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

A male Ryukyu Kingfisher. It had been digging a nest hole.

The nest hole being dug by the individual above. It has opened several holes in the same tree and it's not yet clear which one it will use.

A Ruddy Kingfisher on the forest road. This one also appears to be a male.

Ruddy Kingfisher in the park. It caught a cicada larva. A scene that plays out every year.

Same individual as above. The female is nowhere to be seen, so she may have started incubating.

Emerald Dove, male. It was picking up seeds of Macaranga.

I found it on the footpath, but it didn't seem to care much even when cars passed by.

It is swallowing small stones needed for digestion.

A friendly individual that could be photographed up close.

Ryukyu Scops Owl at a new spot. I was photographing a Ryukyu Flycatcher when some White-eyes tipped me off to its location.

Ryukyu Flycatcher, male. First-summer plumage. It was singing frequently. I also took video for the first time in a while.

Same individual as above. The old feathers are quite worn.

Same individual as above. It didn't become wary as long as I kept about 10 metres away, so I followed it around its territory for a full circuit. ^^ It moved about catching food in flycatcher sallies and singing from branch tips. It was unexpected when it also went into the bamboo thicket.

A Japanese Sparrowhawk nest found near the Black-winged Kite nest. The female can be seen sitting in the centre of the photo.

The male paired with the Ryukyu Sparrowhawk incubating near my home.

A Ryukyu Sparrowhawk that has been nesting in the same spot since 2019. The healed fracture on the left leg is its trademark.

Brown Hawk-Owl, male. It was dark…

Ryukyu Least Bittern, male. Breeding colours are showing.

While I was watching the Ryukyu Least Bittern above, a male and female Ryukyu Least Bittern landed nearby. The one in the middle is the female and the ones on either side are males. The two on the right are a pair.

The stand-off continued for a while, but finally the male on the right flew at the male on the left. The bird below is the female paired with the male who launched the first attack.

Ryukyu Least Bittern, female. Also showing breeding colours.

Two Bar-tailed Godwits. The one on the right is moulting from first-winter to summer plumage; the one on the left is moulting from winter to summer plumage.

Black-winged Stilt, adult female.

Adult male Greater Painted-snipe.

Adult Eurasian Tree Sparrow. The strikingly bright reddish-brown stood out even within the flock.

The back looks like this. Red all over.

Resting in a leucaena grove.

Male Reddish Dove. Beautiful crimson colouring, but the impact of the reddish-brown sparrow was just too strong….

Female Reddish Dove. Comparing her with the Ryukyu Collared Dove behind gives a good sense of how small she is. Seeing a male and female together at this time of year makes me hope for breeding. In doves, signs of chick-rearing show up around the base of the bill during that period, but looking at the photos, it doesn't appear they are currently raising chicks. When incubating or when the chicks are small, one of the pair doesn't leave the nest anyway…. ^^;

Male Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher. The female is presumably incubating and hasn't been showing herself lately.

A Ruddy Kingfisher incubating in a different area from the individual above.

The male Reddish Dove still in residence.

The female is also still in residence.

The season has arrived when the chorus of Suicida cicadas can be heard in parks and schoolyards.

A Black-winged Kite juvenile that has left its parents.

Two Black-winged Kite juveniles. They will continue to move around together as siblings for a while.

Black-winged Kites near my home. Two fledged successfully. They are still being fed by the parents.

There is quite a distance between us, but I felt these birds were more wary than the two juveniles above.

Male Ryukyu Scops Owl. Breeding at the same site for three consecutive years.

Male Brown Hawk-Owl. It was perched next to an old crow's nest.

31 May — nest construction begins. The male and female started building it together.

While one applies mud to the wall, the partner waits on the pipe with mud in its bill.

13 June. Day 14 since they started building the nest. It appears to be nearly complete.

Female Pied Avocet, first-summer plumage.

Black-winged Stilts fighting. A first-summer (left) versus an adult summer — the adult summer won.

Male Black-winged Stilt. Same individual as above.

A few of the Black-winged Stilts that arrived with Typhoon No. 3 the other day are still lingering.

Black-naped Tern. Like the Black-winged Stilt, the pinkish flush on the breast during the breeding season — is that nuptial colouration?

Black-naped Tern colony. More than 20 birds had gathered on a small rocky reef and were making quite a racket. A few pairs were already incubating.

Grey-tailed Tattler, first-summer plumage. Grey-tailed Tattlers are about the only waders left on the shore.

Unusually for this time of year, three Whimbrels turned up. All three were in first-summer plumage. Perhaps they are wandering around here because they are not taking part in breeding.

Female Pied Avocet, first-winter plumage.

A Pied Avocet preening. The primaries are tattered old feathers.

Male Black-winged Stilt in summer plumage. A few are staying on.

The adult Black-winged Kites bring food to the young mainly in the morning and evening. Mice make up the bulk of the prey.

A Black-winged Kite bringing a large mouse to the young — half of it already eaten.

The adult was also doing a fluttering display flight.

They are breeding in a mixed stand of Ryukyu Pine and Casuarina, but the species of tree the nest is in is unknown.

A Ruddy Kingfisher bringing a fairly large grasshopper to the chicks in the nest. Perhaps about ten more days until fledging.

A Ruddy Kingfisher in the neighbourhood — also in the middle of raising chicks. It is breeding very close to where the Black-winged Kites and Japanese Sparrowhawk are nesting.

A Brown Hawk-Owl incubating. Breeding at the site of a Yaeyama Palm that fell some years ago — the same tree where a Ruddy Kingfisher used to breed.

The male paired with the female above.

A female Japanese Sparrowhawk near my home. She is spending a lot of time away from the nest — does that mean the chicks have grown large?

The partner of the Japanese Sparrowhawk above. There may be a second pair breeding in the same woodland.

A Brown Hawk-Owl male at a different location.

A pair with the individual above. It has not entered the nest during the day for about three days, so the chick's growth appears to be progressing well.

White-breasted Waterhen, adult male. What a beautiful rail.

White-breasted Waterhen, juvenile. Just a few adult feathers coming through.

Adult male White-breasted Waterhen (left) and juvenile White-breasted Waterhen. A rare scene.

A Ryukyu Scops Owl male that was near the White-breasted Waterhen.

A Ryukyu Scops Owl male from my neighbourhood. Breeding within the village.

Brown Hawk-Owl male. One chick fledged two days ago.

A pair with the individual above.

A nest of a Ruddy Kingfisher in the neighbourhood. Judging by the condition of the chicks, they look set to fledge in about another week.

Emerald Dove, adult female. I was able to observe and photograph it at quite close range.

What the Emerald Dove was eating are the berries of Yanbaru Akamegashiwa. It would feed for a while and then retreat into the undergrowth, so it is likely breeding.

Silver Gull, adult. The plumage is extremely worn. By what route did this resident of the Southern Hemisphere find its way to Ishigaki Island?

Preening away busily.

Silver Gull with wings spread. Confirmed the mirrors on the primaries and other features from the rear.

The red bill and legs and the white iris were striking.

The underwing and flanks of the Silver Gull, like this.

It appeared to have a slight injury to its left foot and was holding it slightly raised.

A view from behind, like this. Extremely worn and ragged.

The tail feathers are pure white — and worn, as expected.

Glaucous Gull in flight, caught on the downstroke.

The primary markings came out clearly as well.

It made a loop around the estuary and came back.

Glaucous Gull bathing.

Size comparison with the Little Tern at upper left.

A Terek Sandpiper was still there too.

Several immature Grey-tailed Tattlers staying on.

Several Common Greenshanks summering over as well.

A freshly fledged Brown Hawk-Owl chick. A sweet sight — two of them perched side by side.

The male parent of the fledged chicks.

And here is the female parent.

The Glaucous Gull has a habit of vanishing suddenly, but I'm gradually getting a read on its movements. I've also worked out where it retreats to at high tide.

Large-billed Tern in winter plumage.

It stooped and snatched a crab.

Success with a crab here too.

It spots a crab and goes into a steep dive.

The plunge from the side. The flight style is completely unlike other terns — no matter how far away it is, you can tell it's a Large-billed Tern.

I was sitting on the beach watching when it came flying straight toward me.

Tandem flight — summer plumage (left) and winter plumage.

A few pairs of Black-naped Terns are incubating.

The Greater Crested Terns have decreased from their peak numbers but are still present. Perhaps these are non-breeding individuals.

Brown Hawk-Owls have already fledged at three sites. Brood sizes are on the small side, one to two chicks. At this site only one chick fledged. Left is the chick, right is the female.

The male parent of the chick above. Keeping watch a short distance away.

Two fledglings of a Ryukyu Scops Owl pair. Last year three chicks fledged from this pair, but this year it looks like only two.

A Ryukyu Scops Owl at a different site. One chick fledged that night.

I am monitoring five Ryukyu Scops Owl nests. Ryukyu Scops Owls have good breeding success every year. This individual is gazing at the tree hollow where the chick is. Fledging is imminent. At this site two chicks fledged last year.

A male Slaty-breasted Rail. At this site, two pairs are together tending three chicks.

A Ruddy Kingfisher standing guard in front of the nest. It fledged the following day. The site where this Ruddy Kingfisher is breeding is a dangerous one — a Japanese Sparrowhawk is also raising young there, and a Black-shouldered Kite's three recently fledged chicks and their two parents are wandering around.

A Ruddy Kingfisher keeping watch over the nest from a little distance away.

A Ruddy Kingfisher that came to bathe in a concrete-lined channel near the urban area. A regular bathing spot every year.

The Pied Avocet, which had disappeared for a time, has returned.

Three White-winged Terns arrived.

The Black-winged Stilts had also disappeared along with the Pied Avocet, but they too have come back.

A young Crested Serpent Eagle not taking part in breeding. Taking it easy at its usual feeding ground.

Four Greater Sand Plovers arrived. Transitioning from first-winter to first-summer plumage.

This individual appeared to have an injury to its right foot.

Lesser Crested Tern in winter plumage.

The Lesser Crested Terns were running to catch crabs, just like the Greater Sand Plovers.

A pair of Black-naped Terns. The female on the left was begging for food.

It flew fairly close.

Incubating Black-naped Terns. At least 10 pairs visible on eggs.

Little Tern in winter plumage. Looked pretty ragged.

Whimbrel, 1st-winter to 1st-summer.

Red-necked Stint, adult summer plumage.

Already in winter plumage. Isn't that early?

Ruddy Turnstone, adult.