羅臼 - Wildlife of Japan

2022.09.20 update

Steller’s Sea Eagles and the White-tailed Eagles Living in the Drift Ice in the Sea

White-tailed eagle, at fishing port in Rausu

This year (2022), many Steller’s sea eagles and white-tailed eagles have come to Shiretoko and Rausu to pass the winter. This year, about 300 Steller’s sea eagles and about 120 white-tailed eagles, made a total of 420 birds that were observed at one time.

Rausu has long been used by many eagles during the winter months. A big reason for that is the fishing industry. In winter, cod fishing reaches its peak in the Nemuro Strait between Rausu and Kunashir Island. Until 30-40 years ago, Rausu accounted for nearly half of all Hokkaido catches, with 110,000 tons of fish being caught in 1989, the catch was the highest. At that time, the ships were overflowing with fish, and the eagles were busy eating them. Today the harvest has decreased to about 10,000 tons a year, so the fish no longer overflow from the boats. Now, the tourist boats serve the role that the fishing vessels once did, giving them the fish to eat to help the Eagles survive the winter.

Steller’s Sea Eagles and White-tailed Eagles gathered around the tourist boats.

Photography & text : Kaito IMAHORI (Shiretoko Serai)

*Contact us, Saiyu Travel for more information about wildlife and bird watching in Hokkaido. We can make various arrangements for your trip. We have our guesthouse Shiretoko Serai in Rausu on the Shiretoko Peninsula.

Please see other article from Kaito IMAHORI about Wildlife of Hokkaido

Rausu : Where the Killer Whales Gather

Blakiston’s fish owl that lives in the forest of Shiretoko

Experiencing Autumn From the Notsuke Peninsula to Tokachi Plain: Seeing Flocks of Snow Geese, Brandt, and Pika (Part 1)

Experiencing Autumn From the Notsuke Peninsula to Tokachi Plain: Seeing Flocks of Snow Geese, Brandt, and Pika (Part 2)

Tags: Steller's sea eagle, Shiretoko, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Rausu, Drift ice cruise, Wildlife of Japan, 羅臼, Rausu drift ice cruise, 知床, Birds of Hokkaido, Kaito Imahori Photography, Eagle photography of Japan, Birding tour Japan, Birds of Japan, White-tailed eagle, Birds Photography of Japan, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Rausu sunrise drift ice cruise, Bird watching tour Japan, Wildlife tour in Japan, Shiretoko peninsula, Bird Watching Japan, Oowashi, Wildlife in Japan, Ojirowashi, 知床サライ, Eagle fighting, Kaito IMAHORI, White-tailed sea eagle, Eagle in action, Shiretoko Serai

2022.04.15 update

Experiencing Autumn From the Notsuke Peninsula to Tokachi Plain: Seeing Flocks of Snow Geese, Brandt, and Pika (Part 1)

The Flock of Brant Goose, Notsuke Bay, Hokkaio

This is a report from Saiyu Travel’s Bird Guide, Kaito IMAHORI for a trip from October 26 to October 30, 2021.

Experiencing Autumn From the Notsuke Peninsula to Tokachi Plain: Seeing Flocks of Snow Geese, Brandt, and Pika (Part 2)

Arrived at the Notsuke Peninsula. The main purpose of this tour is to observe a particular species of goose. The Notsuke Peninsula is a famous migration stopover for the Brant Goose, which is designated as a National Natural Monument, and up to about 5,000 birds can be seen at this location. Looking out at Notsuke Bay, there are many black and slightly larger birds at the surface! Immediately, we accomplished our goal, to see the Brant. There are many spread far apart, but a quick count reveals a flock of over 1000 birds.

Whooper swans foraging with the Brant Geese nearby

After further observation, a white colored swan is mixed in with the Brandt. When I was trying to confirm the new species we were seeing, there, mixed in with the Whooper Swans, were actually two individuals of the flock that were slightly smaller and had a round yellow pattern on the beak. They are the Tundra swan. So this confirmation made it the third type of waterfowl observed.

As we went up the shoreline, there were other wintering birds, the Glaucous Gulls up on the shore. Can you see a difference in the two species that are there, the more common species of Hokkaido, the Slaty-backed Gulls (with the darker wings), and their size is different as well.

On our return trip we further enjoyed the Notsuke Penninsula, as we saw red foxes, and a male deer chasing after a female deer. We headed to Nemuro feeling fulfilled.

The male deer chasing after the female deer

On the second day of the tour, we started from Lake Sunset, our inn on the Shores of Lake Furen.

Very close by is the Shunkunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary, where we could observe from a distance a pair of Red-crowned Cranes and a flock of Northern Pintails. From here, we drove to Tsuri Village. We made a short detour along the way to observe a Ural Owl. Then, during lunch, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk showed up and gave us a nice long arcing swirl overhead.

From the afternoon, we moved to observe the Japanese cranes in Tsurui Village. The autumn leaves were finishing their color show, but the yellow leaves of the Japanese larch still remained and were very beautiful.

Towards the end, the two cranes did their mating dance, and it was the best closing act!
We watched over our shoulders as the last of the cranes flew off, and we headed to Tokachi.

Photo ＆Text: Kaito IMAHORI
Tour date: 26-30 Oct 2021, Notsuke Peninsula, Lake Furen, Tsurui village

*Contact us, Saiyu Travel for more information about wildlife and bird watching in Hokkaido. We can make various arrangements for your trip. We have a guesthouse, Shiretoko Serai, in Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula.

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2022.04.03 update

Shiretoko Peninsula: Brown Bears and Whales Drifting Ashore

Our guestouse in Rausu, Shiretoko Serai’s nature guide, Shohei Morita wrote a report from the 2021 Summer Season!

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This year I could see many brown bears!

Along the Shiretoko Pass which connects Rausu to Utoro, I could see brown bears many times along the way. Due to the pandemic and its effects, this year the tourists coming to Shiretoko Peninsula was much less than usual, so we had less traffic, compared to before.

Also, I could see many brown bears on the boat cruises that leave from Rausu’s Aidomari fishing port. We used the small boat that is usually used for Kelp farming, and I was able to get this shot of the bear from the boat. From summer to autumn, brown bears are attracted to the small rivers along the coast to catch the salmon run.

Year after year, the number of salmon are decreasing while the number of fishermen continues to increase. This makes the situation difficult and a lot of stress on the bears. But despite that, I saw a momma bear teaching her cub how to catch salmon.

There was an unusual encounter with the carcass of a whale washed ashore, and the brown bears gathered around it. It is said that it has been more than 10 years since a large whale had been washed ashore.

It is a large whale, perhaps either a fin whale or a humpback whale.

This is a mother bear with her two cubs who had been born this year. This year’s bad fishing year made the national news, but locally, for the fisherman and especially for the brown bears, it was a big blow. I just hope that this abnormal situation in the sea will end as soon as possible, and that there can be a return of the “Rich seas of Shiretoko.”
And I hope that these two cubs can survive the winter.

Photo & text: Shohei MORITA (Shiretoko Serai)
Observation: Summer – Autumn 2021, Rausu, Shiretoko, Hokkaido

Tags: Ezo Higuma, Wildlife in Japan, Wildlife tour in Japan, Brown Bear Photography, 知床サライ, Higuma Photography boat, Shohei Morita, Rausu, Brown Bear Photography Boat, Shiretoko Serai, Shireoko, Shireoko Misaki, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Shiretoko peninsula, Cape Shiretoko, 羅臼, Shiretoko, Shari, Shohei Morita Photography, Aidomari, Brown Bear, Rusha, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Ezo-brown bear, Rusha River, Wildlife of Japan, Higuma, 知床, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan

2021.12.01 update

Rausu’s Drift Ice Cruise and the Drift Ice in the Port of Rausu・The Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-tailed Eagle

This is a winter report from the Shiretoko Peninsula, Rausu (Hokkaido).

This year the drift ice season in Rausu was very short. The morning we arrived in Rausu, the staff at the lodging, Shiretoko Serai informed us right away, “Until last night, the conditions for the drift ice were very good, but the westerly wind is blowing, so its possible the drift ice might be gone by night time.”
Due to the strong winds, the dawn cruise was cancelled, but luckily we could get a 9am cruise where we could see the Port of Rausu full of drift ice.

This is how it looks in the Fishing Port of Rausu with the accumulated Drift Ice. There are Steller’s Sea Eagles and White-tailed Eagles feeding in the photo. If one takes the photo zoomed in, without the port in the background, you can get surprisingly great photos that make the eagles look like they are in a very natural spot.

Sea Eagles on drift ice Rausu（Rausu’s Drift Ice Cruise 羅臼の流氷クルーズ）｜西遊旅行 Saiyu Travel

Image & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Rausu, Hokkaido

Tags: Eagle fighting, Shiretoko Serai, White-tailed sea eagle, Eagle in action, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Steller's sea eagle, Shiretoko, Wildlife of Japan, 羅臼, Rausu, Drift ice cruise, Birds of Hokkaido, White-tailed eagle, Rausu drift ice cruise, 知床, Birds of Japan, Eagle photography of Japan, Birding tour Japan, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Birds Photography of Japan, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife tour in Japan, Rausu sunrise drift ice cruise, Bird watching tour Japan, Shiretoko peninsula, Bird Watching Japan, Oowashi, Wildlife in Japan, Ojirowashi, 知床サライ

2021.11.21 update

Winter in Eastern Hokkaido, Rausu. Drift Ice Cruise and the Steller’s Sea Eagle

The Drift Ice Cruise of Rausu, Hokkaido. This year the drift ice arrived in Rausu around mid-February. This is a photo from a Drift Ice Cruise on March 5. From the day before, it was windy, and the drift ice moved towards the cape on the Shiretoko Peninsula.

We had chartered our boat for the Saiyu Travel’s “Photography Tour of Eastern Hokkaido in Winter” and we headed to sea in our Boat “Ohwashi.” The captain told us, “The drift ice has moved quite a bit, but let’s go check it out. If we travel for about an hour, we will be able to see it probably.”

Just before daybreak, we could see Kunashiri Island (Northern Territory, an island effectively under Russia) we could see a Steller’s Sea Eagle on the ice.

It’s Daybreak.

Sunrise with Kunashiri Island, the ice, and Sea eagles. The morning in Rausu is so breathtaking.

The surface of the sea had shards of ice floating and reflecting the sun like pieces of glass.

The mountains of Shiretoko as a backdrop to the Steller’s Sea Eagle.

The Sea eagle flying to the sea.

The sea eagle locked on to a fish.

The Sea eagles hitch a ride on the floating drift ice off the coast of Rausu.

Once a Sea eagle catches a fish that is thrown from the boat, it flies away. Then another bird will appear to fill the vacant spot.

The remaining bits of drift ice offer a precious place for rest, and they are competing for space on it.

The Steller’s sea eagles eating their fish on the drift ice.

Our boat ran to the Cape Shiretoko and we could finally see the massive drift ice collected there! Steller’s sea eagles were also sitting there as well!

From here on, there is nothing but drift ice. It looks like maybe it continues all the way to Kunashiri Island.

A Stellter’s sea eagle on the drift ice. Then, we heard from the captain, that the wind and waves were getting stronger, so we will turn back here.

The sea of Rausu in the early morning. It was a spectacular time with the Steller’s sea eagles and gulls doing their dance on the drift ice.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: March 2017, Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido
Special Thanks: Captain of the Ohwashi, Mr. KAWABATA and the crew

Tags: Eagle photography of Japan, Widlife in Japan, Birds of Japan, Birds Photography of Japan, 知床サライ, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Rausu sunrise drift ice cruise, Shiretoko Serai, Wildlife tour in Japan, Shiretoko peninsula, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Oowashi, 羅臼, Ojirowashi, White-tailed eagle, Shiretoko, White-tailed sea eagle, 知床, Steller's sea eagle, Birding tour Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Rausu, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Rausu drift ice cruise, Bird Watching Japan, Birds of Hokkaido

2021.11.01 update

Steller’s Sea Eagle On The Drift Ice（Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula）

This is a Steller’s Sea Eagle that we observed during a Drift Ice Cruise from Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula. It is such a handsome looking bird of prey, with white wings, a white tail, and a large yellow beak and yellow legs.

When open, the wingspan measures 220 to 250cm (7.2 – 8.2 feet), and the weight can be heavy from 5 to 9 kg (11-20 lbs), and the females are usually a bit larger than the males.

They breed on the coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk and the coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, and in the winter a small part of that population will come to the southern part of the Kuril Islands and Hokkaido. There are about 3,200 pairs in the world, and about 2,000 individuals are thought to migrate to Hokkaido for the winter.

The name “Steller’s Sea Eagle” came from the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller.

Steller was of German but he joined the Russian expedition of Vitus Bering who set out to explore the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. In 1741, after Bering died of illness on Bering Island, now part of the Commander Islands, the remaining crew and Steller were able to escape and returned home to tell the world of the newly discovered sea animals, such as the Steller’s sea cow and the seabirds living in the area.

Then, as an unfortunate result of being “discovered,” the Steller’s sea cow was overfished and gone extinct within only 27 years of its discovery. Spectacled cormorants were also extinct by 1852.

The reconstructed skeleton of the Steller’s sea cow on display in a private gallery on Bearing Island, Commander Islands.

Returning to the Steller’s sea eagles, they spend the winter in Hokkaido and move back north in the first week of March. It is thought that these Sea eagles did not originally migrate long distances, but came floating on the drift ice to Hokkaido and the Kuril Islands. Then they would return to their breeding grounds for the courtship season. They will lay 1-3 eggs between April to May.

The Steller’s sea eagles against the backdrop of the town of Rausu. Soon, they will be heading back North.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: February 2018, Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido

Tags: Eagle photography of Japan, Wildlife in Japan, Birds of Japan, Birds Photography of Japan, 知床サライ, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Rausu sunrise drift ice cruise, Shiretoko Serai, Wildlife tour in Japan, Shireoko, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Shiretoko peninsula, 羅臼, Oowashi, White-tailed eagle, Ojirowashi, White-tailed sea eagle, 知床, Steller's sea eagle, Birding tour Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Rausu, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Rausu drift ice cruise, Bird Watching Japan, Birds of Hokkaido

2021.10.21 update

Spectacular View! Rausu Drift Ice Cruise at Dawn (Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula)

This is a report from our February 28th Rausu Drift Ice Cruise. We were told to be at the harbor at 4:45 in the morning, so we went straight from the “Washi no Yado”, where we were observing the Blakiston’s Owl up until 4:30am. Without a cloud in the sky, the stars were shining so brightly, in the crisp wintery air of Shiretoko. We headed to the harbor, filled with expectations thinking “Today might be a beautiful day.”

As we departed, I took this shot looking back at the town of Rausu with the backdrop of mountains on the Shiretoko Peninsula.

The Kunashir Island blanketed with red. The captain announced, “Today the drift ice is very close.” Sure enough, we could soon make out the dark shadowy outline of the drift ice.

The drift ice in the foreground, with Kunashiri Island behind. It is beautifully silhouetted in the morning light. The captain let us know “The sun will come out soon.” Everyone was waiting on the deck.

Daybreak.

The Steller’s sea eagles on the drift ice with the morning sun.

The Steller’s sea eagles and White-tailed eagles started to gather around our boat (and the crows too!) Besides that, it was a really beautiful day today!

There are endless shutter clicks on the deck of the ship. Many foreigner bird photographers are on board for the tour and it is not limited to just Japanese people. The early morning daybreak cruise is quite a “hard challenge” because we had just stayed up all night, for observing the Blakiston’s Fish Owls, but this scenery is a wonderful reward for our efforts.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: February 2018, Rausu, Siretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido

2021.10.01 update

Beyond Cape Shiretoko: Mother and cub brown bears of Shiretoko Peninsula

On a nice calm day, with no wind or waves, we cruised from Aidomari around Cape Shiretoko in search of brown bears just before Rusha river in Shari town.

Now we are starting to see Cape Shiretoko! While on the cruise, depending on the location, the weather and conditions can change suddenly with wind and waves. On this day, Shiretoko was “stable”, but there was some waves along the way, since we were on an extended cruise.

This is the Shiretoko Misaki lighthouse. After passing that point, we entered the Sea of Okhotsk where usually there is a significant difference in the sea conditions between the Rausu and Shari sides, which are separated by the Shiretoko mountain range. However, it was a calm and sunny day on both sides.

The Cape Shiretoko has a plateau at 30-40m high, but the vegetation there was cut in the pioneering days, has never returned. There is also a factor that the Ezo-sika deer population has increased too much and is ruining the vegetation. The area from the central part to the northern part of Shiretoko Peninsula became a national park in 1964 and was later designated as World Heritage Site in 2005. Currently power boats are not allowed on land, but you can observe the landscape and wildlife from boats along the coast.

Same as on the Rausu side, there are abandoned fishing houses “banya” along the coast on the Shari side as well. The terrain on the Shari side makes it much more challenging for humans to reach.

Found them…the Brown bear mother and her cub.

The cute scene of a baby bear trying to keep up with the mother bear.

This little cub is just as curious about us. Since we perhaps were catching their attention too much, so we moved away from the coast and made our way towards the mountains.

Another pair of bears. This mother had walking with her a very young cub.

The mother bear makes her way up the slope while eating grass. And two little cubs trying to keep up.

Looks like they are a bit worried about the boat, and I apologized to them for interrupting them.

Photo & text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Aug 2020, Shiretoko Peninsula
Special Thanks : Mr.Koichi TENJIN, Mr.Shohei MORITA (Shiretoko Serai知床サライ)

Tags: Brown Bear Photography, 知床サライ, Rausu, Higuma Photography boat, Shohei Morita, Shireoko, Brown Bear Photography Boat, Shiretoko Serai, Shiretoko peninsula, Shireoko Misaki, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Ezo-red fox, Cape Shiretoko, 羅臼, Shiretoko, Shari, ヒグマ, Aidomari, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Brown Bear, Rusha, Wildlife of Japan, Ezo-brown bear, Rusha River, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Higuma, 知床, Wildlife tour in Japan, Ezo Higuma, Wildlife in Japan

2021.03.31 update

Bird Photography : Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-tailed Eagle (Rausu, Hokkaido)

Winter 2021 Eastern Hokkaido Photography Tour Report

This time, for the Rausu Drift Ice Cruise, there was no drift ice out at sea, so the photography cruise took place in the fishing port.
Due to that situation, however, it proved to be challenging to get photos of the Steller’s sea eagle and White-tailed eagles without any buildings in the background. For the first half of the tour I was trying to get them with the ice and snow as the backdrop, and then for the second half I mainly took shots of them flying in the air. The staff on the ship assisted in this effort by expertly throwing the fish in the air.

A Steller’s sea eagle flying towards our boat.

Battling for food mid-air.

I wondered if it is just less risky to steal another eagle’s fish rather than grabbing the ones that have fallen on the ice surface?

Fierce competition.

Oh no! You dropped your fish!

Perhaps the White-tailed eagles are a little more mature? I had the impression that the fights occurred more amongst the Steller’s sea eagles (maybe it just seemed that way for that particular morning tour).

Although I was taking photos in the fishing port (it’s hard to call it a ‘cruise’ since we didn’t get out to sea!) we were blessed with good weather where we could see the beautiful eagles flying in the skies above.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Rausu, Hokkaido
Special Thanks: The staff at Gojira-iwa Kanko

Tags: Rausu sunrise drift ice cruise, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Wildlife tour in Japan, Shireoko, 羅臼, Shiretoko peninsula, オオワシ, Oowashi, White-tailed eagle, Ojirowashi, White-tailed sea eagle, Birding tour Japan, Steller's sea eagle, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Rausu, Bird Watching Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Rausu drift ice cruise, Wildlife in Japan, Birds of Hokkaido, Eagle photography of Japan, 知床サライ, Birds of Japan, Birds Photography of Japan, Shiretoko Serai, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan