As a wildlife conservationist, I am continually closely monitoring wildlife, especially the Red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), locally referred to as the 'tancho' (タンチョウヅル in Japanese characters) on my annual Hokkaido birding Japan tour among others such as the ice age relics that have survived not one but three ice ages, the Steller's Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus), plus my bonnie bird the Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus) these birds are sweethearts, and one of the Ainu Kamuy the Blakiston's Fish Owl (Bubo Blakiston) in charge of protecting the Ainu village or 'Kotan,' and the main challenger of the Steller's Sea Eagles on the pack ice, the White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Red-crowned cranes were critically endangered for nearly a half-century, as designated by the International Union for the Conversation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. However, at the end of 2021, the Red-crowned cranes were reclassified as 'vulnerable,' one important step up on the Red List scale.
At one time, the Red-crowned Crane was thought to be extinct in Japan, falling prey to a reduced number of wetlands and continued encroachment by people farming land that was once pristine. During the Taisho Era (1912-1926), a small number of Red-crowned Cranes were discovered by local farmers in the Kushiro region of Hokkaido. The Japanese government immediately declared the tancho a protected species and designated it a National treasure of Japan in 1924, and conservation efforts have been in place since that time. In 2019, the Hokkaido Prefectural Government recorded a record number of Red-crowned Cranes in Hokkaido, over 1,000, due to continued efforts to preserve the Red-crowned cranes or snow ballerinas in Japan. However, after examining more of the data related to the diverse Red-crowned crane flocks, I understood more of their struggle and why the reclassification can be misleading.
Several steps have been taken internationally to replenish Red-crowned crane numbers. When thinking about the Red-crowned crane population, one needs to think about them in terms of the different regions the cranes inhabit. The Red-crowned Cranes' population is said to be less than 3,000 birds worldwide, while over 1/3 of the entire Red-crowned Crane population is endemic to Hokkaido. The Hokkaido population is now stable because of the continued conservation efforts of local bird conservation enthusiasts and Hokkaido farmers providing food for the endemic Red-crowned crane population. By contrast, the continental population of the Red-crowned cranes migrates nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) for wintering in the spring and breeding during the latter part of each year. Unfortunately, due to the reduction of wetlands and human encroachment, the wintering population of Red-crowned cranes is nearly extinct in China. The wintering group on the Korean Peninsula faces severe restrictions on the amount of suitable habitats. In both China and Korea, converting open marshlands for agriculture and industrial developments has impacted the Red-crowned cranes' habitat and concentrated them into specific areas. However, Hokkaido's beautiful landscapes and preserved nature make it an excellent habitat for the cranes. Their presence allows visiting photographers a photo op with one of the world's rarest and most majestic birds.
The Red-crowned Cranes are also considered symbols of fidelity, undoubtedly from their lifelong love and devotion to one another; in short, they mate for life. Their dancing rituals are where the appellation' snow ballerina' comes from. When you see two Red-crowned Cranes begin their courtship dance, the elegant choreography of a pair's movements echoes the cranes' growing devotion to each other as they raise their heads simultaneously and let out a fluting call. The call is so moving and the dance so inviting that on some occasions, the dance will inspire other crane couples to begin their own duet. The dance is awe-inspiring, and their movements will create gallery-worthy photography print or video for you when you join my annual Hokkaido Winter birding Photography Workshop.
Matting Red-Crowned Cranes Hokkaido Japan
An extremely rare video I captured of Red-crowned cranes matting. I took this video during my annual Hokkaido wildlife photo tour.
Camera Equipment: If you don't own a super long telephoto lens such as a 400mm f/2.8 with a 2x teleconverter giving you 800mm, a fixed 600 f/4, or an 800mm f/5.6, don't worry; you don't need one these super expensive super-telephoto lenses with me if you don't own one. I will get up close and personal with the wildlife on my annual Mt. Fuji, Matsumoto Samauri Castle, Snow Monkey, Hokkaido landscape, and wildlife birding tour Hokkaido workshop. My most used lenses for Hokkaido birding are the Sigma 120-300 F2.8 DG OS HSM/Sports with a 2X teleconverter giving me 600mm, and the lens is tack sharp. Or the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400 f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR. For Snow monkeys, I usually use a 24-105mm f/4 or my 120-300 F2.8 DG OS HSM/Sports without the 2X teleconverter. I take birders out all the time; mainly, their gear consists of an iPhone, possibly a pocket camera, binoculars, or spotting scope. These spotting scopes have adaptors for iPhones and other smartphone makers. Kowa recently released a new series of lenses titled telephoto lenses. I have had the pleasure of testing some of their gear with a DSL and mirrorless attached. The image quality produced is impressive, at a fraction of the weight and cost of my birding lenses, and their lenses have the same or longer reach than my Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR. One downside to digiscoping is that these scopes are mainly manual focus and rather none functional for action wildlife photography. Still, they are superbly great for nesting birds and birds in a tree or Steller's sea eagles on pack ice. These scopes produce gallery-quality images and becoming better known to wildlife photographers worldwide.