Wildlife tour in Japan - Wildlife of Japan｜Saiyu Travel

2022.02.22 update

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

This winter tour report was written by the Bird Photographer Gaku Tozuka, during the “Crane Photography Tour of Tsurui Village” that took place January 10 -13, 2022.

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

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Hokkaido this winter saw heavy snowfall. I was so nervous as I watched the weather forecast, but when we arrived in the Kushiro area, the weather was fine. We immediately visited the Ito Crane Sanctuary upon my arrival. I had prepared boxed lunches (bento) for the participants of the tour, so they could fully enjoy the good weather and their photography without having to worry about stopping for lunch. As soon as we arrived, I gave a quick orientation with pointers about recommended photo spots, and then everyone was given free time to take their own photos. However, I was nearby to offer support on what camera settings to use, while also keeping an eye on the wind so you could predict possible flight patterns of the Red-crowned Cranes we had come to photograph. The participants asked if we would see the “Courtship dance” but unfortunately, it is still a bit before the breeding season, so I replied we would have to leave it to our luck.

The courtship dance of Red-crowned cranes

We moved to a different spot so I could explain ahead of time, the challenges of getting good shots of cranes flying in the evening sky as the sun was setting. I had gotten some local information ahead of time that there were many cranes that fly to roost early, and we wanted to get the photos of the cranes flying with the clear skies until sunset. It is quite difficult to predict the number of cranes and where they might fly in from because it is always different every day, but it seemed to me that all the participants could get good photos.

Red-crowned crane returning to its roost

The next morning, we had good weather and left the lodging at 6am. I took the group to get photos of the cranes as they were roosting. Every moment was magical with the soft dusting of rime ice that had formed on the branches of the trees by the riverside, and the changing colors of the sky.

The distance to the flock was quite far but they were visible as well.
Suddenly a bird plunged into the surface of the water, and as it emerged again, it turned out to be a White-tailed Eagle! I wonder, perhaps it was aiming for some leftover salmon carcass? After a little time passed, we heard the shrill bird calling “Kyara Kyara,” it was a medium-sized bird, which was the Crested Kingfisher! Then, there was a very large bird who appeared, and it was a Steller’s Sea Eagle!

Of course, I had my cameras set to slower shutter speeds for capturing the shots of the slow-moving cranes, so when I turned to get photos of the other birds, I could not get the shots. I guess you cannot kill two birds with one stone, or camera in this case!

A red-crowned crane in the river mist, Otowa bridge

Whooper swans flying towards us, Otowa bridge

After that, I changed my camera settings to capture the Red-crowned Cranes as they approached our position. But after I did that, I realized the large bird flying towards me was a Whooper Swan, not a Crane.
By the time 8am rolled around, the car had returned to pick us up and everyone was thoroughly chilled by the -20 below Celsius (-4°F) and ready to get warmed up.

Whooper swan at Setsuri river, from Otowa bridge

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

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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.

Tags: Otowa bridge, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Tancho, Ito sanctuary, Wildlife tour in Japan, Tanchou, Tsurui village, Photography tour of Red-crowned carane, GAKU TOZUKA, Photography of Red-crowned crane, Birding tour Japan, Bird tour Japan, Bird watching tour Japan, Crane Photography Tour of Tsurui Village, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Bird Watching, Wildlife in Japan, Wildlife of Japan, Widlife in Japan, Tsurui mura, Birds of Hokkaido, Red-crowned Crane, Otowa-bashi, Birds of Japan, Japanese crane

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.

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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: 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, Eagle photography of Japan, Widlife in Japan, Birds of Japan, Birds Photography of Japan

2021.11.11 update

Winter On The Notsuke Peninsula, The Freezing Rain and Ezo Sika Deer

In February, the Notsuke Peninsula had an ice storm. When air temperatures drop below freezing and the ice rain, water droplets are super-cooled and ice can form on impact with the surface like trees. This ice from the freezing rain will cover and harden any exposed surfaces to make a clear ice called glaze ice. On the sunny days, when the sunlight reflects off the glaze ice, it can be so beautiful.

Glaze ice on the branches of the trees.

It is like being in an art gallery.

The branches covered in glaze ice.

An Ezo sika deer in the early morning ice.

The winter sika deer are looking so soft with their hair puffed out. Especially their fluffy white butt is so cute.

A herd of Sika deer on the Notsuke Peninsula covered with the freezing rain.

After dusk, the herd of male sika deer appeared in the field of snow and ice. It was a beautiful sunset, and I stayed there to watch until it got dark.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2016 , Notsuke Peninsula, Hokkaido

Tags: 知床, Ezo Sika Deer, Wildlife in Japan, Notsuke Peninsula, Wildlife in, 野付半島, Rausu, Shiretoko peninsula, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Shiretoko, Wildlife of Japan, glaze ice, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Sika deer, Wildlife tour in Japan, Notsuke, 雨氷, Hokkaido Sika Deer

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: 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, Eagle photography of Japan, Wildlife in Japan, Birds of Japan, Birds Photography of 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

2021.10.11 update

A Sperm Whale Calf Approached The Ship! (Ogasawara Islands)

The water of Chichi-jima (Father Island) in the Ogasawara Islands, at depth of 1,500-2,000meters, are known as a place where female sperm whales with their calves observed throughout the year.

Having said that, it is best to visit this area when the seas are calmer, usually from July to October.

In October, on a day when the conditions were favorable, we headed to the whale watching area off Chichi-jima. We were lucky to encounter a group shortly after we started our search. Each of the groups was made up of 3 to 6 individuals.
Then, we found a lone calf by itself, patiently waiting for its mom, who had gone for a dive into the deep sea.

The baby looks as if it is flying, with such clear water. The calf’s body was a lighter color, but it had the typical wrinkles primarily seen on Sperm Whales, along with some scars of bitemarks from the cookie-cutter sharks.

This young sperm whale, swimming upside down towards our boat, was so close, that we could actually hear the “talking” clicking sounds on our ship!

We could so clearly see the lower jaw of the whale!!!

We parted for a little, but then it returned, approaching the boat again. This time with its mouth open.

This is the calf with its mouth wide open. We could clearly hear the clicking sounds again.

Amazingly, it flattened its fins and rotated while swimming into the edge of the ship, making the suckerfish scuttle around. Perhaps this was an offensive ?

A sperm whale swimming towards the direction of Chichi-jima.

This young sperm whale also came up alongside our ship, raised its face and seemed to look up over at the top of our boat.
The youngster seemed to enjoy spending time with us and then, eventually left and swam back to its mother and the family.

In Ogasawara, you can see these groups of females with their calves, but I wonder if we could ever see a male that comes to have mate someday? It would be such a dream to be able to see a male sperm whale in such clear water like this!

Photo & text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Oct 2020, Chichijima, Ogasawara Islands
Special Thanks: FISH EYE

Tags: Wildlife of Japan, Wildlife tour in Japan, Sperm Whale in Japan, Bonin Islands, Sperm Whale swim in japan, Ogasawara Islands, Wildlife in Japan, Whale Watching, Whale Watching in Ogasawara, Whale Watching in Japan, Wildlife tour of Japan, Whale swim in Japan, Whale swim in Amami, Sperm Whale

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)

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2021.09.21 update

Pink Salmon Swimming Upstream : Autumn on the Shiretoko Peninsula

Pink Salmon, called “Kurafuto masu” in Japanese, return to the rivers on the Shiretoko Peninsula. These salmon came from the rivers and migrated out into the Northern seas for about two years; then return to their natal rivers to spawn.

These salmon just in front of me are on the verge of death. The Pink Salmon embody the very raw ‘act of living’ in their tattered appearance. We, who eat these salmon, must have gratitude in our hearts.

Salmon Run- Pink Salmon Going Upstream in the Fall in Shiretoko Peninsula

Compared to other salmon species, the Pink Salmon do not have a strong “Homing Instinct” and will swim upstream of any freshwater rivers nearby. In the year this video was filmed (2016), the peninsula had experienced 3 typhoons in mid-August. This had caused the salmon net that had been set along the coast to come loose, and it enabled a large number of salmon to make it upstream.

Pink Salmon that were caught in the net.

This is the mass of Pink salmon gathered at the bottom of a waterfall. Their dorsal fins are sticking out from the surface of the water.

A Pink salmon trying to swim up the waterfall.

A Brown bear that has caught a salmon. This is the time of year that the brown bears are the thinnest and can be seen desperately chasing the Pink salmon.

Image & text: Mariko SAWADA
(Photos/video are from a trip in Aug 2016 & Sep 2017)
Location: Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido

Special Thanks : Shiretoko Diving Kikaku 知床ダイビング企画

Tags: Brown Bear, 知床サライ, Wildlife of Japan, Higuma, Shiretoko Serai, Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Brown Bear Photography Hokkaido, Wildlife in Hokkaido, Wildlife tour in Japan, Pink Salmon, KARAFUTOMASU, KARAFUTO-MASU, Rausu, Salmon Run Hokkaido, Shireoko, Ezo Higuma, Shiretoko peninsula, Pink Salmon Swimming Upstream, Shiretoko, 知床, Wildlife in Japan, Wildlife of Hokkaido

2021.09.11 update

Shiretoko Peninsula – Brown Bears Catching Pink Salmon

In late August, the Shiretoko Peninsula sees the return of the Pink salmon. However, due to a lack of rainfall, the rivers are too shallow for the salmon to swim upstream. As a result, the fish gather along the shore, in the sea, near the mouth of the river.

This is where the Rausu fishermen set up their nets, as do the brown bears, in the same area. This is the time of year when the brown bears are the most hungry and thinnest. The bears will venture into the ocean to catch the pink salmon that cannot enter the river.

This is the scene near “Pekin-no-hana”, on Shiretoko Pennisula with the fishing brown bear. It is like the White-tailed eagle is sitting just behind the bear, as if saying “Hurry up and catch something!” As the bear heads into the ocean…

A bear in the sea water.

The bear dunks its head into the water over and over, while swimming, to look for the Pink salmon underfoot.

It caught a female Pink salmon!

The roe, fish eggs, started overflowing with every bite.

It is probably too tiring to keep swimming while eating, so the bear heads back to the beach. It was there for a while, munching on the salmon with its backside facing us. After finishing off the main parts, the bear heads back into the sea for another round.

The White-tailed eagle quickly moves in to secure the leftover food. Then the crows move in for some leftovers too.

Then, just when we thought this bear would return to fishing, it got distracted and started playing with the net buoys! This must have been a young bear that was still holding on to its playful nature. Our customers who were with us, really enjoyed watching the fun-loving cute bear.

Eventually, it tired of playing and returned to the beach. It was a lovely chance to catch the last moments of summer with the brown bear.

Photography & text : Mariko SAWADA

Special Thanks : Mr.Kokichi TENJIN & Shohei MORITA(SHIRETOKO SERAI（知床サライ)

Tags: Wildlife Photography tour in Japan, Brown Bear, Wildlife tour in Japan, Ezo-brown bear, Higuma, White-tailed sea eagle, Brown Bear Photography Hokkaido, Rausu, 知床, Birds Photography of Japan, Shohei Morita, Shireoko, Wildlife of Hokkaido, Shiretoko peninsula, Wildlife of Japan, Ojirowashi, Birds of Hokkaido, Shiretoko, Birds of Japan