
Reasonable numbers of both species of eagle at Yakumo at the moment but there really isn’t that much to eat for them…
And not opps for decent photos either.


The eagles are back at Yakumo. This one (I think it’s the same one) always occupies the same spot on the river and it’s difficult to get a clear shot of it as it’s usually obscured by twigs. Hence the nickname ‘Twiggy’.
There seemed to be about 20-30 eagles of both species but for the third winter running salmon numbers are very low. As this is their main food supply I don’t think they’ll stick around for long. This juvenile Steller’s was pitifully thin…
Twiggy did take a dump though; this photo is post-dump pose. Twiggy has eaten something recently at least.
Other interesting stuff around included Whooper Swan, Crested Kingfisher and Stejneger’s Scoter.
I wonder how many years this individual has been coming to this spot every winter?
I also wonder which windswept cape in the far northeast of Russia it goes to in summer. Is it half of a pair? If so where is its significant other? So many questions…
I noticed the Steller’s had dropped behind a sea wall and I snuck up and there it was…
It looks a bit grizzled. How old is it? I think it’s a male (it seems a bit small)…
This winter I’ve noticed its right eye is knacked.
The left eye looks normal enough.
What happened to its eye I wonder? Is the eagle equivalent of a cataract? Is it blind in that eye? Like I say I think this individual is probably quite old.
Not a Rough-legged sadly…
Heavy snow and very low temperatures have restricted my birding the last couple of weeks. Today we headed east where the snowfall is usually much less but even there it was piled high. Not a vintage day for photos.
A bit quiet birding wise. A flock of Japanese Waxwing flew over (with one pixel-peeped Bohemian) and the local Steller’s was around.
Amongst the Carrion and Large-billed Crows in the port I was surprised to see this first winter Rook. This is a winter visitor only here and is usually found in large skittish flocks in agricultural fields. Strange to see a lone one poking around in the fish scraps.