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

Common Snipe. I'm not sure of the situation in Aichi, but could this be a wintering bird?

A flock of around ten. Also wintering birds, perhaps?

Two Common Snipes in a dry area.

Wood Sandpiper, with a Common Snipe upper right.

Japanese Wagtail, male. All the individuals were distant, but it's always a treat since you almost never get to see one in Okinawa.

There was a small flock of several Buff-bellied Pipits.

A Grey-headed Lapwing incubating. A female, perhaps?

I often came across Grey-headed Lapwings in pairs. It looks like the early stages of breeding.

I could hear Eurasian Skylarks singing clearly, but they were hard to spot.

There were plenty of Dusky Thrushes too. Not as many Naumann's Thrushes as you'd see in Okinawa though… ^^;

Great Crested Grebe in breeding plumage.

This one is a Great Crested Grebe in winter plumage.

The first Swinhoe's Snipe of the season. It's good to finally meet one again.

A Swinhoe's Snipe on a distant bund.

Swinhoe's Snipe and Common Snipe.

A group of six Pied Avocets.

A female Pied Avocet.

A Common Redshank transitioning into breeding plumage.

Oriental Pratincole in breeding plumage. Looking closely, a little winter plumage seemed to remain.

Uncommon on Ishigaki Island — a Grey-headed Lapwing.

Javan Pond Heron. It's been popular lately and drawing a lot of birders from the mainland. There were already people waiting when I arrived that day.

This is a Chinese Pond Heron staying alongside the Javan Pond Heron.

A male Daurian Redstart.

A female Daurian Redstart.

A male Ryukyu Kingfisher. I haven't examined it closely yet, but it appears to be the same individual as last year.

Same individual as above.

Same individual as above.

An Ishigaki Tit carrying a Меcopoda (short-winged katydid) to the nest. Given the size of the prey, the chicks are probably close to fledging.

A Chinese Pond Heron showing nice nuptial coloration.

A Cattle Egret that caught a centipede. Close to a hundred are staying over during their migration.

This type of individual is really nice.

The first Pin-tailed Snipe of the season.

Three days later, a second Pin-tailed Snipe, separate from the individual above.

Common Snipe. It appeared to have injured its left wing.

Two Common Snipe. Fairly wary.

A Common Snipe that wouldn't wake up even when I got close.

Common Snipe are the most numerous.

A Common Snipe in the distant grass.

A Common Snipe startled by a Eastern Spot-billed Duck.

A Far Eastern Curlew in the rice paddies.

A Yellow Bittern that has been wintering since last year. I think it is starting to come into breeding plumage, but I can't really tell.

A Chinese Pond Heron with increasing breeding plumage. This individual showed no wariness either.

Three Northern Pintails were still present.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, first-winter, transitioning into breeding plumage.

A Grey Wagtail also moving into breeding plumage.

A Common Starling was present on its own. It is gradually taking on its beautiful breeding plumage.

Little Whimbrel and White-rumped Sandpiper together. I don't think I'll ever get this combination in a single shot again!!

Little Whimbrel. It looked a little tired.

One White-rumped Sandpiper among a flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. The White-rumped Sandpiper felt slightly larger than the Sharp-tailed Sandpipers.'

The Sharp-tailed Sandpipers arrived in a small flock.

I expected the Pin-tailed Snipe to move on quickly, but it has already been here for several days.

Same individual as above.

A few Swinhoe's Snipe are also staying.

The Black-winged Stilts arrived in a group of a dozen or so.

A male Ryukyu Yellow Bittern. Every day it displays from the same perch.

A female Ryukyu Yellow Bittern. Presumably paired with the individual above.

Grey-headed Lapwings are numerous this season.

Most of the Red-throated Pipits have already left, but one was still lingering.

A Ruddy Kingfisher found at Kabira. This individual didn't flush even when pedestrians walked past.

An individual at Banna Park — no wariness whatsoever, as you'd expect from a bird that breeds in the park.

Same individual as above. The bill looks heavily worn, so it may be an old bird.

The ninth individual I found that day, the last of the day. About two metres away, and completely unbothered by my presence.

Also an individual inside Banna Park. It flew off when a walker passed by.

There is a louse fly on its head. ^^;

Perched on a thin branch, foraging in the evening.

Same individual as above. It flew right up in front of me — too close to focus — so I stepped back to take the shot.

An almost completed Ruddy Kingfisher nest hole. It looked like an easy spot for observation.

A precious spring record of Pectoral Sandpiper.

A Black-winged Kite appeared, sending a Pectoral Sandpiper (right) and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper hiding in the grass.

I have recorded about four Pin-tailed Snipe so far this season.

Swinhoe's Snipe are turning up in rice paddies here and there.

Pin-tailed Snipe (right) and Swinhoe's Snipe. They lined up in the same pose for me. ^^

This one is a particularly wary Swinhoe's Snipe.

A Pin-tailed Snipe stretching its neck as a Eastern Spot-billed Duck appeared.

A Common Snipe was dozing on a distant paddy bund.

Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are increasing in number too.

A flock of 15 Pacific Golden Plovers. They've been coming to the coast and pastures as well.

Female Ryukyu Striated Heron. Active just before the breeding season.

First White-winged Tern of the season. It seems to have been here since the previous evening.

Opportunities to see Eastern Spot-billed Duck families in the rice paddies have been increasing.

A Curlew Sandpiper flushed red.

Foraging while moving through the grass.

A little winter plumage still remains.

I rushed over after hearing there was a Black-tailed Godwit, and as a bonus found a Little Stint in summer plumage. Beautiful too.

The paddy was flooded, so I couldn't get a view of the full body proportions….

9 Black-tailed Godwits arrived. Large shorebirds in summer plumage really have a different kind of presence.

This one is still very much in winter plumage.

A Pin-tailed Snipe on the paddy bund. Not particularly wary.

This is a Swinhoe's Snipe. It was feeding actively, bill caked in mud.

A Swinhoe's Snipe stretching. It was at some distance, but I could make out the tail feathers too.

Two Swinhoe's Snipe. They both showed their tail feathers at the same time.

Pin-tailed Snipe. Appears to be the same individual as on April 10, making it a two-week stay. Quite long for spring.

Common Redshank in breeding plumage.

Marsh Sandpiper also moving into beautiful breeding plumage.

Common Greenshank is also transitioning into breeding plumage.

Wood Sandpiper in breeding plumage.

Wood Sandpiper. This one retains a lot of winter plumage.

Pectoral Sandpiper has peaked, with good numbers turning up in rice paddies here and there.

Little Stint in various stages — breeding plumage, winter plumage, and everything in between.

Pacific Golden Plover ranging from full breeding plumage, as in the photo, to individuals still retaining much of their winter plumage.

A flock of Lesser Sand Plovers and Greater Sand Plovers.

Greater Sand Plover. The colouring looked pale to me. Beautiful chestnut.

Ruddy Turnstone came in from offshore.

Two Whimbrel foraging on the shore.

The second Siberian Wagtail of the season. Last month's bird was in winter plumage, but this one was in breeding plumage.

Citrine Wagtail in breeding plumage.

(Yellow-browed) Wagtail in breeding plumage.

Curlew Sandpiper in breeding plumage. Beautiful frosted patterning.

Curlew Sandpiper retaining a little winter plumage.

Curlew Sandpiper retaining much of its winter plumage.

Dunlin in winter plumage.

Greater Painted-snipe, female in summer plumage.

Greater Painted-snipe, male in summer plumage.

Greater Painted-snipe female (foreground) and male. They appeared to have paired up.

Always a pleasure to find a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in spring.

Three Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in all.

The third Little Stint of the season.

Hoping for a Little Stint in full summer plumage to turn up.

A Temminck's Stint slow to moult, still in winter plumage.

This one appeared to have injured its left leg.

Long-toed Stint moulting from winter to summer plumage.

Marsh Sandpiper in summer plumage. I think this grey-toned summer plumage is the most beautiful of the lot.

Greenshank showing a little summer plumage coming through.

Pectoral Sandpipers confirmed in numbers running into the dozens. This individual was flagged, but I couldn't read the code….

The moult stages of Pacific Golden Plovers were richly varied as well.

Pin-tailed Snipe having a stretch.

I thought this was the same individual as above, but it seems they had swapped at some point. Also a Pin-tailed Snipe. It was foraging in the grass along a paddy bund.

Another Pin-tailed Snipe. It was threatened by a White-breasted Waterhen and came out into the open briefly, but quickly retreated back into the grass.

This Common Snipe had a swollen joint.

Purple Heron with a little winter plumage still remaining."

A Javan Pond Heron in full breeding plumage.