Wildlife photography is a large part of most Hokkaido Photo Tours.  The volume of red-tailed foxes, sika deer, and brown bears makes Hokkaido a premiere destination for any visiting photographer, but even more people join Hokkaido Photo Tours for the sake of birding photography.

Birding photography in Hokkaido provides the opportunities to photograph angels.  Angels appear in heaven, but if you join a Hokkaido Winter Photo Tour with Japan Dreamscapes (JDS), you can also photograph the angels that arrive each winter.  Escaping south from the hellish freezes of more northern latitudes of the Kamchatka Peninsula to the Lake Kussharo region, Whooper Swans appear en masse to grace Hokkaido with their presence.

Whooper Swans are generally easy to spot because of their size and coloration.  The whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) are a huge swan, averaging 137cm - 173cm (4.5ft - 5.6ft) in length. The male tends to be larger than the female weighing around 11kg (24lbs) while the female typically weighs 8kg (17.6lbs). On average their wingspan is 200cm - 300cm (6.5ft - 9.8ft).  The Whooper Swan can easily be identified from other white swans by the color of their bill.  The Whooper Swan appears similar to the Bewick's Swan. The easiest way to tell the swans apart is the orangey yellow markings of the Whooper Swans bill, which is more pronounced, than the Bewick's bill and the Bewick's bill has more black markings. The Whooper Swan is also larger and has a longer neck than the Bewick's Swan.

For more than two decades, JDS Hokkaido Winter Photo Tour Leaders have spent their winters in Hokkaido witnessing the divine signals the Whooper Swans make to each other as they communicate to each other about matters regarding their movements.  Issues such as when they will take flight are decided among the bobs, head shakes, and fluttering of their heavenly wings.  Your photo workshop leader will encourage you enjoy the swan signaling symphony as you take the photo trip of a lifetime.  The depth of experience your photo tour leader has means that he will be able to point out which bird will be taking the lead once the swans are airborne.  Your experience will be one of a kind.  

Although the Whooper Swans are not on a protected list, conservation is still a concern for JDS Hokkaido Winter Photo Tour Leaders.  JDS’s photo workshop leaders know that human activities threaten Whooper swans, such as habitat loss and the reclamation of inland and coastal wetlands.  Because tourism is gradually increasing in Hokkaido, more tourists are arriving and appreciating the natural landscapes and beauty that Hokkaido offers, but the number of people can also create negative environment impacts.  The price of conservation is vigilance, and when participating in a JDS Hokkaido Wildlife Tour, your photography workshop leader is always careful to be respectful of the wildlife and natural surroundings so more visitors may enjoy Hokkaido and its wildlife for generations to come.