Mother and Calf Humpback Whales (Amami Oshima)

奄美大島ホエールスイム Humback Whale Swim in AMAMI OSHIMA (5)

This is a report of the Amami Oshima Whale Watching Tour from early March.

Every year from January to March, the Humpback Whales, which spend their summers of Kamchatka-Aleutian Islands, will spend their winter months in Amami Oshima for breeding. Most of them head south to the Kerama Islands of Okinawa, but whales some stay near the Amami Islands. There, you might be able to encounter mother whales as they are nursing young whales or the male escort whales that will chase after the females in a ‘heat run.’

On this tour, we had some inclement weather so we could only go out to see for 3 of the 5 days. Despite the short time observing, we could manage to see a ‘heat run’ from the boat, as well as see the mother and calf plus an escorting male whale in the water. The calf was about a year old and very active.

奄美大島ホエールスイム Humback Whale Swim in AMAMI OSHIMA (4)

In the morning hours, we couldn’t encounter any whales, but during the afternoon, we were told “There is a wonderful mother and calf out here now” and we rushed to the area. As soon as we could, we were in the water and the pair appeared right in front of us. It is really amazing to see them in person.

奄美大島ホエールスイム Humback Whale Swim in AMAMI OSHIMA (7)

The frolicking yearling calf. It was active, doing tail slaps and pectoral fin slaps at the surface of the water.

奄美大島ホエールスイム Humback Whale Swim in AMAMI OSHIMA (2)

This mother whale was very tolerant and with the escort whale watches the calf very closely. Even when the people were close to her calf. This mother must have experience raising her calves and has perhaps gotten used to humans, too.

奄美大島ホエールスイム Humback Whale Swim in AMAMI OSHIMA (3)

The calf also swam in circles around its mother, showing us its belly. One day, this calf will grow up and leave the Amami Oshima area, moving north as it sets out independently by that time.

奄美大島ホエールスイム Humback Whale Swim in AMAMI OSHIMA (8)

This one shot of the three whales together was a stunning highlight for the day!
Perhaps you are wondering what we did when we couldn’t get out to sea? We went for nature walks in the virgin forests of Kinsakubara, did some birdwatching, explored mangroves by canoe, and searched for the endemic Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi). We could enjoy a full tour of all the beautiful natural areas the Amami Islands has to offer!

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Mar 2021, Amami Oshima, Kyushu
Special Thanks: Dive Species AMAMI

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The Largest Breeding Ground for the Short-Tailed Albatross: Tori-shima Cruise

⑯アホウドリアホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

This is a report of the Tori-shima Nature Cruise aboard the Nippon Maru.

Our 2021 cruise departed from the Yokohama Port on April 18. It was a 2-night, 3-day cruise that circles around Tori-shima, the breeding grounds for the short-tailed albatross. Of course, passengers are not allowed to land on the island itself, but nonetheless, it is a very rare chance to see such an critically endangered bird, as they are nesting on an island that is so inaccessible. It was totally worth it!

①アホウドリ最大の繁殖地鳥島へ アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

Heading to the largest breeding grounds for the albatrosses, Tori-shima.

A large colony of albatross lived on the islands until the Meiji Era, when the practice of collecting and killing the birds for their feathers began in 1888. It is thought that by 1902, at least 5 million birds had been overhunted for the feather trade. In 1902, however, the island’s volcano erupted and killed 125 islanders causing the incident to later be called the “Curse of the Albatross.”

Tori-shima was designated as a wildlife refuge in 1933 to help protect the remaining albatross, but the population continued to decline until in 1949, Dr. Oliver Austin published papers in academic journals declaring that the short-tailed albatross was extinct. Everyone believed this to be true until 1951 when the albatross were sighted again on Tori-shima Island. It was a report made by Mr. Yamamoto of the Tori-shima Meteorological Observatory, who sighted about 10 birds who had survived and were breeding.

In the early 1970’s biological research and activities to restore the population of short-tailed albatross began, lead by Dr. Hiroshi Hasegawa, who also joined our same cruise boat as a speaker. The Tsubamezaki nesting site was located on the southern side of the island, on a very steep cliff. This area was often affected by landslides of the sediment from the volcano, making it a very unstable environment for the nests. Therefore, from 1981, vegetation Miscanthus condensatus & Chrysanthemum pacificum was planted on the slopes in order to help stabilize the soil around the nesting area to improve their breeding success. Despite these efforts, even though it was helping, it was difficult for the birds to have a successful brood where the ground was so unstable.

In the 1990s, a different approach to help guide the birds to a new area for breeding on the north side of the island was undertaken. Albatross decoys were placed on the ground and speakers were used to call to and attract the young albatrosses to the more gentle slopes of the Hatsunezaki area. This attempt was successful and produced better results, eventually leading to Tori-shima currently having three colonies: Hatsunezaki, as the main area, the original Tsubamezaki site and a little higher up from there is the Komochiyama site. Short-tailed albatross, which had once been declared extinct, was in 2018, estimated to have over 5000 birds flying over Tori-shima now.

After leaving Yokohama Port at 5 PM, the 19-hour cruise finally arrived at Tori-shima around 12 Noon, the next day. From the deck of the ship, we could occasionally see both black-footed and short-tailed albatrosses flying around.

②鳥島到着前 クロアシホウドリアホウドリ 鳥島クルーズBlack-footed Albatross Tori-shima Island

A Black-footed Albatross seen from the deck of the ship just before arriving at Tori-shima.

③鳥島到着前 アホウドリアホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

An Adult Short-Tailed Albatross

④鳥島到着前 アホウドリの若鳥アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

A Juvenile Short-tailed Albatross

⑤鳥島到着前 アホウドリの若鳥アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

A Juvenile Short-tailed Albatross

As the ship nears the island, we were on the north side near the breeding grounds of Hatsunezaki. It was still too far to be able to see any birds with the naked eye, but with binoculars, I could see the birds dotting the slopes and flying above the island. As we got closer to the island, the excitement increased as the crowd observing from the deck, could see the birds also.

⑥北側から見た鳥島 向かって右手に初根崎の新しい繁殖地 アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island Hatsunezaki breading ground

This is Tori-shima’s northern side. The new colony was created called Hatsunezaki is on the right side of the island.

We arrived on the northern coast around 1 PM. We went around the island counterclockwise from there, while listening to Dr. Hasegawa’s explanation over the ship’s loudspeakers. Around that time, we were close enough to be able to see the birds without using binoculars. I could see so many short-tailed and black-footed albatross.

⑦初根崎の繁殖地アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island Hatsunezaki albatross breading ground

The Hatsunezaki Nesting Colony

⑧アホウドリとクロアシホウドリアホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

Short-tailed and Black-footed Albatross gliding over the waves

⑨アホウドリアホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

An Adult Short-tailed Albatross

A flock of short-tailed and black-footed albatross, floating together. This is a sight you would never see anywhere else! The people watching through their cameras and binoculars excitedly say to each other, “This is amazing!” and “I can’t believe it!”

⑩海面に浮かぶアホウドリとクロアシホウドリアホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

Short-tailed and Black-Footed Albatross Flock Resting Together

⑪海面より飛び立つ様子アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island

The flock of mixed albatross takes off together. There seem to be many individuals on the surface that are darker colored, which must be the juvenile birds.

⑫東側から見た鳥島 北側の傾斜が緩やかで、南側が急峻な地形である事が分かるアホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island)

Tori-shima as seen from the west side. You can clearly see that the slope on the north side (left) is a gentle rise, while the terrain on the south side is quite steep.

As we neared the south side of the island, we could see the original Tsubamezaki colony. On the steep slopes I could clearly see the area where the volcanic soils were loose and eroding the slopes. The albatross were slowly moving up the slope to the newer breeding area of Hatsunezaki, but there were still about 550 pairs in the perilous area.

⑬島の南側にある燕崎の繁殖地アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island Tsubamezaki Albatross breading ground

The south side of the island, Tsubamezaki Colony

⑭燕崎の繁殖地拡大アホウドリ 鳥島クルーズShort-tailed Albatross Tori-shima Island Tsubamezaki breading ground

Close up of the Tsubamezaki breeding area

Since there are no colonies on the east side of the island, the number of birds seen from the boat have become less frequent. As we neared the end of the tour around Tori-shima, the crowd on the deck could be overheard saying, “I wish we could go around one more time.” According to Dr. Hasegawa, if things go smoothly, they expect the population to recover to around 10,000 birds by 2026. Being able to see this process with my very own eyes was a really impressive and exciting process! I hope that by next year, the cruise can make 2 laps around the island!

 

Photo & text: Kengo YONETANI
Observation/Cruise: 18-20 April 2021 by Nippon-maru, Tori-shima, Izu Islands, Tokyo, Japan

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Icy Lake Furen: Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle (Lake Furen, Hokkaido)

Lake Furen Hkkaido Steller's sea eagle 風蓮湖 オオワシ Wildlife of Japan

2021 Report from Winter in Hokkaido Photography Tour

In mid-February, the temperatures were high and with less snow on the ground, we were worried if that would mean less ice formation on Lake Furen. However, the Lake’s sunset show was spectacularly set at always. Best of all, with only a few foreign tourists around, it was not crowded at all.

After 8am, the Steller’s sea eagle and white-tailed eagle were waiting in standby on the lakeside trees, and a crow was waiting impatiently on the ice.

Sea Eagles on Ice lake Furen 風蓮湖の鷲|西遊旅行

Video & text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Lake Furen, Hokkaido
Special Thanks : Lodge “Lake Sunset”

*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.

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Love Is In The Air For The Hokkaido Fox! (Teshikaga, Hokkaido)

キタキツネの求愛 courtship of Ezo red fox Wildlife of Japan 北海道の野生動物

2021 Winter Report from Eastern Hokkaido Photography Tour

Towards the end of the second half of the tour, we could encounter some Ezo red foxes in the yard of the lodge “ Masuya” in Teshikaga. Every year from the end of January to late March is the mating season for foxes; and their offspring might be born around late March to early May. We were there in the middle of mating season, in mid-February, when we saw these two foxes behaving a little oddly. While observing them, we witnessed the courting and then mating behaviors. Come April, you may be able to see the kits of this red fox pair in Masuya’s yard.
Our delightful encounter with these two courting red foxes in the snowy forest landscape was an unforgettable moment.

Mating of Ezo red foxes キタキツネの交尾|西遊旅行

 

Images & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Teshikaga, Hokkaido
Special Thanks : Lodge ” Masuya”

*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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Bird Photography : Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-tailed Eagle (Rausu, Hokkaido)

羅臼 流氷クルーズ オオワシ オジロワシ Rausu Drift Ice Cruise Steller's Sea Eagle (3) Wildlife of Hokkaido

Winter 2021 Eastern Hokkaido Photography Tour Report

This time, for the Rausu Drift Ice Cruise, there was no drift ice out at sea, so the photography cruise took place in the fishing port.
Due to that situation, however, it proved to be challenging to get photos of the Steller’s sea eagle and White-tailed eagles without any buildings in the background. For the first half of the tour I was trying to get them with the ice and snow as the backdrop, and then for the second half I mainly took shots of them flying in the air. The staff on the ship assisted in this effort by expertly throwing the fish in the air.

羅臼 流氷クルーズ オオワシ オジロワシ Rausu Drift Ice Cruise Steller's Sea Eagle (2) Wildlife of Hokkaido

A Steller’s sea eagle flying towards our boat.

羅臼 流氷クルーズ オオワシ オジロワシ Rausu Drift Ice Cruise Steller's Sea Eagle (11) Wildlife of Hokkaido

Battling for food mid-air.

羅臼 流氷クルーズ オオワシ オジロワシ Rausu Drift Ice Cruise Steller's Sea Eagle (9) Wildlife of Hokkaido

I wondered if it is just less risky to steal another eagle’s fish rather than grabbing the ones that have fallen on the ice surface?

羅臼 流氷クルーズ オオワシ オジロワシ Rausu Drift Ice Cruise Steller's Sea Eagle (8) Wildlife of Hokkaido

Fierce competition.

羅臼 流氷クルーズ オオワシ オジロワシ Rausu Drift Ice Cruise Steller's Sea Eagle (7) Wildlife of Hokkaido

Oh no! You dropped your fish!

羅臼 流氷クルーズ オオワシ オジロワシ Rausu Drift Ice Cruise Steller's Sea Eagle (5) Wildlife of Hokkaido

Perhaps the White-tailed eagles are a little more mature? I had the impression that the fights occurred more amongst the Steller’s sea eagles (maybe it just seemed that way for that particular morning tour).

Although I was taking photos in the fishing port (it’s hard to call it a ‘cruise’ since we didn’t get out to sea!) we were blessed with good weather where we could see the beautiful eagles flying in the skies above.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Feb 2021, Rausu, Hokkaido
Special Thanks: The staff at Gojira-iwa Kanko

*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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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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