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.
7月も始まったばかりだというのに、もうハシビロガモが飛来しました。ふつーは石垣島では、11月ごろからカモの渡りが本格化するのですが、いったいどういうことなのでしょうか。
An early-arriving Northern Shoveler. The primaries are badly worn. Late first breeding plumage? Non-breeding plumage?
After a while it was moving around the paddy field, foraging.
Juvenile Purple Heron. It comes to this feeding spot almost every day.
It was tracking a bee flying right in front of it with its eyes.
民家の通風口で子育てしていたリュウキュウコノハズクが巣立ちました。巣立ったヒナを見守る親鳥が止まっている場所はアカショウビンの営巣木のとなりで、アカショウビンの親鳥はパニックしていました。
A freshly fledged Ryukyu Scops Owl chick.
The parent watching over its chick from a street tree across the road. The tree it was perched in was right next to the Ruddy Kingfisher's nest tree… ^^;
A Ruddy Kingfisher perched on a power line. The dead palm tree visible below was the Ruddy Kingfisher's nest tree, and the parent Ryukyu Scops Owl was perched in the adjacent Ryukyu ebony.
6月6日に現れたソリハシセイタカシギ はまだ滞在しています。いつまで居る気なんでしょう。海岸ではチュウシャクシギ9羽の群れが飛来。早すぎるので秋の渡りとしてよいものなのか迷います…。
田んぼにはタカブシギやアオアシシギ、セイタカシギなどもぱらぱらと飛来しています。
Arrived out of season and has already been here over three weeks.
The Whimbrels in a flock of nine.
Moult is beginning.
A flock arriving considerably earlier than usual for Whimbrels.
At first I thought some juveniles were mixed in, but on closer inspection they were all adults.
Wood Sandpiper in late summer plumage.
Common Greenshank in late summer plumage.
Female Black-winged Stilt. First-summer plumage.
Juvenile Purple Heron.
石垣島のリュウキュウアカショウビンは子育て真っ盛りですでに巣立ったところもあれば、まだ抱卵中のペアもいるなど繁殖ステージがバリエーションに富んでいます。仕事が忙しくて残念ながら、まだ巣立ちには立ち会えていませんが…。
A Ruddy Kingfisher targeting the loudly chorusing Cryptotympana facialis cicadas.
A Ruddy Kingfisher after bathing. Male.
A Ruddy Kingfisher raising chicks. The chicks here fledged successfully on the 25th, two days after this shot.
I thought it was about to cough up a pellet — turned out to be a yawn. ^^;
Looking up into the trees, hunting for cicadas.
The male. This territory only ever has the male. Either still incubating, or the chicks are still small…
At this time of year prey like Cryptotympana facialis cicadas seems to be no problem at all.
標識付きのリュウキュウコノハズクが子育て中。大学の研究者の方に聞いたら、波照間島で標識を付けた個体だそうです。メスが出生地から拡散することはよくあることとのこと。
6月9日に孵化した卵の殻を見つけたリュウキュウアオバズク のヒナは大きくなっているようで、メスが巣の外に追い出されていました。よく見ると巣穴からヒナの顔が見えました。巣立ちはまもなくのようです。
昨年、2羽が巣立ったカタグロトビ のペアは今年も同所で繁殖中。オスが見張り代に立って目を光らせています。
A banded female Ryukyu Scops Owl.
She went back into the nest hole once, then came out again. Are the chicks getting big enough to push her out?
A female Brown Hawk-Owl. A grown chick was peering out of the nest hole. There appear to be at least two.
A male Black-winged Kite, keeping watch over the nest where the female is.