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

The first Grey-tailed Tattler juvenile of the season.

Ruddy Turnstone juvenile, also making its first appearance here.

Black-winged Stilt juvenile has finally arrived as well.

Common Sandpiper juvenile confirmed at last, on the final day of August.

Common Redshank juvenile. The first juvenile Common Redshank was confirmed on July 27.

Greater Sand Plover juvenile. The first juvenile Greater Sand Plovers had already been confirmed a few days ago.

Lesser Sand Plover, adult winter plumage.

Kentish Plover, adult winter plumage.

Grey Plover, first-summer transitioning to winter plumage.

Terek Sandpiper, first-summer transitioning to winter plumage.

Red-necked Stint, summer plumage transitioning to winter.

Red-necked Stint, late summer plumage. A touch of winter plumage showing too.

A Grey-tailed Tattler that caught a small crab. Moulting from first-summer to second-winter plumage.

A Red-necked Stint that caught a goby.

Pacific Golden Plover, late summer plumage.

A flock of Pacific Golden Plovers flying over the rice paddies.

Pin-tailed Snipe juvenile. There was just one among a group of a dozen or so Swinhoe's Snipe.

Swinhoe's Snipe juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe. Same individual as above.

Both are Swinhoe's Snipe juveniles.

Greater Painted-snipe, adult female.

Greater Painted-snipe, adult male. Paired with the individual above. They were mating — still breeding at this point?

Black-winged Stilt juvenile in flight.

Black-winged Stilt, transitioning from first-summer to second-winter plumage. A faint trace of the first-summer plumage is still visible.

Adult Black-winged Stilt that caught a dragonfly. It washed the prey in the water several times before eating it.

A tired-looking Ruddy Kingfisher juvenile. The heat radiating off the concrete was causing heavy shimmer — everything came out hazy. ^^;

Bill, feathers, and feet all still so young, and yet it's already heading off on migration.

Crested Serpent Eagle, adult. It was hunting in a paddy field during farm work.

The moult cycle is long, so the feathers are quite ragged.

Prey caught. This style of hunting might be one of the reasons the feathers get so worn.

Okinawa Crow also gathered around the farm work.

Nictitating membrane closed — giving it a white-eye look. ^^;

Chinese Pond Heron arriving. Before 1970 it seems to have been a rare bird, turning up roughly once every twenty-odd years, but it apparently started increasing around the 1980s and breeding has been confirmed. Javan Pond Heron, said to be strongly sedentary, is also on the rise, so it might follow the same path. Maybe Indian Pond Heron will be next to increase. ^^;

A week after the adults arrived, juvenile Eastern Yellow Wagtails also turned up.

They were picking out fly pupae from compost spread on the farmland and eating them.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, adult male, winter plumage.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, adult female, winter plumage.

A few Yellow Wagtails were mixed in with the flock of Eastern Yellow Wagtails.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail juvenile. First-winter plumage.

This one is also a juvenile.

An individual with a broad, yellowish supercilium. It was among a flock of Eastern Yellow Wagtails, but it may be a juvenile (Sykes's) Citrine Wagtail.

Same individual as above.

A rare case of a Javan Pond Heron (background) and a Chinese Pond Heron together in a single frame.

Javan Pond Heron, juvenile.

The Javan Pond Heron was always following the Chinese Pond Heron around.

Chinese Pond Heron in late breeding plumage, looking ragged.

First Common Greenshank juvenile of the season.

Common Greenshank moulting into winter plumage.

First Red-necked Stint juvenile of the season.

Also a first for the season — a Dunlin juvenile.

Little Ringed Plover juvenile also a first confirmed sighting of the season.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Also a Swinhoe's Snipe juvenile.

Same individual as above.

Male Greater Painted-snipe nest-building.

Red-necked Stint, adult. Transitioning from breeding to winter plumage.

Whiskered Tern moulting into winter plumage.

Whiskered Terns wheeling over the paddy fields.

Whiskered Tern.

Found a Pin-tailed Snipe juvenile among the many Swinhoe's Snipe.

Same individual as above. It was foraging on the slope of a paddy bund.

I was watching a Pin-tailed Snipe when a male Greater Painted-snipe came charging in.

Thanks to the Greater Painted-snipe, I got a shot of the tail feathers. Pin-tailed Snipe has the most tail feathers of any bird.

An adult male Greater Painted-snipe, looking proud after driving off the Pin-tailed Snipe.

A Pin-tailed Snipe showing off its trademark needle-like tail feathers to intimidate a Black-winged Stilt. This one is also a juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipe (right) and Swinhoe's Snipe — the same individual as above — both showing their tail feathers at the same time. Seeing two together like this is really quite rare.

The third Pin-tailed Snipe of the day. Also a juvenile. It barely came out of the grass, so this was the best I could do. ^^;

First Common Snipe of the season. It was a juvenile.

A typical juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe.

Also a juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe, but not the typical type.

Same individual as above.

This one is a typical juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe.

Same individual as above. An easygoing bird that didn't flinch even when a farmer walked right past it.

A Javan Pond Heron that caught two tadpoles.

A different individual from the one above. This one was also eating tadpoles.

The Chinese Pond Heron was walking along a paddy bund catching what appeared to be grasshoppers.

First Ruff of the season, a juvenile. Judging by the size, probably a female.

Most of the Long-toed Stints present this season are juveniles, though there are a few adults as well.

Black-winged Stilt, first-winter plumage.

Wood Sandpiper, late first-summer plumage.

An Eastern Spot-billed Duck whose bill doesn't close properly — perhaps it had some kind of accident. It did seem to be managing to feed.

The first Little Stint of the season. It was a juvenile.

This Little Stint kept its distance from the flocks of Red-necked Stints and Long-toed Stints.

Pin-tailed Snipe, juvenile. I wonder how long it will stay.

I have already recorded several White-winged Terns, but this was the first juvenile arrival of the season. It looked tired.

I expect juvenile arrivals to increase from here. Hoping for Whiskered Terns as well.

Among a small flock of Swinhoe's Snipe there was one that was strikingly white — white-faced too — and looked very out of place.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, adult.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Every snipe I come across is a Swinhoe's Snipe.

I really wanted to see the tail feathers on this one… Tentatively Pin-tailed Snipe.

Dunlin moulting from juvenile to first-winter plumage.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, late breeding plumage.

Red-necked Stint, juvenile.

Red-necked Stint, juvenile. Quite a different impression from the individual above.

Pacific Golden Plover preening.

Moulting from breeding to non-breeding plumage. The primaries appear to be replaced from the middle outward.

Black-winged Stilt, adult. Moulting from breeding to non-breeding plumage.

The first Great Knots of the season. They arrived as a pair.

Great Knot, adult. In transition from breeding to non-breeding plumage.

I thought it was a flock of Grey-tailed Tattlers, but one of them looks odd. ^^;

A few Common Greenshanks turned up — they were regular early in the autumn migration, then went quiet for a while.

An adult Lesser Sand Plover with a late moult. Still in late breeding plumage. I wonder where this one came from.

Lesser Sand Plover, juvenile to first-winter plumage.

A Greater Sand Plover in a field. After a typhoon you run into birds in unexpected places.

Greater Sand Plover (left) and Red-necked Stint.

Four juvenile Grey-tailed Tattlers in a group.

A Whimbrel that summered over. First-summer to winter plumage.

Red-necked Stint, juvenile to first-winter plumage.

Juvenile Red-necked Stint.

A Pacific Reef Heron with a tiger prawn it had caught.

The prey was large and the bird had a hard time swallowing it.

Juvenile Uchina Swinhoe's Snipe. Confusing little things… ^^;

Same individual as above. Unmistakably a Swinhoe's Snipe.

Another juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe. This type is typical of Swinhoe's Snipe in Okinawa.

Juvenile Common Snipe. Well, the tail feathers alone would have told the story, but since it showed them… ^^;

This one also spread its tail feathers right away. I think it's the most beautiful of the three snipe species you can see on Ishigaki-jima.

Same individual as above. It also showed me the flanks.

Juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe.

The individual above taking flight.

Another Swinhoe's Snipe.

Out of focus, but this shows the bird above spreading its tail feathers.

A juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe thinking it's hiding.

It wasn't startled or anything — it kept its head feathers puffed up like this the whole time.

A Ryukyu Bittern transitioning from juvenile plumage to first-winter plumage.

A Ryukyu Bittern that came right up in front of me. It was keeping an eye on me, but rather than flying off it carried on feeding.

Bridled Tern, adult winter plumage.

White-winged Tern, adult winter plumage.

The bird above in flight. It's visible in the lower right.

Common Tern and Little Tern (centre). The size difference is striking.

Four Common Terns (foreground) — quite rare in Okinawa.

An adult Bridled Tern. Moult is progressing through the primaries.

Size comparison between Common Tern and Black Tern.

Little Tern, winter plumage.

Black Tern and White-winged Tern (centre).

A juvenile Black Tern. Looking worn out from the typhoon.

A juvenile Black Tern.

Black Tern in flight.

This one rice paddy held 5 species and 80 terns in total.

Garganey — my first confirmed sighting of the season.

The Garganey was wandering around at the feet of Little Egrets and Black-winged Stilts. ^^

Little Stint, juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipe transitioning from first-summer to winter plumage.

Same individual as above.

A juvenile White-winged Tern striking at a damselfly.

It spotted prey and wheeled around sharply — gave me a perfect view of its back.

A White-winged Tern flying around in search of prey.

It flew past right in front of me several times.

This is what the underside of a White-winged Tern looks like.

It flew tirelessly over the paddies, actively hunting dragonflies and other insects.

Red-necked Stint, late juvenile plumage.

Red-necked Stint moulting from first-summer to winter plumage.

A colour-morph sparrow looking just like the one I saw three months ago. Since it's a juvenile, it could well be a descendant of that individual.

The most richly rufous and beautiful Pin-tailed Snipe juvenile of the season.

Same individual as above. The needle-like tail feathers of the Pin-tailed Snipe are so fine and short that when it stretches you can see them through the gaps between the primaries.

Same individual as above.

A different Pin-tailed Snipe — also a juvenile.

Yet another Pin-tailed Snipe juvenile, a different individual again.

Pin-tailed Snipe transitioning to winter plumage.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

A juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe as well.

The largest individual in a flock of a dozen or so. I think it's a Swinhoe's Snipe, but it's so big it doesn't quite feel right… ^^;

Too much information… ^^;

Juvenile Pin-tailed Snipe.

Juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe.

Both juvenile Pin-tailed Snipes.

An unexpected Pin-tailed Snipe. A very confusing individual. ^^;

Juvenile Pin-tailed Snipe. By this time of year, only juveniles are left.

Juvenile Pin-tailed Snipe. A charming individual.

Juvenile Common Snipe. Today's encounters were just two birds.

Common Greenshank moulting from first-summer to second-winter plumage.

Common Greenshank in winter plumage.

Juvenile Wood Sandpiper.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in late breeding plumage.

Pacific Golden Plover moulting from breeding to winter plumage.

Red-necked Stint in late juvenile plumage.

A Whiskered Tern struggling to swallow a swamp eel.

The first Grey-streaked Flycatcher of the season. A juvenile.

Juvenile Pin-tailed Snipe.

Same individual as above.

Close to 20 Swinhoe's Snipe are staying in a single paddy field where numbers are highest.

Red-necked Stint, juvenile plumage.

Long-toed Stint, adult winter plumage.

Yellow Wagtail (leucocephala) juvenile. Arrivals of (Yellow) Wagtails are still very few.

Crimson Sunbird — no wait. Red Turtle-Dove, adult male.

Red Turtle-Dove, adult female.

Red Turtle-Dove, juvenile male. Mid-moult from juvenile to first-winter plumage.

Red Turtle-Doves perched in a leucaena tree. The second bird from the bottom is also a juvenile male Red Turtle-Dove in moult to first-winter plumage — noticeably further along in the moult than the individual in the photo above.

My wife was buying a drink from a vending machine when five small doves landed on the power line right in front of us. I raised my binoculars and found all five were Red Turtle-Doves.

Javan Pond Heron, first-winter plumage.

This individual showed little wariness.

After a while it flew off somewhere.

A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle — the fourth individual confirmed on the island this season. It showed little wariness.

A Black-winged Kite perched on a power line. Juvenile feathers remain in the primaries and primary coverts, and the iris shows little red — a young bird.

A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper — first confirmed of the season.

White-winged Tern, juvenile (left) and adult.

White-winged Tern, juvenile.

Black Tern (centre) and White-winged Tern. Even mixed into a flock of Black Terns, the White-winged is easy to pick out by its flight style. Side by side, the body shape is different too.

This bird seems too large for a Little Stint compared to the Dunlin in the foreground… For a time, a Baird's Sandpiper — a species with only a handful of Japanese records — seemed like a real possibility, but it came to nothing.

Red-necked Stint, juvenile.

A juvenile Eurasian Tree Sparrow with strongly reddish-brown coloration. The strikingly reddish-brown sparrow from three months ago was in the same flock, so this could be its offspring. It would be fascinating if some form of natural selection were to produce a reddish-brown population, as has happened with the Ryukyu Stock Dove. If that day comes, I would like to propose the name Ishigaki Sparrow, following the precedent of Ishigaki Tit. ^^

A buff-morph juvenile Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

A juvenile Brown Shrike.

Most of the ones still around are juveniles. A juvenile Ruddy Kingfisher in the process of moulting from juvenile plumage into first-winter plumage.

Oriental Dollarbirds have been appearing in unusually high numbers this season. This one is a juvenile, but close to ten individuals — adults and juveniles combined — have been recorded. The Oriental Dollarbird is often cited as one of the rare wildlife conservation success stories, and that may be one contributing factor.

Crested Serpent Eagle juveniles becoming more frequent as September arrives.

A different individual from the one above. The sixth Crested Serpent Eagle juvenile recorded this season.

The southward movement of Chinese Sparrowhawks. I went out to watch with my child in tow, so I barely managed to take any photos…

A juvenile male Red Turtle Dove in transition from juvenile plumage to first-winter plumage.

A juvenile Broad-billed Sandpiper found in the evening.

A juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe.

Same individual as above.

A juvenile Latham's Snipe.

A single Citrine Wagtail was mixed in among a flock of Eastern Yellow Wagtails.

White-winged Tern in winter plumage.

A juvenile White-winged Tern.

Same individual as above. The field marks of the White-winged Tern are clearly visible.

Whiskered Tern, adult. Moulting from summer plumage into winter plumage.

Chinese Pond Heron in first-winter plumage.

Same individual as above. When I found it, it was pouring rain and visibility was poor — I thought it might be a Javan Pond Heron, but it turned out to be a Chinese Pond Heron.

Dunlin juvenile. Transitioning from juvenile to first-winter plumage.

Marsh Sandpiper juvenile. Moulting into first-winter plumage.

Long-toed Stint in late summer plumage.

Stint moulting into winter plumage.

Greater Sand Plover juvenile.

Long-toed Stint in winter plumage.

Dunlin adult. Transitioning from summer to winter plumage.

Common Redshank juvenile. I had my first sighting of a Common Redshank juvenile on 27 July, but juveniles are still coming in.

Black-winged Kite, a species reliably seen at most of the main paddies on Ishigaki Island. Evening is the recommended time to look for them.

The numbers of Crimson-breasted Finch are increasing. Ten birds are currently staying.

Pin-tailed Snipe juvenile in flight.

Pin-tailed Snipe (left) and Swinhoe's Snipe.

Swinhoe's Snipe juvenile.

A Swinhoe's Snipe juvenile dropping into a paddy field.

Sanderling — first confirmed sighting of the season.

Several Ruffs are also staying.

A second wave of Marsh Sandpipers has arrived.

Large numbers of Grey-tailed Tattlers can be seen along the shore.

Ruddy Turnstones — numbers going up and down.

Long-toed Stint in flight.

Greater Sand Plover, winter plumage.

Lesser Sand Plover, juvenile.

Another Lesser Sand Plover.

Grey Plover — scarce on Ishigaki Island. Some breeding plumage still remaining.

Pacific Golden Plover seen on the coast, in paddies and on cultivated fields.

First Eurasian Teal of the season. Numbers should keep climbing from here.

Whiskered Tern just about to touch down.

Whiskered Tern, juvenile. Hunting over the paddies in flight.

As evening came on they gathered to roost. A Whiskered Tern roost.

My first Yellow Bittern of the season, tucked away in such a hard-to-see spot… It was a juvenile.

Three Ruff juveniles. From right: female, male, male. The middle bird is remarkably pale.

Black-tailed Godwit and White-winged Tern.

Whiskered Tern, juvenile.

Common Snipe in a drainage channel. For some reason snipe have been scarce in this area this season.

A dispute between a juvenile (left) and an adult Whimbrel.

Being large birds, I could hear the sound of them striking each other with their wings.

Whimbrel moulting from juvenile plumage into first-winter plumage.

Whimbrel, adult.