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

One Pheasant-tailed Jacana arrived. Summer records of Pheasant-tailed Jacana fall roughly between late May and the end of June.

A Red Collared Dove also turned up — numbers have been low this season. Two years ago was a banner year, with flocks of twenty-plus birds coming through, but last autumn and this season have been quiet.

The Whiskered Tern peak seems to have passed, but birds are still trickling through. An out-of-season Black-headed Gull was also noted. It appears to be a different individual from last week's bird.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana, first-summer plumage.

In the evening I tried for a Black-winged Kite for the first time in a while. I parked in the shade of a tree where I had a view of the bird's favourite hunting ground and waited in the car. An adult appeared around 6 p.m. It made several hunting attempts but didn't appear to catch anything.

An adult Black-winged Kite in flight, bathed in evening light.

Ruddy Kingfishers, Ryukyu Scops Owls, and Northern Boobooks are all incubating everywhere. Typhoon No. 2 appears to have had no effect. Hoping things continue to go smoothly.

There was still a Eurasian Coot on the island. Individuals have occasionally summered here due to injury, but this one looks healthy. Is it really okay not to migrate?

The paddies have little in them besides Black-winged Stilts, but among them I spotted a Common Greenshank that looked unwell. Its bill appeared to be partially missing.

A Ruddy Kingfisher with absolutely no wariness at all.

A look at the terns around Ishigaki Island over the past few days. After Typhoon No. 2 passed, a flock of Whiskered Terns and White-winged Terns arrived. Among roughly twenty Whiskered Terns, three White-winged Terns were mixed in.

Little Terns had been incubating at Painu Hamachō, but with the deployment of PAC3, more than thirty vehicles moved in and that was the end of it. As it's early in the breeding season, I hope they can find somewhere else to nest… We should always keep in mind that human activity affects other living things.

A Gull-billed Tern has been present for several days now. It is completely unafraid — it kept on fishing even with children splashing and making noise nearby.

An out-of-season Black-headed Gull arrived alone. Blown in by the typhoon, perhaps?

I couldn't get a photo, but I also had visual confirmation of several Black-naped Terns. I expect their numbers will build from here as they come to breed on Ishigaki. No Roseate Terns confirmed yet.

A White-winged Tern was flying over the rice paddies in strong winds left by the tail of a typhoon, catching dragonflies.

I found a Pin-tailed Snipe that is the latest spring migration record I've had. In just three more months the autumn migration of Pin-tailed Snipe will be starting… With Typhoon No. 2 approaching Ishigaki, there's a good chance it will stay into June. Something to look forward to.

Shorebird migration is nearly over, but a small group of Black-winged Stilts and Common Greenshanks has arrived.

An out-of-season Pin-tailed Snipe. Almost fully in summer plumage.

Northern Boobooks incubating at 3 sites, Ryukyu Scops Owls incubating at 4 sites. Ruddy Kingfishers are nesting at multiple sites too — too many to count… ^^;

Multiple Black Paradise Flycatcher pairs have formed, but none appear to have started building nests yet.

A male Brown Hawk-Owl (left) and female in the background. This pair's nest changes location every year — the nesting tree has been cut down and so on.

With migration winding down on Ishigaki, the island's breeding species — Ruddy Kingfisher, Ryukyu Scops Owl, Northern Boobook, Ryukyu Sparrowhawk, Malayan Night Heron and others — are busy building nests and incubating.

Ruddy Kingfishers in particular are very active. On this day, while working my regular job, I counted 13 individuals in the morning and 7 in the afternoon — 20 in total with no duplicates. I get the feeling Ruddy Kingfisher numbers are higher than usual this year.

Crested Serpent Eagles are incubating at this time of year, so encounters are fewer. Black-winged Kites breed year-round, so a few sites are also in the incubation stage right now.

Black Paradise Flycatchers have been increasing too, and their songs can be heard from all directions.

A male Ruddy Kingfisher sang at close range on a forest track. I was able to record fine detail in the recording.

A male Greater Painted-snipe was out with four chicks. This area has confirmed breeding every year — hoping the season ends safely again this time.

It has probably been a few days since hatching. It is endearing to watch the chicks following their parent around.

I spotted one suspicious individual among a flock of Pacific Golden Plovers that looked like an American Golden Plover. The primary projection and plumage felt off, and the primaries appear to number four beyond the tertials.

I wanted to get more shots, but while I was zooming in on the camera screen to check, a large black dog came running along the shore and flushed everything away… ^^;

I've been comparing against genuine American Golden Plovers on overseas sites, but it's not easy at all.

There is no brownish tinge, and it looks quite different from the Pacific Golden Plovers I usually see. It has a definite American Golden Plover feel to it.

The rice fields are lively with migrants, though the spring shorebird passage feels like it may be winding down. In good weather, birds seem to be turning over every two or three days.

Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, Little Stint, and Broad-billed Sandpiper — all popular birds — are still present.

A Pin-tailed Snipe foraging along a paddy bund, mixed in with several Swinhoe's Snipe.

Some of the earlier Ruddy Kingfisher pairs appear to have already started laying, but the local pair near me was still nest-building. Another pair is always moving around together and hasn't started excavating a nest hole yet. No courtship feeding observed either.

The Japanese Sparrowhawk is also approaching breeding season. I often see birds circling over their territories, and their calls are heard frequently.

The Crested Serpent Eagle seems to be incubating, so encounters are less common, but I came across two individuals this day.

A Ruddy Kingfisher near my home. It was in the middle of nest-building.

Shorebird numbers are up overall, but snipe numbers have been dropping. This day I found a paddy field holding about five snipe. Two were Pin-tailed Snipe, so I tried to get a shot of the tail feathers on the more approachable of the two. The other bird spent almost all its time hidden behind vegetation and I couldn't photograph it.

Pin-tailed Snipe having a stretch.

The shorebird passage seems to be reaching its peak and the rice fields are extremely busy. Greater Painted-snipe — the only snipe that breeds on Ishigaki — are active as a couple.

Four Curlew Sandpipers in various stages of moult from summer to winter plumage are present. Also here: the third Little Stint of the season, three Broad-billed Sandpipers, the season's first Temminck's Stint, along with Red-necked Stint, Long-toed Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, and Pacific Golden Plover — all in one area.

Curlew Sandpiper in breeding plumage. Beautiful frosted patterning.

While watching shorebirds in the rice fields, a flock of about twenty Eastern Yellow Wagtails dropped in from above. I looked at the first three that landed in front of me and there they were — a Siberian Wagtail, a White-browed Wagtail, and an Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Yellow-browed type) lined up side by side in a row. What a sudden miracle!!

The second Siberian Wagtail of the season. Last month's bird was in winter plumage, but this one was in breeding plumage.

Turnover among shorebirds in the fields and along the coast has intensified.

In the rice fields, Curlew Sandpipers in beautiful summer plumage were mixed in with a flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. A Little Stint also in summer plumage has arrived, and nine Black-tailed Godwits have come in, adding to the activity.

Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, and Common Snipe are staying on, including some long-term individuals.

Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, and Marsh Sandpiper are beginning to show noticeably contrasting summer plumage.

Along the coast, large numbers of Siberian Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone, Red-necked Stint, and Eurasian Whimbrel have been arriving.

A Curlew Sandpiper flushed red.

The Pectoral Sandpiper first recorded on 15 April is now into its fifth day. It is spending its time among a flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Autumn juvenile records are the norm, so a spring adult is a rare find.

Several Pin-tailed Snipe are also staying at multiple sites. Spring records of Pin-tailed Snipe are very scarce, making these birds equally valuable. They are approachable and allow extended observation — great fun. ^^ Swinhoe's Snipe and Common Snipe are also present.

The season's first Whiskered Tern arrived, following a tractor as it puddled a field.

A precious spring record of Pectoral Sandpiper.

Today I encountered nine Ruddy Kingfishers. Just driving through Banna Park I came across four of them. On Ishigaki and Iriomote, this period through the end of May is when activity is at its highest.

Some pairs had already started digging nest holes. Work had progressed far enough for the bird to fit its whole body inside.

A Ruddy Kingfisher found at Kabira. This individual didn't flush even when pedestrians walked past.

After several consecutive clear days, bird numbers on Ishigaki had been dropping — but today's heavy rain brought in all sorts of things.

In the same area of paddies, Little Curlew, Pectoral Sandpiper, and Pin-tailed Snipe all turned up together. And a miracle: Little Curlew and Pectoral Sandpiper in the same frame!!

Little Whimbrel and White-rumped Sandpiper together. I don't think I'll ever get this combination in a single shot again!!

Confirmed the first Pin-tailed Snipe of the season. Spring passage Pin-tailed Snipe on Ishigaki are a rare find. Swinhoe's Snipe are also present, cycling in and out, while Common Snipe remain the most numerous.

Among the curlews, a Far Eastern Curlew arrived after the Eurasian Whimbrel. It may be the individual some university students spotted at sea just after leaving Ishigaki port on the Yonaguni ferry a few days ago. The seabirding on that route this spring was apparently quite good — though the sea was rough, so you need to steel yourself before boarding. ^^;

I got to see the Eurasian Bittern that has been wintering since last year, for the first time in a while. As usual, it showed no wariness at all. The several Chinese Pond Herons present were starting to come into breeding plumage.

The first Pin-tailed Snipe of the season.

Ruddy Kingfishers are becoming more numerous. On Ishigaki they can be seen through October.

While searching for Ruddy Kingfishers I came across some noisy Ishigaki Tits. One was carrying food, so I watched from a distance and saw it disappear into a tree hollow — evidently nesting. I confirmed breeding at two locations.

The paddies are lively too, with Chinese Pond Herons in breeding plumage and Eastern Cattle Egrets adding to the bustle.

A male Ryukyu Kingfisher. I haven't examined it closely yet, but it appears to be the same individual as last year.