A daily record.
Featuring photos of wild birds and nature, mainly from Okinawa Main Island and Ishigaki Island

Collared Kingfisher Black Bittern Asian koel Ashy drongo Black-winged Cuckooshrike

GUIDED BIRDWATCHING TOUR

Go where the birds are. The SHIMASOBA Tour launches.

We'll drive you around Ishigaki Island to wherever the birds are showing best that day. Observation is mostly from inside the vehicle, and we keep it to a maximum of 3 guests so everyone can take their time.

Max. 3 guests 4 hours in the morning Beginners welcome
Check availability and book

ヤンバルクイナ

ある一部のエリアでたくさんいました!!

かなりおっとりして、かつ飛べないので、マングースや野猫にやられたらひとたまりも無いだろうなー。

Okinawa Rail
Okinawa Rail

An unfamiliar field, but after finding this individual I ended up seeing more than ten birds.

For some reason it was sitting down. ^^;

Okinawa Rail
Okinawa Rail

The wings looked large enough to fly, but the muscles are probably atrophied.

Okinawa Rail
Okinawa Rail

It was bigger than I expected, and when I first saw it, it had a strangely eerie presence.

The call is quite loud. ^^;

Categories: 野鳥

満天の星

最近天気がよく美しい星空が堪能できます。^^

This is due south, right? Maybe I should have come a little later in the day.

Categories: 天体

リュウキュウアカショウビン子育て中

頑張って育てています。^^

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

It came back with a large centipede.

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

Off to find food for the chicks!!

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

It came back with a cicada larva.

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

No rest — straight back out to find food for the chicks.

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

It brought back a large Cryptotympana facialis. It seemed to have a hard time passing it to the chicks.

Categories: 野鳥

すわっ、サンコウチョウ危機一髪!!

リュウキュウサンコウチョウの撮影をしてたら、親鳥たちが騒ぐのでおかしーなと思った矢先、リュウキュウツミがサンコウチョウの巣に止まるではないですか!! 親鳥たちはツミに猛攻撃を仕掛けます。

ツミも子育て真っ最中の時期なんで、たくさんの獲物が必要。4羽のヒナの全滅を覚悟したのですが、ヒナたちは親鳥の警戒鳴きを聞いて息をこらしてじっとしていました。すると、ツミは1羽も捕らずに去っていきました。^^;

巣立ちまで後、数日。果たして無事に巣立てるのだろうか。

数年前のアカショウビンは、抵抗もむなしく4羽のうち3羽が巣穴から引っ張りだされて、ツミの餌食になりました。

Ryukyu Sparrowhawk
Ryukyu Sparrowhawk

The bills of two chicks are just barely visible above the rim of the nest. They stayed perfectly still until the Japanese Sparrowhawk left.

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher

Thanks to the parent's life-risking attack and the chicks' instincts, they managed to fend off the Japanese Sparrowhawk.

Categories: 野鳥

リュウキュウサンコウチョウ巣立ち

ツミが巣を襲撃した時 はどーなることかと思いましたが、3羽のヒナ全部巣立ちました。^^

卵から孵化して、たったの10日で巣立ちます。

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher

Perched on the rim of the nest, on the verge of fledging.

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher

It was time for me to leave for work, so I didn't get to see the last chick fledge.

Categories: 野鳥

リュウキュウコノハズク営巣とリュウキュウアオバズク巣立ち

竹富島で昨年見つけたアオバズク 営巣ポイントに行ったのですが、工事をしていてとてもじゃないけどアオバズクが営巣できる状態ではなかったです。でも、せっかく竹富島まで来たのでアオバズク探しをしたら、なんと、2時間でアオバズク3羽とコノハズク2羽を見つけることができました。^^

Elegant Scops Owl
Elegant Scops Owl

They appeared to be nesting in a hollow like this. When a crow came close — a fierce attack!!

Elegant Scops Owl
Elegant Scops Owl

Bird's-nest fern seemed to form the roof of the hollow. Quite a handsome hollow. ^^

Elegant Scops Owl
Elegant Scops Owl

About 5 metres from this hollow there was what appeared to be a pair of Ryukyu Scops Owls. I'd only brought a 200mm lens, so the undergrowth gave me a real hard time….

Brown Hawk-Owl
Brown Hawk-Owl

Female Brown Hawk-Owl?

Brown Hawk-Owl
Brown Hawk-Owl

This one is male?

Brown Hawk-Owl
Brown Hawk-Owl

This is a fledgling. The plumage is fluffy and the tail feathers are still short. ^^

Categories: 野鳥