The Shima Enaga VS The Steller’s Sea Eagle 

The Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus) VS the Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus).  In terms of rarity, the Shima Enaga are much more difficult to spot and photograph in spite of being listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a species of least concern.  By contrast, the Steller’s sea eagles are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of their declining population.  There are roughly 4,700 in the wild.

The Shima Enaga are a bonnie bird.  I took this image handheld with the Nikon Z9 and Sigma120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports.  The lens is now 14 years old and is still plugging away, and I will update when Nikon or Sigma come out with a lighter version of the 120-300 f/2.8 for Z mount. 

For over 25 years, I have been exploring Hokkaido, and I can give you a 99% probability of getting up close and personal with the Steller’s sea eagle. However, spotting the Shima Enaga, known as Hokkaido snow fairies, is more challenging, with only a 70% chance. These tiny, white, long-tailed birds are considered one of the most adorable birds by birders. They are incredibly shy and elusive, often giving you only a few seconds to capture them if you spot them. Photographing these delicate creatures requires not just top-end camera gear but also dedication and years of experience. Many photographers come to Hokkaido hoping to capture the Shima Enaga, but over 90% of them do not succeed.

The Shima Enaga are a very shy and tiny songbird, and are mostly spotted in dense evergreen trees foraging for food.  And you will only have split seconds to photograph them before they sense you and fly off.  The Nikon Z9 at 20 frames per second on Raw has helped me photograph the Shima Enaga, the Z9 is the reason I stayed with Nikon.

Let’s talk about spotting and photographing Steller’s sea eagles for a moment.  The Steller’s Sea Eagle is arguably the most massively huge raptor on our planet, weighing 9+ kilograms (20 pounds) measuring about 85 cm – 110 cm (2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 6 inches) with a wingspan of 182 to 260 cm (5 ft 9 in – 8 ft 5 inches).  Their plumage is blackish brown-black all over except on the shoulders, rump, tail, thighs, and forehead, which are white.  Yeah sure, there are raptors with a bigger wingspan and body length then the Steller’s sea eagles, but you would be hard-pressed to find a raptor that weighs more than a female Steller’s sea eagle. 

On average, the Stellar Sea Eagle females weighs 25% more than the male Steller’s sea eagle, and that is how we tell them apart.  Now let’s talk about their habitat and attitude.  These birds have survived several ice ages, and their home territory has not changed from the coastal regions of northeastern Asia, from Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk for tens of thousands of years. 

They breed in the rich fishing grounds of Okhotsk, and have been spotted as far north as the Chukchi Sea.  Their favorite prey is salmon or trout, and they are agreeably the most  skilled raptor at fishing, catching live fish with their huge razor sharp talons, plus their wickedly huge bill is largest of all raptors.  They can devour fish in seconds and filet fish better than a sushi chef. (As you can see in the image below!) 

A rare image of the Steller’s sea eagle filleting fish in Hokkaido on pack-ice, with the precision of a Sushi Chef.  I took this image with the Nikon Z9 and Sigma120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports, with a X2 Teleconverter at 600mm.

And I can tell you these raptors have an attitude because they are the perfect predator, never needing to evolve through the ice ages.  International photographers flock to Japan specifically to photograph these raptors, and the Steller’s sea eagle is the highlight of my Hokkaido photo workshops.  In all my years leading workshops in Hokkaido, participants and I always return with a treasure trove of thousands of images of Steller’s sea eagles, but I cannot say the same for the Shima Enaga, which on average is about a hundred images. 

Interestingly, Japanese photographers are not all that interested in photographing the Steller’s sea eagles, but they go crazy for the Shima Enaga.  The Shima Enaga craze has led to an endless supply of merchandising.  Across Japan, department stores, souvenir shops, dollar shops, convenience stores and many other types of shops you will find all kinds of Shima Enaga goods such as, stuffed dolls (from small to human size), stickers, pens, notebooks, mugs, eco shopping bags, shoulder bags, wallets, keychains, pen cases, fridge magnets, stationery, hand towels, t-shirts, hats, bed sheets, quilts, curtains, cards, and the list goes on and on.  My all time favorite are picture postcards of these adorable birds that I sell to several shops.

To some, all these goods may seem cheesy, but I assure you most are not, and I often buy them for myself or I give them away as gifts.  Spotting and photographing the Shima Enaga is no easy task.  They are a tiny bird, 12 – 16 cm (4.7 – 6.3 inches) in length, including their tail at 7 – 9 cm (2.4 – 3.5 inches), weighing 6 – 9 g. Males and females are identical.  You will often hear the Shima Enaga before you see them.  They have a constant and high pitched call ‘juri juri’ and at times a ‘tsee-tsee-tsee.’  Outside of the breeding season, they live in flocks of 10 – 20 birds, composed of parents and offspring that mostly make up the flock; they like to stick together.  Wandering birds from other flocks sometimes join, and together with other adult birds, they help raise the brood. These birds are highly territorial and will protect their territory against neighboring flocks. 

The Shima Enaga was first classified as a tit of the Parus group. The Parus has been split from the Aegithalidae and becoming a distinct family containing three sub-group families. Aegithalos (long-tailed tits) are five species birds with a tail. Psaltriparus (North America Bushtit), monotypic. Psaltriparus (pygmy bushtit), monotypic.  The bushtits or long-tailed tits inhabit the Palearctic realm, but I have yet to see photographic proof of the Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus) outside of Hokkaido.  So I and other birders are under the impression that they only inhabit Hokkaido, but I would be happy to see these adorable birds outside of Hokkaido.   

There are thirteen subspecies of the long-tailed bushtit, and there are a few photographs circulating of Shima Enaga lookalikes, but the bushtits in the images I have seen taken outside of Japan are not Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus).  Subspecies of the Shima Enaga found outside of Hokkaido have what is commonly referred to as ‘eyebrows’, little dark brown or black stripes on their stark white faces.  The Hokkaido Shima Enaga also has these eyebrows as juvenile birds, but as they reach adulthood, the eyebrows give way to an entirely white, elegant visage.  Its bright white face and appearance must be where the term ‘snow fairies’ comes from.

Their diet reflects their expansive distribution.  The Shima Enaga is insectivorous all year long. They predominantly eat arthropods and prefer the eggs and astronomical giant moths and butterflies, but sometimes they will eat vegetable matter. The Shima Enaga also feeds on a wide variety of tiny insects, dining on leafhoppers, treehoppers, aphids, and caterpillars. The Shima Enaga’s diet adapts to the season in which it is foraging.  Wasps, ants, spiders, eggs, and pupae are a variety of insects on the Shima Enaga’s seasonal menu.  For years, my bonnie little birds evaded me in all four seasons.  Then I learned their seasonal habits, habitats of where they can be found depending on the season.  And for the past five years my new approach has not let me down.  Don’t tell anyone, but I am equally if not more excited to photograph the Shima Enaga Vs The Steller’s sea eagle due to their rarity and heart melting looks.  They are my super sweetheart bonnie birds.

Blain cannot do everything alone, as he spends over half the year in the field.  He has a dedicated team that supports him on adventures and those who are needed in the offices.  Matthew Diaz is the co-author for Blain Harasymiw Photography, as Blain supplies the breathtaking images and storyline, Matthew works with Blain to build engaging narratives.  Matt Diaz is a native Californian. 

Checkout more of Blain and Matthew’s work at blaininjapan.com 

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