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.

The Ashy Drongo from the other day appears to be in full wintering mode — when I went back to check a week later it was still in exactly the same spot.

Crested Serpent Eagles are very active on the farmland and I regularly come across pairs. Along the coast, Siberian Sand Plovers, Kentish Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Common Greenshanks, Grey-tailed Tattlers and Common Sandpipers are all wintering.

The White-bellied Drongo was in exactly the same spot as a week ago. It was predating something in the order Hymenoptera. I hope it stays until spring.

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.

毎年、アカハラダカとともにやってくるハイイロオウチュウが今年も石垣島に現れました。今季は2カ所で合わせて3羽が確認されています。 2017年のハイイロオウチュウは越冬 して近くで観察することができました。ことしも越冬に期待です。

秋の渡りはこれから佳境を迎えます。ぜひ私の友人が催行する スポッター石垣島ネイチャーガイドサービス を利用して、いい鳥を見てくださいね。^^ ガイドの腕は私が保証します。

An Ashy Drongo basking in the morning sun on a power line. Not particularly wary.

師匠と友人であり石垣島ナンバーワンの野鳥ガイド「スポッター」さんのおかげでほぼライファーのハイイロオウチュウを至近距離で観察、撮影することができました。数年前にアカハラダカの渡りの時期に見たハイイロオウチュウは、はるか数百メートル先だったので写真すらありませんでした。お二人には感謝です。

ハイイロオウチュウは、小雨の中現れて獲物のハチやアブを数匹空中で見事にキャッチすると藪の中に入ってしまいました。十数分間の出来事でしたが、写真はもちろんのこと動画までも撮影でき、ほぼ初めてのハイイロオウチュウに感動しました。すでに1週間の滞在のようです。越冬するのかな?

石垣島にはオウチュウはよく入るのですが、ハイイロオウチュウは数年に一度観察される程度で、渡ってきても数が少ない上にすぐに抜けてしまいなかなか会えない野鳥です。異国情緒溢れる素晴らしい野鳥でした。

石垣島シリーズ(11月26日〜27日)

石垣島でバードウオッチング(ベニバト、色彩変異キジバトなど田んぼ編)

石垣島でバードウオッチング(カンムリワシ、シマアカモズ編)

石垣島でバードウオッチング(珍鳥ハイイロオウチュウ編／動画あり)

While waiting for an Ashy Drongo from behind cover, one landed on a branch about 15 metres in front of my lens.