Hokkaido part 1

June 20th, 2026. The long-awaited trip to the north has begun. One of the first sightings was the big fish-eating eagle, 

White-tailed Eagle, オジロワシ

The first evening we watched 2 owls, the world's biggest fish owls:

Blakiston's Fish Owl, シマフクロウ

A pair flew in. While the male waited in a tree along the river, the female caught one fish after another.

When the female had enough, she left and made room for her mate.

 It was said they had a nest nearby.

The whole performance lasted 20 min at least. I never thought we could watch these birds this easily, in a relaxed way. We returned to our hotel fully satisfied. 

I saw just these 2 birds, but someone else noticed more. 9 In total!