All three snipe species on Ishigaki Island — Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, and Common Snipe — are finally present at the same time. From here, Pin-tailed and Swinhoe's Snipe numbers will decline, while Common Snipe will increase.
A textbook individual — identifiable as Pin-tailed Snipe at a glance.
This is the extras edition of the 7th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp. Since we had already observed both adult and juvenile Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe to a reasonable degree on the first day, the second day was spent observing a wider variety of species beyond snipe. This post covers those sightings, including observations from day one.
Please also see the main report from the Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp.
Three Javan Pond Herons confirmed during the Ishigaki Island snipe camp.
Migrant waders are building up and the paddies on Ishigaki are getting lively.
Juveniles now make up more than half of the Long-toed Stints present, and I confirmed the first juvenile Wood Sandpiper of the season. I had already found juvenile Common Redshank about two weeks ago, but this was my first time photographing one this season.
Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Pacific Golden Plover, and Black-faced Spoonbill have also been showing up one after another.
First juvenile Wood Sandpiper of the season. Only one individual confirmed, but numbers will keep climbing from here.
I recorded the first Black-faced Spoonbill and Dunlin of the season. The Javan Pond Heron disappeared after about a week.
I have been busy lately and have not been shooting much, but I am keeping up my daily observations. On the island, the terns, owls, Ruddy Kingfisher, and Black Paradise Flycatcher that breed here have finished raising their young. Crested Serpent Eagle and Common Emerald Dove fledglings should be appearing around now too.
The migration that began in mid-July is moving along at its own pace. I expect it to accelerate sharply once we get past the middle of August.
The first Black-faced Spoonbill of the season arrived. It was an easy bird to watch, showing no wariness at all.
A Hen Harrier was hunting right in front of me. I could not tell what it was after, but startled Common Pheasants kept flushing repeatedly and the harrier did not seem to catch anything… ^^; My daughter, who was watching with me, was thrilled — when the Hen Harrier banked sharply she could actually hear the wind cutting through its wings. ^^
In the channels there were wintering Black-faced Spoonbills, in the paddies several Chinese Pond Herons, and we had Saunders's Gulls and Black-headed Gulls flying together — all in all a fun day of birdwatching for the kids.
A Hen Harrier quartering the rice paddies in search of prey.
Autumn migration on Ishigaki Island is winding down, but an out-of-season typhoon drove in a greater variety of birds.
A Pied Avocet arrived at a paddy field near the town centre.
Two Pied Avocets have been present for several days. A flock of Black-faced Spoonbills and Eurasian Spoonbills, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Garganey have been staying a long time. Wintering Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler are also steadily building up.
Two Pied Avocets with zero wariness are staying in the area.
The first Black-naped Terns of the season have arrived. I have been seeing them on the ferry route since last month, but toward late May they appear on coastal reefs to breed. Almost all of the birds are already paired up.
Ruddy Kingfishers seem to be particularly numerous this season. Nest-building has begun in all sorts of places, though I do wonder whether there are enough nest holes to go round.
A few Bridled Terns arrived. They have been seen on the ferry route since last month, and pairs already seem to have formed.
A second Chinese Egret for the season flew in to the river mouth. Three Black-faced Spoonbills are also staying nearby. I counted five Cinnamon Bitterns, which are active at the start of their breeding season. In the rice paddies there were Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler that had been left behind by the northward migration.
The second Chinese Egret of the season. It was showing its familiar behaviour of chasing fish at the water's edge.
While watching the Oriental Stork, a Black Bittern flew into view, so I searched for where it had landed — and a Baillon's Crake appeared. ^^; It was a wary individual that ducked straight into the grass at the slightest disturbance. The habitat looks good, so it might stick around.
The Oriental Stork was a ringed individual. ID number "J0701", apparently hatched on 31 March this year in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture. It had also been observed in Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture, a week earlier. It stayed on Ishigaki for several days before crossing to Iriomote.
Two Pied Avocets are still present. Whether they are part of the flock of eleven that arrived on 6 November is unknown.
Encounters with juvenile Crested Serpent Eagles have been increasing. On this day I found the previously recorded "No. 7" and a new individual. With the second-crop rice harvest now underway, it is becoming a good season to watch Crested Serpent Eagles. This season's sugarcane harvest is scheduled to start around 6 December.
First Gadwall and Eastern White Wagtail of the season confirmed.
Adult White-browed Crake. It seemed quite wary.
Two Black-faced Spoonbills are roaming and staying around the island. As it gradually starts to feel like autumn, Garganey, Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail are also increasing.
Adult Black-faced Spoonbill.
The Northern Boobooks have fledged. Pair formation was later than usual this year, so fledging was delayed too. I wonder whether one of the pair has changed.
Ruddy Kingfisher fledging is finished everywhere now, and the adults are catching their breath. The fledglings are still within their parents' territories but are catching prey on their own.
Cinnamon Bittern chick-rearing is also over, and juveniles are appearing in rice paddies here and there. Juvenile Purple Herons that have become independent are also starting to show up in the paddies. Chinese Pond Herons and Black-faced Spoonbills are arriving on autumn passage.
Waders are beginning to move through little by little. As autumn migration gets into full swing, numbers and species will keep increasing.
Terns are in the thick of chick-rearing. Black-naped Tern chicks that are roughly one to two weeks post-hatch are starting to be seen.
The last fledgling of the season for the Brown Hawk-Owl. There were still some remaining in the nest.
The Ruddy Kingfishers appear to be progressing well through the breeding season — I can watch them nest-building and courtship-feeding.
A Black-faced Spoonbill has been staying for several days. Chinese Pond Herons in breeding plumage are scattered across various paddies, with several individuals present.
In paddies with open water, Ruff, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper and Whiskered Tern were resting.
A Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher near my home. It appears to be test-digging trial nest holes in several spots.
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.
A bonus from the 2nd Ishigaki Snipe Camp: a Citrine Wagtail turned up — and a strikingly beautiful adult male in summer plumage at that. Juveniles appear every year, but adults are uncommon, so this was a real treat.
It was associating with a flock of Taiwan White Wagtails and Grey Wagtails, though it seemed the Grey Wagtails and the Citrine Wagtail didn't get on — I watched the Citrine Wagtail get chased off several times.
The main post from this snipe camp features large numbers of Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe, so please have a look at that too. The 3rd session is planned for late August. In autumn both Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe are present in good numbers, and it's great fun watching juveniles alongside adults and comparing moult stages between the two species.
A male Citrine Wagtail in breeding plumage. That vivid yellow is stunning.
移動時間に田んぼに寄り道。警戒心が強くてじっくり見る機会がないリュウキュウヒクイナのペアを近くで観察できました。畔を2羽で歩いていました。繁殖に備えて巣作りする場所でも探しているのでしょうか。
今季、石垣島や八重山、沖縄本島、南西諸島に非常に飛来数が多いアカガシラサギはどこの田んぼにいっても渡り途中の個体がいる状態です。
クロツラヘラサギは5羽が飛来。群れの中で1羽だけが美しい夏羽に変わっていました。
Male Okinawa Rail.
この時季、島内には留鳥、渡り含めて多くのサギの仲間が滞在中。
留鳥のズグロミゾゴイとムラサキサギは繁殖を控えて活発になっています。渡り途中のクロツラヘラサギとヘラサギも合わせて10羽ほどが確認されています。ほかにはアマサギやコサギ、チュウサギ、チュウダイサギ、アカガシラサギ、ゴイサギなどが渡り途中に立ち寄っています。
カモは石垣島で繁殖するカルガモ以外はすっかりいなくなったのですが、なぜか、ヨシガモのオスが1羽だけ残っていました。ケガなどなければいいのですが…。
A Slaty-legged Crake foraging in a scrubby woodland bordering farmland. There was also a Pale-capped Pigeon.
ジャワアカガシラサギ3羽は2週間以上の滞在となりました。だんだん警戒心が薄れてきているようで近くで観察、撮影できるようになってきました。
クロツラヘラサギは5羽の若い個体の群れでやってきました。
There are three Javan Pond Herons in the same spot, but one of them is very wary and hard to photograph. The other two come out obligingly.
サンカノゴイが数日前から滞在中。神出鬼没で目の前の草むらにいても出てこず、なかなかタイミングが合いませんね。^^;
リュウキュウヨシゴイ、ヨシゴイは毎日、元気にけんかしてます。^^;
ベニバトも複数箇所で複数羽。今年生まれの幼鳥がほとんどです。
ハクセキレイ、ツメナガセキレイ、ムネアカタヒバリ、タヒバリなども滞在中。
今季は、タゲリの数が目立って多く、20羽ほどが滞在しています。
田んぼのシギは、ヒバリシギ、ハマシギ、アカアシシギ、アオアシシギ、タシギあたりが越冬中です。
Eurasian Bittern eating a swamp eel.
ソリハシセイタカシギはたまにいなくなりますが、1日もすれば元の田んぼに戻ってきます。この場所がよほど気に入ったようです。
メジロがもはメス幼鳥に加えてオスもやってきました。
ベニバトは複数個所に5羽を確認。今季の2期米は飼料用なので刈り取りが遅く、ベニバトが稲の中に入ってしまうと確認が難しいです。
クロツラヘラサギ、オオハシシギ、オグロシギは同じ田んぼで滞在中。どれも長期滞在ですが、オオハシシギの換羽の推移が特に気になりますね。
Pied Avocet, first-winter. Wary of a passing pedestrian.