Artist Yohei Kichiraku came across an ornithological guide at a flea market one day. Noticing that illustrations of some of the birds had been cut out by the previous owner, their strange absences gave him the idea of “returning” the remaining birds to nature. Kichiraku has photographed drawings from the book he placed in forests and tree branches, faithfully replicating the guide’s vantage point of using nature as a stage. In addition to these witty and intelligent photographs, pictures taken of the book itself as the jumping-off point of birding expeditions are also a crucial element of the series. In these works, Kichiraku lets us vicariously experience the mystery he first felt by the birds’ absences. The “Birds” series goes beyond photography of deep forests, inviting us to an even richer place that condenses the joy of photography.