Tropical Birding Olympus Certified Guide Tour - Japan

Winter in Japan.

You and your Olympus kit will love the various kinds of wildlife shooting opportunities we have on this Japan tour. The trip begins in Hokkaido, frequently called “Asia’s Alaska”, where a lot of the most spectacular settings are. Pack-ice, seascapes, and jagged snow-clad mountains are commonplace, and these form the backdrop to some of the most amazing wildlife photography opportunities on the planet. In February, the Red-crowned Cranes start their nuptial displays, and watching and photographing courting cranes dancing in the snow is every bit as spectacular as it sounds. Elsewhere we may shoot the cranes roosting in a misty river bed, providing an ethereal setting for further photos. Further north, we head to Rausu, where we will take a boat through the pack ice to find up to 100 White-tailed Eagles and even more goliath Stellar’s Sea-Eagle sitting on the ice and fighting for the fish scraps we toss to them. The photographic opportunities are simply mind-blowing. The eagles bare their talons at one another, and the fighting between them promises to be one of the major tour highlights. We will spend two nights in Rausu, and hope to end this amazing day with the sensational snow-ghost, Blakiston’s Fish-Owl. Although photography will have to be without the aid of a flash (which is no longer allowed in order to minimize disturbance), we ought to manage some interesting shots of a very scarce bird. Elsewhere, the waterbirds occur in good numbers, and we may be within arm’s reach of hundreds of crisp Whooper Swans gliding past on a thermal lake, with warm water vapors rising around them. Herds of Sika Deer and flocks of sea ducks and auks are also a feature, as are the working fishing villages, stunning Shinto shrines and exquisitely prepared cuisine. This variety means your Olympus lenses will be working overtime to capture every element of your journey.