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

Short-eared Owl Eurasian Hoopoe Black-winged Cuckooshrike Black Bittern Schrenck's little bittern

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

公園のアカショウビンとズグロミゾゴイ

公園でリュウキュウアカショウビンのペアを観察。求愛給餌や交尾などは確認済みのペアですが、抱卵にはまだ至っていないようです。時折、近くの独身のオス個体が縄張りに入ってくるとペアのオスの方が激しく追い回していました。

近くにはズグロミゾゴイが餌探し中。繁殖中の個体と思われますが、巣はどこか分からず…。

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

An extremely close male Ruddy Kingfisher.

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

The female paired with the individual above. Equally relaxed around people. Mating confirmed during Golden Week.

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

A Ruddy Kingfisher nest separate from the pair above. It looks complete, but Ruddy Kingfishers often disappear for a while after finishing the nest, and this one hasn't been seen lately either. I can still hear it calling, so it seems to be somewhere nearby.

Malayan Night Heron
Malayan Night Heron

A female Malayan Night Heron, perhaps? The feeling is that it's raising chicks somewhere, but after it finished foraging and flew off I couldn't follow it.

Categories: 野鳥

クロハラアジサシ増量カイツブリ孵化

近所の川のクロハラアジサシは先日の3羽 が8羽へ増えました。翌日にはさらに増えて20羽以上となっていました。

カイツブリはヒナが5羽孵化。小さな沈砂池での繁殖ですが、カイツブリぐらいのサイズなら餌は間に合うのかな?

Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern

White-winged Terns flying around.

Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern

All eight birds came down onto the sandbar.

Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern

A White-winged Tern bathing.

Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern

With a tailwind from the shooting position, the White-winged Terns coming toward me were moving at quite a pace, but the AF on the SONY α1 with the FE 200-600mm kept up.

Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern

A White-winged Tern that caught a freshwater prawn. The bird behind is coming in to steal it.

Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern

One White-winged Tern fleeing, another in pursuit. It managed to escape without losing its catch.

For some reason the freshwater prawns were moving along the riverbed in the middle of the day.

This one is a freshwater prawn missing its right arm.

Little Grebe
Little Grebe

A Little Grebe chick receiving a dragonfly nymph from its father.

Little Grebe
Little Grebe

A sixth egg remains in the nest, but it looks like the nest was destroyed by heavy rain two days later.

Little Grebe
Little Grebe

A Little Grebe chick trying to climb onto its mother's back.

Categories: 野鳥

リュウキュウコノハズクとキンバト

子どもがアオバズクを見たいというので一番見やすいポイントにいったら、なんと新型コロナの影響で封鎖。仕方ないので近所のリュウキュウコノハズクでお茶を濁しました。

帰り道には歩道でキンバトのオスを発見。この時季見るキンバトはたいていオオバギの種子を食っています。

Elegant Scops Owl
Elegant Scops Owl

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl. On alert for crows.

Emerald Dove
Emerald Dove

A male Emerald Dove picking up a Macaranga seed that had fallen to the ground and split open.

Emerald Dove
Emerald Dove

Shot the other side of its face as well, just in case. Some children were making noise, so it was very much on guard. ^^;

Categories: 野鳥