Ahead of the 6th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp, I went to scout the paddies around the island. Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, and Common Snipe were all confirmed — a relief. Now there is nothing left to do but hope they stay for a few more days.
First Pin-tailed Snipe of the season!!
I recorded my first Sharp-tailed Sandpiper of the season — about three birds arrived together. The autumn shorebird passage is now getting properly underway, with Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank, and Little Ringed Plover passing through the paddies day by day.
While watching the waders, a sudden tension ran through the paddy. Looking up, a juvenile Black-winged Kite appeared to hunt. It plunged into the grass and came out gripping a White-breasted Waterhen chick. The prey seemed heavy and the bird was struggling to carry it off.
The first Pectoral Sandpiper of the season turned out to be an adult.
The island's resident birds have entered breeding season. The Ryukyu Scops Owl has already laid eggs and the female appears to be incubating. The male was standing guard nearby.
The Northern Boobook has not yet laid eggs, but the pair appears to have bonded.
The Japanese Sparrowhawk is breeding in the same location as previous years, though the female has been replaced.
The Black-winged Kite, which has been breeding near my home for several years now, looks set to begin incubating again this year.
A Ryukyu Scops Owl I've known for a long time. It seems incubation has begun again this season, with the male standing guard.
The Black-winged Kites that have been breeding continuously for several years in a woodland near my home appear to be starting their first breeding attempt of the year. Black-winged Kites on Ishigaki breed roughly twice a year, and the timing seems fairly irregular, though warmer periods likely bring higher success rates. Black-winged Kites can now be found everywhere on the island, from the towns in the south to Hirakubo in the north.
Pacific Swifts have arrived at the rice paddies. Around five birds were wheeling through the air together with Barn Swallows. I also recorded my first Sharp-tailed Sandpiper of the season, and Common Redshanks that are hard to separate from overwintering birds but appear to be on passage. Black-winged Stilts are also gradually increasing.
A Black-winged Kite perched on a prominent dead branch, occasionally calling back and forth with another individual perched nearby.
When it comes to quality ducks on Ishigaki Island, the Ferruginous Duck stands out. This season it arrived alone. Not particularly wary, so an easy bird to watch.
While doing some birdwatching in the rice paddies with my daughter, a juvenile Black-winged Kite landed on a branch right in front of us. My daughter, who loves raptors, was thrilled — but afterwards when I tried to start the car, nothing happened. Had to call a tow truck and send it off to the garage. ^^;
A male Ferruginous Duck. No juveniles or adults could be confirmed….
A friend was visiting Ishigaki Island, so I checked on the Collared Kingfisher. It was doing well at its usual stretch of coastline. There are some guys drinking there in the middle of the day, but the bird doesn't seem to mind much. It flushes when pedestrians approach, but quickly returns to its regular perch on the tetrapod or the windbreak branches.
I spotted the Black-winged Kite on the way back from the municipal office — it was perched on a phone line eating a mouse. The town birds have lost a lot of their wariness toward people and are easy to observe.
A Collared Kingfisher on a tetrapod. Perching on spots like this is probably why its tail feathers are so heavily worn.
The juvenile Black-winged Kite seems to have finally become independent recently. Black-winged Kites on Ishigaki breed multiple times a year, so the population keeps growing. The Peregrine Falcon pair that wintered here last year has returned to the same spot again this year. An Upland Buzzard is also in the same area, keeping the Eurasian Coots and herons on edge. A nearby juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle looked startled as the two Peregrines chased it around.
The two Tundra Swans are still present. Around ten Northern Lapwings — all juveniles — have arrived. The rice paddies are busy with Marsh Sandpipers, Common Greenshanks, Common Redshanks, Wood Sandpipers, Northern Shovelers and Eurasian Teals. The first Tufted Duck of the season was also confirmed.
A Black-winged Kite juvenile with zero wariness. Given the location and timing, it may be the individual that was being fed in mid-air by a parent bird previously.
I usually pass on Black-winged Kites when I see them, but this one was zeroing in on prey so I photographed it for the first time in a while.
I spotted an adult Black-winged Kite on a power line, repeatedly eyeing the grassland below. It moved from its first perch to a lower telephone wire, then changed orientation and plunged down. A few seconds later it burst out of the grass with a Black Rat already squeezed dead in its talons.
It brought the rat back to the telephone wire and began eating, all the while pumping its tail up and down and calling. I thought a female nearby might be coming to steal the prey, but the bird flew off to the east. Tracking it with the camera, I could see another Black-winged Kite arrive and snatch the rat away. Enlarging the photos, it looked as though the prey was being passed not to a female but to a juvenile.
On Ishigaki Island, Black-winged Kites breed year-round except in the depths of winter. They raise young roughly twice per season, so the population has grown considerably — on busy days you can count around 10 birds in a single day.
A Black-winged Kite locking onto prey.
Three Black Drongos arrived. It is nothing like the flock of seven from two years ago, but it is always good when more than one turns up. They were gliding low over the paddies and snatching prey.
I also had good views of Black-winged Kite, Hen Harrier and Crested Serpent Eagle.
A Black Drongo perched right in front of me. You can also see the small white spot at the base of the bill.
As on the previous day, Common Hoopoes were turning up all over the place — six birds at five sites over two days. I was only making brief detours while travelling for work, so there are likely quite a few more on the island than I've been finding.
I have no photos, but two Snow Geese appeared — a first record not just for Ishigaki but for all of Okinawa Prefecture. They were still being seen just before sunset, so I'm hoping they're still on the island. Getting a re-find and some photos is the goal. ^^
I also caught up with Dusky Thrush — numbers had been exceptionally low this season. Naumann's Thrush was noted at three sites, but the birds were either too wary, the conditions too poor, or I simply ran out of time during work, so I got no photos.
Daurian Redstarts on the move appear to be coming through, and I'm encountering them more frequently.
A Eurasian Hoopoe picks up a cockroach and flicks it straight into its bill. The usual way it eats.
On Ishigaki Island, juvenile Black-winged Kites and Crested Serpent Eagles have been showing themselves and delighting birdwatchers. Common Kestrels, Grey-faced Buzzards, and Eurasian Sparrowhawks are wintering. Upland Buzzards, Peregrine Falcons, and Eastern Marsh Harriers are also present.
A Javan Pond Heron and a Chinese Pond Heron are wintering companionably in the same rice paddy. They have been here since last year and made it safely through the new year. A few breeding-plumage feathers are beginning to show.
A Black-winged Kite observed at eye level at one of my regular spots. It's perching on its favourite branch as usual, eyes gleaming red.
This season Ishigaki Island has a rich variety of raptors, including wintering birds. Upland Buzzards: three birds at two locations on the island. Peregrine Falcons: juveniles, subadults, and adults all seem to be present in unusually high numbers. Common Kestrels are everywhere.
The Black-winged Kites are approaching the end of the breeding season, and the juvenile Crested Serpent Eagles become more active in their foraging as the weather warms.
Black-winged Kite in the middle of breeding. The chicks will fledge soon.
Red Collared Dove numbers have been slow to build this season, but several have finally come in — around six individuals confirmed so far.
Black-winged Kites have recently been appearing in groups: two adults and one juvenile. On this day two were careening over the paddy fields and scattering all the small birds.
Crested Serpent Eagle juveniles are down in number this year, but encounters with adults are gradually increasing. The calls carry clearly from my house as well.
Small birds are also visiting the farmland. Red-throated Pipit, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, and Brambling confirmed — the Brambling was my first photograph of the species this season.
Two male Cream-coloured Doves. A female had also been present a few days earlier.
The Grey-headed Swamphen staying on Ishigaki has had a Hen Harrier turning up at its paddy field for the past few days, causing havoc. Several friends have come to Ishigaki to see the Swamphen, but it has become wary and is showing poorly, so they are having a hard time.
A Pheasant-tailed Jacana is also in residence and going about its business peacefully. I had noted Garganey several times over the past two weeks or so, but this time I finally managed to get it on camera.
I also recorded my first Greater White-fronted Goose and White-faced Wagtail of the season.
The paddies are lively, with Ruff, Dunlin, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Common Snipe, and Black-winged Stilt, as well as Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, Amur Stonechat, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit, and Little Bunting.
A completely unwariness Hen Harrier juvenile. It was an extremely aggressive hunter, and the upper surface of its flight feathers was stained with mud.
Two juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers arrived — beautiful birds in crisp fresh plumage. While I was watching them, a Black-winged Kite showed up earlier than usual. It didn't hunt and disappeared quickly. ^^;
The first Red Collared Doves of the season — three birds — arrived, but they seemed on edge because of the raptor and were hard to observe.
A juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper.
Decided to go wait at a feeding site and get some Black-winged Kite shots for a change. One appeared right on schedule and hovered right in front of me, searching for prey. It usually comes as a pair, but on this day there was only one.
Black-winged Kite has increased considerably on Ishigaki Island and now visits the main paddies reliably morning and evening. They are wary, so picking a spot and waiting them out is the standard approach.
Black-winged Kite, adult. Sex unknown.
In the evening I tried for a Black-winged Kite for the first time in a while. I parked in the shade of a tree where I had a view of the bird's favourite hunting ground and waited in the car. An adult appeared around 6 p.m. It made several hunting attempts but didn't appear to catch anything.
An adult Black-winged Kite in flight, bathed in evening light.
Chicks from a Black-winged Kite pair that entered breeding around the end of the year have now fledged. There were two this time. Black-winged Kites breed regardless of season, but a breeding attempt starting at year's end may be a first in my experience. Their reproductive drive is remarkable.
Two fledged successfully this time. After leaving the nest they practised flying — including receiving prey from their parents in mid-air — and have by now reached the point where they can hunt for themselves.
A Crested Serpent Eagle nearby was attacked by one of the adults and chased off somewhere. ^^;
A Black-winged Kite fledgling that has become quite a capable flier.
The Upland Buzzard that has been wintering on Ishigaki Island again this season — for some reason our timing kept missing each other, but I finally managed a close observation. It really does give off a different impression from the Eastern Buzzard. Its flight style is different too.
A pair of Black-winged Kite chicks fledged recently; they seem to breed regardless of the season. Even so, the warmer months appear to be their main breeding period, and like the Crested Serpent Eagle, they are active and in breeding mode.
A striking Upland Buzzard. The expression is particularly fierce.
Black-winged Kites are seen in numbers on a given day, with many pairs apparently moving into breeding. Crested Serpent Eagles are also in the early stages of breeding, and calling between individuals can be observed. The number of birds visible is high.
A pair of Black-winged Kites. These individuals showed little wariness.