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

Emerald dove Collared Kingfisher Pintail Snipe Eurasian Hoopoe Pied Avocet

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

台風15号通過後の野鳥たち

風速71メートルが吹き、石垣島に大きな被害を与えた台風15号の後、各地を回ると野鳥たちは夜間眠れなかったようで、一様に疲れた様子をみせていました。

沿岸のシギやチドリは砂浜に座り込んで寝ている個体も多くいました。

Dunlin
Dunlin

A tired Dunlin was resting in the rice fields.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpipers were also visiting Hiratahara.

Long-toed Stint
Long-toed Stint

It seems even the tiny Long-toed Stint weathered the fierce typhoon.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpipers were visiting Ohama Beach as well.

Grey-tailed Tattler
Grey-tailed Tattler

Many Grey-tailed Tattlers were so tired they had settled down on the ground.

Black-winged Stilt
Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilts, which are usually found in rice paddies, had gathered in large numbers at the river mouth.

Malayan Night Heron
Malayan Night Heron

A juvenile Nankeen Night Heron also appeared exhausted, resting with its eyes closed. I thought it might need rescuing and approached, but it threatened me vigorously so I left it alone.

Ryukyu Green Pigeon
Ryukyu Green Pigeon

The Oriental Turtle Dove was looking tired too.

Pacific Reef Heron
Pacific Reef Heron

A pair of white-morph Pacific Reef Herons — parent and chick — came to the river mouth. The juvenile was persistently begging the parent for food.

Categories: 野鳥

まだまだリュウキュウアカショウビン

まだ渡らないアカショウビンはあちこちで見られますが、換羽が始まりみんなぼろぼろ。^^; きょうは林道で3羽ほど確認できました。キンバトは久しぶりにメスを見つけたのですが、ガードレール止まり…。^^;

Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher

A Ruddy Kingfisher in ragged condition from moulting.

Categories: 野鳥

リュウキュウヨシゴイ、カイツブリ

平田原はリュウキュウヨシゴイの密度が濃いです。最近、とくによく目にします。他の田んぼで見るリュウキュウヨシゴイよりも警戒心がないので観察、撮影はしやすいです。

白水には今季初のカイツブリが渡ってきていました。

Yellow Bittern
Yellow Bittern

What on earth is this Ryukyu Cinnamon Bittern doing in such a dry spot?

Yellow Bittern
Yellow Bittern

This Ryukyu Cinnamon Bittern had caught a tadpole.

Little Grebe
Little Grebe

A Little Grebe was floating alone in the middle of the pond. Quite charming.

Categories: 野鳥

台風前のシギ、チドリ見回り

大きな台風15号が石垣島を23日ごろ直撃する予報です。しかし、予報通り90度曲がって八重山に来るとは思えないので、それほど心配はしていません。

きょうは台風の影響もあり風が朝から強く吹いていました。正午の用事を済ませてから大浜海岸から宮良牧中、白水、平田原と回ってきました。ムナグロがここ数日でかなり増え、数羽の群れから二十数羽の群れまで田んぼや海岸で見られました。他は、チュウシャクシギやコアオアシシギ、ハマシギ、キアシシギ、ソリハシシギなどが見られました。

アジサシ類ではコアジサシとベニアジサシも見られました。

Whimbrel
Whimbrel

Whimbrel. The individual at the back was noticeably larger than the others in the flock.

Whimbrel
Whimbrel

A Whimbrel preening — it was slathering on oil from the uropygial gland. Getting ready for the typhoon, perhaps.

Whimbrel
Whimbrel

This large Whimbrel kept intimidating and chasing off the other Whimbrels. Why? ^^;

Pacific Golden Plover
Pacific Golden Plover

About 10 Pacific Golden Plovers in the rice paddies.

Pacific Golden Plover
Pacific Golden Plover

Here more than 20 Pacific Golden Plovers were flocking together. There were some snipe mixed in, but they were too far away. ^^;

Long-toed Stint
Long-toed Stint

There were at least a dozen Long-toed Stints as well.

Marsh Sandpiper
Marsh Sandpiper

A single Marsh Sandpiper had joined a group of Black-winged Stilts. Not the same individual as the other day.

Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpipers have started turning up here and there.

Wood Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper. Common from the early stages of the wader migration.

Grey-tailed Tattler
Grey-tailed Tattler

There are a lot of Grey-tailed Tattlers at Ohama Beach.

Terek Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper

The Terek Sandpiper was playing chase with crabs again today. This individual was taking a short rest.

Dunlin
Dunlin

Just one Dunlin at Ohama Beach. Maybe the same individual as yesterday.

Little Tern
Little Tern

Little Tern juveniles and adults were sitting on the sandy beach, sheltering from the wind.

Greater Sand Plover
Greater Sand Plover

Greater Sand Plovers were also busy catching crabs.

Categories: 野鳥

フラッグ付きのチュウシャクシギほかシギチ(動画あり)

仕事の合間に時間が空いたので鳥見です。^^

大浜海岸には、シギチが増えてきました。きょうは、チュウシャクシギ、ムナグロ、ダイゼン、ソリハシシギ、ハマシギ、オオメダイチドリ、シロチドリなどが観察できました。^^

潮が引いていて遠かったので、ロクヨンに2倍のエクステンダをかまして1200mmです。^^;

Whimbrel
Whimbrel / Ringed / flagged bird

Among a flock of six Whimbrels, there was one individual carrying a white flag on the right leg and a metal ring on the left leg. It had been banded on the North Island of New Zealand.

Whimbrel
Whimbrel / Ringed / flagged bird

The Whimbrels were frequently catching crabs.

Pacific Golden Plover
Pacific Golden Plover

Rhizophora propagules and Pacific Golden Plovers. Because the Miyara River empties into Ohama Beach, propagules from mangrove species wash down. The Pacific Golden Plovers are in the process of changing into winter plumage.

Grey Plover
Grey Plover / Pacific Golden Plover

When a Grey Plover (background) caught a small fish, the Pacific Golden Plovers nearby went after it to steal it. ^^;

Side by side, the Pacific Golden Plover is noticeably smaller than the Grey Plover. ^^

Dunlin
Dunlin

One Dunlin had come through. A first for the season. It still has a lot of summer plumage remaining.

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone

A Ruddy Turnstone tried to flip over a large chunk of coral but it was too heavy and gave up. ^^;

Red-necked Stint
Red-necked Stint

There was a single Red-necked Stint on the sandy beach. Good numbers are coming into the rice paddies.

Terek Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper

A Terek Sandpiper was racing across the sandy beach at full speed, catching small crabs.

Common Greenshank
Common Greenshank

A Common Greenshank was looking for small fish at the water's edge, but there didn't seem to be much prey today.

Greater Sand Plover
Greater Sand Plover

There were a dozen or so Greater Sand Plovers.

Categories: 野鳥