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.
5巣観察していたうちの最後のリュウキュウコノハズクが巣立ちました。
リュウキュウサンコウチョウは暗い林を飛び回っていました。イシガキヒヨドリはバッタを運んでいたので近くに巣があるようです。
The second chick to fledge.
The eldest chick, which had fledged the day before.
The female parent, wings spread, looking hot.
And the male parent. Looks hot… ^^;
A male Japanese Paradise Flycatcher. Paired with this female.
An Ishigaki Bulbul carrying food to the nest.
ツバメチドリは最初の繁殖地が耕されるなどアクシデントもありましたが、場所を変えておおむね順調に進んでいます。まだほとんど飛べないヒナから、親と変わらないぐらいに成長したヒナまでさまざまでした。
ベニバトは相変わらず、だらだらと現れます。以前は秋の渡りで飛来する印象でしたが、最近は一年中、石垣島にいるような気がします…。^^;
リュウキュウヨシゴイも子育て中のようで餌をとっては同じ茂みに入っていっていました。
ムラサキサギも田んぼに親子で登場。親鳥の給餌でも見られないか観察していましたが、まったく気配なし。かといって、幼鳥も自分で獲物をとるような仕草もなし。
シギはタカブシギが少しずつですが増えてきました。セイタカシギもパラパラと飛来。アカアシシギやヒバリシギは1〜2羽程度の少数で現れます。コチドリは十数羽の群れが田んぼにいました。
クロハラアジサシは数羽が複数箇所に飛来。飛び回りながら獲物をとっていました。
Oriental Pratincole chick. It can barely fly yet.
At around this stage they become able to fly, and when crows or other birds approach they call out in alarm.
The parent bird. Temperatures on Ishigaki Island exceeded 33°C, and heat haze made everything hazy. ^^;
A female Crimson Dove, also blurry from heat shimmer in the atmosphere.
It was bathing in a puddle in the rice fields.
A male Ryukyu Dwarf Bittern coming out of the bushes.
It noticed my presence and stretched its neck to check me out.
A juvenile Purple Heron. It has a different kind of beauty from the adult.
An individual that appears to be the parent of the juvenile above.
A Whiskered Tern with prey caught.
You can clearly see the moult progressing into winter plumage.
It was flying back and forth over the rice fields, scooping up prey from the water.
A male Greater Painted-snipe. I was looking for snipe, so it got my hopes up for nothing. ^^;
A Wood Sandpiper just barely still in late summer plumage.
A Common Redshank moulting from summer to winter plumage.
A Common Greenshank also transitioning to winter plumage.
Only one Long-toed Stint confirmed. Numbers will keep increasing from here.
A Kentish Plover in the process of changing from summer to winter plumage.
A Common Sandpiper also changing into winter plumage.
Little Ringed Plovers — a dozen or so arrived. Late summer plumage.
Black-winged Stilts in a small flock of several birds. Numbers will increase going forward.
A Grey Heron caught a fish that looked like a conger eel.
3月下旬から繁殖行動を確認し、6月13日には2羽、その後もう1羽の合わせて3羽の巣立ちを確認したカタグロトビ。巣立ち後も順調に成長し、風切や尾羽も伸び切り親鳥と変わらないぐらい飛ぶのも上手くなりました。
3羽のうち1羽は独り立ちして分散して行ったのか、この日は幼鳥は2羽になっていました。
Black-winged Kite, juvenile. In contrast to the vivid red eyes of the adult, the juvenile's eyes are grey-brown.
The white feather edges typical of juveniles are prominent on the back, wing coverts, and elsewhere.
After staying with the parents for about a month and growing to around this size, they become capable of hunting on their own.
リュウキュウサンコウチョウが目の前でアカスジベッコウトンボを捕まえました。獲物がでかくて解体と飲み込むのに苦労していました。
リュウキュウアオバズクは今季7個目の営巣を確認。巣立ちはまだ先のようでした。
ズグロミゾゴイは巣立ったヒナを3羽確認しました。
A female Japanese Paradise Flycatcher with an Archineura incarnata it has caught.
Beating it against the branch.
It was beaten so hard the head came off.
Managed to pluck the wings.
Maybe because the prey was so large — after swallowing it, the bird stayed perched in this posture for some time.
Nearby, a Brown Hawk-Owl. The pupils are wide open in the very dim conditions. ^^
There were three Malayan Night Heron chicks, a few days after fledging. All three were close together, waiting for the parent to return with food.
リュウキュウコノハズクとリュウキュウアオバズクの巣立ちが続いております。
リュウキュウコノハズクは5巣のうち4巣が巣立ちました。最後の一つはもう少しかかりそうです。
アオバズクは6巣のうち1巣は大雨でダメになり、5巣でヒナたちが巣立って行きました。
A Brown Hawk-Owl chick three days after fledging. The sight of two nestled close together is truly endearing.
A Ryukyu Scops Owl chick climbing up the nest hole. It will fledge soon.
The female Ryukyu Scops Owl keeping watch over the chick above. The male was also nearby, a short distance away.
Male Ryukyu Scops Owl. The female here is still inside the nest, so it will be a little while longer before fledging.
Beautiful Hoya carnosa was blooming along the forest road.