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

Ashy Minivet, first-winter. Busy moving around in search of insects, but when I watched quietly it stopped to preen. That's when you get your shot.

After resting for a few minutes, back to hunting for insects.

The Ashy Minivet was foraging in the canopy of a Royal Poinciana.

It may look plain at first glance, but that ashy colouring is beautiful.

Moving through the high branches.

It moved to an Akagi tree. It didn't seem to be eating the berries, so it was apparently still after insects.

Rosy Starling, juvenile. Moult is progressing. If it stays until spring we might get to see that stunning plumage…

White-shouldered Starling, adult male.

A Naumann's Thrush that thinks it's hiding.

Eurasian Hoopoe preening its wet feathers.

It was drizzling, so it rarely came down from the trees.

Pied Avocet in the rice fields.

Pied Avocet on the coast. Dunlins all around.

The third Pied Avocet of the day.

Lesser White-fronted Goose (right) and Tundra Bean-Goose.

I was startled by the strange appearance, but it turned out to be a partially melanistic White-breasted Waterhen… ^^;

Two male Pale-capped Pigeons, both immatures.

Chinese Pond Heron. Two birds present.

Taiwan Wagtail, first-winter.

Size comparison: Black-faced Spoonbill (left) and Grey Heron.

First Common Pochard of the season — female, winter plumage.

Common Teal, male. Moulting into breeding plumage.

Common Teal, juvenile plumage.

Northern Shoveler, juvenile male.

Common Snipe. Moult well advanced.

A different Common Snipe from the one above. First-winter.

This one also moulting into first-winter plumage.

Common Moorhens ranging from adults to juveniles, various ages gathered together.

Yellow Bittern. Probably a juvenile. That completes the genus Ixobrychus for me. ^^

Pied Avocets turning up intermittently. All four birds this season are juveniles.

The long-staying Long-billed Dowitcher. It would be nice if it stayed until summer plumage.

A Black-faced Spoonbill that has been here for several days.

Black-winged Stilt, first-winter. The two on the left are female, the one on the right is male.

Common Snipe, juvenile.

Snipe numbers in the rice fields kept growing — around 15 birds here.

Pallas's Reed Bunting, first-winter.

Came down to the ground to feed on grass seeds.

Underparts of the Pallas's Reed Bunting. The whitish tone is quite striking.

Pallas's Reed Bunting from behind.

Close-up of the face. The straight-edged bill is one of the distinguishing features of Pallas's Reed Bunting.

If you watch quietly, it turns out to be surprisingly unwary.