrence. Although it is generally believed that Zosterops japonicus, Motacilla alba, Cettia diphone, Motacilla cinerea, Eophona personata and Emberiza spodocephala are resident birds, they reduced their numbers substantially in winter or even disappeared from the area. Coccothraustes coccothraustes is classified as a winter visitor in Honshu Island and sometimes as a casual breeder in northern Honshu. Since the species occurred throughout the year at the Takizawa Forest Park, it should be considered a resident breeder. The frequency of occurrence of Emberiza spodocephala and Turdus chrysolaus showed a steady decline while that of Ficedula narcissina showed an increase. We concluded that these changes corresponded to the vegetational succession of the area.