BLOG - Blain Harasymiw

Hokkaido Winter Wildlife Photography: Capturing the Elusive Shima Enaga and Majestic Birds of Japan

FEB

20

2025

Hokkaido Winter Wildlife Photography: ...

Hokkaido is a premier destination for wildlife photography, drawing nature lovers and birders eager to witness the dramatic aerial battles ...

FEB

13

2025

Experience the Majesty of Steller's Sea ...

Field Report from our Hokkaido Photography Tour Leader! I am currently leading an unforgettable birding photography workshop in Hokkaido, Japan, ...

FEB

11

2025

Explore Hokkaido’s Wonders - Grus ...

Field Report from Our Hokkaido Photo Workshop Leader! Yesterday, my Hokkaido photography workshop participants and I took an extraordinary ...

FEB

05

2025

Capture Japan’s Stunning Cherry ...

Cherry blossoms seen on Japan photo tours are among the most breathtaking sights, second perhaps only to the iconic Mt. Fuji as a symbol of Japan. ...

FEB

03

2025

Discover Hokkaido Japan

Field Report from our Hokkaido Photo Workshop Leader I am currently leading my annual Hokkaido Photography ttours, which take place from January ...

JAN

21

2025

Discover the Rich Heritage of the Ainu ...

The Ainu people hold a vital place in Japan’s history, embodying a rich cultural heritage that predates and spans the Heian Period (794 - ...

JAN

01

2025

Discover the Magic of Hokkaido: Unveil ...

Hokkaido, Japan’s enchanting northern island, offers a rich tapestry of cultural heritage and stunning natural beauty. Our 2026 Hokkaido ...

DEC

18

2024

Hokkaido Birding & Wildlife Photo ...

During the latest Hokkaido Photo Tour, the team at JDS Photography Workshops captured a striking harmony between Hokkaido’s breathtaking winter ...

DEC

17

2024

Discover Hokkaido’s Winter Wonderland: ...

Experience the Magic of Hokkaido’s Shima Enaga on Our Exclusive 2026 Birding Tours! Hokkaido, Japan, is one of the most magical winter ...

DEC

15

2024

Hokkaido Photography Workshops: Capture ...

The Haliaeetus pelagicus (Steller’s sea eagle) is the undisputed champion of raptors, a glacial relic that has survived multiple ice ages. ...

DEC

13

2024

Discover Hokkaido's Winter Wonders: ...

While organizing and cataloging photos from a recent Hokkaido Photo Tour, the JDS workshop leaders noticed something extraordinary. On ...

NOV

02

2024

Hokkaido Photography Tour - Birding In ...

While leading participants on my annual Hokkaido photography tour, our workshop leaders and clients spot and photograph various different ...

OCT

23

2024

Essence of Cherry Blossom Photo ...

Leading participants on the annual JDS Essence of Japan Sakura Cherry Blossom Photo Workshop Tour provides me with the opportunity to introduce ...

SEP

20

2024

Hokkaido Photo Tours - Red-Crowned ...

The annual Japan Dreamscapes Hokkaido Photo Workshop means another opportunity to spot and photograph Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis), one ...

AUG

26

2024

Two Ice Age Relic Raptors - The ...

During the annual Japan Dreamscapes Hokkaido birding photography workshop tour, our workshop leaders find themselves in awe each year when ...

AUG

21

2024

Hokkaido Birds of Prey - Hokkaido ...

Our photo workshop leaders always look forward to leading the annual JDS Hokkaido photography tour. The main JDS Hokkaido tour includes ...

AUG

07

2024

Lake Akan - Birding photography

The woods surrounding Lake Akanko and everywhere our workshop leaders take participants on the annual JDS Hokkaido photography tours are a ...

AUG

05

2024

Japan's Ecological Lines - Hokkaido ...

Having explored a vast majority of Japan while scouting or leading Japan photography workshop tours, and when colleagues or friends ask our main ...

AUG

02

2024

Red-crowned cranes - Ainu Totem Poles

One of our JDS Hokkaido photography workshop tour leaders traces his upbringing back to the Cree Nations Community in Northern Canada and ...

JUL

30

2024

Tracking The Hunting Raptor

During the annual JapanDreamscapes Hokkaido bird watching photography workshop tour, spotting and photographing the Steller's Sea Eagles ...

JUL

24

2024

Hokkaido Photo Tours - Birding and ...

Hokkaido Photo Tours should always include a visit with the Red-Crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis). As a Japan photo workshop leader, I always ...

JUL

01

2024

Hokkaido Photo Workshops

Hokkaido Wildlife Birding Photography Tours always provide participants with hundreds of amazing up close and personal encounters with rare bird ...

JUN

23

2024

Hokkaido Birding Photography Workshop ...

Participants who join me for my annual Hokkaido photo tours benefit from the more than 25 years of experience that I have leading adventures and ...

MAR

26

2024

Snow Fairies Birding

The Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus) are super sweetheart birds, my beloved bonny birds. These adorable birds appear like little ...

MAR

16

2024

Cultural Significance the Red-crowned ...

Field Report from our Hokkaido Photo Workshop Leader! Yesterday I was photographing the Red-crowned cranes with participants on a private ...

MAR

10

2024

Hokkaido Birding Photo Tour White-naped ...

During my annual 2024 February Hokkaido photography tour, I photographed evidence that not only visiting raptors like the Steller’s Sea Eagle ...

MAR

01

2024

Hokkaido Wildlife Photography Private ...

About a week ago I completed my annual Hokkaido Group Photography Workshop Tour, and then my team and me took a few days rest in Central ...

FEB

28

2024

Hokkaido Photo Workshop-Tour - ...

I am currently leading my annual Hokkaido birding photo tour on this chapter of our Hokkaido expedition. We are spotting and photographing the ...

FEB

28

2024

The Red-Crowned Cranes - Hokkaido’s ...

Today and for the next couple of days, my annual Hokkaido birding photo workshop will take place in the Kushiro Wetlands photographing Red-Crowned ...

FEB

15

2024

Hokkaido Photography Tour Wildlife and ...

Since our main workshop leader is a professional photographer with over twenty-five years of experience leading Hokkaido photo tours, and Japan photo ...

FEB

14

2024

An All-Inclusive Hokkaido Photography ...

Starting in 2025, JDS will run a Hokkaido-only Birding & landscape Photography tour workshop, February 1-9, 2025. Of course, we will ...

FEB

12

2024

Hokkaido Photography Tour - Hokkaido’s ...

The Steller’ sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) is a glacial relic that has survived several ice ages, somehow immune to the passage of ...

FEB

04

2024

Hokkaido Photo Workshop Tours - A ...

Participants who join my annual Hokkaido birding photography tour are seeing Hokkaido with an experienced local pro team, and me a local pro ...

JAN

10

2024

Hokkaido Photo Tour - Steller’s Sea ...

My annual Hokkaido wildlife birding photo tour is a little more than a month away, and I’ve been spending all the time I can planning for the ...

NOV

03

2023

Hokkaido Photo Tour Miniature Flying ...

Proving the saying ‘Good things come in small packages’ is a sighting of a Shima Enaga during my annual Hokkaido birding photography ...

OCT

31

2023

Hokkaido Photo Tour - Pack Ice ...

Pack ice is a mainstay for my annual Hokkaido Photography tour as the, Steller's Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus), use the pack-ice as a platform ...

SEP

05

2023

Cherry Blossoms Japan Birding Photo ...

Japan's earliest blooming cherry blossoms are the Kawazu-Zakura (Cerasus lannesiana,) these cherry blossoms are the ultimate for Japan Birding Cherry ...

JUL

14

2023

Steller’s Sea Eagles and White-tailed ...

My favorite Japan birding tours to lead is my annual Winter Hokkaido Photography tours, offered annually in January, February and March. Of ...

JUL

05

2023

First Nations People of Japan - ...

Visiting the First Nations people of Japan the Ainu is always a part of my annual Hokkaido Photo workshop tour. (99.999% of Japanese do not ...

JUN

24

2023

Hokkaido Birding in Winter

Hokkaido birding in winter in the unspoiled Shiretoko National Park is amazing and humbling at the same time, leading international photographers ...

JUN

08

2023

Steller’s Sea Eagles - Hokkaido Photo ...

When mid winter arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, that means it’s time for my annual Hokkaido Birding Photo Tour expedition photo workshop, ...

MAY

23

2023

Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) ...

The Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) on my annual Hokkaido photo workshop are represented in two main flocks. The first live in China ...

APR

16

2023

Mt. Fuji Cherry Blossoms - Off the ...

I am currently leading my Japan cross country cherry blossom photo workshop tour to one of my must see locations for any visiting photographer, the ...

APR

14

2023

Blakiston’s Fish Owls - Members of ...

Blakiston’s Fish Owls (Ketupa blakistoni) are a treasured sighting on my annual Hokkaido photography workshop tour. Hokkaido abounds with ...

APR

11

2023

Steller’s Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus ...

Among the numerous raptors, birds, and other wildlife I spot and photograph during my Hokkaido Wildlife Birding photo workshop tour is the annual ...

MAR

13

2023

Hokkaido Photo Tours - Blakiston’s Fish ...

Another Field Report from JDS's Main Hokkaido Photo Workshop Leader! During my annual Hokkaido birding wildlife workshop tours, I usually visit ...

MAR

07

2023

Steller’s Sea Eagle Aerial Warfare

When I find myself among one of the largest diurnal birds of prey in the world, I know I’m in raptor country leading my annual Hokkaido, Mt. ...

MAR

01

2023

The Red-Crowned Cranes - Wow! Get ...

I will spend the next few blue and golden hours in the Kushiro Wetlands leading my annual Hokkaido Birding Wildlife workshop tour photographing ...

FEB

12

2023

Hokkaido Birding Photo Workshops - ...

Being in Hokkaido for my annual Hokkaido birding wildlife photo workshop tour means spotting and photographing The White-tailed ...

JAN

22

2023

Happy Shimaenaga Day❤️

January 20th is the coldest day in winter, and the Japan Anniversary Association set this day Shima Enaga day, due to these fluffy adorable cotton ...

JAN

05

2023

Hokkaido Photo Workshops - Steller’s ...

Steller's sea eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus) are known to be the most powerful and aggressive of their closest relatives, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus ...

DEC

28

2022

Hokkaido Birding Photo Tour - Steller’s ...

I have been leading Hokkaido birding photo workshop tours for more than two decades, plus I keep a cottage in the region, and I am a Hokkaido ...

DEC

02

2022

Steller’s Sea Eagles - Hokkaido Photo ...

The Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) is the heaviest and one of the most fierce raptors on our planet, one that I spot and photograph ...

NOV

28

2022

Hokkaido, Japan’s Endemic Raptor - The ...

The White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is also known as the White-tailed sea eagle, Gray eagle, and Eurasian sea eagle is one raptor of many I ...

OCT

09

2022

Hokkaido Photo Tour Workshop - ...

My annual Hokkaido birding tour always includes Steller's Sea Eagles Haliaeetus pelagicus), which can be spotted and photographed from Rausu to ...

AUG

13

2022

The Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) ...

The Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), (Japanese カラス), is specific to Southeast Asia, and most prevalent in Japan. During my annual ...

MAY

05

2022

Species of Japan - The Kawazusakura ...

Kawazuzakura is the earliest blooming Sakura in Japan. The Kawazuzakura/Cherry Blossom tree is well known in the Izu Peninsula and blooms in ...

APR

30

2022

The Fugenzo Cherry Blossom (Cerasus ...

The Fugenzo Cherry Blossom (Cerasus lannesiana ‘Albo-rosea' Makino) is one of the Oshima Satozakura cherry blossom cultivars that my ...

APR

22

2022

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Feeding Habits - ...

When most people think of cherry blossoms and birding, most would not even consider photographing together one of the top 10 most populous birds, the ...

APR

16

2022

The Challenge of Zen Minimalist ...

During my annual Hokkaido Minimalist Wildlife Photography Workshop Tour, the weather always plays a huge factor. I have experienced snowstorms, ...

FEB

15

2022

ALERT - Kawazu Sakura/Cherry Blossoms ...

The Kawazu Sakura is among the earliest blooming cherry blossom flower in Japan. These trees bloom annually in the first or second week of February ...

FEB

07

2022

Hokkaido Photo Tour - The Always ...

As many professional photographers will tell you, it’s the small details that sometimes have the largest impact, and one of those small, ...

JAN

31

2022

Rustic Bunting - Hokkaido Photo Tour

The Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica) is a passerine bird in the bunting family; their appearance is similar to the Chipping sparrow. ...

JAN

29

2022

Hokkaido Photo Tour Steller's Sea Eagle ...

One Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) has spent almost an entire year hunting far, far from home. One Steller’s Sea Eagle ...

JAN

20

2022

Hokkaido Birding Photography Tour - ...

Hokkaido’s Red-crowned cranes, often called snow ballerinas or tancho in Japanese, that I photograph during my annual Hokkaido birding photo ...

JAN

14

2022

Hokkaido Photo Tours - Hokkaido’s ...

The White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is one of dozens of birds that participants spot and photograph when they join my annual ...

DEC

19

2021

Hokkaido Red Tides & Unintended ...

The worst Red Tide in recorded history struck Hokkaido this autumn. Its shockwaves especially for the fishing industry, which lost over 17 ...

NOV

28

2021

Hokkaido Bird Watching Photo Workshops ...

A stunning bird to photograph in the snow is the Shima Enaga (Parus caudatus), one of the dozens of birds I look forward to photographing on my ...

NOV

24

2021

Steller's Sea Eagle Birding Hokkaido, ...

A fellow photographer friend of the family and colleague who often assists me on my annual Hokkaido photo tours called to say hello and that she was ...

OCT

21

2021

Hokkaido Bird Watching Photography ...

Hokkaido wildlife tours and Japan photography workshops are a birding and nature lover’s paradise. Sometimes, the smaller wildlife somehow gets ...

OCT

19

2021

Shima Enaga Hokkaido Photography Tour ...

One of the locations in Japan I call home is Hokkaido, and I love to visit as often as I can, especially for my annual Hokkaido photo tour that ...

OCT

14

2021

Hokkaido Photography Tour VS Niigata ...

During a balmy afternoon at my 100-year-old kominka in Niigata last week, I heard the unmistakable call of a flock of Whooper Swans as they flew over ...

OCT

09

2021

Sweet Adorable Little Puffballs - ...

My annual Hokkaido Photo Tour Birding Adventure Workshop features many of Hokkaido’s breathtaking airborne wildlife such as Steller’s Sea ...

OCT

01

2021

Migratory and Sub Regional Endemic ...

I count myself as fortunate that I can enjoy photographing Red-Crowned Cranes during my annual Hokkaido photo tour Wildlife Bird-spotting Expedition. ...

SEP

21

2021

Preserving the Dance of The Red-Crowned ...

When I explain to visiting photographers about the Red-Crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis), which are just one of the dozens of wildlife species we ...

SEP

07

2021

Steller's Sea Eagle Hokkaido Birding ...

Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) is one of the most fierce diurnal birds on Earth, one I photograph while they hunt on the pack ...

AUG

06

2021

Hokkaido Minimalist Photography - ...

Leading my annual Hokkaido Wildlife Minimalist Photo Adventure allows to focus on so many different themes within the category of visual arts. ...

JUL

05

2021

Hokkaido Photography Workshops - ...

My annual Hokkaido Photo Workshop is a bonanza of avian wildlife. Steller’s Sea Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, Glaucous Gulls, Whooper ...

JUN

28

2021

John Cornicello presents - Once wasn't ...

John Cornicello presents - Once wasn't enough! - Blain Harasymiw Vol. ll July 22nd, 10 am Pacific Daily Savings Time (2 am July 23rd JST) As a ...

MAY

30

2021

Okutainai Birding and Forest Therapy on ...

Part of what appeals to participants when they join a private Niigata Photo Workshop is the unexplored and untouched wilderness spread out all over ...

MAR

25

2021

Hokkaido Wildlife Tour - Shima Enaga A ...

Hokkaido wildlife tours and Japan photography workshops are a birding and nature lover’s paradise. Tens of thousands of visitors annually ...

MAR

09

2021

From Steller’s Sea Eagles to Sakura - ...

If social distancing were already a thing of the past in 2021, I would be enjoying a little downtime after my annual Hokkaido tour winter wonderland. ...

FEB

25

2021

America’s Emblematic Raptor Pays ...

During my annual Hokkaido Photo Workshops, one of my highlights is the Battle Royale that breaks out every year between the local wildlife, the ...

FEB

11

2021

The Steller's Sea Eagle - An Ice Age ...

An Excerpt from our recently published article with Luminous Landscape A magical bird that has graced my presence during my annual Hokkaido ...

JAN

27

2021

Lake Akanko Birding - Blakiston’s Fish ...

The Ainu are an essential part of Japan, and they were pushed north from mainland Japan to Hokkaido, a nearly forgotten part of history dating before ...

JAN

19

2021

Glaucous Gull - Hokkaido Photo Tours ...

My annual Hokkaido photography tour is a birding photographer’s paradise. Out on the pack ice, I witness an energetic drama with an ...

JAN

13

2021

Sado Island Effect - Niigata Coastline ...

The sheltering effect of Sado Island on wind waves off Niigata city’s coast is the reason why the capital city was built where it was. ...

NOV

23

2020

Birding Photography Medley of Mejiro ...

I usually don’t return directly after my annual winter Hokkaido Photo Tour has completed, but last year I did, and I brought along my Hokkaido ...

OCT

11

2020

Steller's Sea Eagle Hokkaido Birding ...

While organizing and cataloging the photos from my last Hokkaido Photo Tour, I realized I had created a near perfect scene. On the top row of ...

SEP

22

2020

Shima Enaga - A Bonny Bird

A Report from our Veteran Photo Workshop Leader about Hokkaido's Birding Photography I love my second home in Hokkaido, Japan, And I love my ...

SEP

16

2020

Oriental Stork Revival - Japan Private ...

Many visiting photographers think that the best birding in Japan can only be found on a Hokkaido Photo Tour, and, honestly, I understand how people ...

SEP

07

2020

The Steller’s Sea Eagle Around Since ...

The Steller’ sea eagle is the champion of Raptors, glacial relics that have survived several ice ages. Somehow they seem immune to the ...

AUG

27

2020

Species of Hokkaido - Birding Paradise

Photographers who are new to Hokkaido and joining a Hokkaido Photo Tour with JDS may ask what type of species they may see while visiting ...

AUG

17

2020

Japan's Ecological Lines and Wildlife ...

One of my favorite places on earth to experience these themes simultaneously is in the North of Japan, during my annual group Hokkaido Photo Tour ...

JUL

16

2020

Anyone Can Photograph a Bird on a Stick ...

One the hardest photos to successfully capture in nature photography is a bird in flight, but anyone can capture a bird on a stick, or can they? If ...

JUL

13

2020

Bird Banding - Supposing Bird ...

Bird banding is one of the our most successful tools in our abilities to study wild birds, and support bird conservation worldwide, as birds cross ...