Wildlife of Hokkaido - Wildlife of Japan｜Saiyu Travel

2022.10.20 update

The Snow Fairy: Hokkaido’s Long-tailed Tit

Hokkaido’s Long-tailed tit (A. c. japonicus)

The Long-tailed tit in Hokkaido is Aegithalos caudatus japonicus, a sub-species of the Long-tailed tits found on Honshu. Unlike the tits of the mainland, the Hokkaido tits do not have thick black eyebrows, so their faces are all white.

Youtube : Long-tailed tit

With a white face like a snowball, a small beak, round eyes, and yellow eyelids, the Hokkaido long-tailed tits are called “snow fairies” because they are so cute in their appearance. It became quite popular when it was featured in Japanese animation (anime) and comics (manga), and a variety of souvenir goods. They can be observed all year around in Hokkaido, but in the cold winter months, they will puff out their feathers to stay warm. Many wild bird photographers are aiming to capture them in that cute, round shape.

From mid-February to early March, once the bitter cold starts to loosen its grip, the parts of the trees that are damaged will start to drip out sap, which freezes into sweet icicles. Small birds, such as the Long-tailed tits, can be seen hovering around the trees, licking the sap as a precious source of sugars in their bodies.

Photograhy & 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: Birding tour Japan, Furen Lake, Bird tour Japan, Lake sunset, Bird Watching Japan, Wildlife in Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Long-tailed tit, Kaito IMAHORI, Wildlife of Japan, Shimaenaga, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Birds of Hokkaido, Enaga, 根室, Birds of Japan, Bird watching in Japan, Kaito Imahori Photography, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Nemuro, Aegithalos caudatus japonicus, Wildlife tour in Japan, Lake Furen, Birds Photography of Japan, Lake sunset in Furen Lake

2022.10.05 update

Winter in Hokkaido：The Season of Love for the Ural Owl

Hokkaido’s Ural Owl(*Strix uralensis japonica)*

In Hokkaido you can find 10 out of the 11 species of owls that live in Japan, making it an owl sanctuary of sorts. There are two species that are especially sought after by birders, the Ural Owls and the Blakiston’s Fish Owls.

The Blakiston’s Fish Owl lives in only a limited number of places in the northeastern part of the Eurasian continent, and due to that, many birders come from around the world for a chance to see them in the wild.
The Ural Owls are more widely distributed in northern Eurasia – from Scandinavia to East Asia. Although it is a common pet species, the subspecies that lives in Hokkaido, Strix uralensis japonica, is particularly lovely in appearance, with whiter feathers compared to their cousins elsewhere. For this reason, they are often pursued by bird watchers in Japan and beyond.

Ｈokkaido’s Ural owl (Strix uralensis japonica)

From January to March, the courtship activities of the Ural Owl can be observed. Especially in February, when the mating is at its peak, you will often see the pairs cuddling. They will often preen each other’s wings and feathers, sticking close together. This is often referred to as a symbol of happiness.

A pair of Hokkaido’s Ural Owl(Strix uralensis japonica)

Photography & text : Kaito IMAHORI (Shiretoko Serai)

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: Ural Owl, Hokkaido’s Ural Owl, Kaito Imahori Photography, large Japanese field mouse, Wildlife tour of Japan, Strix uralensis japonica, Ezo Akanezumi, Birding tour Japan, Ezo Ural owl, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Bird Watching Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Birds of Hokkaido, Wildlife in Japan, Birds of Japan, Kaito IMAHORI, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Wildlife tour in Japan, エゾフクロウ, Tsurui village

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)

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 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, Steller's sea eagle, Shiretoko

2022.08.14 update

East Hokkaido Wildlife Photography Tour in Early Summer (Part 1)

This is a June field report on the tour conducted by Gaku Tozuka, a photographer, when we toured Eastern Hokkaido during the early summer.

Winter Photography Tour of Red-Crowned Cranes, Tsurui Village -Part 1

Winter Photography Tour of Red-Crowned Cranes, Tsurui Village -Part 2

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June 12 (Sunday)　Cloudy with Heavy Rain
We started with taking photos around Lake Furen, early in the morning. Typically, on good weather days, we would start the morning around 4:30 to 5am, but on this day, it was dark and cloudy so we gathered in front of the lodging to begin shooting.

A pair of Red-crowned Cranes were in the marsh.

The yellow flowers of the Thermopsis montana in the foreground help to frame the pair off in the distance.

I was loading the bags in the car after breakfast when I saw a bright red male Long-tailed Rosefinch just on the opposite side of the road. Everyone started clicking away.

We head to the Ochiishi port, and on the way there were a pair of White-tailed Eagles perched on a large tree. We approached quietly and slowly and showing no signs of wanting to fly away, we could get photos of them from the bridge.

I was honestly a little worried about the rough seas and being able to get out for the cruise in Ochiishi, but we were able to leave safely.

The Rhinoceros auklet was the first thing we saw, appearing now and then. But the real challenge is taking photos with the waves rocking the boat…it was really swaying. Such difficult conditions to get a good photo!

So I happened to look up just as a bird was flying over us…(It was stubby and plump, but flew higher than a puffin…!) So I blurted out “Tufted Puffin!” and luckily or unluckily by the time everyone looked up, the bird had flown so close, but all they could see was the tail as it flew away. These recent years have seen a decrease in the number of sightings, so we were just lucky to see it at all!

*Side note: In Japan, these species are so rare to be seen but they do breed on Yururi Island and Moyururi Islands.

After that, our guide spotted a young Horned Puffin which we photographed. The other tour participants seemed to have trouble getting a good photo of it that was in focus. But this bird is rarely seen in Japan and on top of that, it was in its summer plumage, which is even more rare!

There was some information going around that many Red-faced Cormorants were around this year, so we went to the rocky outcrops. It is very challenging to photograph from the rocking ship, but the tour members did a pretty good job.

We then made our way to the rocky area where we could observe the Sea Otters, and the first ones we saw were a baby with its parent. Soon after that we encountered a raft of sea otters, maybe 10 or so who were wrapped in kelp. It was like we transported to California! For me, this was the first time to see such a scene and I was super excited! In Hokkaido the sea otters only breed in the Nemuro area (Cape Kiritappu and the Moyururi Islands) so again, we were so lucky to see this many at once.

The otters wrapping themselves in the kelp beds. Sea otters found in Hokkaido are subspecies, Enhydra lutris lutris. It had at one time disappeared from the wild in Japan, but it was confirmed to be breeding since 1980.

There were some Spectacled Guillemots in the area so now and then we could grab some photos of them as well. Just before entering the harbor to alight, the Arctic Skua also made an appearance. I could not get a good photo of them, but typically they live offshore, so again, we had a fortunate chance to get to see some so close to the port.

June 13 (Monday) Rainy and Remained Cloudy after the rain
We headed to the Nosuke Peninsula in the early morning. There, the deer had already finished off the grass in the most easily accessible areas for photography. This is usually the place that the birds go for collecting nesting materials, but due to the overgrazing, the bird’s numbers are decreasing, and we could not see them. We moved on to some spots where we could see some flowers blooming, but it was quite cold there, so the birds were not feeding near the flower blooms. This is because when the temperatures are cold, the bugs stay close to the ground.

The Ezo deer in their summer coats.

However, the Common Cuckoo was flying around in the area. We could see some other small bird species that were nesting in the area as well.

This day’s lodging in Rausu was the Shiretoko Serai, an inn run by our Saiyu Travel Agency. The dinner was so elaborate and presented to nicely, that I could not believe I was in Rausu. Then at night, we were off to see the Blakiston’s fish owls…if only we could have stayed to relax and enjoy the meal a little longer! lol

This year, the pair of fish owls had 2 chicks, so the parents were at the feeding spot often to catch food for them. They came at 7:50pm, then again at 8:50, but we did not see them again after that. We finished our evening birding activities as planned around 11PM. (If the Owls had not made any appearance, we would have stayed until midnight, just in case.)

Photography & Text : Gaku TOZUKA (Bird photographer)
Visit: 2022, 11-16 JUN, Eastern Hokkaido

Please see other article related “Birds Photography in East Hokkaido”

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

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

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

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

Long-tailed Tit : Winter Photography Tour (Nemuro, Hokkaido）

Tags: Wildlife tour in Japan, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, Rausu, Blakiston’s Fish Owl observatory, Washi no yado, Shiretoko, GAKU TOZUKA, Wildlife of Hokkaido, 知床, Wildlife of Japan, Birding tour Japan, Birds of Hokkaido, Bird Watching Japan, Birds of Japan, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Wildlife in Japan

2022.08.01 update

Traditional Summer in Shiretoko Rausu: Kelp Harvesting

Our guesthouse in Rausu, Shiretoko Serai’s Nature guide, Shouhei Morita sent us a report from the 2021 Summer Season. It is actually not a wildlife report, but an article about ‘Local Foods’ of Rausu where we can introduce more about the bounties of the sea.

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Unfortunately, this year the Shiretoko summer season experienced a smaller catch of fish then usual.

Since kelp is harvested every 2 years, based on the growth rates from one year, the fishermen predicted that “Sadly, next year’s harvest will not yield very much.”

The harvest is conducted from late July to the end of August. During the kelp harvest, you can see the kelp lined up on the stone beach on the way to the Aidomari fishing port, only 25 minutes away from central Rausu by car. At its peak, the whole town is wrapped in the nice scent of kelp.

Rausu kelp, which is treated as the finest product in Japan, is carefully produced by hand for a majority of the 23 processes, with the whole family pitching in. The white powder on the surface of the kelp is not mold, but is another product. It is a sugar called Mannitol, which is sweet and umami ingredients.

One of the things that makes Rausu kelp special is this white powder on the surface. This year was a not a very good year, and only a small quantity of high quality kelp could be shipped out.

In recent years, kelp has finally been recognized world-wide. Rausu kelp contains plenty of marine minerals from Shiretoko. It is a unique sight of “Rausu’s fishing village,” where we can see the kelp being processed and harvested up close.

Photo & text: Shohei MORITA (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 a guesthouse, Shiretoko Serai, in Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula.

Tags: 知床, Wildlife in Japan, 知床サライ, Rausu Kelp, Umami, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Rausu Kombu, Wildlife of Japan, Shohei Morita, Shiretoko Serai, Rausu, Shiretoko peninsula, Ojirowashi

2022.04.27 update

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

Flight of the Snow Goose and Cackling Goose

This is the second part of Kaito Imahori’s tour report of the October 26 – 30, 2021 tour.

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

On the 3rd day of our tour, I went in search of the Snow Goose just before daybreak. Just upon my arrival, I heard the noise and when I looked out, the geese were flying all around me!

I went down to the wetland, and could see many Snow Geese and Cackling Geese. Over and over again, I could see about 1000 Snow Geese swirling over my head, as they took flight and landed. It was a relatively short distance away and I could observe them from the car, so it was a great time.

In the afternoon of the second day at that location, I went to observe the Ural Owl, but unfortunately, I could not find it. In the park, I saw the Hokkaido Squirrel, running about and they were so cute.

Again in the evening, I went in search of the flocks of Cackling Goose, but they were in a totally different spot. The evening light shone on them beautifully as they were spread out across the open field.

The Snow Geese and Cackling Geese flying at dusk

On the 4th day, we went in search of the pikas in the mountains. When I was waiting quietly in the morning, I could hear it calling and could make a sighting as well! While I was there, I heard a noise of rustling in the distance and saw a brown bear, so decided to descend from the mountain for safety. Then as we neared our car, and did a quick search nearby, we found another pika and everyone in the group could see it! We were so elated!

After we descended from the mountain, we looked for the Hokkaido squirrel in the afternoon. I was able to capture this lovely moment of a little squirrel standing on a carpet of yellow leaves of the Ginko trees.

In the evening, upon the request of one of the group members, I went looking for a Hazel Grouse. I couldn’t get a good photo, but we did get a great chance to see a male Hazel Grouse take flight directly in front of us. We ended this day watching the sunset from the observatory, as it silhouetted the Hidaka Mountain range.

On the final day of the tour, I set out before sunrise to catch the flocks of snow geese, but the swamp was so quiet. When the sun rose, we could see there were no geese in the water. It seems they all returned to the mainland sometime in the evening the day before! It was too bad we could not see them on our final day, but as we looked out over the quiet wetlands, I offered a prayer that they could all safely navigate their migration ahead.

As a final stop, we stopped in Obihiro City’s park to look for some more bird species. We were looking for bird species that we still had not yet seen, like the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, which we were able to see. We even got to see another Hokkaido Squirrel.

We were able to see a total of 7 species of Geese during the tour. It is only in Hokkaido that you can see all the species that can be found in Japan, in one single tour. And easily, at that, if you move from location to location in time to see their migrations. In the spring, the geese will come back where there is still snow on the ground, so please come then to see them! Thanks for reading this report and hope to see you here!

Photo & text: Kaito IMAHORI
Tour date: 26-30 Oct 2021, Tokachi, Hokkaido

Tags: Hokkaido Squirrel, Wildlife tour in Japan, Kaito IMAHORI, Pika, Birds Photography of Japan, Shiretoko Serai, Snow Geese, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Tokachi Plain, Cackling Geese, Geese migration, Birding tour Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido, 十勝平野, Bird tour Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Tokachi heiya, Bird watching tour Japan, Eurasian Nuthatch, Birds of Hokkaido, Hakugan, Bird Watching Japan, Marsh Tit, Birds of Japan, Kaito Imahori Photography, Wildlife in Japan, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, 知床サライ

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: 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, 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

2022.03.22 update

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

雛に狩りを教えるシマフクロウの母鳥 — A mother Blakiston’s fish owl teaches her chicks to hunt

Our Guesthouse in Rausu, Shiretoko Serai’s nature guide, Kaito Imahori, sent us a report from the 2021 season!

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In 2021, I was able to see one chick and a parent bird next to each other at the Rausu’s Fish Owl Observatory for the first time in several years.

Only about 160 owls live in Japan, and it is difficult to find Blakiston’s fish owls in the wild. In Rausu, there is an accommodation called “Washi no Yado” (Fish Owl Observatory) where you can observe the fish owls visit the river through the night, and where bird watchers also gather and can see them every night.

The pair of Blakiston’s fish owls that came here, have failed to breed for many years. From the fall of 2019, a different female started coming around. No one knew where this new female came from, like where she was born or raised and she was much more fearful of people and now they come to the river more rarely.

シマフクロウのペア（上オス、下メス） — The Blakiston’s Fish Owl pair (Top one is the male, lower one is the female)

In June of this year, when we were observing the male, the female suddenly appeared on a dead tree stump with the male, and they stayed for 30 minutes fishing at the river, and then left. After this day, the female started to appear more at the river, and from August, the long-awaited chicks appeared with the parents. The chicks were taught how to feed on the fish swimming in the river by the mother owls.

シマフクロウのヒナ — A Blakiston’s Fish Owl chick

雛に魚を運ぶシマフクロウのオス — The male Blakiston’s fish owl carrying fish to its chicks

The number of chicks found in this year’s survey was at a record high of 37 chicks. I hope that many more owlets can be born and live in the forests of Shiretoko.

Photo & text: Kaito Imahori (Shiretoko Serai)
Observation: Summer 2021, Rausu, Shireoko Hokkaido

Tags: Wildlife of Hokkaido, 知床, Fish Owl Observatory), Wildlife of Japan, Birding tour Japan, Kaito Imahori Photography, Birds of Hokkaido, Bird tour Japan, Birds of Japan, Bird Watching Japan, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Wildlife in Japan, Wildlife tour in Japan, Kaito IMAHORI, Rausu, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, Birds Photography of Japan, Photography tour of Blakiston’s Fish Owl, Shiretoko peninsula, Blakiston’s Fish Owl observatory, Shiretoko, Washi no yado

2022.03.12 update

Rausu : Where the Killer Whales Gather

The 2021 Report from the Summer Season is here! Written by Shiretoko Serai (Our guesthouse in Rausu)’s Nature Guide, Kaito Imahori.

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There were more than 100 Killer Whales that visited Rausu. The Nemuro Strait, located between Rausu and Kunashiri Island, has had multiple families of whales visit every year starting from around May, to the end of July. The latest research suggests that the Nemuro Strait, may perhaps be a meeting place for the different groups so they can look for future partners.

This is a resident pod that is fishing together, which have downward pointing white patches around their eyes.

In the beginning of June 2021, I was able to observe a significant and amazing sight! We found a family pod of three mothers with a newborn child, near Rausu Port. While running side by side with this group in the sightseeing boat, I saw many unusual behaviors, such as a mother swimming upside down to feed her baby breast milk, just near the boat.

I also encountered another great scene this year. It was in mid-June, when I could see a gathering of 4 family groups at once, perhaps they were in the process of mating, but the males were swimming upside down with their penis out, courting the females from the other pod.

Even though I could not capture it in a photo, there was also another event worth noting that happened in late July. There were 2 white killer whales, a male and a female who appeared at the same time, which became major news. There are only a few places in the world where you can observe whales so closely, but it is because so many whales gather in Rausu, that you might see such unique and rare scenes like these.

Photo & text: Kaito Imahori　(Shiretoko Serai)
Observation: Jun 2021, Rausu, Shiretoko, Hokkaido

Tags: Wildlife tour in Japan, Killer whale in Nemuro strait, Shachi, Rausu, シャチ, Shiretoko peninsula, 知床サライ, Shiretoko, Shireoko Serai, 知床, Kaito IMAHORI, Widlife in Japan, Killer whale photography tour, Kaito Imahori Photography, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Killer whale, Wildlife of Japan, Orca, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Killer whale watching tour

2022.03.02 update

Winter Photography Tour of Red-Crowned Cranes, Tsurui Village -Part 2

This is the second part of the winter tour report by bird photographer Gaku Tozuka, during the Tsurui Village Tour to capture Red-crowned Cranes, Jan 10 – 13, 2022.

Winter Photography Tour of Red-Crowned Cranes, Tsurui Village -Part 1

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In the middle of the night, while at the lodging, I heard a large sound, which was like “Zuzaa…” from outside several times, and I thought it was sound of the strong winds blowing. But when I looked out in the morning, I figured out it was instead, the sound of the snow falling off the roof. I cancelled the early morning photo outing because it was very windy and some occasional snow. After our breakfast, I was planning to go out shooting, but the sleet had turned into rain, so I decided to wait until noon. In the meantime, while waiting with everyone, I conducted a course on how to get good shots, for about an hour.

Ural owl

After lunch, the snow and rain had stopped, and so I took the group to see the place where the Ural Owl had been seen. At first, I had to check the trail and location ahead of the group. After I had confirmed the location of the Owl, I went back to get the group and lead them into the woods. We still had some time after that, so we headed to see the Red-crowned Cranes and get photos of them. As soon as we arrived, we spotted the cranes, amongst the fresh snowfall and captured some beautiful scenes. Gradually, the sky grew dark and we were forced to call it quits at 4PM. We were lucky, because in Tsurui Village, the snow had been relatively mild, as I heard reports later, that there were other places that suffered considerable damage due to the heavy snowfall.

And then, it is the last day of the Photography Tour.
Departure was scheduled at 6am. The stars were twinkling in the night sky. There were some clouds to the east, but the weather looked stable enough to go out. However, it was a warm minus 3°C (26°F) and so we would not be able to get photos of the “rime ice” or the fine powdery ice frost we had seen before. Just the fact that it was not snowing or raining was a blessing.

When we arrived at the Otowa Bridge, it was still dim, but there were no other tourists there! It is unbelievable compared to the time when there were so many inbound customers before the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was too warm for the rime ice, but as the sky brightened up, the mallards started moving around and flew away. Back in the Setsuri River, we could see the whooper swans swimming in the beautiful river.

Red-crowned crane

The sun was rising, the temperature fell, and even though the tips of my fingers were hurting from the cold, everyone was focused on their photography. At 8am, the car came to pick us up and we had breakfast. When we went for getting photos of the Red-Crowned Cranes, yesterday’s fresh fallen snow was shining so brightly making it a dazzling scene. I was aiming for their flight and calling, but they were only doing their display towards the back of the flock…so it was difficult to get a good photo!

I was deeply appreciative of Mr. Wada, the owner of HOTEL TAITO, and all the staff who took care of us for the 4 days.

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The Birds Photographed: Red-crowned Crane, Ural Owl, Whooper Swan, Eurasian Nuthatch

Birds Observed: Steller’s Sea Eagle, White-tailed Sea Eagle, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Japanese Wagtail, Great Tit, Bulbul, Long-billed Plover, Crested Kingfisher, Carrion Crow, Jungle Crow

Mammals Observed： Sika deer

Photography & Text: Gaku TOZUKA (Bird photographer)
Visit: 2022, 10-13 JAN, Tsurui Village, Hokkaido

Profile：Gaku Tozuka （戸塚学）

Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1966 and currently resides there. Became interested in photography when he was a junior in high school. He has been taking photographs mainly of natural scenery and wildlife, which he has loved since he was a child. Currently, rather than taking “pretty, cute, and cool” photos, he focuses on taking photos of scenes that have a human touch and environmental scenes that show the relationship with human life. Ultimately, he aims for “photographs that have a smell. His work has been published in photo collections and exhibitions, and used in magazines, illustrated books, and calendars. His photographic collections include “Raicho Korokoro” and others.

*Please contact us, Saiyu Travel for arrangements for wildlife and bird photography tours in Japan.

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