I read with interest Mark Brazil's surprising personal introduction to his Wild Watch column of March 8 titled "Flight of the swan offers natural lesson."

Surprise turned to disappointment when I read that it was the final installment of Brazil's Wild Watch column in The Japan Times. For more than 29 years, Brazil's fascinating column has brought the wildlife of Hokkaido and wider Japan to my Sunday morning breakfast table. Blakiston's fish owls and Middendorff warblers became familiar names to me as I began to explore my own tiny nearby lake nestled in the Yamanashi hills.

Thank you, Mr. Brazil, for shining a light on the wonders of our feathered friends.

orla rylands
kofu, yamanashi

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.