A pair of Ruddy Kingfishers out on the forest road together in the rain.

Another red bird of Ishigaki Island — the Ryukyu Striated Heron.

A Ryukyu Striated Heron on alert as a crow approaches the nest.

Apart from the Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, the others had all moved north and gone, but one Northern Shoveler (left) — a juvenile male — had stayed behind in the paddies. The Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, the only species that breeds on Ishigaki Island, have been appearing with their chicks in the paddies and irrigation channels for about two weeks now.