A daily record.
Featuring photos of wild birds and nature, mainly from Okinawa Main Island and Ishigaki Island

Barely moves at all, but it's an owl through and through — I like that. ^^

Birds in Hokkaido are all huge!!

Apparently it's called the lady of the snow.

Looks like it's doing a curtsy. ^^

Juvenile.

Pecking at food.

Steller's Sea Eagles battling. No great agility, but the power is something else.

The wingspan can apparently reach 250 cm on the larger individuals. ^^;

Juvenile.

An old bird.

Big, but quite wary.

There's a quiet dignity to it. ^^

Circling above a flock of Red-crowned Cranes.

We're making eye contact!!

Spots prey and dives!!

Appears out of nowhere and the Red-crowned Cranes are startled into the air. ^^

It suits the drift ice too.

Fish acquired!!

Pretty understated. ^^;

It's huge. Being an owl, it showed up without a sound despite its size.

A second one appeared.

The crest is what Eurasian Hoopoes are all about, right? ^^

I see Eurasian Hoopoes every year, and they are always eating these wingless cockroaches. ^^;

Cute even with the crest folded down.

The usual spot had become unusable, so I tried a different location. ^^

It got dark while I was searching, so the shots aren't great. Hoping the temperature and humidity will rise and the undergrowth will fill in nicely.

Lots of them flew behind the camera. A miss. ^^;

For some reason it came right overhead.

The right eye looks injured.

Clear skies again today. Could really use some rain soon.

A bit different from what I had in mind, but it's my first time, so I suppose this is how it goes. ^^;

When it spots prey, it looks fiercer than ever. ^^

Feet caked in mud. ^^;

Heading home after eating a crab.

It came toward me twice, but the first time I was checking a received email and missed the shot. ^^;

Dive!!

1/30 sec — it was dark.

Too much depth, so the fireflies in the background are overexposed. ^^

I'll try to do a bit better tomorrow….

About 5 minutes exposure, I think. Frames where lightning flashed have been removed. ^^;

This much in 30 seconds.

Tonight I tried shooting the ground from a higher angle.

Even as a juvenile, what a great-looking bird. ^^

Lying in wait for prey.

Returning to the ambush spot.

A Crested Serpent Eagle drying its wings after the rain let up.

Stretching out, relaxed.

A family with children was playing nearby, but it paid them no mind.

Stretching… or rather, it was extending and contracting to absorb the branch swaying up and down in the wind. A high-performance stabiliser.

It was singing to attract a female. ^^

Getting the distance between the fireflies and the background right is tricky… ^^;

Female Crested Serpent Eagle.

Male Crested Serpent Eagle.

Lying in wait for prey at a favourite spot.

The background is messy. ^^;

Maybe I should have shot from a lower angle a little later… I forgot the soft filter too. ^^;

Partway through I pointed it up at the sky. On a new moon with clear skies I might be able to get a shot with the stars as well!!