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

As Typhoon No. 6 approached Ishigaki Island, Greater Crested Tern, Roseate Tern, and Black-naped Tern were gathered on the sandy beach sheltering from the storm.

Greater Crested Terns are arriving in good numbers as usual, but Black-naped Tern numbers are on the low side, and Roseate Tern even lower. The situation appears to be similar on Okinawa's main island.

Five Greater Crested Terns resting on the sandy beach. Around 100 were present at the shrimp farm.

While driving near my house, a light van that had just passed me struck a Cinnamon Bittern.

It was unable to move on the road, so I took it in. Its condition was poor and I feared the worst, but remarkably, after about 24 hours it had recovered enough to stand on its own. Herons really do have a strong will to live.

For food I used tadpoles of the Yaeyama tree frog, which live in large numbers in the biotope in my garden. Typhoon No. 6 was closing in on Ishigaki Island, so it was a race against time, but I managed to release the bird safely.

An adult male Ryukyu Bittern immediately after being rescued.

A Common Emerald Dove in the neighbourhood with absolutely no fear of humans was out in the open. The bird didn't flinch even when a dump truck passed right by, and was busy pecking at fallen berries.

Most Ruddy Kingfisher pairs have finished raising their chicks, but there are still about three nests where adults are still bringing food to nestlings. Typhoon No. 6 is approaching, and all I can do is hope it passes without incident.

Emerald Dove, male.

Oriental Pratincole and Kentish Plover are breeding well, with many fledged chicks on view. The Oriental Pratincoles in particular have formed a flock of nearly 60 juveniles. At the reclaimed land site, chicks from several Kentish Plover pairs have fledged and are running around energetically.

The Little Terns, which share the same site as the Kentish Plovers in a colony, had their nests flooded by heavy rain brought by the typhoon. Some eggs that had been submerged for several hours did hatch, but their prognosis looks poor.

In the rice paddies, juvenile Common Redshank arrived for the first time this season. Every year, Common Redshank is the first shorebird species to arrive as a juvenile.

Migrating waders and plovers are gradually increasing. Wood Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint and Grey-tailed Tattler have arrived in the paddies. On the coast, Greater Sand Plover, Siberian Sand Plover and Grey-tailed Tattler numbers are building.

Oriental Pratincole in juvenile plumage (left) and first-winter plumage.

I found my eighth Ryukyu Scops Owl pair of the season. I had gone to check on a brood of Northern Boobook chicks that had fledged a few days earlier when I came across them by chance. Both the male and female were outside the nest, so I suspect the chicks are due to fledge very soon.

Ryukyu Scops Owl, female.

Three juvenile Cinnamon Bitterns were in rice paddies in the same area — likely three siblings. A juvenile Purple Heron was nearby. In the forested hills, Malayan Night Herons are breeding; two fledglings appear to have left their parents.

A juvenile Ryukyu Least Bittern. The feathers are ragged — moult seems to be proceeding rapidly.

Once mid-July passes, the autumn migration of waders and plovers really picks up. As usual, Wood Sandpiper and Long-toed Stint lead the way. Then Common Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler and Greater Sand Plover start pouring in one after another.

Meanwhile, Black-naped Tern and Little Tern are right in the middle of raising their chicks. This season I have seen no sign of Roseate Tern breeding. I can only hope numbers improve going forward….

Common Redshank, first-summer plumage.

I had hoped that with no typhoons this year, Little Tern breeding would go smoothly — but things rarely work out that way. In early June, PAC3 deployment caused Little Terns and Kentish Plovers to abandon their nests. This time, pre-season beach maintenance prompted another nest abandonment….

The Little Tern is listed as Vulnerable on the Ministry of the Environment's Red List, and is designated an internationally rare wild species under the Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement's Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — and yet this is how they are treated.

A Little Tern nest abandoned after a single egg was laid.

All three Ryukyu Northern Boobooks have fledged. The two Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher chicks whose fledging I confirmed the other day were seen again on this visit.

Fledgling Brown Hawk-Owls perched on the nest tree.

The second nest of Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfishers to fledge this season. While walking the forest road looking for Hoya, I picked up the distinctive calls of fledglings. Holding my breath and searching carefully, I found two chicks.

There was a pair of Ryukyu Black Paradise Flycatchers just starting to build a nest. With no crows around, the prospects feel reassuring.

A fledgling Ruddy Kingfisher perched on a rock.

On Ishigaki Island, where the terns have been arriving late this season, Black-naped Tern breeding has finally started. Roseate Tern has yet to begin. Greater Crested Tern is about average for the time of year. I hear it is much the same on Okinawa's main island — it looks like it could be a poor year for terns across the prefecture….

The reef where Black-naped Terns form a colony every year. It is high tide, so the sea level is up.

The long-awaited autumn wader migration has begun. Six Long-toed Stints have arrived. A few Wood Sandpipers as well. Black-winged Stilt and Common Greenshank are present in small numbers sporadically throughout the year. Little Ringed Plover has also arrived.

First Wood Sandpiper of the season. Summer plumage.

The Ryukyu Black Paradise Flycatcher chicks are coming along well — fledging is imminent. One Ryukyu Northern Boobook fledged, though by evening it had returned to the nest.

Near my home, a Ryukyu Scops Owl is raising young; in the grounds of a nearby primary school, a Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher is doing the same. One chick has fledged from the Ruddy Kingfisher nest at a mango orchard — around three more appear to still be inside.

There appear to be two Japanese Paradise Flycatcher chicks. The male parent came to the nest. After feeding them, he carried their droppings away from the nest in his bill.

The Ryukyu Japanese Sparrowhawk chicks have started moving between branches. The eldest is already flying about.

Ryukyu Scops Owls fledged at two locations — I got to meet five adorable chicks in all.

The Ryukyu Northern Boobook also looks close to fledging.

The Ryukyu Black Paradise Flycatcher chicks have just hatched; fledging looks likely around Tanabata.

The Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher has had a late breeding season — there was still a pair digging out a nest hole.

The eldest of three siblings. It seems able to fly short distances.

A Ryukyu Flycatcher — whose calls I always hear but rarely get a proper view of — was singing beside a forest road. It was singing from less than a metre off the ground. On the mainland, Narcissus Flycatcher tends to use higher perches, but perhaps on Ishigaki Island, with no Japanese Robin to compete with, it is free to use the lower storey?

Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfishers are at various breeding stages; some pairs have still not started nesting.

Ryukyu Scops Owl and Ryukyu Northern Boobook breeding is going well everywhere.

Ryukyu Fantail, adult male.

I took my children to the shore to catch crabs and found four Gull-billed Terns and two Chinese Egrets. Both species seemed completely unafraid — even with the kids making a racket, they did not appear bothered at all. ^^

Bridled Terns wheeling right in front of me. Three were in breeding plumage and one was in non-breeding plumage.

I was worried about damage from the recent heavy rain, so I went to check on the Ryukyu Scops Owl and Ryukyu Northern Boobook nests. All four Ryukyu Scops Owl nests and three Northern Boobook nests were unchanged and appear to be progressing well.

A Ryukyu Scops Owl keeping watch from its usual branch.

Three Gull-billed Terns had been flying around in the morning, so when I found a break in my work and headed back out with the camera, they had been replaced by a Chinese Egret… ^^;

Chinese Egrets, as expected at this time of year.

Day three of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana's stay. After the rain cleared, Ruddy Kingfishers and Crested Serpent Eagles were out and active.

With rain coming and going, the Ruddy Kingfisher was actively foraging.

Many Ruddy Kingfisher pairs are incubating or raising chicks, but numbers are high this year so I'm running into them all over the place. The earliest broods should be fledging around the end of this month.

Crested Serpent Eagles are also raising young. Rice harvesting and summer sugarcane planting have started, so there are more chances to watch them hunting.

The Ryukyu Scops Owl that took over a tree hollow where honeybees had nested two years ago appears to be breeding in the same spot again this year.

A Ruddy Kingfisher in the park. Completely unafraid.