   |
[SASHIBA (Gray-faced Buzzard-Eaglej ]
(Scientific name: Butastur indicus )
* When you hear a high-pitched cry
like pickwee from a bird soaring high above, you know Sashibas are
coming back again. This is when you really feel that fall has
arrived.
* A Sashiba is a kind of hawk and
almost as big as a crow. Sashibas breed during the warm months on the Mainland,
in Kyushu and Shikoku. In fall, they migrate south to Amami, Okinawa and even
farther to Southeast Asia. They can be seen in Amami from mid-October to early
April.
* They often perch on top of trees
around farms, telephone poles or on electric wires. They catch grasshoppers,
frogs, rats, lizards, snakes and even birds. When searching for prey from the
perch, with their sharp eyes, they look pretty fierce and powerful.
* Just the other day, when I was driving near Itton Village in the direction
of Akaogi, a Sashiba flew across my car, all of a sudden, and landed on
the grassy shoulder of the road. The next moment, it was already in the
air with a lizard in its claws. Never have I witnessed the hunting
of Sashibas at such a close range. I was stirred and excited.
|
|
| ¦To enlarge, please click the photo. |