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Sea of Okhotsk, Japan |
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The images in this gallery were taken from an eco-tourist boat from the seaport of Rasu, Japan. Rasu is located on the far northeastern peninsula of Hokkaido; Japan’s northern most island. Situated not much farther north geographically than Eugene, Oregon; Rasu's winter climate can be severe. Air masses sweeping south from the Arctic and the Siberian land mass source regions are responsible for the cold winters. During the winter; sea pack ice, wind driven from the Sea of Okhotsk, is common in this area. The pack ice provides a unique habitat to observe and photograph large sea eagles feeding. The Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) and the White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) are the main focus of this gallery. Steller’s Sea Eagle, with its 2.5 meter (approximately 8 foot) wingspan, is the world’s second largest eagle. The species is endangered with an estimated remaining population of about 5000 individuals. The White-tailed Sea Eagle is the world’s fourth largest eagle and is more abundant but is also suffering habitat loss.
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