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.
I went birdwatching on the side while on a work trip to cover the Yonaguni Town Council election. ^^
I confirmed multiple migrating Chinese Sparrowhawk, and Common Kestrel had also arrived to overwinter. Migrating Oriental Dollarbird and Grey-streaked Flycatcher were also present, along with good numbers of overwintering Brown Shrike, Arctic Warbler, and Eastern Yellow Wagtail.
In recent years the rice paddies on Yonaguni Island have decreased, so waders and plovers are sparse — just small numbers of Black-winged Stilt, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Common Sandpiper, and Red-necked Stint.
Common Emerald Dove, having finished breeding, formed small flocks and I watched them feeding on several occasions.
Chinese Sparrowhawk, juvenile. I also picked out several adults soaring.
The Javan Pond Heron population on Ishigaki Island is increasing; around 10 individuals are currently being observed across several sites.
Two Javan Pond Herons.
September has arrived, and autumn migration on Ishigaki Island is now in full swing. Eastern Yellow Wagtail numbers jumped overnight, and flocks ranging from small to large can be seen in farmland all over the island.
Among the waders, juveniles have started arriving on the heels of the adults. Flocks in fresh juvenile plumage are coming in.
An adult Eastern Yellow Wagtail of the white-supercilium type, transitioning into winter plumage.
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.
The 7th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp was held successfully over two days, 22 and 23 August. This time we had two women join us. Both took notes and made sketches with great enthusiasm.
The camp went ahead despite unsettled weather as a typhoon approached. The first day in particular brought occasional heavy rain, and by evening the sky had turned wild with a typhoon look about it.
We shifted the car around to dodge the driving rain and managed solid views of a dozen or so snipe, including both adults and juveniles.
Because of the prefectural governor election and unified local elections, the camp was held earlier than usual this year, and Common Snipe were not recorded.
The bonus post will cover Javan Pond Heron, an out-of-season Roseate Tern, Black-naped Tern, and more.
Arrived at the paddy field with the highest snipe count this season. The first bird I could observe was a pale-looking adult Swinhoe's Snipe.
The first Swinhoe's Snipe juveniles of the season have finally arrived. This year they came in earlier than the Pin-tailed Snipe juveniles.
The Javan Pond Heron is also settling in for a long stay.
The long-awaited juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe has appeared. Beautiful. ^^
There was a Common Hoopoe — about the tenth of this season. A Pied Avocet also showed up, along with a flock of around 60 Pacific Golden Plovers and some Oriental Pratincoles.
A Eurasian Hoopoe showing no wariness at all. This season it was all relaxed birds.
I made my third trip to Yonaguni Island this month. Small passerines were the main attraction: White Wagtail, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Little Bunting, Daurian Redstart, and Brown Shrike among others.
There was a mixed flock of three subspecies of White Wagtail. This is a male leucopsis.
Spring migration on Ishigaki Island has been building gradually since February, and by March it has grown noticeably more active. The variety of waders is increasing first of all. Brown Shrikes and White-cheeked Starlings that spent the winter on the island are beginning to move north.
Some individual Crested Serpent Eagle juveniles are well along in their moult.
A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle. It is within the territory of an adult pair and gets chased off every time it is spotted, yet it stubbornly stays put.
I squeezed in some birdwatching alongside a work trip to Yonaguni Island. Strong winds and occasional rain kept migrant numbers low.
Even so, there was a spring feel to it: Common Hoopoe, a flock of several dozen male White Wagtails, a group of around 30 Red-throated Pipits, and large flocks of Eastern Yellow Wagtail.
A Eurasian Hoopoe near the northern coast. It was foraging in light rain.
The third Common Hoopoe of the season has arrived, following last week's bird. This individual showed no wariness at all — when a car passed nearby it flew off only a short distance. Reports of arrivals have also come in from other islands, and it looks like this is a good year for Common Hoopoe.
Temperatures are rising and spring migration is beginning. A mixed flock of Taiwan Wagtail, White Wagtail, and White Wagtail arrived in the rice paddies.
Among the waders, wintering birds — Common Snipe, Common Redshank, and Wood Sandpiper — have been joined by northbound migrants, making things a little livelier.
Resident birds — Crested Serpent Eagle, Purple Heron, and Cinnamon Bittern — were all active in the run-up to the breeding season.
Discovered what is the third Eurasian Hoopoe of the season on Ishigaki Island.
The second Common Hoopoe of the season has arrived. The Common Hoopoe is one of the birds that herald spring on Ishigaki Island, though it feels as if the arrival date gets a little earlier every year.
With the warmer weather, Crested Serpent Eagle and Black-winged Kite on Ishigaki Island have been observed carrying nesting material and displaying — confirmed breeding behaviour. Wintering waders and ducks are still present.
A Eurasian Hoopoe that turned up a little early. There are good years every few years, but I have a feeling this season will see a large influx of Eurasian Hoopoes on Ishigaki Island.
The Pin-tailed Snipe from the other day was still on site.
Finding a Pin-tailed Snipe at this time of year is real luck. I have no idea how much longer it will stay, but I intend to keep watching it carefully.
Pin-tailed Snipe in January is something I've never recorded before — a very rare occurrence.
I have been able to document Pin-tailed Snipe wintering on Ishigaki Island as a definite record. This is the individual confirmed last November. Construction started nearby and I was too busy with work over the year-end and New Year period to get out and check, but it was wintering at the same spot.
Pin-tailed Snipe had been observed here as late as late February 2024, but a solid wintering record had remained elusive. Having confirmed this bird from November through to late January, it now stands as a firm wintering record. I can only hope this individual stays on through to the spring Pin-tailed Snipe season in April.
This Pin-tailed Snipe left a strong impression, so I've been able to identify it individually. You can tell at a glance. ^^ First-winter plumage.
Short-eared Owls have been wintering here again this season, as they did from around the end of last year. Surprisingly large numbers have turned up. A Long-eared Owl was also reported, but only for a single day — unfortunately I was not able to see it myself.
Out in the paddies during the day there are also wintering waders and plovers. Past mid-January I get the sense that they are slowly starting to move. I expect the main movement to begin around late February.
There was a Short-eared Owl staring intently at a thicket where mice were lurking. It seemed there was another one in the same area.
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.
A White-naped Crane has arrived on Ishigaki for the first time in six years, since the first island record in 2020. It is a big, beautiful bird. A Siberian Crane has been wintering on Iriomote since last year — I would love to get over there to see it if the chance arises.
Crested Serpent Eagles are in the early stages of the breeding season; on fine days you can often hear a male and female calling back and forth.
Grey-faced Buzzards, Common Kestrels, Peregrine Falcons, Eastern Buzzards and Ospreys are all wintering on the island, but I have not seen an Upland Buzzard since I spotted one on Yonaguni in December last year — they seem scarce this season.
The first visit since October 2020. This time there were two adults. The Purple Heron looked no bigger than a Little Egret!!
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.
December was hectic with repeated work trips and preparations for Omoto526, a single-unit rental guesthouse opening very soon, so I barely managed to get out birding at all.
Instead, a Crested Serpent Eagle, a Common Kestrel and Olive-backed Pipits have started turning up in our garden. A Black-winged Kite appears morning and evening.
I'd like to take things more slowly and do some proper birdwatching next year — though who knows how that will go… ^^;
A Red-throated Pipit with a short tail. There were also several Citrine Wagtails in the same condition. Perhaps they were grabbed by the Eurasian Sparrowhawk that has been holding territory over this paddy.