One of the most spectacular birding sights in Japan in winter is to witness the thousands of Hooded and White-naped Cranes flying over the fields at Arasaki, Izumi city, Kagoshima prefecture. Here a small flock, probably family unit, of White-naped Crane created a memorable full-frame composition with the rising sun, low mountains and whisp of […]
Author: John Wright
John Wright is an Australian wildlife photographer and bird guide based in Kyushu, Japan. John became seriously engaged in nature photography while living in Japan and then Thailand. He returned to Japan in 2008 and has since concentrated on wildlife photography, especially birds. John visits Southeast Asia and Australia regularly, but usually travels within the Japanese archipelago, where he also guides visiting birders and wildlife photography enthusiasts.
Japanese Raccoon Dog | Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus
This morning I was quite fortunate to encounter a Japanese Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus) at the pond at Oe reclaimed land area. These creatures are normally nocturnal (or at least, crepuscular), so to see one foraging in mid-morning is very rare. It was in the right place, however, as there is a wide range […]
Little Grebe and other recent images
Weather has been pretty bad over the past few weeks, and Murphy’s Law has kicked in on those few sunny days when work commitments have prevented me headed out into the field. Nevertheless, I have tried to squeeze in some photography when there was a chance, and the 1D X helps under dim, overcast winter […]
Afternoon at Oe
Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Oe wetlands, putting the new 1D X through some paces and testing out the different metering and AF options. I tried the spot AF linked to AF point setting, but this didn’t work out too well so I reverted back to the default metering setting and just dialed in […]
Canon EOS 1D X – First Impressions
Well, today I picked up my new Canon EOS 1D X – my first full-frame DSLR! To be honest, this was a big leap in faith. I had been satisfied with my 7D, but I often found myself in low-light situations wishing to capture high-speed action. I thought the 300/2.8L IS II USM would give […]
Oe Reclaimed Land Area
One of the lesser-known reclaimed land areas around Isahaya Bay is Oe. This site is actually one of my favourites for photography, as there are usually no other people around and the backgrounds can be very nice if the angle is right. It is also good both at early morning and late afternoon, as you […]
Eurasian Sparrowhawk | Accipiter nisus nisosimilis
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk is a common northern latitude raptor, ranging from western Europe all the way across to Japan. In winter, birds in my area are ones that have migrated south from Hokkaido and further north. Indeed, many birds pass through my region in the autumn migration period to wintering grounds in southern China. Often, […]