Japan's earliest blooming cherry blossoms are the Kawazu-Zakura (Cerasus lannesiana,) these cherry blossoms are the ultimate for Japan Birding Cherry Blossom photo tour participants.  These early blooming cherry blossoms start their annual bloom in South Japan in December, and bloom in the Kanto region in February until the first or second week of March.  On a side note, as birds are feedings on nectar from cherry blossom in Kanto Japan, the Steller’s sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) is feeding on pack-ice in Hokkaido Japan.   Most years I fly from Hokkaido to Kanto, Japan, where I lead private birding photo tours, to photograph the early cherry blossoms and birds, then I fly back to Hokkaido to lead my annual group Hokkaido photo tours.

The Warbling White eye (Zosterops japonicus,) and the Brown-eared bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis,) are attracted to eating the sweet nectar of the cherry blossoms, as bears are to eating hunny, in which both species can not resist.  The Mejiro bird is a small an attractive song bird, olive green on its back, from anterior to posterior, they are pale green on their underside.  Their feet, legs, and bill range from black to brown. They have a green forehead and a yellow throat. The white-eye has rounded wings and a long, slender bill, both of which indicate this bird to be very acrobatic. Its wings are an olive brown but outlined in green.  Such as other white-eyes, this species exhibits the distinctive white eye-ring that gives it its name (mejiro also meaning white eye in Japanese).  Adults range from 4 to 4.5 in (10 to 11 cm) in length, and weigh between 9.75 and 12.75 grams.  This bird is very acrobatic, very fast and shy, and it took me a couple of season to learn their behaviors, now that I have been spotting and photographing these birds for over twenty years, I have  my camera techniques down, and I have no problems spotting and photograph them.   For even experienced  birders, these birds can be challenging to spot and photograph, but with me by your side you have a high percentage at getting your shots of these lovely little song birds slurping the sweet nectar of these cherry blossoms.  The Brown-eared bulbul is boisterous and larger then the warbling white eye, but the bulbul is an active bird, who loves to sing and they have the ability to imitate other species. They reach a length of about 28 cm (11 in) the brown-eared bulbuls are grayish-brown, with brown cheeks with brown ears, and a long tail, and they they love the sweet nectar of the Kawazu-Zakura as much as the warbling white eye.