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

I was listening for Emberiza calls when a Reed Bunting appeared right in front of me. You don't get to see these on Ishigaki.

Same individual as above. It looked around for a while, then flew off.

Meadow Bunting, male. A flock of about ten was moving in and out of view.

Meadow Bunting, female.

Rustic Bunting, male. There were a few of them in a small flock.

Rustic Bunting, female.

Eurasian Skylark was also present in a small flock.

A Buff-bellied Pipit in the distance. That was the only pipit.

I heard Oriental Greenfinch calls, then spotted two birds far off.

I saw Bull-headed Shrikes here and there, but this individual was the closest one. It was hunting something like a Common Skimmer nymph.

A Spotless Starling among the White-cheeked Starlings.

Dusky Thrush were fewer than usual — though I only visit once a year, so… ^^;

A few Northern Lapwing were moving around in loose association with Grey-headed Lapwing.

Grey-headed Lapwing were as numerous as ever. They were just casually present in paddies along a busy prefectural road.

The only shaper confirmed was Wood Sandpiper. Fewer than usual, it seemed.

Carrion Crow, from my family home window. This is the first time a Carrion Crow has appeared on this blog. There are no records of Carrion Crow on Ishigaki.

A pair with the individual above. Sex unknown.

Five Greylag Geese with a Tundra Bean Goose (right) and a Bean Goose (third from right). The Bean Goose is of the small type, so possibly the tundra form. All adults. The individual thought to be a Lesser White-fronted Goose appears to have separated from the flock.

Two Grey-lag Geese — this was back at the end of last year when there were only the two of them.

Grey-lag Geese in the rain. They made it through the new year. I wonder how long they'll stay.

A beautiful leucistic Chinese Bulbul.

In the evening light it feels more lutino than albino.

A Chinese Bulbul in flight. Still white!!

Eating the berries of Callicarpa shikokiana. There's also a normal Chinese Bulbul in the lower left.

This is a normal Chinese Bulbul, eating Schefflera berries.

Greater Crested Terns swallow small fish on the wing, but this Monocle Bream was too large, so the bird carried it to the water's edge. Looking closely, I could see it tearing off the obstructive dorsal and pectoral fins with its bill.

Once the troublesome fins were off, it set about swallowing the fish — which still looked like quite an ordeal.

It took a while, but the bird finally managed to get it down.

Common Gull, adult winter plumage. Common Gulls turn up on Ishigaki Island only about once every ten years, so this was a happy find.

Sanderling and Kentish Plover, hunkered down in a hollow to escape the strong wind.

Red-necked Stint, first-winter plumage. There were about three of them.

Long-toed Stint, first-winter plumage. There are fewer overwintering birds this year.

Little Ringed Plover, first-winter plumage.

Short-eared Owl in the rice fields. This individual doesn't mind people, so it's easy to watch — but I don't want to disturb its hunting, so I kept the record shots to under a minute.

A Crested Serpent Eagle in a spot I don't usually see them.

A juvenile Grey-faced Buzzard scanning the grassland for prey.

Large-tailed Nightjar — a first record for Japan!! I wasn't able to get a photo myself, so Takeshita-kun kindly provided one!!

This is the Barred Buttonquail I mistook for the Large-tailed Nightjar. ^^; For some reason it was in the middle of the road late at night.

The Grey-lag Geese have been here since last year — a long stay. All five are present.

A small-type Bean Goose is also still around.

Two Bean Geese staying in the area.

Mallard × Eastern Spot-billed Duck hybrid.

Another Mallard × Eastern Spot-billed Duck hybrid.

A pair of Mallards.

Northern Pintail male (left) and Eastern Spot-billed Duck.

Eurasian Wigeon female, non-breeding plumage.

Eurasian Teal male, breeding plumage.

Eurasian Teal female, non-breeding plumage.

Falcated Duck male. Moulting from juvenile to first-winter breeding plumage.

Northern Shoveler male. Transitioning from eclipse to breeding plumage.

Gadwall male, breeding plumage.

Female non-breeding Gadwall.

Ten Common Pochards joined a flock of 150 Tufted Ducks.

Little Stint, winter plumage.

Eight Common Snipe.

Green Sandpiper, first-winter plumage.

Solitary Snipe, first-winter plumage.

Dunlin, first-winter plumage.

I was sitting and waiting on the shore when a Ruddy Turnstone came right up in front of me.

Besides flipping stones to look for food, the Ruddy Turnstone was also eating what appeared to be detritus.

Sanderling, first-winter plumage. Wintering individuals are scarce on Ishigaki-jima.

Greater Sand Plover, winter plumage.

Lesser Sand Plover, winter plumage.

Lesser Sand Plover, first-winter plumage.

Greater Sand Plover, first-winter plumage.

A male Kentish Plover already transitioning into breeding plumage.

Grey Plover, winter plumage.

Pacific Golden Plover, first-winter plumage.

Lesser Sand Plovers and Greater Sand Plovers wheeling about after being startled by a Peregrine Falcon.

In the field I thought this was a Little Stint, but it appears to be a Red-necked Stint.

This one also looked like a Little Stint to me — but.

Same individual as above.

Red-necked Stint, first-winter plumage.

Red-necked Stint, first-winter plumage.

Long-toed Stint, first-winter plumage.

Temminck's Stints usually come in groups of two or three, but this time it was a flock of 12.

White Wagtail (leucopsis), female, first-winter plumage.

Also a White Wagtail (leucopsis), female, first-winter plumage.

Same individual as above. The bib is quite small, isn't it.

White Wagtail (leucopsis), winter plumage.

White Wagtail, female, first-winter plumage.

White Wagtail, female, winter plumage.

(Yellow-browed) Citrine Wagtail, first-winter plumage.

First-winter (Yellow-browed) Eastern Yellow Wagtail as well.

Female winter (Yellow-browed) Eastern Yellow Wagtail.

First-winter Red-throated Pipit.

Winter-plumage Red-throated Pipit.

Adult female Brown Shrike.

Female Siberian Stonechat.

Black-winged Kite in the middle of breeding. The chicks will fledge soon.

A passing Upland Buzzard. It seems there are three on the island this season.

A Common Buzzard passed overhead.

A Eastern Marsh Harrier was being mobbed by a Black-winged Kite.

A young Peregrine Falcon. Thought to be 2cy.

Same individual as above. A very beautiful bird.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon.

A Saker Falcon caught a Little Egret. This individual is a very skilled hunter.

Juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle. It flew toward me along the waterway.

Same individual as above. For what it's worth, the Sony α1 doesn't miss focus even at this distance.

An unusually slender and small Common Kestrel juvenile. For a moment I thought it might be something else. ^^;