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

Ruddy Kingfisher Glossy Ibis Ashy drongo Eurasian Hoopoe Iriomote Tit

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

越冬中のチョウセンチョウゲンボウ、ヒシクイ、オオヒシクイ、マガンの群れなど

先日のチョウセンチョウゲンボウの写真 があまりにもひどかったので撮り直してきました。警戒心もなく観察しやすい個体です。チョウセンチョウゲンボウは完全に越冬モードなので来春までは見られそうです。

ヒシクイ、オオヒシクイ、マガンの群れは9羽まで増えました。最初は 10月にマガン1羽11月にヒシクイ4羽 、いつの間にかオオヒシクイが3羽合流してしばらく8羽でいたのですが、つい数日前にさらにヒシクイが1羽追加され、現在は9羽の群れで越冬中。石垣島でこの数は初記録と思われます。西表島では過去にコハクチョウ9羽の記録があります。

サシバは沖縄本島に比べると少ないですが、それでも安定して越冬個体が見られます。

ツグミも日に日に数を増やしています。ことしはハチジョウツグミは少ないですが、石垣島では年によってはツグミが少なく、ハチジョウツグミだらけのこともあります。

ことし生まれのリュウキュウヨシゴイは換羽が進んでいました。

Lesser Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel

Female juvenile Amur Falcon.

Lesser Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel

Completely indifferent to people passing beneath the lookout post. A very approachable Amur Falcon.

Bean Goose
Bean Goose / Tundra Bean Goose / Greater White-fronted Goose

A flock of Tundra Bean Geese, Taiga Bean Geese, and Greater White-fronted Geese — up to nine birds in total. I wonder why they haven't joined the Bar-headed Goose that has been wintering here. Last year there was a brief moment when a Bar-headed Goose and Bean Geese did come together, but the Bean Geese were so wary they soon split off again.

Bean Goose
Bean Goose / Tundra Bean Goose / Greater White-fronted Goose

They seemed to have settled on this paddy field as their roost for the night. Extremely wary — there was absolutely no getting any closer than this.

Yellow Bittern
Yellow Bittern

Male Ryukyu Dwarf Bittern, first-winter plumage.

Grey-faced Buzzard
Grey-faced Buzzard

A wintering juvenile Grey-faced Buzzard.

Dusky Thrush
Dusky Thrush

Dusky Thrushes on the increase. Male in first-winter plumage.

Dusky Thrush
Dusky Thrush

Female Dusky Thrush in first-winter plumage.

Categories: 野鳥

カンムリワシ成鳥と幼鳥

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。^^

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

An adult Crested Serpent Eagle returning to its lookout post after finishing off a crab.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

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.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

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.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

A Crested Serpent Eagle perched in a banana tree, watching for crabs in the mangrove wetland below. A very Ishigaki scene.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

The 13th juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle recorded this season.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle — a different individual from the one above.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

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. ^^;

Categories: 野鳥

アカガシラサギ、サカツラガン、アカアシシギほか

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。

Chinese Pond Heron
Chinese Pond Heron

Wintering Chinese Pond Heron, first-winter.

Bar-headed Goose
Bar-headed Goose

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
Purple Heron

Purple Heron, adult.

Common Redshank
Common Redshank

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
Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper, first-winter.

Common Greenshank
Common Greenshank

Common Greenshank, adult winter.

Black-winged Stilt
Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt, adult male.

Black-winged Stilt
Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt, first-winter female.

Categories: 野鳥

チョウセンチョウゲンボウ、シマアカモズ

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。

Lesser Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel

A wintering Lesser Kestrel. It appeared suddenly and flew off before I could get my camera ready.

Common Kestrel
Common Kestrel

Common Kestrel, juvenile female.

Isabelline Shrike
Isabelline Shrike

Isabelline Shrike, adult male.

Categories: 野鳥

ブラックサシバ、カンムリワシ、ハヤブサ

雨の降る中、暗色型サシバ(通称ブラックサシバ)は濡れ鼠になっていました。^^; あの精悍な姿はどこへ?

林道ではカンムリワシがカエルやカメが出てくるのを待ち構えていました。

海岸にはハヤブサが待機。獲物がやってくるのを待っていました。

Grey-faced Buzzard
Grey-faced Buzzard

The dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard had been rained on and its good looks were completely ruined. ^^;

Grey-faced Buzzard
Grey-faced Buzzard

A dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard — normally very wary — but thanks to the rain I was able to observe it closer than usual.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

Crested Serpent Eagle, adult female.

Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle

This individual also appears to be a female.

Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon

An adult male Peregrine Falcon that was keeping the shorebirds and plovers on the coast on edge.

Categories: 野鳥