Made a circuit of the estuary for the first time in a while. Three Red Knots, Great Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Far Eastern Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, and Greater Sand Plover were all observed. A Pied Avocet had turned up in the paddies.
A Red Knot transitioning into breeding plumage. Three appearing at the same time is unusual.
There was a Common Hoopoe — about the tenth of this season. A Pied Avocet also showed up, along with a flock of around 60 Pacific Golden Plovers and some Oriental Pratincoles.
A Eurasian Hoopoe showing no wariness at all. This season it was all relaxed birds.
An Ashy Drongo has been wintering on Ishigaki since the new year. I watched it catch something from the Hymenoptera from a power line. Black Drongos can be seen here every year, but an Ashy Drongo on Ishigaki is an unusual sighting — particularly in winter.
A Eurasian Curlew, an unusual visitor, had also turned up at the river mouth.
A White-bellied Drongo was frequently coming out onto the power lines and making flying catches of insects in the air. It's already in wintering mode and looks set to stay a good while.
A Greater White-fronted Goose has been present for several days now, but for some reason the guide is apparently calling it a Greylag Goose. To me it is clearly a juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose… ^^; A juvenile Tundra Swan has also arrived on its own. On Iriomote, two Tundra Swans and a Siberian Crane are staying as well.
Multiple Pied Avocets have turned up across the island. That day I tallied six birds in total — a group of four and singles at two separate locations. In the paddies, Northern Lapwings, Pacific Golden Plovers, Kentish Plovers, Little Ringed Plovers, Common Greenshanks, Common Redshanks, Wood Sandpipers, Dunlins, Common Sandpipers, Green Sandpipers and Black-winged Stilts are all wintering.
This season I had already confirmed the subspecies leucopsis and ocularis White Wagtails, but this day I was finally able to see the subspecies alba White Wagtail. That is pretty much how it goes every year.
A juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose. Why does it get misidentified as a Greylag Goose?
Out birdwatching with my five- and eight-year-old children. Got some good photos too. ^^
Six Pied Avocets staying at multiple sites.
Autumn migration on Ishigaki Island is winding down, but an out-of-season typhoon drove in a greater variety of birds.
A Pied Avocet arrived at a paddy field near the town centre.
Two Pied Avocets have been present for several days. A flock of Black-faced Spoonbills and Eurasian Spoonbills, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Garganey have been staying a long time. Wintering Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler are also steadily building up.
Two Pied Avocets with zero wariness are staying in the area.
Two consecutive days of bad weather brought large numbers of shorebirds and plovers — apparently mid-migration — dropping in to localized spots. The biggest group was Black-winged Stilts, over 400 birds, followed by Wood Sandpipers at 200+. There were too many to keep counting, so I stopped midway. ^^;
Pied Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, and Garganey also arrived, making the paddies extremely lively — though two days later everything was back to normal. ^^;
Along the coast, Greater Sand Plover numbers increased, and a small number of Grey Plovers also came through.
Two Curlew Sandpipers confirmed.
The Collared Kingfisher that had been absent since around mid-February has come back to Ishigaki Island. Based on behavioral patterns and physical features — bill shape and plumage — it appears to be the same individual as before.
In the paddies, Pied Avocet, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper have been forming impressive mixed flocks, much to the delight of visiting birdwatchers from off the island. ^^
The Collared Kingfisher, which had not been seen for over a month, has returned to Ishigaki Island.
On a family trip to Okinawa's main island, I took the opportunity to see two overwintering Forest Wagtails and the first-ever Western Gull recorded in Japan.
With help from local friends, I managed to see both target species in a short time. ^^
Grey Wagtails appear on Ishigaki Island every year, but this was a rare chance to see two individuals at the same time, so I made the trip all the way to the north of the island to observe them.
White's Thrush has been turning up frequently this season. They're quite wary, so this was the first individual I managed to photograph. Pale Thrush and Brown-headed Thrush are also present on Ishigaki Island at the moment, but Dusky Thrush has been almost nowhere to be seen.
The Pied Avocet has been staying a long time. Temminck's Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Long-toed Stint, and Wood Sandpiper have all increased slightly in number. Spring migration may be getting underway soon.
A White's Thrush in the rice fields. It is noticeably larger than Pale and Brown Thrushes, and the bold patterning adds to its presence.
The Pied Avocet is down to one bird, but it shows no wariness and has been staying for an extended period. Nearby, several Northern Lapwings and two Grey-headed Lapwings are also lingering.
A flock of Common Snipe is present at the same site. There are no Swinhoe's Snipe or Pin-tailed Snipe. Two Tundra Swans are happily wintering together on this southern island.
The Pied Avocets that arrived in a group of eleven in November have dwindled one by one, down to a single bird now.
It's a hectic schedule at year-end, but I happened to pass nearby during work so I stopped to check on the Common Hoopoe. It was foraging in its usual spot. There are a lot of feral cats around, so I worry about it coming to harm.
In the paddies the Pied Avocet was still present. There were also Long-toed Stints, Wood Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilts, and Common Greenshanks.
In the evening I checked for owls for the first time in a while. No Long-eared Owl or Short-eared Owl found. Ryukyu Scops Owls were fairly numerous. At this time of year moult is complete and they are in fresh winter plumage — well worth a look.
A Eurasian Hoopoe in wintering mode, searching for food at its usual spot.
Three Pied Avocets have been staying for several days. Single birds have also been found elsewhere, so they may have dispersed from the flock of eleven that arrived in November.
The first Black-tailed Godwit of the season has turned up. Also wintering in the paddies: Common Greenshanks, Common Sandpipers, Green Sandpipers, Dunlins, Common Snipes, Black-winged Stilts, Common Redshanks and Wood Sandpipers.
Three Pied Avocets delighting visitors to the island.
While watching the Oriental Stork, a Black Bittern flew into view, so I searched for where it had landed — and a Baillon's Crake appeared. ^^; It was a wary individual that ducked straight into the grass at the slightest disturbance. The habitat looks good, so it might stick around.
The Oriental Stork was a ringed individual. ID number "J0701", apparently hatched on 31 March this year in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture. It had also been observed in Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture, a week earlier. It stayed on Ishigaki for several days before crossing to Iriomote.
Two Pied Avocets are still present. Whether they are part of the flock of eleven that arrived on 6 November is unknown.
Encounters with juvenile Crested Serpent Eagles have been increasing. On this day I found the previously recorded "No. 7" and a new individual. With the second-crop rice harvest now underway, it is becoming a good season to watch Crested Serpent Eagles. This season's sugarcane harvest is scheduled to start around 6 December.
First Gadwall and Eastern White Wagtail of the season confirmed.
Adult White-browed Crake. It seemed quite wary.
Ishigaki Island is getting strong northerly winds from unseasonably late Typhoon No. 22. I was out searching for the Black Bittern that had been reported the day before and the day before that, thinking "I wonder what else might turn up," when a message came in: "There's a Black Drongo here." I headed over and found a poorly-wary juvenile Black Drongo. It appeared to be preying on dragonflies and the like.
Toward evening, several acquaintances contacted me to say there was a flock of Pied Avocets. I was nearby on my way home from buying groceries at the supermarket, so I stopped in — and there was a flock of 11 Pied Avocets. In 2020 a flock of 7 visited Yonaguni Island, but this was well beyond that. The larger the flock, the more beautiful and impressive a sight it makes.
A Black Drongo perched on a branch right in front of me.
Around seven Pied Avocets are staying at several sites. Water levels in the island's paddies are low, so shorebirds are scarce.
First-winter Pied Avocet.
A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle, which has been hard to find reliably this season, was out in the farmland. A Common Kestrel that has been present for several days seems to have taken a liking to the pasture and was hunting in a relaxed manner.
The Javan Pond Heron has been staying a long time, but the recent pattern is for it to leave around March, before shifting into breeding plumage.
Six Pied Avocets are staying at four sites. How long will they stick around?
Juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle. I heard its call and went looking — and there it was.
Overwintering in the paddies: Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Little Ringed Plover, and Northern Lapwing. Dozens of Common Snipe are staying, but Swinhoe's Snipe have not been found…
Pied Avocet, first-winter.
The first Pied Avocet, Spotted Redshank, Eurasian Wigeon, and Northern Shoveler of the season have arrived. I had been hearing Japanese Leaf Warbler by call for several days, but this time I finally managed a photograph.
Pin-tailed Snipe numbers have dropped; today I could only squeeze out a single bird. Swinhoe's Snipe are past their peak but still well represented. Common Snipe are increasing.
Pied Avocet, juvenile.