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

A Ruddy Kingfisher that has taken a liking to the top of a plastic greenhouse. This is the Ruddy Kingfisher I can see from my living room. ^^

Pheasant-tailed Jacana, adult. Partially into summer plumage.

At first it was perched somewhere this hard to see, but after a while it moved to a paddled-out rice field.

Pink-necked Green Pigeon, male.

An individual that was together with the one above. The head feathers were permanently raised the whole time.

When the wind direction is right, Greater Crested Terns wheel around right in front of you.

A Ruddy Kingfisher near home. It is always watching for prey from its favourite branch.

The second Pheasant-tailed Jacana of the season. It appeared to stay for only one day.

A Ryukyu Scops Owl male at eye level.

A Ruddy Kingfisher male looking up at the nest hole. The nest had been dug in a spot that made it easy to observe.

Brown Hawk-Owl fledgling and the mother (right).

The mother arriving with food for the chick (background). Despite it being broad daylight, she made two prey deliveries in five minutes.

A Ruddy Kingfisher excavating its nest hole.

Terek Sandpipers in low numbers. Whether conditions on the breeding grounds have worsened or the migration route has shifted, I'm not sure…

A Common Redshank on its own.

Grey-tailed Tattlers are settling in for a stay, little by little.

A Little Tern on the nest.

Nearby, a Kentish Plover was also incubating.

A Ruddy Kingfisher perched on the neighbour's warehouse. The red tiles behind it are my roof. ^^ A male comes every day to hunt for food.

The male bringing food to the incubating female (right). It struggled to deliver the food while spooked by a raptor-shaped kite set up as a bird deterrent.

Two eggs are visible under the female's belly. There were several other nests with birds incubating, but as far as I could tell they were unable to return to their nests because of the bird deterrent.

A Little Tern too frightened of the bird deterrent to land, circling overhead and calling in alarm.

The Kentish Plover was also managing to incubate despite being spooked. It looked to be under considerable stress.

The site where Little Terns and Kentish Plovers are breeding. Raptor-shaped kites and fluorescent tape were put up despite the fact that breeding was already underway.

A Pheasant-tailed Jacana flapping its wings after bathing. It appears to be moulting into adult summer plumage.

It was scratching away deftly with those big feet.

It was wandering around a harvested paddy field, picking at small snails and the like.

An Oriental Pratincole, presumably breeding somewhere nearby.

The female Greater Painted-snipe was calling frequently.

Two or so Common Greenshanks as well.

A male Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher singing.

A Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher after bathing.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl. An individual that has bred at the same spot two years running.

A male Ryukyu Brown Hawk-Owl. Some Brown Hawk-Owls have already fledged, but the peak is after July begins.

A male Ryukyu Paradise Flycatcher.

A female Ryukyu Paradise Flycatcher moving along low branches. Presumably breeding, but details are unknown.

Female Malayan Night Heron.

Juvenile Ishigaki Tit. It was bathing in a small pool of water formed in a hollow of a tree.

Incubating Bridled Tern. Two eggs are visible beneath its belly.

A fledgling Ryukyu Scops Owl.

The female parent.

The male parent.

Ruddy Kingfisher from home. It appeared to be raising young — when it caught prey, it flew off into the forest.

The Ryukyu Scops Owl fledgling had moved to a more visible position, giving me a full view of the bird.

The female parent keeping watch nearby.

Male parent Brown Hawk-Owl. Fledging still seems to be a little way off.

A Japanese Paradise Flycatcher that has grown nearly as impressive as an adult.

The female parent of the individual above. It seemed to be on the verge of starting a second brood.