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

A White-breasted Waterhen with chicks.

The parent bird picks aquatic creatures lurking in the waterway and feeds them to the chicks.

There were six chicks, though they don't show in the photo.

A Black-winged Kite found near my house. Hoping they will breed.

This Black-winged Kite also appears to have started breeding.

A singing Ryukyu Flycatcher.

A Ryukyu Flycatcher that has noticed me and is on alert.

A female Ryukyu Sparrowhawk giving an alarm call toward a crow. She has a healed fracture on her left leg, so she is the same individual as last year and the year before.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl is peering out from the nest hole. A female was perched close by.

The female paired with the male above. She was standing quietly near the nest hole where the male was calling. Perhaps she is sizing up his song. ^^

Photographed a Daurian Starling from the parking lot at work. It comes almost every day to eat the berries on the garden trees.

The Tundra Swan moved between paddy fields and stayed for three months.

Northern Pintails are no longer on the island, but for some reason this individual has been moving around with Eastern Spot-billed Ducks.

An adult Glossy Ibis. It had been two years since my last encounter.

The individual on the left appears to be a young Glossy Ibis — old feathers are visible and the face looks juvenile.

A Black-winged Kite is flying overhead on alert.

Nineteen Glossy Ibis in the frame.

They were foraging together, walking in the same direction as a group. Hard to believe this is Japan… ^^;

They seemed unbothered even with someone working the fields nearby.

A Oriental Pratincole in mostly summer plumage, though the wing coverts are still in winter plumage. I happened to catch a large flock arriving from over the sea.

An Oriental Pratincole wheeling around right in front of me.

This Oriental Pratincole has a flower chafer in its bill.

Also in summer plumage except for the wing coverts.

A male Pale-capped Pigeon. Noticeably smaller than an Oriental Turtle Dove — at least two sizes down.

A female Pale-capped Pigeon. There were four birds in total — one male and three females.

A flock of Glossy Ibis in flight.

They were foraging by walking through rice paddies where the plants had grown quite tall.

A Glossy Ibis probing deep into the mud with its bill, searching for prey.

The individual on the far left looks less vivid than the others, so it is probably a young bird.

Here, the third bird from the left is the young individual.

Glossy Ibis are beautiful in flight too.

A Purple Heron that has caught a swamp eel.

An adult male Yellow-throated Bunting in the process of moulting from winter to summer plumage. The old feathers are quite worn on this individual.

It was eating Bidens seeds on a path inside the park.

An adult female Ryukyu Kingfisher.

Same individual as above. It was not particularly wary, making observation and photography easy.

This is a male, but it wouldn't come out of the undergrowth, so this is the best I could manage…

Searching for prey while moving through the coastal forest.

There were several moments when the Ruddy Kingfisher caught prey, but the light was too poor to see clearly… ^^;

Great Knot. Still carrying a lot of winter plumage.

Two Marsh Sandpipers in summer plumage arrived together.

The Pin-tailed Snipe haven't been consistent, but Common Snipe numbers are up. Now just waiting for the Swinhoe's Snipe to arrive.

First Dunlin of the season. A little summer plumage coming through.

Red-necked Stint also showed up. Heat shimmer rising off the warmed limestone made it impossible to focus… ^^;

There are some wintering birds around, but this male Black-winged Stilt almost certainly came through on spring migration given the location.

There are plenty of wintering Lesser Sand Plovers too, but it looks like northbound birds have joined them — there were large numbers along the shore.

Common Greenshank numbers are growing at the coast and in the paddies.

This is a Greater Painted-snipe, a resident breeder on Ishigaki Island.

There were a few Red-throated Pipits, but they were very wary and not easy to approach.

A female Ryukyu Kingfisher that caught an earthworm on the ground.

Targeting prey on the ground from a branch.

Grey-tailed Tattler also arrived. Catching crabs at the water's edge.

The individual whose transition to summer plumage was the most advanced in the flock.

Greater Sand Plover transitioning into summer plumage.

Pacific Golden Plover still largely in winter plumage.

Lesser Sand Plover and Red-necked Stint in close company.

A Red-necked Stint still in winter plumage.

I searched for Little Stints, but it was Red-necked Stints throughout.

A Kentish Plover almost fully in summer plumage.

A Grey-tailed Tattler resting on rocks.

A flock of Ruddy Turnstones resting on rocks during the high-tide period.

I watched through binoculars thinking that silhouette had to be the one, but it never turned to face this way at all… ^^;

It went into the planted rice for a time, but for just a moment it showed me its profile. A White Wagtail (ocularis) as I'd suspected.

A (Yellow-browed) Yellow Wagtail almost fully in summer plumage.

A Red-throated Pipit with the evening sun on it, the red of the breast showing even more vividly.

A male Mandarin Duck turned up at this time of year. Better get to the breeding grounds soon or you'll miss your chance.

A Siberian Stonechat, a rare sight in Okinawa. A beautiful male.

A Chinese Pond Heron moulting from first-winter into summer plumage.

A female Greater Painted-snipe. With the breeding season under way, sightings have been increasing.

Hard to make out, but a male (left) and female Greater Painted-snipe.

Extremely distant, but two Common Snipe. Snipe in spring are a rare find.

A male Red Turtle Dove. Two birds confirmed today. A relatively long stay.

A male Red-flanked Bluetail. Beautiful and charming.

This Red-flanked Bluetail was moving around in low spots the whole time.

An adult Crested Serpent Eagle. It was somewhere I rarely see them.

A Far Eastern Curlew moulting from first-winter into summer plumage.

A red Spot-billed Duck. I was startled for a moment, wondering if it was a Red-necked Duck... ^^;

A Ryukyu Kingfisher on a forest road. This is a female.

Foraging together in the rice paddies. What appeared to be some kind of larva was the main course.

Sunlight catches the wing coverts of a Glossy Ibis, revealing a beautiful metallic sheen.

It looks nothing like Ishigaki Island — more like an African wetland somewhere.

I thought it might be going for a Golden Apple Snail, but aquatic insects made up most of what it caught.

Occasionally there were squabbles with a bit of calling, but on the whole they moved through the flock peacefully.

A Eurasian Hoopoe searching for prey in the planted shrubs at the edge of a park.

Shortly after this, a group with another guide approached carelessly and flushed it. Migratory birds are tired from their long journey — please watch them quietly from a distance.

Red-cheeked Starlings coming to the Machilus tree behind my house. White-cheeked Starlings and White-shouldered Starlings drop by occasionally as well.

A female Red-cheeked Starling with a large berry in her bill.

It seemed too big for the Red-cheeked Starling, and she had quite a struggle swallowing it.

The flock of Glossy Ibises has been relentlessly chased by a Peregrine Falcon for the past several days. This individual was struck on the neck but managed to survive.

Immediately after the attack, a Glossy Ibis regurgitates a Golden Apple Snail it had eaten — apparently in shock.

A Broad-billed Sandpiper I was able to photograph at unusually close range.

A Broad-billed Sandpiper that caught what looks like a ragworm? at the river mouth.

It is in the middle of moulting from winter plumage into breeding plumage.

A Curlew Sandpiper also transitioning into breeding plumage. Full red breeding plumage is striking, but a bird still holding worn winter plumage makes you imagine the hardships of the long journey — which is something in itself.

This Curlew Sandpiper seemed a little more wary than the other sandpipers sharing the same spot.

A Sanderling still in full winter plumage. The worn state of the feathers tells of the rigours of a long journey.

Three Great Knots that dropped onto the shore while I was watching Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Sanderlings. They looked utterly exhausted, as if they had just arrived after a long journey.

A Lesser Sand Plover showing some breeding plumage coming through.

A Ruddy Turnstone still very much in winter plumage.

This adult Pacific Golden Plover also still very much in winter plumage.

A Large-billed Tern in breeding plumage appeared at the river mouth.

The Large-billed Tern was catching prey with impressive flying skill.

A Large-billed Tern working the river mouth with Taketomi Island in the background.

Red-necked Stints have been turning up in greater numbers.

There were many large Costal Ghost Crabs along the shore.

A Wood Sandpiper in the rice paddies. Still very much in winter plumage.

Adult Long-toed Stint. Moulting from winter into breeding plumage.

First-winter Pectoral Sandpiper moulting into first-summer plumage.

Green Sandpiper moulting from winter into breeding plumage.

First Swinhoe's Snipe of the season.

Another Swinhoe's Snipe. They seem to have come in all at once.

Looking for Pin-tailed Snipe, but Swinhoe's Snipe again. ^^;

A shy Common Snipe.

Another Swinhoe's Snipe.

Common Snipe (right) and Swinhoe's Snipe.

A female Greater Painted-snipe. She was keeping watch over the male building a nest behind her.

The male, nest-building and just barely visible behind a screen of grass, was being watched over by a female showing softly out of focus in the foreground.

Black-winged Stilts are gradually increasing in numbers.

A Eurasian Spoonbill has also arrived. It appears to be moving around the island day by day.

Black-faced Spoonbill, adult. The breeding plumes are coming in.

Five birds were in a small stream.

A Malayan Night Heron in the green.

A wary Japanese Night Heron has been staying along the forest road for several days now. At 1200mm, this is as close as this individual will allow.

Ryukyu Striated Heron, male. No nuptial coloration yet.

The Mandarin Duck male is still present.

A Eastern Spot-billed Duck with its right leg missing partway down.

A Great Egret with nuptial coloration on the face and elongated breeding plumes.

A Medium Egret still in winter plumage, bill still yellow.

A Red-throated Pipit in the process of transitioning to summer plumage.

The same individual as above, from the back.

An adult male Brambling moulting into its beautiful summer plumage.

Another adult male Brambling, also nearly in full summer plumage.

Adult female Brambling.

An individual moulting from first-winter into first-summer plumage.

Little Whimbrel, adult. Mostly in winter plumage, but a few summer-plumage feathers are showing.

Little Whimbrel moulting from first-winter into first-summer plumage.

A Little Whimbrel keeping a wary eye on the sky.

Two Little Whimbrels walking through a sugarcane field.

There were also several Oriental Pratincoles in the same field as the Little Whimbrels.

A Chinese Pond Heron in a rice paddy. More birds are coming into breeding plumage.

The Marsh Sandpipers were a flock of four.

The Black-winged Stilts were a flock of about twenty.

Little Whimbrel moulting from first-winter to first-summer plumage.

Adult Little Whimbrel moulting from winter to summer plumage.

When crows or people pass by, they take refuge in the sprouting sugarcane fields.

At first there was only one, but as I watched, another dropped out of the sky. ^^

Adult Little Whimbrel, seen from behind.

Little Whimbrels have been abundant in the Yaeyamas this season, even if Greater Sand Plovers were scarce. ^^

A Glossy Ibis preening.

Something startled it and it flew up.

The Glossy Ibis that had been startled into the air came back down in the same paddy.

A female Ryukyu Kingfisher. Her male partner was also in nearby brush.

A lone Oriental Pratincole. It looked tired — perhaps just arrived on migration.

A flock of Common Greenshanks. Every individual is in winter plumage.

Adult Curlew Sandpiper moulting from winter to summer plumage.

The Curlew Sandpipers were always moving around as a pair.

A Dunlin that caught a polychaete worm.

A Dunlin startled by a wave.

Aerial battle between Grey-tailed Tattlers. The adult is on the left, the juvenile on the right.

The adult (right) drives off the juvenile.

The adult appears to have won the fight over the feeding spot.

A charming Common Sandpiper. It walked over and sat down right in front of me.

Pectoral Sandpiper molting from winter to summer plumage.

Sanderling mostly in winter plumage.

Red-necked Stint mid-molt into summer plumage.

A flock of about ten Red-necked Stints feeding.

Pacific Golden Plover molting into summer plumage.

Lesser Sand Plover molting into summer plumage.

Female Kentish Plover. Molting from winter to summer plumage.

Walking through the paddies, gobbling up apple snails one after another. A great ally of the farmers. ^^

A Glossy Ibis peering out from between the rice stalks.

First Common Redshank of the season. Molting from first-winter to first-summer plumage.

Pure white Indian Peafowl. They are found in large numbers on Ishigaki Island, but are an introduced species.

Adult Red Knot. Mid-molt from winter to summer plumage.

Great Knot, first-winter to summer plumage.

Adult female Bar-tailed Godwit.

Bar-tailed Godwit, male. Moulting from winter to summer plumage.

An adult Far Eastern Curlew was eating a snapping shrimp.

Adult Far Eastern Curlew. A little summer plumage coming in. It was probing its bill into the burrows of Ghost Crabs or Horn-eyed Ghost Crabs on the sandy beach.

Whimbrel, first-winter.

Grey Plover, first-winter.

Grey Plover, adult winter.

Adult Grey-tailed Tattler. Moulting into summer plumage.

Grey-tailed Tattler, first-winter to summer plumage.

Adult male Ruddy Turnstone.

Adult Great Knot, winter plumage.

Adult Lesser Sand Plover. Moulting into summer plumage.

Adult Common Greenshank. Well into summer plumage now.

Adult summer-plumage Ruddy Turnstone.

Bar-tailed Godwit, female, winter plumage.

Adult Far Eastern Curlew.

Many Pacific Golden Plovers in summer plumage are being seen.

Left to right: Dunlin, Lesser Sand Plover, Great Knot.

A Common Greenshank transitioning into summer plumage.

Bar-tailed Godwit in flight. They were flying around a lot that day. Eager to move on, perhaps?

A Little Ringed Plover with a necrotic right foot.

Oriental Pratincole in almost full breeding plumage.

Dunlin, adult. Transitioning from winter to breeding plumage.

Bar-tailed Godwit in winter plumage.

A flock of Grey-tailed Tattlers.

Lesser Sand Plover, first-winter transitioning to breeding plumage.

Both Bar-tailed Godwits are adults in winter plumage. Grey-tailed Tattlers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Pacific Golden Plovers around them.

A Common Greenshank that caught a goby. It was running back and forth along the water's edge in search of fish.

A Lesser Sand Plover with a flag.

A Bar-tailed Godwit with rings. The flag reads "CZS" and the metal ring could only be partially read as "0737529". The lower mandible appears to be missing a tip — I worry whether it can feed properly.

First Black-tailed Godwit of the season. An adult male, starting to come into breeding plumage.

A Marsh Sandpiper that landed together with the Black-tailed Godwit. Almost fully into first-summer plumage.

This individual was separate from the flock above. Also in first-summer plumage.

Wood Sandpiper, first-winter transitioning to first-summer plumage.

Greater Painted-snipe, adult female. When her mate approached, she spread her wings several times. Some kind of signal?

The male paired with the bird above. The only snipe breeding on Ishigaki Island.

Greater Painted-snipe, female (foreground) and male.

A male Greater Painted-snipe, trotting along behind the female.

Swinhoe's Snipe. There is also one snipe in the foreground.

Common Snipe. Very wary — this was the best I could get. ^^;

First Little Tern of the season. It appears to be in breeding plumage apart from some retained outer primaries.

Lesser Sand Plover and Greater Sand Plover.

A flagged Lesser Sand Plover. Likely the individual that has been present for the past three days.

Red-necked Stint moulting into summer plumage.

Far Eastern Curlew, adult. The bill looks short for its size — perhaps a male?

It landed right in front of me but flew off almost immediately.

Pin-tailed Snipe confirmed for the first time in a while. ^^

The same individual as above, from the opposite side. Common Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe and Pin-tailed Snipe — three snipe species are passing through.

Chinese Pond Heron in summer plumage. The overwintering birds are still in winter plumage, but migrants moult early.

Curlew Sandpiper, adult. Changing into summer plumage.

Curlew Sandpiper moulting from winter to summer plumage.

Greater Painted-snipe, male. The bird behind is the female.

Brown Shrikes are still present at various spots around the island, with multiple individuals. Some were subsong-calling.

A Pin-tailed Snipe among the rice stalks. A little wary of me.

This one was moving through the rice stalks while feeding. It wasn't very wary, but the rice has grown tall and getting a clear shot is quite difficult.

This is most likely a Pin-tailed Snipe, but it stayed frozen and wouldn't show its full body. The face looks right for Pin-tailed Snipe.

Greater Painted-snipe, male and chick.

I was able to confirm two chicks.

Common Redshank moulting from first-winter to summer plumage.

Same as above — first-winter moulting into summer plumage.

A flock of a dozen or so Marsh Sandpipers came through.

The Long-toed Stint is fully in breeding plumage.

A Grey-headed Lapwing — a rare bird for Okinawa. Moulting from first-winter into breeding plumage. It's a resident on the mainland, but where do the individuals that occasionally turn up in Okinawa come from, and where are they headed?

Pectoral Sandpiper in breeding plumage. Small flocks of a few birds can be seen at coastal sites as well.

A female Ryukyu Scops Owl tilting her head and sizing me up. Based on identifying features such as the mark on her bill, she is the same individual as the female seen perched at the nest tree together with the male the other day.

Same individual as above. A calm bird that shows no fear of people whatsoever.