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

Wishing everyone a happy new year.

The new year got off to a rough start — the entire family came down with COVID-19 right at the beginning of the holidays. We couldn't go anywhere, and I spent the time in bed until the 8th. ^^

My first birding of the year was on the 9th. Overwintering since last year: Common Crane, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Shelduck, Tundra Swan, Korean Kestrel, Grey-faced Buzzard, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, thrushes, wagtails, Amur Stonechat, Chinese Pond Heron, and four species of starling.

For New Year's, you can't leave out a juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle — the bird celebrated in the Okinawan song "Washi nu Tui-bushi."

Two Pied Avocets have arrived. They may be individuals already wandering around the island — four more Pied Avocets have also been confirmed elsewhere.

The Common Crane is also in wintering mode. At first it was extremely wary, but now not at all. ^^

A Eurasian Spoonbill is also staying on — a friendly individual. Wintering waders are showing up as well.

Pied Avocets foraging together. The bird in the background is in first-winter plumage; the one in the foreground is an adult in winter plumage.

Two Ruddy Shelducks, two Lesser White-fronted Geese, a Common Crane, and a Greater White-fronted Goose are all on an extended stay. On this day I couldn't find the Greylag Goose or the Taiga Bean Goose. They were quite wary, so perhaps they've retreated to the Ampar wetlands area.

Two female Ruddy Shelducks. Both are adults.

The Common Crane observed on the 17th as a first island record by one of our newspaper's readers was still present. I managed to photograph it successfully. ^^

The Common Crane I saw at Izumi on the Kagoshima plain had a deep orange iris, but this individual's iris is pale yellow. I find myself wondering whether that reflects the bird's age, a subspecific difference, or simply individual variation.

Incidentally, this autumn this is the second first island record, following the Plaintive Cuckoo from the other day. Last year the Ishigaki birding scene went into an unprecedented frenzy from November onward, but this year, including these two species, things are getting even more remarkable!!

I stopped by on the way to work and the Little Curlew found three days ago was also still present and looking well.

A Common Crane on Ishigaki Island. Blown in by the northerly winds that had been raging until a few days ago, perhaps?

鹿児島出張がありましたので、急きょ有給を入れて1泊延泊し探鳥旅行をしてきました。下調べも全くない状態でしたのでとりあえず、20年間カラフトワシが越冬に来ていたという薩摩川内高江に行ってきました。カラフトワシは残念ながら2012年以降飛来しないということなのですが、探鳥には良さそうなので…。^^

薩摩川内高江ではノビタキやホオアカ、ビンズイ、モズ、チョウゲンボウなどがいました。ふらっと立ち寄った川内原子力発電所展示館の池にはオシドリ十数羽群れていました。また、ヨシガモや遠くて何かわからないカモも浮かんでいました。

翌日は、日の出とともに、出水市ツル観察センターに行ってまいりました。ツル観察センターが位置する西干拓と「東西干拓橋」を越えたところの東干拓があるのですが、多くのツルは東干拓にいました。ほとんどがナベヅルですが、クロヅルとカナダヅルを1羽ずつ確認できました。

西干拓ではニュウナイスズメの30羽ぐらいの群れとミヤマガラス数十羽の群れに驚かされました。いるところにはいるもんだねー。^^; タゲリやカワラヒワ、セキレイ類なども多く見られました。

カモも見たことないぐらいたくさんいました。ヒドリガモとかオナガガモとかマガモとか。

Since cranes were the target, I started with Hooded Cranes at sunrise.