Bird Reports List--Wild bird photography and birdwatching on Okinawa Main Island and the Yaeyama Islands (Ishigaki Island, Iriomote Island, Taketomi Island, and more)

Perhaps because spring migration is beginning, there are almost no Grey-faced Buzzards left on Ishigaki. I didn't find any dark morph Grey-faced Buzzard either. The Solitary Snipe that had been staying since November has also stopped being seen in the last few days.

A Long-tailed Shrike was catching caterpillars and grasshoppers at its favorite feeding spot. The Red-backed Shrikes seem to be moving around the island, but real migration doesn't seem to have started yet, and I could find them on farmland all over.

One Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus cristatus), an early migrant, was found on farmland where paddies and pasture are mixed. It may have started heading north.

In the paddies where rice planting has begun there were flocks of Eastern Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Siberian Pipit and Red-throated Pipit.

In the mild weather I also saw Crested Serpent Eagles often.

I went birdwatching around Ishigaki Island with a friend who came from the main island of Okinawa.

I refound the Long-tailed Shrike that had gone missing. It was flying around a wide area looking for prey. I have already told the spotter where it is, so if you want to see the Long-tailed Shrike, please get in touch. ^^

The Common Hoopoe is still staying, too. This one has no wariness at all and you can shoot it as much as you like.

The juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle had caught a cane toad in a rice paddy.

A small number of Arctic Warblers and Japanese Leaf Warblers overwinter in Yaeyama, including Ishigaki Island. While I was photographing the Malayan Night Heron, I heard the "jit, jit" call of a Japanese Leaf Warbler. I searched for the direction of the voice with binoculars and found it. It moves around restlessly, but I did manage to get it on camera. ^^

For some reason a Daurian Redstart was watching the Common Hoopoe's dust bath. Was it waiting for small insects to jump out?

The Malayan Night Heron was walking along the prefectural road without a care. I worry it might get hit by a car.

My friend got great shots of White's Thrush, Naumann's Thrush, Brown-headed Thrush, Pale Thrush, a beautiful male Red-backed Shrike, and ducks, snipes and plovers too, and seemed delighted, saying "Ishigaki is full of birds!!"

The Solitary Snipe and the black Grey-faced Buzzard are also still staying on from last year. ^^

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

Go where the birds are. The SHIMASOBA Tour launches.

Toward Summer Plumage

Three Shrike Species and More on a Round of Paddies and Pastures

Birding with Friends from Kansai: Common Hoopoe, Long-tailed Shrike, Black-winged Kite, Citrine Wagtail and More

Long-tailed Shrike, Juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle, Black-winged Kite and More

Long-tailed Shrike, Common Hoopoe, juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle, Japanese Leaf Warbler and more