Watch endangered sea eagles soar over drift ice on the Shiretoko Peninsula

Steller’s sea eagles and white-tailed eagles are the focus of this tour, which takes place in the height of winter in Shiretoko National Park.

While driving along the shoreline from Utoro with your guide, you will look for Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed eagles perched on trees, on drift ice, or flying in the sky. Watch these large eagles soar overhead, wings outstretched to more than two meters across. You will be able to stop and observe the birds, and your guide will explain the birds’ habitat and behavior in depth. Along the way, you may be able to spot other animals, such as Ezo deer and Ezo red foxes, as well as spotted seals (largha seals) floating on drift ice.

Steller's sea eagles are in danger of extinction, with an estimated global population of about 5,000. These large raptors inhabit the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka and other Russian islands for a large part of the year. They migrate to Hokkaido's coastline and rivers in winter, starting around November, when drift ice begins form in the Sea of Okhotsk, making its way to the shores of northeastern Hokkaido. Shiretoko draws over 200 Steller's sea eagles to its coastline and waterways, which are rich in fish such as Pacific cod and Alaska pollock. The eagles leave the Shiretoko Peninsula and head back north around late March.