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

Black-winged Cuckooshrike Forest Wagtail Pintail Snipe Ryukyu flycatcher Asian koel

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

再びベニバト 今日は4羽

3日連続のベニバト。 1日目は2羽いましたが、セジロタヒバリを撮るのに粘りすぎ撮れず2日目は1羽 、今日は4羽発見しました。

昨日はキジバト数十羽の群れの中に1羽のベニバト。今日は、キジバトがほとんどおらず不穏な雰囲気。ツメナガセキレイやスズメもピリピリしており、猛禽に荒らされたあとの模様。しかし、付近を探すと山手の林にオス成鳥のベニバトを発見。しかし、距離がありすぎてまともに撮れず。

あきらめて付近をうろうろしているとキジバト数十羽の群れが南からやってきました。これはと思い、探してみると2カ所で4羽のベニバトを見つけることができました。^^

Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove

Male Pale-backed Pigeon in first-winter plumage.

Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove

Female Pale-backed Pigeon in first-winter plumage.

Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove

Adult female Pale-backed Pigeon. An individual with a faint collar.

Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove

Adult female Pale-backed Pigeon.

Categories: 野鳥

石垣島で珍鳥モズ!! シマアカモズとサシバも

石垣島や沖縄では珍鳥のモズを発見!! シルエットもシマアカモズとは違うので逆光の中でもすぐに分かりました。双眼鏡で覗いてみると翼に白斑があり手が震えました。^^

カエルを捕まえて「モズのはやにえ」を作るシーンも観察することができました。沖縄では次はいつ見られるか分かりません。^^;

Bull-headed Shrike
Bull-headed Shrike

Adult male Bull-headed Shrike. The white wing patch came out clearly — a record shot I have no complaints about!!

Bull-headed Shrike
Bull-headed Shrike

I thought it had dived into the grass, but it had caught a frog and was making a larder.

Bull-headed Shrike
Bull-headed Shrike

The tail-wagging behaviour typical of shrikes was not observed.

Bull-headed Shrike
Bull-headed Shrike

Even just a rear view looks out of place on Ishigaki-jima. The Bull-headed Shrike looks chunkier than the Brown Shrike.

Isabelline Shrike
Isabelline Shrike

This is an adult male Brown Shrike.

Grey-faced Buzzard
Grey-faced Buzzard

A Gray-faced Buzzard, since we're on the subject of raptors. A wintering bird.

Categories: 野鳥

タイワンハクセキレイとハクセキレイ

ハクセキレイが入り出して2週間、ホオジロハクセキレイに次いでタイワンハクセキレイも見られるようになりました。

ツメナガセキレイやセジロタヒバリも滞在中ですが、猛禽の影に怯えて水稲の中から出てこない。セジロタヒバリの声は聞こえてきます。

Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Amur Wagtail, first-winter plumage. Probably a male.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Eastern Yellow Wagtail

It kept flying up to catch insects. You can see insect wings in its bill, but I couldn't tell the species.

White Wagtail
White Wagtail

Male White Wagtail, first-winter plumage. It was flocking together with Amur Wagtails.

Categories: 野鳥

再撮影ベニバトといつものジャワアカガシラサギ

昨日、撮影し忘れたベニバト を撮ってきました。昨日とは打って変わって猛禽が多くて鳥が隠れがち。ベニバトもキジバトも茂みからなかなか出てきてくれません。ベニバトも昨日は2羽いたのですが、今日見つけられたのは1羽のみ。

ジャワアカガシラサギはいつもの場所にいました。ジャワアカガシラサギはこの水路ともう少し離れた草地のどちらかに必ずいます。何かに驚いて逃げた時は、ねぐらの林まで飛びますがそこは、通路から中を見ることはできない。

エゾビタキもまだ多少残っています。ハクセキレイも10月中旬に入って以来、どんどん増えてきています。

Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove

The male Pale-backed Dove (right) moulting into first-winter plumage. It is noticeably smaller than the Oriental Turtle Dove on the left. Yesterday I thought they were an adult male and adult female, but it seems it was an adult male and a juvenile. Both the Pale-backed Dove and the Oriental Turtle Dove would not come out, wary of raptors such as Japanese Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, and Eurasian Sparrowhawk.

Javan Pond Heron
Javan Pond Heron

Javan Pond Heron at the usual spot. Its range is narrower than when it was first found.

Javan Pond Heron
Javan Pond Heron

Javan Pond Heron with an earthworm it had caught.

Javan Pond Heron
Javan Pond Heron

The Javan Pond Heron is not very wary and keeps coming closer and closer.

White Wagtail
White Wagtail

Male White Wagtail, first-winter plumage.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher
Grey-streaked Flycatcher

Adult Grey-streaked Flycatcher. Numbers are down, but I'm still getting encounters.

Categories: 野鳥

セジロタヒバリに数時間費やし、ベニバトを撮り忘れ

ツメナガセキレイとタヒバリ系の入り混じった30羽ほどの群れの中からセジロタヒバリらしき鳴き声が聞こえます。白黒つけてやろうと数時間粘って超警戒心の強い群れが近づいてくるのを待ちました。結局セジロタヒバリは撮れずでしたが、時間を費やしすぎて、すぐ近くのベニバト2羽を撮り忘れた。オスとメスがそれぞれ1羽ずついました。

暑さで大気が揺らぎますが、何とか識別できそうな距離に来たのでそれらしい個体を撮影。しかし、写真を確認するとほとんどムネアカタヒバリのように見える。

しかし、その中で1羽はセジロタヒバリっぽいドキッとする個体。しかし、顔つきなどムネアカタヒバリです。やはり鳴き声で探さないとセジロタヒバリなど潜行性の高い種類は探すの大変です。

昨日から増え出したジョウビタキは、さらに増えていて、あちこちで確認できた。ほかの小鳥も期待しましたが、マヒワを数羽見ただけで終わった…。

ジャワアカガシラサギはいつものところにいた。狭いエリアなのに、ほぼ毎日同じ場所にいる。よほど気に入っているのか?

Red-throated Pipit
Red-throated Pipit

Harsh image due to backlight and heavy cropping. A Red-throated Pipit that looked like a Buff-bellied Pipit. Raptors were lurking around the paddies, so all the birds were extremely wary and difficult.

Daurian Redstart
Daurian Redstart

Male Daurian Redstart. Beautiful.

Daurian Redstart
Daurian Redstart

A confiding individual that even showed me its back.

Buff-bellied Pipit
Buff-bellied Pipit

A female was nearby too.

Red-throated Pipit
Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit in winter plumage. There were over a dozen. The rest are juvenile Yellow Wagtails (taivana).

Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Almost all the Yellow Wagtails were juvenile taivana.

Red-throated Pipit
Red-throated Pipit

A male Red-throated Pipit in mid-moult, with some red still remaining on the face.

Categories: 野鳥