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

Ruddy Kingfisher numbers have been building up. The first call of the season came a little earlier than usual, but I had been away from the island on a family trip at the end of March, so I only just managed to get photographs. These days a bird is calling loudly around the house from early morning — at around 6 a.m. the Ruddy Kingfisher wakes me up.

The Ashy Drongo has been wintering at the same spot since around New Year, a stay of roughly four months now. That is quite a long wintering record for Ishigaki Island.

A single Ruddy Shelduck turned up in the rice paddies. Last winter one appeared briefly at the dam but I could not get a proper look, so this was my first good view in a long time. It really is a beautiful bird.

Other spring migrants are arriving one after another: Oriental Pratincole, Common Snipe, Common Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet and more.

The Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher arrived about a week earlier than usual this season — calls were already audible around 23 March. Numbers picked up toward the end of March. My first photos weren't until 6 April, a little later than usual, partly because I was away from the island on a trip.

Little Curlews arrived again this year — a small flock of three. While watching them, 13 Oriental Pratincoles also came in.

A Little Whimbrel I noticed by its call while driving slowly through the sugarcane fields. It's a spot where Little Whimbrel turn up every year.

I finally got photos of the Pechora Pipits whose calls I had been picking up from the grassland for the past few days.

Red-throated Pipits have arrived in large numbers, so picking out the Pechora Pipits took some patience — but when I waited by the call, a bird popped up onto a rice-paddy berm right after the rain stopped. Finding a bird exactly as planned is a special kind of satisfaction. ^^

Chinese Sparrowhawk migration has been under way since early September, but bad weather has continued thanks to the typhoon and a lot of birds are lingering on Ishigaki-jima. At peak times three or so were perched on the power lines together. Once the weather clears they should push through all at once.

Grey-streaked Flycatchers on migration and wintering Arctic Warblers are also increasing. A large flock of around 500 Chestnut-cheeked Starlings was moving through parks in the town centre.

Buff-bellied Pipit, first-winter.

Ruff have turned up at several sites, almost all juveniles. The regulars — Red-necked Stint, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshank, and Long-toed Stint — are present in paddies everywhere. Dunlin have started to appear as well.

The first Pacific Golden Plovers of the season arrived in small flocks of juveniles. Around the park and cattle sheds, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Red-billed Starling, and White-shouldered Starling are also increasing.

A juvenile Ruff.

A Daurian Starling was mixed in with a flock made up mainly of White-shouldered Starlings. Four days later a second individual appeared, bringing the total to two. White-shouldered Starling, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Red-billed Starling, and White-cheeked Starling are all currently present on Ishigaki-jima.

A beautiful male Daurian Starling. Some juvenile feathers are visible, so it may be in first-winter plumage.

漁港近くの公園にヤツガシラが1羽。小さな公園ですが、たまにヤツガシラが観察されます。今季も2羽ほど飛来しています。

石垣島で越冬していたムクドリの仲間はだんだん数が減ってきていますが、私の勤務先と自宅裏のタブノキには熟れた実を食べにコムクドリやカラムクドリ、ムクドリが群れで毎日のようにやってきます。

A Eurasian Hoopoe searching for prey in the planted shrubs at the edge of a park.

昨日のレンカク といい、今日のズグロチャキンチョウ、バライロムクドリといい、仕事の合間のほんの少し空いた時間でポンポン見つかっています。効率が良すぎて不気味。^^; 5日前のモズ にも手が震えました。モズは沖縄ではど珍鳥なのです。^^

ズグロチャキンチョウの幼鳥は田んぼに飛来していました。ズグロチャキンチョウの幼鳥はチャキンチョウと識別が難しいですが、おそらくこの個体はズグロチャキンチョウと思われます。

バライロムクドリの幼鳥も撮影できました。数日前から目撃情報があった場所からは直線距離にして数キロ離れているので同じ個体なのか違うのか微妙なところ。今朝はほかの農耕地でも友人が目撃して写真も撮っていますが、換羽の状態が全く違うので少なくとも2個体はバライロムクドリが入っているようです。バライロムクドリは今季、沖縄本島の漫湖湿地センターにも入っています。

カラムクドリ、ホシムクドリ、コムクドリ、ムクドリも今日一日で撮影できました。ギンムクドリも撮れれば石垣島のムクドリはコンプリートしたのですが…。シベリアムクドリは別枠で。

バライロムクドリとホシムクドリのねぐらと餌場も見つけたので、天気のいい日に電線じゃないところに止まってる写真を狙います。^^

シマアカモズもたくさん越冬モードになっており、変わったモズはいないかと探すのですが、シマアカモズばかりでした。

Black-headed Bunting, first-winter.

工業地帯のど真ん中にある目立たない公園で探鳥。渡りの時期は意外と鳥がいます。

駐車場に車を止め、雑草が伸び放題の遊歩道を歩くとすぐにシマアカモズの幼鳥が見つかりました。ベンチに腰掛けてしばらく見ていると、なんとギンヤンマを捕まえました。地面のバッタを捕まえる場面にはよく遭遇しますが、素早く飛び回るトンボを捕まえるとは知りませんでした。シマアカモズは4個体確認。今年はモズが多そうだ。

公園内の水場にはアカガシラサギがいた。警戒心が非常に強く、通行人があるたびに驚いて飛び回っていました。

アコウやカジュマルには実を食べにコムクドリやムクドリ、シロガシラなどが集まっていた。

遊歩道にツミの羽が散らばっているので付近を探してみると頭がなくなったツミの死体がありました。何かに襲われたのだろうか。

他に今季初のチョウゲンボウとシロハラ、キセキレイをそれぞれ1羽ずつのほか、越冬地へ南下途中のサンコウチョウも確認しました。

A juvenile Brown Shrike actually caught a Lesser Emperor dragonfly!!