Japan for Bird's Wildlife & Nature Tours - Day 9: 13th February 2025

Another pre-breakfast jaunt and once again we were in the snow.  Otawa Bridge and its roosting Red-crowned Cranes was our dawn destination but even that journey was anything but normal with an almost black Red Squirrel across the road, a few Sika in the woods and a loud shout on the radio for ‘STELLER’S SEA EAGLE OVER THE ROAD!!!!’

Down at the bridge over the river we joined a small crowd of other well wrapped humans to watch the seventy or so Cranes getting ready for their day in the fields.  It was never about being close but about the setting and atmosphere.  It was another setting straight from the numerous natural history programmes I had seen and they are indeed a majestic bird.

Red-crowned Cranes

A gang of white-headed Long-tailed Tits bounced across the river and Nuthatches were calling but sounded slightly odd and we saw a couple of these blue and white triangles.  Goosanders whirred over us, gleaming pink and almost blue with the reflection from the snow and we also picked up a couple of Japanese Wagtails and some smart Dusky Thrushes.  The males are superb.

There was still time to head to Dosanko Farm to look for the world famous Ural Owls and after a trudge through the snow we joined the thousands of other people who have stood there and snapped this sleepy duo in their chosen tree hole.  Two German lads were the only other people there. The woods held our first Marsh Tits which looked strangely pallid but more of that later and Siskins, Treecreeper and Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker.

Tough little trekking ponies

Ural Owls

Winkin' and Blinkin'

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker

Breakfast drew us back with rumbling stomachs but huge smiles and I was glad of an emergency banana. Two White-tailed Eagles flew over the hotel as we moved on once again and a Hawfinch flew over as we moved through town.

Breakfast... and yes that is a COFFEE!

Bedroom view

It was a fair drive to the famous Tisrui where only one bird was on the menu and we were greeted by a field of dancing, bugling Red-crowned Cranes and a line of happy, snappy admirers.  A wonderful hour was spent in the company of these birds and yet another TV moment was added to the bucket list I did not know I had. It was special and I will let the images tell the story.

Red-crowned Cranes

The coast beckoned and before long we could see the Pacific swelling in front of us.  The snow was far deeper here and the breeze was bitingly cold but the next couple of hours were very well spent around the harbours and bays of Shibetsu.  There were plenty of gulls to go through with smart Slaty-backs with mantle colours that varied subtly between graellsii and perhaps a little beyond intermedius Lesser Black-backs.  Amongst them were numerous Glaucous Gulls (with all ages represented) which was apparently unusual and at least three Glaucous-winged Gulls.

Slaty-backed Gull

Slaty-backed Gull - Glauc bill

Slaty-backed Gull

Slaty-backed Gulls (note mantle variation) and two adult Glaucous Gulls (wondering if the right one is barrovianus?)

Slaty-backed Gull

Slaty-backed Gull

Glaucous Gull

Glaucous Gulls

Glaucous Gulls & Slaty-backed Gull

Glaucous Gulls & Slaty-backed Gulls - look at those sexy wing tips

Glaucous Gull - brute

Glaucous-winged Gull & Slaty-backed Gulls

Glaucous-winged Gull & Slaty-backed Gulls

Glaucous-winged Gull & Slaty-backed Gulls

Flocks of yellow egg-billed Black Scoters and multi-coloured Harlequins bobbed in the bays.  I had only seen the Wick female Harlequin way back in 1991 so this was high on my list of desires for this trip.  Rafts of Pelagic Cormorants hunted in the lee of the harbour walls and White-tailed Eagles sat there watching the world go by. Two Steller’s circled overhead and despite what we knew about the next day we just had to get out to ogle in wonder.

Pelagic Cormorants

Pelagic Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorants

Harlequins

Harlequins

Steller's Sea Eagle

Steller's Sea Eagle

There were other ducks too and amongst a flock of Tufted Ducks and Scaup, Dave found a drake Ring-necked Duck which was good.  As usual they spun with the current, bills tucked away and eyes open.

Spot the Yank

Ring-necked Duck & Tufted Ducks

Lunch anyone

We had a drive to get to our hotel inland from Rausu and by the time we arrived it was dusk and the snow was falling once again but the day was not yet over.

Hotel arrival - Simon Stirrup

Still not sure what the pink think was!

And after another banquet dinner we reconvened and drove the five minutes to the ‘house’ where we would join others in the vigil for the mighty Blakiston’s Eagle Owl.  The little old lady ushered us to vacant spots and then took out all of the windows (I think it was a worked on shipping container). Twenty minutes later, Garry nudged me and said ‘In the tree!’.  The spotlights did not quite illuminate that area but you could see the huge feathered shape and swivelling head.  Just two minutes later it dropped down on massive, broad and silent wings and after a quick look round it hopped over to its favourite river pool, almost fell in and clambered back out with a small trout.  It is odd how you remember things but I think it swallowed the first and went on for a second before flying up into the trees and out of view but to be honest I was so tired that only the latter part of that may have actually happened! 

Blakiston’s Eagle Owl - I am still not quite sure how I got these with the super low shutter speed and mid ISO to get 'through' the flicker of the floodlights!

No all nighter for us!  We opted to stay until 9pm and it was incredibly cold sitting in that metal box and I know that I nodded off but with images of Cranes, Eagles and Owls in my head keeping me warm. The Owl did not return so we called it a night and trundled back to the hotel so pleased to have shared time with the biggest of its kind in the world.