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

Barn Swallow moulting from juvenile to first-winter plumage. The α9 II tracks swallows reliably even with some obstacles in the way.

Barn Swallow juvenile. Young as it looks, it already has the strength for a great long-distance flight.

Another Barn Swallow born this year.

This flock too soon flew off in a southerly direction.

Three Black-naped Terns among Greater Crested Terns.

Greater Sand Plover, juvenile. A Common Kestrel has appeared and it is moving into a ready-to-flee posture.

Greater Sand Plover. This one is moulting from juvenile to first-winter plumage. I wonder if the white area visible on the tertials is partial albinism.

Greater Sand Plover moulting from juvenile to first-winter. What appear to be tertials are drooping as if about to fall out.

This one is looking very ragged, but is moulting into first-winter plumage.

Greater Sand Plover, almost fully in juvenile plumage.

Lesser Sand Plover, mostly in winter plumage.

An adult Whimbrel — my first shot of the season.

Grey-tailed Tattler in late summer plumage.

Found a Pin-tailed Snipe on a dry field path. Too close — it was extremely alert, and getting a look at the tail feathers was out of the question — but this was an easy individual to identify as Pin-tailed Snipe, and an adult at that.

Scanning further with binoculars I found two more Pin-tailed Snipes. Both juveniles, perhaps?

A snipe that started bathing. This one is also a straightforward adult Pin-tailed Snipe.

Tail feathers of the individual above. After bathing you can reliably get a tail shot.

Spotted what looked like a Pin-tailed Snipe in the distance. Luckily it showed its tail feathers almost immediately. You can clearly see those needle-like tail feathers. ^^

This one didn't show its tail feathers, but it's a juvenile Pin-tailed Snipe.

I had been thinking this was a Swinhoe's Snipe, but looking at the tail photo below, something needle-like is visible. So I wondered if it might be Pin-tailed Snipe — but no, it is Swinhoe's Snipe after all.

Tail feathers of the individual above. They look needle-like, but it seems they appear narrow because they are being viewed side-on.