GUIDED BIRDWATCHING TOUR
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.
11月から滞在のチョウセンチョウゲンボウ を久しぶりに観察。一瞬の出会いでした。チョウゲンボウは島のあちこちで越冬中。
シマアカモズも農耕地に行けば会えるのですが、きょうは警戒心の弱いオスがいました。
A wintering Lesser Kestrel. It appeared suddenly and flew off before I could get my camera ready.
Common Kestrel, juvenile female.
Isabelline Shrike, adult male.
アカガシラサギはまだ石垣島に残っていたようで牧場で牛に囲まれながら採餌していました。
サカツラガンも12月2日に現れて以来、場所をほとんど変えずに越冬中。サカツラガンとは別にマガン、ヒシクイ、オオヒシクイからなる群れがいるのですが、そちらとは合流しないようです。
田んぼにはムラサキサギやアカアシシギ、セイタカシギ、アオアシシギ、クサシギ、タシギ、コチドリ、ケリなどが越冬中です。
Wintering Chinese Pond Heron, first-winter.
Also still on an extended stay — five Swan Geese. They haven't joined the flock of nine comprising Greater White-fronted Geese, Bean Geese, and Tundra Bean Geese.
Purple Heron, adult.
A flock of Common Redshanks resting in the mangroves. The single bird at the top is adult winter; all the others are first-winter.
Green Sandpiper, first-winter.
Common Greenshank, adult winter.
Black-winged Stilt, adult male.
Black-winged Stilt, first-winter female.
雨上がり、カンムリワシの成鳥6羽と幼鳥3羽に出会えました。
カニを食っているカンムリワシがいたので飛びたちを狙ってみました。SONYのα9iiはやっぱすごいわ。そして200-600mmのレンズも素晴らしい。顔にピントが来たら放さず近距離のピントがシビアな状況でも余裕で追います。
しかもCanonからSONYに乗り換えてからは三脚を使わず手持ちでの撮影。軽いは正義ですね。^^
カンムリワシ幼鳥は3羽と遭遇。今季の幼鳥はこれで13羽目とカンムリワシ幼鳥の戸籍係の石垣島BIRD観察さんに教えてもらいました。^^
An adult Crested Serpent Eagle returning to its lookout post after finishing off a crab.
The combination of Sony α9 II and EF 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS keeps focus locked on the face even at this close a distance — where no cropping gives you this frame size. Mirrorless also helps because the wider focus area means autofocus works even at the edges of the frame.
Crop from the photo above. AF tracking performance matters, but if the lens isn't fast to focus you simply can't keep up with birds in flight at this distance. Sony is impressive for the price.
A Crested Serpent Eagle perched in a banana tree, watching for crabs in the mangrove wetland below. A very Ishigaki scene.
The 13th juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle recorded this season.
A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle — a different individual from the one above.
A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle diving hard at prey. I wasn't ready to shoot flight, so the shutter speed was too slow and I ended up with an unintentional panning shot. ^^;