A daily journal.
Mainly introducing wild birds of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, through photos.

やっと昼間に会えたリュウキュウオオコノハズクの家族

那覇転勤が決まった時、最初に頭に浮かんだのが「オオコノハズクの営巣見たいなー」だったのですが2年と3カ月、3シーズン目にして、やっと巡り会うことができました!! 夜のリュウキュウオオコノハズクはたくさん見ており、いつか昼間の明るいうちに見てみたいと思っておりました。

営巣確実なポイント3カ所で、可愛らしいオオコノハズクの親子を2018年こそは目に焼き付ける予定でしたが、忙しくてなかなか時間が取れず、あれよあれよとあちこちで巣立ってしまいました。

きょう、偶然にも巣立ちビナ3羽と親鳥2羽を見つけた場所は、赴任1年目に見つけたアオバズクの営巣木からわずか30メートルの場所。仲は悪いはずなのにこんなに近くで営巣するもんなんだなー。

アカショウビンも毎年、繁殖する場所なのでもう少し、ポイントを極めたいのですが、来年には那覇赴任も終わってしまいます。なんとも残念。

Ryukyu Scops Owl

Among the owlet species that breed in Okinawa, the Ryukyu Scops Owl chicks are by far the cutest. ^^

Ryukyu Scops Owl

The parent. No idea at all whether it's female or male. ^^; Somehow it feels like a female to me.

Ryukyu Scops Owl

Shooting straight into strong backlight — a struggle both to shoot and to process.

Brown Hawk-Owl

Twenty to thirty metres from the Ryukyu Scops Owl family, a Brown Hawk-Owl was nesting. It has nested here three years running.

Brown Hawk-Owl

Compared to the first year I found them, they seem somewhat more used to people — I could shoot at this distance.

Brown Hawk-Owl

This is a different Brown Hawk-Owl. Here too the nesting spot overlaps with the Ryukyu Scops Owl. The tree hollow it was using back in 2016 when I first found it was taken over by a Ryukyu Scops Owl this year. ^^;

Brown Hawk-Owl

It seems to be keeping watch through the night — every now and then it glanced toward the tree hollow where the female was incubating.

Categories: 野鳥