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, like many species of raptor, it is the juveniles that tend to pass through Isahaya; staying for a few weeks or even months to prey on small wintering passerines such as Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch and Siskin. This morning I observed and photographed this young hawk as it hunted fast among the reed banks between the Central and Moriyama reclaimed land areas.
Canon EOS 7D; Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM; 1.4x TC MkIII; 1/1600 s; f/4; ISO 1250; handheld
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.
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