When I find myself among one of the largest diurnal birds of prey in the world, I know I’m in raptor country leading my annual Hokkaido, Mt. Fuji, Snow Monkey, Landscape, Wildlife Adventure. The highlight on this tour is the Battle Royale that breaks out every year between the local wildlife, the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and seasonal interlopers the “crass and imposing” - The Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)! The Hokkaido locals check daily and are very aware when the Steller’s Sea Eagles make town, something like a Western film trope when the unbeatable gunslinger finally arrives. If the Steller’s Sea Eagle and the White-tailed Eagle’s food supply becomes scarce, young human children and house pets such as dogs and cats are carefully watched when venturing out on their own. There are even fables of children going missing during these periods due to insufficient safety protocols being followed. It's far too common that cats, dogs, and even Sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) go missing.
On the pack ice and on dry land, Steller's Sea Eagles and White-tailed Eagles land and huddle for warmth and to shield themselves from the wind chill, but this is only done out of survival instinct. These warriors want to live and fight another day, so in order to do that, they tolerate one another to preserve their warmth. However, when prey becomes the primary focus, the battle begins anew. Successful hunters immediately try to devour their prey, but on many occasions they take to the air to defend their catch while others seek higher elevations to start their divebombing or to launch a sneak attack from below or occupy a blind spot in the hunter’s line of sight in order to strip the prize away. This is why one of the main events on my Hokkaido Photo Workshop/Tour takes place from the deck of a ship photographing the Steller's Sea Eagle and the White-tailed Eagles.
I love up-close and personal encounter with the magnificent Steller’s Sea Eagle on pack-ice, the Steller’s Sea Eagles, in my opinion, are best photographed from Zodiac boats. Hence, you are at equal height eye to eye level of these magnificent birds; it truly is an amazing experience. But the weather is not always favorable for safe sea travel in inflatable Zodiacs, so I always have our group Hokkaido photo tours booked on large chartered vessels, that also have a washroom and cabin. But if the weather and seas are in our favor, I highly recommend Zodiacs, but be warned it can be a bumpy ride. And if the conflicts end with a clear victor, you may be able to hear the stripping of the flesh away from the fish’s carcass and the victorious eagle crushing the bones as it eagerly devours its prize. However, during other conflicts, there is no clear victor, except perhaps for the visiting photographer who captures still images of unforgettable exchanges between two mighty raptor species on the pack ice.
The Steller’s Sea Eagle's plumage is blackish brown-black all over except on the shoulders, rump, tail, thighs, and forehead, which are white. Their HUGE, hooked bill is yellow; when they feed, they do it with raw power. These eagles are huge, on average, the heaviest raptor on our planet, weighing up to and over 10 kg (22 pounds). They are also tall, measuring up to 94 cm (3 ft) sometimes even taller, with a huge wingspan of up to 250 cm (8 - 9 ft). The Steller's Sea Eagle prefers a diet of trout, salmon, or other fish but will eat sea lions or land animals when fishing is slow. The Steller's Sea Eagle is protected by law and is designated as a national treasure in Japan, listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Endangered Species. Around 5000 remain in the wild, and over 2000, visit Japan every winter. The photo on this newsletter of the Steller's Sea Eagle I photographed on the deck of a ship out of Rausu with the Nikon Z7 II with Sigma’s 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sport with Sigma’s 2x teleconverter giving me a focal range 240-600mm. Our ship's captain jammed us in the pack ice with the rising sun to our backs to get the best lighting.