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.
頸椎症性脊髄症の手術のため、3月30日から4月19日まで名古屋に滞在していました。うち入院は11日間でしたので、その前後で鳥見して来ました。限られた時間なのでほとんどをオオジシギ探しに費やしました。地元の方にポイントなど教えてもらったのですが、残念ながら成果は出ずでした。^^;
この春は全国各地でかなりの数が出ているコシャクシギですが、愛知県西尾市でも確認できました。最大60羽ほどいて、私が見に行った翌日には20羽ほどが新たに飛来したそうです。信じられない個体数のコシャクシギが日本全国を通過して行ったようです。
同県愛西市ではホウロクシギやオグロシギ、オジロトウネン、ムナグロ、ケリも確認できました。
A Little Whimbrel with zero wariness.
Underwing of the Little Whimbrel.
Two Little Whimbrels in the same paddy field. Apparently the peak count was around 60. That's a staggering number.
There weren't many people watching. Has everyone grown tired of seeing them?
A Far Eastern Curlew in a lotus-root field. Perhaps it was injured — it appeared to have no sight in its left eye.
Also confirmed: a solitary Black-tailed Godwit. Maybe it had just arrived and was exhausted — it stayed in this posture the whole time.
A few Temminck's Stints noted. Some summer plumage was coming in, but still a long way to go.
Only one Pacific Golden Plover. On the mainland, is this about when the Pacific Golden Plover migration is just getting started? The timing is quite different from Okinawa.
The Grey-headed Lapwings seem to have entered the breeding season — they were battling crows all over the place.
田んぼで見つけた小鳥たち。ヒバリ、タヒバリ、ハクセキレイ、カワラヒワは多く、ホオジロとホオアカは1羽ずつ確認できました。
Eurasian Skylarks singing high overhead were conspicuous too, but this individual was walking around on the ground.
A flock of a dozen or so Water Pipits appeared to be moving around within the same area.
A Water Pipit in summer plumage.
It was distant, but I was able to pick out one Chestnut-eared Bunting.
It seems one Meadow Bunting was still lingering as well.
A small flock of a few Oriental Greenfinches was flying around the farmland.
White Wagtails were here and there too.
Unlike Ishigaki and Okinawa Island, I couldn't find any subspecies other than the White Wagtail.
無事に手術も成功裏に終わり、石垣島に帰って来て最初に撮ったのが毎年、自宅近くの墓場で繁殖するリュウキュウアカショウビンです。とても警戒心が薄く、昨年と同じ個体と思われます。
今年も早速、朽木に巣穴を掘り始めていました。 昨年は1羽のヒナが巣立ち ました。今回は何羽巣立つのか楽しみです。^^
A male Ruddy Kingfisher.
It hadn't been long since it arrived on migration, but it was already digging out a nest hole. Since the tree was a Ryukyu pine, there's a good chance it will give up partway through…
この時季、島内には留鳥、渡り含めて多くのサギの仲間が滞在中。
留鳥のズグロミゾゴイとムラサキサギは繁殖を控えて活発になっています。渡り途中のクロツラヘラサギとヘラサギも合わせて10羽ほどが確認されています。ほかにはアマサギやコサギ、チュウサギ、チュウダイサギ、アカガシラサギ、ゴイサギなどが渡り途中に立ち寄っています。
カモは石垣島で繁殖するカルガモ以外はすっかりいなくなったのですが、なぜか、ヨシガモのオスが1羽だけ残っていました。ケガなどなければいいのですが…。
A Slaty-legged Crake foraging in a scrubby woodland bordering farmland. There was also a Pale-capped Pigeon.
A young Purple Heron attacking a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Video below.
A young Eurasian Spoonbill. It was walking through the paddies, picking off small molluscs.
Black-faced Spoonbill (front) and Eurasian Spoonbill. Both are young birds.
A male Falcated Duck, in mid-transition from juvenile plumage to first breeding plumage.
今季は全国的にコシャクシギが多く確認されていますが、石垣島でも4羽のコシャクシギが確認されました。 先日、愛知県で見て来たコシャクシギ は水の張られた田んぼにいましたが、石垣島や沖縄ではサトウキビ畑か牧草地に入るケースがほとんどです。ところ変わればいろいろな環境を利用するのですね。
シーズン中、石垣島を留守にしていたのでハリオシギは難しいかと思っていましたが、1羽だけ確認できました。チュウジシギはまだまだ残っていましたが、タシギはゼロでした。例年のパターンです。
ソリハシセイタカシギは昨年秋から散発的にやって来ます。今季は、ほかの淡水シギは少ないようです。
Four Little Whimbrels in a sugarcane field. They were distant at first, but by watching quietly from the car they gradually came closer.
Front-on view of a Little Whimbrel. Utterly charming. ^^
It spread its wings for us, just briefly.
At first they were this far away, and the sugarcane was taller than the Little Whimbrels, making them hard to see.
Pin-tailed Snipe on Ishigaki-jima are winding down for the season, but I managed to find at least one.
Pied Avocet — three birds at several locations.
Swinhoe's Snipe were still present in good numbers.
A different individual.
A female Greater Painted-snipe. It is the only snipe that breeds on Ishigaki-jima. The breeding season has already begun.
Freshwater waders are scarce this season, but Marsh Sandpipers are as reliable as ever.
Wood Sandpipers in summer plumage. Quite large numbers turn up every year, but this spring they were few.
Common Greenshank also seemed considerably scarcer than in previous years.
島内では、どこに行ってもリュウキュウアカショウビンに出会えます。今が、一番見やすい時季ですね。
飛んでいる姿はアカショウビンと見まごうのは、田んぼのリュウキュウヨシゴイ。繁殖期を前にしてますます美しくなっています。
A Ruddy Kingfisher with a worryingly low sense of caution.
A male Ruddy Kingfisher I came across on a forest road paid absolutely no attention to a passing walker.
A male Ryukyu Dwarf Bittern bathing.
After the bath, it gave a good shake.
A Ryukyu Dwarf Bittern in flight. It is in early breeding season and looking very beautiful.
コアジサシが飛来しました。3羽確認。海岸ではメダイチドリ、オオメダイチドリ、ムナグロ、キアシシギ、トウネン、キョウジョシギなどが多く飛来しています。
First Little Tern of the season.
Greater Sand Plover arrived at several locations, a few birds each.
Around 70 Lesser Sand Plovers arrived.
Grey-tailed Tattlers are increasing too.
Three Whimbrels.
Three Grey Plovers as well.
Around 40 Pacific Golden Plovers. Birds were in various stages of moult from winter to summer plumage.
Seven Red-necked Stints. Various stages from winter to summer plumage.
近所のアカショウビンは毎日、午前4時から午前9時ごろまでと夕方5時ごろから一斉にさえずり出します。
カンムリワシは繁殖期真っ盛りで出会いは少ないです。成鳥に出会うと繁殖に失敗したのかと心配になりますね…。
アオバズクはこれから繁殖期。毎年、子育てする場所を見回ってみると3羽が確認できました。ことしも戻ってきてくれたようです。
A Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher near the house. It was singing away energetically.
A female Crested Serpent Eagle. According to the Ishigaki City Board of Education, which is surveying the area, chick-rearing is underway.
I checked the Brown Hawk-Owl nesting sites and confirmed three birds. It looks like they are breeding in the same spots again this year.
オウチュウが石垣島島内で1日に7羽が確認されました。沖縄本島でも8羽ほど飛来しているようです。今年はオウチュウの当たり年のようです。^^
ほかにもベニバトやオオタカなども現れ、石垣島に春の渡りの第2波がやってきたようです。
A Black Drongo appeared in the rice paddies.
Head-on view of the Black Drongo. The white spots at the base of the bill are conspicuous.
It seemed to favour this particular grass and kept returning to it.
The Ryukyu Dwarf Bittern has entered the breeding season and is moving around actively.