Drift Ice - Eagles of Hokkaido

Among the spectacular birds of Hokkaido are two eagles - the Steller's Sea Eagle and the White-tailed Eagle. This is a record of the two species off the coast of Rausu, on drift ice floating in the Sea of Okhotsk in sub zero temperatures, in February 2020.

The Steller's Sea Eagle is one of the world's largest birds of prey. It can weigh up to ten kilograms which is half a kilogram heavier than the famed Harpy Eagle of South America. Growing to a meter in length, its wingspan can reach over two meters. Compared to its length, it has a relatively short, diamond-shaped white tail. Mostly dark brown, this eagle has splashes of white on its body and most notably a long patch on each shoulder.

Its most remarkable feature is its large and bulb-shaped orange beak. One would not want to be on the receiving end of either the beak or their massive talons. The bird catches fish from the sea and hunts smaller birds including all manners of water fowl and gulls.

Steller's Sea Eagles live most of the year in northeastern Asia, particularly the Kamchatka Peninsula, where they breed. They migrate to northern Japan during the winter and feed off the fish of surrounding waters.

The White-tailed Eagle, on the other hand, makes Hokkaido its year-round home. It, too, is a large eagle with a weight of up to seven kilograms, length of slightly less than a meter, and wingspan similar to that of the Steller's Sea Eagle. The adults are dirty grey in colour with a pronounced white band seen on its tail while in flight, much like our Pallas's Fish Eagles. The younger eagles are coloured more rust and brown.

For both these eagles, females are larger and heavier than males. This difference allows males and females to target different sets of prey, thus reducing the area they must cover to feed themselves.