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)
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)

*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)

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Hokkaido’s Ural Owl Feeding on a Large Field Mouse

Eastern Hokkaido Winter 2021 Report

Being told that the owls aren’t in their nests that much this year, we went to check the hole in the tree where they can usually be spotted. But just as our local guide said, they were not home. This owl pair that live near the “Tsurui Dosanko Ranch,” are a favorite because they are usually quite reliable to be close by and so very cute to watch.
Eventually we could see them. I couldn’t see both of them at the same time, but one of them had caught a large Japanese field mouse (Ezo Akanezumi). This subspecies of field mouse is Apodemus speciosus ainu and it is endemic to Japan!

Ural Owl(エゾフクロウ)|西遊旅行

After the video was taken, the owl did not eat his prize field mouse right away, but instead put it down inside the burrow and just sat there watching us.

Video & Text : Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Tsurui village, Hokkaido

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