Japan for Bird's Wildlife & Nature Tours - Day 10: Part 1: 14th February 2025

The day I had long dreamt of had arrived.  The only bird that I had always wanted to see was Steller’s Sea Eagle.  My childhood ‘one day’ bird.  I am not actually a big raptor fan but there was just something so captivating about this huge pie-bald eagle with a stupidly Rok-like bill that captivated me.  I thought seeing them would be a late-in-life experience if I was fortunate but here I was in Rausu layering up for a boat trip out to be with them and their White-tailed cousins.  I know that I saw a couple the previous day and yes I was elated but I had somehow managed to reserve my full awe for this day.

It had snowed again and after dusting off the vans we drove down towards the sea where a line of dark blobs on the sea wall through the blowing snow solidified into Eagles – dozens of them.  Calm Howard…  stay calm.  We parked up in the harbour and tried not to get excited at the trees on the hillside covered in more eagles or the beasts circling overhead. 

Covered in Eagles

The boat soon took us out to sea.  There was no sea ice present as it was still 120miles away to the north so we kept fairly close to shore and with some precision catapulting of fish by the crew we got to spend 90 spellbinding minutes in amongst these huge but agile predators as they swept down to pluck breakfast from the waves.  I found myself a spot and locked myself into a position to give them my full attention. Time both flew and stood still and I remember beaming and chuckling to myself now and then. The Steller’s were not dissimilar to the White-tailed in size when flying but were so front heavy that it seemed amazing they could even get off the ground.

Steller's Sea Eagles

White-tailed Sea Eagles

All too soon (although the -17c wind chill was starting to get through the layers) we turned back towards the harbour and a final counts around us revealed about 150 eagles in the immediate airspace and several hundred more on the harbour and dotting the wintery trees on the coastal cliffs.

The tide was in further and this brought us level with the top of the snow topped outer wall and the Eagles of both species sat there.  More fishy flinging made sure there was some action too and we were now incredibly close too.  The biting wind was whipping up the spindrift and creating some superb photo opps.  With or without a camera it would have been the most memorable wildlife encounter I had ever experienced.

We all stumbled off the other end with Slaty-backed and Glaucous-winged Gulls in the harbour where Harlequins reflected in oily red and slate patterns on the calm water but our heads were still full of Eagles. 

Slaty-backed Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Glaucous Gull

Harlequins

I usually only take single shot but being on a boat even I was moderately rattling and took nearly 2000 images.  I have whittled them down and each of the images was chosen for its own merits. 

I hope you enjoy them. My head videos are on constant reply and will be for the rest of my days.