My annual Hokkaido wildlife birding photo tour is a little more than a month away, and I’ve been spending all the time I can planning for the upcoming workshop.  My pro-support team and I leave nothing to chance, and every detail is gone over with a fine-tooth comb. We triple check everything from participant's special needs such as food allergies, lodging preferences, as well as any questions regarding camera equipment.  As for the routes themselves, I eagerly consult weather charts and wildlife feeding routes/locations, which change by the weather and by the day of the week.  We know the situation in the wild for bird spotting such as the Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus), The Red-Crowned Crane (Grus japonensis), The glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus), The Eurasian nuthatch  (Sitta europaea), The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), The Japanese Pygmy woodpecker or (Yungipicus kizuki) as well as other wildlife.