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

A male Emerald Dove. It is tense at the calls of a Japanese Sparrowhawk.

Same individual as above. It was eating fallen fruit on the ground. At this time of year it favours fallen fruit from Macaranga and Mallotus.

An Emerald Dove from a different location. Also a male. Females have only recently started to be seen.

The first fledging of a Brown Hawk-Owl this season.

A female Ruddy Kingfisher. Her feathers were ruffled — she may have knocked into something. A male was nearby, so they are probably breeding in the area. The fact that the female is out suggests the chicks are growing well.

A tired-looking female Malayan Night Heron. She also appears to be raising young.

Male Ruddy Kingfisher.

A Ruddy Kingfisher that caught a large centipede to bring to the chicks. The chicks appear to be growing well.

A female Japanese Paradise Flycatcher on the nest.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl keeping watch.

When calls from another individual were heard, this one called back in response.

A male Grey-faced Buzzard— a male Brown Hawk-Owl keeping watch.

The female Brown Hawk-Owl paired with the individual above. The chicks had grown large and were out of the nest. The breeding season appears to be going smoothly.

There was a juvenile Ryukyu Least Bittern hatched this year. The first juvenile of the season.

The Pied Avocet is still staying on. First-summer plumage.

Emerald Dove confirmed at multiple locations as well. Sightings will increase from now through autumn. Adult female.

A size comparison between an Oriental Turtle Dove and an Emerald Dove. The Emerald Dove is more than one size smaller.

A Pheasant-tailed Jacana in flight. It was being chased by a crow. When it flew, it called with a plaintive "kuu" cry.

A Pheasant-tailed Jacana in beautiful breeding plumage. Possibly first-summer plumage.

When a crow flew over, it kept looking up at the sky.

This individual didn't seem to fear humans and preened right nearby. Pheasant-tailed Jacanas often have weak wariness.

It was foraging even in areas without water.

Based on size and plumage, this individual is likely male.

Two Chinese Egrets standing at the river mouth.

A Chinese Egret on the shore a little apart from the two above. It appeared to have injured one leg.

It seemed to be targeting a school of small fish.

When the tide came in, it was resting on a reef away from the shore.

The white morph of Pacific Reef Heron, which is sometimes mistaken for a Chinese Egret.

A White-capped Noddy incubating.

A Roseate Tern colony. Until recently there were Black-naped Terns here, but it seems they were driven off. The Black-naped Tern flock had moved to another reef.

Large-billed Tern, breeding plumage. It was high tide, so I couldn't observe the species' distinctive foraging behaviour.

A Whiskered Tern over the sea.

A Little Tern pair. They had two juveniles with them.

A pair of Black-naped Terns came to bathe.

A Roseate Tern also came to bathe.

A Large-billed Tern flying about.

A juvenile Little Tern. It was already able to catch food on its own.