Friday, February 02, 2018

Steller's Sea Eagles, eastern Hokkaido

The Steller's Sea Eagle is one of the greatest birds of the World. When Jo and I were in Hokkaido in the 1990s they were not at all hard to find and we got magnificent views of plenty of birds, especially in the east of the island (though they are also in the west, pretty near Sapporo). But those were the days before digital cameras, and we didn't have the equipment to do any justice to photos of them. Times have changed, and Steller's Sea Eagles are still easy to encounter (possibly less localised around Rausu and the eastern Shiretoko coast than they used to be), and with a combination of great light, close birds and even some discarded fish, the photographic opportunities are grea (even before February's big freeze). Here are a few of my best efforts of action shots. Doubtless there will be more to follow... I love 'em! Incidentally, the juvenile in snow was taken at sunset in a blizzard, near the Blakiston's Fish Owl stream just outside Rausu, Shiretoko.

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