Second Wave of Common Hoopoes Arrives in Rough Weather (video)
Ishigaki Island has been unsettled since yesterday. When the weather turns rough on Ishigaki, Common Hoopoes tend to fall out of the sky — and sure enough, 4 individuals turned up at 3 locations. A Chinese Blackbird also arrived, but my timing was off and I missed it.
This season, a single bird showed up in late February, followed by a dozen or so in mid-March, then 5 confirmed right at the start of April. Par for the course with spring migration, but stays have all been short — just a few days to at most a week.
It was perching on a branch looking tired, but after a while it came down to the ground and started searching for food. It caught a cockroach.
It rested and fed on large numbers of insects and arthropods.
A Eurasian Hoopoe on the lawn is a staple sight on Ishigaki Island. This individual was fairly wary.