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

Three Bridled Terns appeared all at once. The individual at upper right is dropping a bomb. ^^;

They flew close by. I was surprised at the size of the Bridled Terns — a first for me.

Bridled Terns passing overhead at Nagannu Island. Black-naped Terns and Roseate Terns were nesting on the island in good numbers.

One passed directly overhead.

The black back is a distinctive feature.

They seemed curious about people, and occasionally came close to check us out.

In the distance, a flock of Bridled Terns was wheeling in the air.

Roseate Terns against the blue sea of Okinawa. You can see the white flag and metal ring fitted in Australia.

There was a Black-naped Tern carrying a geolocator fitted by the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. If we can recapture this bird next year and analyse the geolocator data, I think we will be able to get a clear picture of the Black-naped Tern's migration route.

There were only a handful of Little Terns.

A flock of Roseate Terns.

A Roseate Tern chick. It can't have been more than a few days since hatching.

A Bridled Tern chick in the distance. It didn't seem able to fly well yet, but it moved fast on foot. ^^

Bridled Tern eggs. For photographing nests and breeding activity, I followed the guidance of the survey team.

Roseate Tern eggs. The colour looks deeper compared to Bridled Tern eggs. The surveyors can tell from the nest construction whether it belongs to a Bridled Tern or a Roseate Tern.

Many Roseate Terns are incubating. Apparently they sit on the eggs not so much to warm them as to keep them from getting too hot in the sun.

A Roseate Tern returning to the nest. I also watched birds going back and forth between the bathing spot and the nest.

Roseate Tern (left) and Bridled Tern.

A Roseate Tern flying low.

A flock of Roseate Terns. A quintessential bird of Okinawa in summer.

This appears to be a different individual from the Roseate Tern with the white flag shown above. I couldn't read the number, but this one was also banded and released in Australia.

A Roseate Tern — the colour of the bill and feet is striking.

A Roseate Tern flying along the horizon.

A Bridled Tern came over to have a look.

A close-up of a Roseate Tern.

Survey work. Wildlife protection officers carefully record the number of nests and check on their progress.

Press coverage in progress. The two of us can cover a story with two lenses, a pen and a notebook, but the TV crew had a huge amount of gear — looked like hard work.

The sea at Chibishi (Keise-shima) was strikingly beautiful. ^^

Even so, this was shot with contrast set to linear. I imagine it would come out even more intensely blue if I'd used landscape mode.