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

Grey Wagtails appear on Ishigaki Island every year, but this was a rare chance to see two individuals at the same time, so I made the trip all the way to the north of the island to observe them.

I observed them together with my daughter. We were also able to hear the Grey Wagtails' call notes at close range.

They appeared to be feeding on compost piled up in the field. They moved back and forth through the grass.

A Grey Wagtail on the compost pile.

I also managed to capture a rare photograph showing two Rock Bush Chats together.

A Glaucous-winged Gull — a first record for Japan. It had been staying for a long time and had moulted from juvenile into first-winter plumage.

At a rice paddy I stopped by on the way back, a Pied Avocet was by itself.

A female Daurian Starling appeared right in front of me.

This one is the male.

The male Pink-necked Green Pigeon was mixed in with a flock of Oriental Turtle Doves. A familiar sight on Ishigaki-jima.

A Chinese Pond Heron that has been wintering since last year. At least two are in the same paddy field.

Eurasian Skylark is a rare visitor not only to Ishigaki-jima but across Okinawa as a whole. While watching a flock of Red-throated Pipits I heard a call, so I searched from one end and found it.

Around 50 Red-throated Pipits are currently staying.

They are in various stages of moult, and many individuals still show strong reddish tones.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, first-winter. About 20 of these were moving together with the Red-throated Pipits.

White-winged Tern in winter plumage. Numbers increase sharply come April.

Pacific Golden Plovers recorded in rice paddies and sugarcane fields. These too don't build up until April.

Daurian Starlings visiting my workplace. At peak times a flock of around 30 will come by.

A Collared Kingfisher on a tetrapod. Perching on spots like this is probably why its tail feathers are so heavily worn.

It is quite close, but because I am watching through gaps in the vegetation it is relaxed.

Black-winged Kites on Ishigaki-jima breed multiple times a year, so I'm not sure what to call the season, but this individual is in the process of moulting out of juvenile plumage.

A wintering juvenile Grey-faced Buzzard. It will likely head north next month.

A male White Wagtail of the leucopsis type. The season has come when I start seeing White Wagtails passing through on migration as well.

While watching the Collared Kingfisher, a Giant Mottled Eel was eating what appeared to be a tilapia.

A male Ferruginous Duck. No juveniles or adults could be confirmed….

Tufted Ducks number in the hundreds at the dam, but there were 4 at this sedimentation pond.

A juvenile Black-winged Kite. It came right in front of me repeatedly, searching for prey.

First night outing in quite a while. Stopped by a convenience store and observed several Ryukyu Scops Owls along the way.

15 Black-winged Stilts arrived. Spring migration is underway.

Green Sandpipers on the move also seem to be increasing.

Common Snipe were moving actively in mid-January, but things have settled down now. Come April, large numbers will be passing through Ishigaki Island.

A Eurasian Hoopoe that kept retreating into the bushes every time a person or vehicle passed by. Prey is plentiful, but it seemed unable to settle.

The Eurasian Hoopoe that has been present since yesterday was raising its crest frequently. I wish it would move somewhere a little more peaceful….

Perched on the artificial log right in front of me.

A Scaly Thrush that has completely lost its wariness. Reactions to people vary enormously from individual to individual.

An adult Malayan Night Heron. The breeding season is approaching, and they will soon be showing their vivid nuptial colours.

Daurian Redstarts were increasing. I suspect they are birds moving through on migration.

A Eurasian Hoopoe that flew up into a branch, startled by a passing vehicle.

Scenes of it walking along the top of the artificial log were also frequently observed.

It shows no wariness, so it can be watched at close range. It was finding cockroaches one after another.

The Eurasian Hoopoe, charming in appearance, is quite the hearty eater. There seem to be many cockroaches lurking in the grass on Ishigaki Island, and it was plunging its long bill into the ground and catching them one after another.

I also witnessed it being chased by a crow on several occasions.