The sixth Black Drongo of the season appeared. Like yesterday's bird, every individual this season has been strangely unafraid of people.
The Northern Boobook that breeds here every year has also arrived. The nest tree looks rather fragile, and I worry it might not survive a typhoon.
A Black Drongo with zero wariness. It was catching flying insects.
Five Black Drongos turned up at three different locations. They are a fixture of Golden Week on Ishigaki Island — whenever the weather turns rough, several are sure to be seen.
A Black Drongo perched in a guava tree. It was completely unafraid.
The Black Drongo arrived again this season to coincide with Golden Week. On Ishigaki Island it usually turns up around this time in spring. It perched on branch tips and caught dragonflies and horseflies in the air.
I also observed Ruddy Kingfisher, Crested Serpent Eagle, and Chinese Pond Heron, among others.
A Black Drongo perched at the tip of a thin branch, waiting for prey.
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.
Hearing an Asian Koel calling, I scanned with binoculars and spotted a male singing from the top of a she-oak. It looked approachable, so I eased the car forward carefully. Even at 100 metres it showed no sign of alarm. I kept closing in. The track ended about 20 metres short, so I continued on foot, using the undergrowth as cover, and managed to get right beneath the she-oak where the Asian Koel was singing. It seemed unaware of me, and I had a close, impressive view of both the bird and its call. Asian Koel have been recorded here before, but from around 2020 the number arriving on Ishigaki Island in May has increased considerably.
After about ten minutes of observation, a female Asian Koel called from a nearby thicket — there appeared to be two individuals. The male then disappeared, seemingly drawn by the female's call, so I searched the area. A Large-billed Crow, thought to be a likely host for Asian Koel brood parasitism, also appeared to be building a nest nearby. This could be a real chance to confirm breeding!!
Black Drongo have been turning up in good numbers across Ishigaki, Okinawa Main Island and elsewhere in the Nansei Islands this season. The peak has passed, but I counted two birds on this day. I think they will be wrapping up soon.
The Ryukyu Scops Owls that breed near my home every year appear to have started incubating again this year. The chicks should fledge in early July.
A male Large Hawk-Cuckoo. I was able to observe it at quite close range for an extended period.
The Black Drongo that appeared near my home has been drifting slowly eastward and is now into its fourth day of stay. It is an unwary individual, always perched on the roadside wires. This season has been a bumper year for Black Drongo on Ishigaki Island — on peak days nearly 20 birds were recorded in a single day.
A small flock of Oriental Pratincoles had moved into the paddies. They were working the same area as the Whiskered Terns, but while the terns drifted low and picked insects off the rice plants, the pratincoles were up high, hawking incoming insects.
Black-faced Spoonbill, Eurasian Spoonbill and Chinese Pond Heron have also been dropping into the paddies one after another.
A Black Drongo near home, now on its fourth day of the stay.
Two Black Drongos turned up at a different location from the three seen the other day. That makes six individuals this season. Birds are also appearing on Iriomote Island and Okinawa Main Island at the same time. Across the Nansei Islands, numbers seem higher than usual.
Red Collared Dove arrived as a male and female pair. After a heavy downpour, the female stopped showing, but the male was foraging on the ground.
The Ruddy Kingfisher near my home sees me so often every day that it pays me no attention at all. I also managed to get video of it singing and dancing.
A Black Drongo after a downpour. It sat motionless on a branch tip — apparently drying its feathers.
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.
先月から滞在中のオウチュウ2羽は1羽増えて3羽になり、5羽になり最終的には7羽までふくれ上がりました。
ツメナガセキレイは数を減らし、出会う機会が少なくなりました。
A Black Drongo that caught a Tsumagurozemi cicada during the current mass emergence.
先日の3羽のオウチュウ は5羽に数を増やしていました。4カ所で7羽いたうちのどれかが、合流して5羽になったのか新たに渡ってきたのか分かりませんが、一度に5羽のオウチュウが集まるなんて初めてのことです。
クロハラアジサシが複数入り、その中にハジロクロハラアジサシの夏羽が1羽いました。田んぼの上をひらひらと飛びながら虫をとっていました。
沖縄では珍しい、黒々とした夏羽に衣替えしたツルクイナがいました。石垣島には冬羽や幼鳥は定期的に現れますが、夏羽は珍しいです。
田んぼではウズラシギやタシギ、アオアシシギ、コアオアシシギなど渡り途中の個体が入れ替わりで立ち寄っています。
コシアカツバメ、ヒメアマツバメ、ショウドウツバメ、ツバメの4種がまざった群れも飛来。天気が悪い中、田んぼを飛び回りながら餌をとっていました。
Drongos are turning up in large numbers on Ishigakijima this season.
オウチュウが石垣島島内で1日に7羽が確認されました。沖縄本島でも8羽ほど飛来しているようです。今年はオウチュウの当たり年のようです。^^
ほかにもベニバトやオオタカなども現れ、石垣島に春の渡りの第2波がやってきたようです。
A Black Drongo appeared in the rice paddies.
子どもに朝飯を食わせていると鳥連絡網に「オウチュウ出てるよ」と連絡があり、急いで朝食を済ませると息子と現場へ直行。前日に粟国島でもオウチュウ2羽が出ていたので、「石垣島にもそろそろですね」などと話していた矢先なので驚きました…。^^;
石垣島にも2羽で現れたオウチュウは、見晴らしのいい枝に止まって獲物を見つけるとオウチュウ特有の飛び方で捕まえていました。午後には、ツバメのような水浴びもしていました。
An adult Black Drongo resting in the shade of a tree. A beautiful bird with a metallic sheen.
春の渡りには少し遅く、バードウオッチャーもほとんどいない与那国島。鳥見が出来たのは、早朝の2時間と午後1時過ぎから土砂降りになる午後4時までの3時間ほどでしたが、個人的には春での出会いが初めてのアカハラダカとオウチュウが見られたほか、ブッポウソウやシベリアツメナガセキレイ、シベリアアオジ、タイワンハクセキレイ、サルハマシギ、オグロシギ、アカガシラサギなどが見られたのがよかった。
写真が撮れなかったのでは、サメビタキっぽい何かと小さめの不明トケンとコグンカンドリ、ミズナギドリの仲間、オオヨシキリ、コノハズクもしくはリュウキュウコノハズク、インドハッカ、ミフウズラ。声だけなのは、ヨタカとアカショウビンでした。
次回は、もっと早い時期に行って春の渡り鳥を探したいですね。
First-summer male Chinese Sparrowhawk. A few juvenile feathers remain on the belly.
Small numbers pass through Ishigaki Island. The white spot at the bill and the forked tail are the things to look for.