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

Iriomote Tit Pied Avocet Black-winged Cuckooshrike Javan pond heron Black Bittern

GUIDED BIRDWATCHING TOUR

Go where the birds are. The SHIMASOBA Tour launches.

We'll drive you around Ishigaki Island to wherever the birds are showing best that day. Observation is mostly from inside the vehicle, and we keep it to a maximum of 3 guests so everyone can take their time.

Max. 3 guests 4 hours in the morning Beginners welcome
Check availability and book

Typhoon No. 9 Delivers a Glossy Ibis

Typhoon No. 9, which had prompted serious warnings of a direct hit, veered eastward at the last moment and spared Ishigaki Island and the rest of the Yaeyama Islands. Rare vagrants often turn up after typhoons, and this time the storm brought a Glossy Ibis.

For the Yaeyama Islands, Glossy Ibis records include the first Yaeyama record, discovered by the author in 2019, 19 birds in 2021, and a single bird on Yonaguni Island the same year. This sighting is the first in five years, following those records.

Glossy Ibis
Glossy Ibis

A Glossy Ibis — the first record on Ishigaki-jima in five years. Likely a post-typhoon vagrant.

Glossy Ibis
Glossy Ibis

Size comparison with a Little Egret. The Glossy Ibis is surprisingly small. It appeared to be foraging on small gastropods and similar prey.

Categories: 野鳥