【Series】 Spirits of the Kamuy landscape
In this series, the transformation of four seasons will be introduced through articles on wild animals that are active in the deep forests, marshes, and ocean as if they were being cradled by “Kamui,” which means deity in the Ainu language. The first installment in the series is the Yezo sika deer of Notsuke Peninsula. (Text and photographs by Tadanobu Shigeru from the Kushiro Branch News Secti
Special feature
【Series】 Spirits of the Kamuy landscape (36) Growing Ural owl begs for food
I encountered the ‘fairy of the forest’ – with its round eyes, rotund body and fluffy feathers reminiscent of a stuffed toy – in Akan-cho in the city of Kushiro in eastern Hokkaido.
The cute creature is a Ural owl chick. It was born in a tree hollow in May, left the nest after approximately one month, and spends its time hiding in the shadows of the tree until it can fly. As it cannot yet hunt for its own food, it feeds on mice and the like brought by its parents, as it grows day by day.
The nocturnal owls rest during the daytime, and often receive food between evening and early morning. The growing chick is always hungry, and chirps to beg for food as its patents approach. In many cases, several of its siblings live in the vicinity, and all begin chirping when they see the parents in the twilight at dusk.
By late June, the Ural owl chicks, which live in a forest close to human habitation, are able to fly far away, and will move deeper into the mountains.
(Photo and words: Shigeru Tadanobu)
Location
Kushiro City
Special feature
Driving towards Shibetsu from Konpoku Pass in Eastern Hokkaido on National Route 244, a brown bear mother appeared with cubs in front of the car. The sight of a cub chasing after his mother with hi...
【Series】 Spirits of the Kamuy landscape (49) Crested kingfisher concentrates on diving for fish
The green color of trees reflects on the surface of Lake Kussharo (Teshikaga Town in the Eastern Hokkaido Kushiro region), but the atmosphere of autumn has touched this area as well. At the lakesid...
Propelling its tail fin high in the air, the giant sperm whale begins to dive. Sightseers aboard the boat cheer at the breathtaking sight. I searched for whales on a whale watching sightseeing boa...
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【Series】 Spirits of the Kamuy landscape (46) Brown bears head to the sea in search of salmon
In order to photograph brown bears off the coast of the tip Shiretoko Peninsula, where there are no roads, a boat departs from the Utoro port in the town of Shari. We had received information fr...
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Killer whales swim in the Sea of Okhotsk waters off the coast of the Eastern Hokkaido town of Rausu, and June through July is the best season for spotting them. Family groups called pods can be spo...
A spacious-windowed café in the suburbs of Central Hokkaido's Chitose City has a wild bird feeder in its garden, and customers can enjoy watching the flying birds while eating and drinking. Hokkaid...
While enjoying a walk amid a refreshing breeze on a footpath that stretches from residential land in Chuo-ku in the city of Sapporo to the midst of the mountains, I hear the echoes of a black woodp...
Two bear cubs that were born in the winter hibernation den and are just a few months old, follow their mother. As the length of stride of the mother bear, which weighs over 100 kg, is different, ...
Amid the mountains in the town of Shiranuka in eastern Hokkaido, as the greenery becomes denser and the butterbur stems grow higher day by day, I encounter an Ezo red fox cub that was born this spr...
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