A pre-camp scout for the 2nd Ishigaki Snipe Camp. Up until the day before I'd found nothing but Common Snipe and was getting anxious, but on the eve of the camp a good number of Swinhoe's Snipe and Pin-tailed Snipe arrived. The birds were at just the right distance — not too close, not too far — perfect for relaxed observation. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Five Swinhoe's Snipes and one Pin-tailed Snipe.
The arrival of Common Hoopoes on Ishigaki this season has been a drawn-out, straggling affair. There are spots where you can watch Common Hoopoe and Ruddy Kingfisher at the same time, and visiting birdwatchers from the mainland all seem very pleased about that. ^^
On this day I found three Common Hoopoes at two locations and nearly ten Ruddy Kingfishers. For some reason every individual was completely unafraid, and photographing them was stress-free.
A Eurasian Hoopoe that looked a little tired — perhaps it had just arrived.
Into April, Ruddy Kingfisher numbers on Ishigaki have been building and their calls can be heard from all directions. The rain had cleared, so from around 3 p.m. I headed out with the family to look for them. We found five in a short time, including birds that were already paired up.
The closest individual let us observe it from just five metres away — close enough for the kids to get a really good look. ^^
A Ruddy Kingfisher observed at just five metres away. The spot seemed to be its regular feeding ground.
The Ruddy Kingfisher that briefly appeared on Ishigaki in mid-February had been silent for over a month afterwards. From around the end of March calls suddenly increased, and on the 29th I could hear one from home. On the 31st I got a sighting, and on 1 April I managed a photograph. Exactly the same pattern as every year. May and June are the best time to see and photograph Ruddy Kingfishers here.
It's a bumper year for Common Hoopoe, and a third wave has arrived — six individuals were recorded across the island on this day.
Ryukyu Flycatchers are singing actively, and I keep coming across pairs moving around together.
A male Ryukyu Kingfisher. It looked a little tired, as though it had just arrived on migration.
Did a quick loop around the neighbourhood before heading to my child's school sports day. Observed five Ruddy Kingfisher and three Common Emerald Dove. Ruddy Kingfisher is reasonably numerous and can be seen without too much trouble. The Common Emerald Doves were carrying nesting material repeatedly. As on Miyako Island, it seems some individuals breed at this time of year too. Perhaps they breed twice a year?
The Ruddy Kingfisher near my home. It will be departing soon, so I've been checking every morning to confirm it's still around, hoping to record the last sighting of the season. There is one more bird nearby.
Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfishers are still being seen readily. Multiple individuals are observable around my neighbourhood. I expect them to move on by the end of September. From April to now — half a year of morning song and colour in daily life. ^^
One White-shouldered Starling was confirmed today for the first time this season, mixed in with a flock of Common Mynas. From here on, the wintering birds will start arriving on Ishigaki: White-shouldered Starling, Red-billed Starling, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Common Starling, Rosy Starling and others.
The Ruddy Kingfisher closest to home. Together with the individual photographed a few days ago, it appears that at least two birds are here preparing for migration.
Three on the commute in the morning, one during the day, and three more on the way out to dinner with the family — seven Ruddy Kingfishers in all. The evening three were perched together on the same guardrail. Getting ready to migrate overnight, perhaps?
Crested Serpent Eagle encounters are also increasing; I came across three individuals on this day.
All the Eastern Yellow Wagtails are of the white-browed type — large mixed flocks of juveniles and adults are appearing all over the place.
The Ruddy Kingfisher in my neighbourhood. I say hello to this individual every morning before heading to the office. ^^ The head looked quite tatty a few days ago, but the moult there seems to be done now.
Southward movement has already begun, but a few Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfishers are still present near home. Every individual is deep in moult and looking rather bedraggled. ^^;
Ruddy Kingfisher in moult. Those with trypophobia may find these pin feathers off-putting, so I recommend visiting before July. ^^;
The last Ruddy Kingfisher of the season fledged successfully. I found the nest on June 24, confirmed 2 eggs on July 3, and the chicks fledged on August 12 and 13 in quick succession.
There has been large-scale development in the area, and perhaps because suitable nest sites were scarce, the pair nested in a Formosan subterranean termite colony in a horsetail casuarina tree alongside a fairly busy road. I worried about traffic accidents right after fledging, but they made it safely and disappeared into the shrubs on the ranch.
I recorded my first Grey Wagtail of the season — the usual time of year, the usual spot.
Crested Serpent Eagles are approaching their fledging season too, and the adults are turning up regularly in farmland and cultivated fields.
A Ruddy Kingfisher chick that fledged on the 12th. This was taken on the 13th, the second day after fledging, and it was already flying about fairly freely.
A Common Emerald Dove in the neighbourhood with absolutely no fear of humans was out in the open. The bird didn't flinch even when a dump truck passed right by, and was busy pecking at fallen berries.
Most Ruddy Kingfisher pairs have finished raising their chicks, but there are still about three nests where adults are still bringing food to nestlings. Typhoon No. 6 is approaching, and all I can do is hope it passes without incident.
Emerald Dove, male.
I found my eighth Ryukyu Scops Owl pair of the season. I had gone to check on a brood of Northern Boobook chicks that had fledged a few days earlier when I came across them by chance. Both the male and female were outside the nest, so I suspect the chicks are due to fledge very soon.
Ryukyu Scops Owl, female.
All three Ryukyu Northern Boobooks have fledged. The two Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher chicks whose fledging I confirmed the other day were seen again on this visit.
Fledgling Brown Hawk-Owls perched on the nest tree.
The second nest of Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfishers to fledge this season. While walking the forest road looking for Hoya, I picked up the distinctive calls of fledglings. Holding my breath and searching carefully, I found two chicks.
There was a pair of Ryukyu Black Paradise Flycatchers just starting to build a nest. With no crows around, the prospects feel reassuring.
A fledgling Ruddy Kingfisher perched on a rock.
The Ryukyu Black Paradise Flycatcher chicks are coming along well — fledging is imminent. One Ryukyu Northern Boobook fledged, though by evening it had returned to the nest.
Near my home, a Ryukyu Scops Owl is raising young; in the grounds of a nearby primary school, a Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher is doing the same. One chick has fledged from the Ruddy Kingfisher nest at a mango orchard — around three more appear to still be inside.
There appear to be two Japanese Paradise Flycatcher chicks. The male parent came to the nest. After feeding them, he carried their droppings away from the nest in his bill.
The Ryukyu Japanese Sparrowhawk chicks have started moving between branches. The eldest is already flying about.
Ryukyu Scops Owls fledged at two locations — I got to meet five adorable chicks in all.
The Ryukyu Northern Boobook also looks close to fledging.
The Ryukyu Black Paradise Flycatcher chicks have just hatched; fledging looks likely around Tanabata.
The Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher has had a late breeding season — there was still a pair digging out a nest hole.
The eldest of three siblings. It seems able to fly short distances.
A Ryukyu Flycatcher — whose calls I always hear but rarely get a proper view of — was singing beside a forest road. It was singing from less than a metre off the ground. On the mainland, Narcissus Flycatcher tends to use higher perches, but perhaps on Ishigaki Island, with no Japanese Robin to compete with, it is free to use the lower storey?
Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfishers are at various breeding stages; some pairs have still not started nesting.
Ryukyu Scops Owl and Ryukyu Northern Boobook breeding is going well everywhere.
Ryukyu Fantail, adult male.
Day three of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana's stay. After the rain cleared, Ruddy Kingfishers and Crested Serpent Eagles were out and active.
With rain coming and going, the Ruddy Kingfisher was actively foraging.
Many Ruddy Kingfisher pairs are incubating or raising chicks, but numbers are high this year so I'm running into them all over the place. The earliest broods should be fledging around the end of this month.
Crested Serpent Eagles are also raising young. Rice harvesting and summer sugarcane planting have started, so there are more chances to watch them hunting.
The Ryukyu Scops Owl that took over a tree hollow where honeybees had nested two years ago appears to be breeding in the same spot again this year.
A Ruddy Kingfisher in the park. Completely unafraid.
Ruddy Kingfishers, Ryukyu Scops Owls, and Northern Boobooks are all incubating everywhere. Typhoon No. 2 appears to have had no effect. Hoping things continue to go smoothly.
There was still a Eurasian Coot on the island. Individuals have occasionally summered here due to injury, but this one looks healthy. Is it really okay not to migrate?
The paddies have little in them besides Black-winged Stilts, but among them I spotted a Common Greenshank that looked unwell. Its bill appeared to be partially missing.
A Ruddy Kingfisher with absolutely no wariness at all.
Northern Boobooks incubating at 3 sites, Ryukyu Scops Owls incubating at 4 sites. Ruddy Kingfishers are nesting at multiple sites too — too many to count… ^^;
Multiple Black Paradise Flycatcher pairs have formed, but none appear to have started building nests yet.
A male Brown Hawk-Owl (left) and female in the background. This pair's nest changes location every year — the nesting tree has been cut down and so on.