The Brave Mr. Fox
Nemuro, in the northern island of Hokkaido in Japan is a port city that is famous for its bird population, attracting thousands of tourists, bird-watchers and photographers every year. In the winter months a peculiar phenomenon takes place on the frozen lake Furen in the area. Every morning, the local fishermen place a large mound of frozen fish in the middle of the lake. Very soon the skies are full of various birds, all attracted to the free meal below. The most prominent of these are two species of eagles - the Steller's eagle and the white-tailed eagle. The Steller's sea eagle is the heaviest of its kind and has a wing span of almost eight feet, making it perhaps the largest raptor in the world. The white-tailed eagle is only somewhat smaller.
There is no doubt that these eagles rule the skies and the frozen lake below. So when they are feeding, no other bird or animal dares approach the area. Sometimes the birds will fight each other for the tastiest morsels and these mid-air collisions and entanglements can be spectacular to witness, one eagle literally hanging from its talons that have become entwined with another.
Imagine then if a lowly animal like the Ezo Red Fox appears on the scene to try and steal some of that delicious fish! The fox is actually one of the Steller's Eagle's prey animals so it is even more shocking that this little fellow decides to take on the challenge.
The above sequence of events has never been seen before in this area, according to the local fishermen who own a small restaurant on the premises that provides a good look out place for visitors. The Ezo Red Fox (a slightly larger variant of the common red fox) has never behaved in this manner before. I was fortunate to have this unique opportunity to observe this unprecedented behavior in the animal world.
Another tale from the wild side!