Back to Rausu for another boat tour and more eagles. But wait. What are those fins? Orcas to port. They are not supposed to be here until May. But then again there is no packice to keep them away. Apparently the first winter visit in decades.
We drift close enough to smell their fishy breath as they exhale. It is hard to know how many there are. Five? Ten? Some large, some small. No exuberant breaching or even spy hopping. Just going about their killer whale business.
The eagles do pay us close attention, and the fish that are thrown to them. A few squabbles, but mainly the clicking of shutters.
A return to the Notsuke peninsula brings more easy shots of Eza foxes and deer in sunny, but chilly conditions. Some of these manage to have a Russian island in the background. Yes, they are that close.
Ahead for us now nothing but a long drive back to Kushiro.
