Hokkaido - More than Birding Photography

Many photographers and enthusiasts go to Hokkaido to take pictures of the amazing birding photo ops that exist all over Japan’s northern island. And when considering birds such as the snow ballerina the Red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) or the aggressive raptor The Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), it is clear that you could spend days even months taking only birding photos. However, there is much more to the island than avian visitors.

On a recent trip to Hokkaido, I captured an outcropping of land with a nearly uncountable amount of Yezo Sika deer (Cervus nippon). It was such a remarkable discovery that I stopped and immortalized the herd into my personal photo gallery. As an amateur historian, I know that the now relatively abundant Yezo Sika deer were once dangerously close to extinction. Once Hokkaido started receiving an influx of Japanese from the main island, the deer’s population shrunk to near extinction levels. Venison canning between two major hub cities in Hokkaido meant the deer were perpetually overhunted, but on two different occasions the deer were given protected status which allowed them to return to higher numbers that make them available as photo ops in several different parts of Hokkaido.

Ezo Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes schrencki) represent another wildlife photo op made especially lovely among the snowy natural landscapes in Hokkaido. Ezo Foxes are especially common sights on mountainous roads or areas rich in nature which describes most of Hokkaido. Because the temperature drops so low during the winter, the foxes coat becomes even fluffier and fuller to insulate them as they hunt for food or patrol their domain in the forests of Hokkaido. Make no mistake. The Ezo Foxes may have a fluffy coat, but their speed is something to behold.

Can’t wait to get back to Hokkaido next February and see all of these wildlife specimens and more!