Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)

OTHER NAMES: Steller's Fish Eagle, Pacific Sea Eagle, White-shouldered Eagle

Latin Etymology: Haliaeetus ("sea-eagle") pelagicus ("marine/pelagic")

Adult Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) from Akan Crane Centre, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 5-9kg  /  Length: 85-100cm  /  Wingspan: 200-250cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

If, when I had started this blog you had asked me if I could see any bird in the world at all, the Steller's Sea Eagle would have quite possibly been my answer.  It is, in my opinion at least, just about the most spectacular bird on the planet.  It is enormous, with that wingspan that can reach 2.5m wide.  The beak is enormous and bright yellow and there are prominent white panels on the wings make it distinct from it's relations the Bald and White-tailed eagles.  Hokkaido is pretty much the only plausible place to go see them, and in certain locations (unfortunately beyond where we went on this trip) they can be seen in huge numbers at close range in towns where they live off fishing cast offs.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese: オオワシ / O-washi ("Great Eagle")   ///  Ainu:  Kapacchilikamui ("God-spirit of the Eagles")

Locally Common Visitor to Hokkaido, rare vagrant in the rest of Japan

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Two seen distantly from Akan Crane Centre in early December.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus major)

OTHER NAMES: Pied Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Latin Etymology: Dendrocopus ("tree striking") major ("greater")

Left: Adult female Great Spotted Woodpecker (subspecies D. m. pinetorum) at Warnham, Sussex - March 2015

Right: Adult male Great Spotted Woodpecker (subspecies D. m. japonicus) at Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: Dendrocopus major pinetorum AND Dencrocopus major japonicus

Weight: 70-90g  /  Length: 22-23cm  /  Wingspan: 34-39cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a relatively common bird which will sometimes come into gardens. It has distinctive colouration making it easy to spot (compare against the much more difficult to see Lesser Spotted Woodpecker) and hearing a loud tapping call in woodland will very often mean that either this species or the Green Woodpecker will be near. Most easy to photograph at bird tables, or failing that, in Winter when there are no leaves on the trees to block views.  They are found right across Eurasia and I also encountered this species in the centre of the town of Kushiro in Hokkaido.

Related Species:

Order: Piciformes

Family: Picidae

Genus: Dendrocopus

Subspecies: D. m. major, D. m. pinetorum, D. m. harterti, D. m. hispanus, D. m. canariensis, D. m. D. m thanneri, D. m. maurittanus, D. m. numidus, D. m. poelzami, D. m. brevirostris, D. m. kamtschaticus, D. m japonicus, D. m. cabansi

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common breeding resident (140,000 pairs)

 - Birds seen at a large number of sites often at feeders, including but not limited to Rutland Water, Regent's Park and Geddington.

JAPAN - Japanese - アカゲラ  /  Aka-gera ("Red Woodpecker")

A fairly widespread resident.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A single bird seen in Kushiro.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red , RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Sika Deer (Cervus nippon)

OTHER NAMES: Spotted Deer, Japanese Deer

Latin Etymology: Cervus ("deer") nippon ("of Japan")

Adult Sika Deer (subspecies C. n. yesoensis) at Akkeshi, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: Ezo Deer - Cervus nippon yesoensis
Weight: 45-109kg  /  Length: 95-180cm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUTATED / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Sika Deer are the closest relation of the Red Deer and native to the Far East of Asia.  In addition to their close relationship, the Sika Deer in Japan has also benefited from the eradication of wolves in its native range, meaning that its population has exploded mostly unchecked except for humans.  The Sika deer has also been introduced into the UK in several places, and there are a number of feral populations present, some of which have been interbreeding with native red deer.

Related Species:
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus: Cervus
Subspecies: C. n. aplodontus, C. n. grassianus, C. n. keramae, C. n. kopschi, C. n. mandarinus, C. n. mantchuricus, C. n. nippon, C. n. pseudaxis, C. n. pulchellus, C. n. sichuanicus, C. n. soloensis, C. n. taioanus, C. n. yesoensis

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - ニホンジカ  /  Nihonjika ("Japan Deer") 

Widespread resident

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Several seen from train near Akkeshi 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .