Oowashi - 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: 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, Steller's sea eagle, Shiretoko, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Rausu, Drift ice cruise

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

*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.

Tags: Wildlife in Hokkaido, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Steller's sea eagle, Shiretoko, 羅臼, Wildlife of Japan, Rausu, Drift ice cruise, White-tailed eagle, Birds of Hokkaido, 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, Eagle fighting, Shiretoko Serai, White-tailed sea eagle, Eagle in action

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: Wildlife of Hokkaido, Rausu, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Rausu drift ice cruise, Bird Watching Japan, Birds of Hokkaido, 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

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: Wildlife of Hokkaido, Rausu, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Rausu drift ice cruise, Bird Watching Japan, Birds of Hokkaido, 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

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

2021.04.30 update

Icy Lake Furen: Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle (Lake Furen, Hokkaido)

2021 Report from Winter in Hokkaido Photography Tour

In mid-February, the temperatures were high and with less snow on the ground, we were worried if that would mean less ice formation on Lake Furen. However, the Lake’s sunset show was spectacularly set at always. Best of all, with only a few foreign tourists around, it was not crowded at all.

After 8am, the Steller’s sea eagle and white-tailed eagle were waiting in standby on the lakeside trees, and a crow was waiting impatiently on the ice.

Sea Eagles on Ice lake Furen 風蓮湖の鷲｜西遊旅行
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Video & text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Lake Furen, Hokkaido
Special Thanks : Lodge “Lake Sunset”

Tags: Eagle in action, Lake sunset, White-tailed sea eagle, Birding tour Japan, Steller's sea eagle, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Eagle photography of Japan, Bird Watching Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Birds Photography of Japan, Wildlife in Japan, Birds of Hokkaido, Oowashi, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Birds of Japan, Ojirowashi, White-tailed eagle, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Wildlife tour in Japan, Furen Lake, Eagle fighting

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: 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, 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