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

Garganey — my first confirmed sighting of the season.

The Garganey was wandering around at the feet of Little Egrets and Black-winged Stilts. ^^

Little Stint, juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipe transitioning from first-summer to winter plumage.

Same individual as above.

A juvenile White-winged Tern striking at a damselfly.

It spotted prey and wheeled around sharply — gave me a perfect view of its back.

A White-winged Tern flying around in search of prey.

It flew past right in front of me several times.

This is what the underside of a White-winged Tern looks like.

It flew tirelessly over the paddies, actively hunting dragonflies and other insects.

Red-necked Stint, late juvenile plumage.

Red-necked Stint moulting from first-summer to winter plumage.

A colour-morph sparrow looking just like the one I saw three months ago. Since it's a juvenile, it could well be a descendant of that individual.

Bridled Tern, adult winter plumage.

White-winged Tern, adult winter plumage.

The bird above in flight. It's visible in the lower right.

Common Tern and Little Tern (centre). The size difference is striking.

Four Common Terns (foreground) — quite rare in Okinawa.

An adult Bridled Tern. Moult is progressing through the primaries.

Size comparison between Common Tern and Black Tern.

Little Tern, winter plumage.

Black Tern and White-winged Tern (centre).

A juvenile Black Tern. Looking worn out from the typhoon.

A juvenile Black Tern.

Black Tern in flight.

This one rice paddy held 5 species and 80 terns in total.

It wasn't startled or anything — it kept its head feathers puffed up like this the whole time.

A Ryukyu Bittern transitioning from juvenile plumage to first-winter plumage.

A Ryukyu Bittern that came right up in front of me. It was keeping an eye on me, but rather than flying off it carried on feeding.

Juvenile Uchina Swinhoe's Snipe. Confusing little things… ^^;

Same individual as above. Unmistakably a Swinhoe's Snipe.

Another juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe. This type is typical of Swinhoe's Snipe in Okinawa.

Juvenile Common Snipe. Well, the tail feathers alone would have told the story, but since it showed them… ^^;

This one also spread its tail feathers right away. I think it's the most beautiful of the three snipe species you can see on Ishigaki-jima.

Same individual as above. It also showed me the flanks.

Juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe.

The individual above taking flight.

Another Swinhoe's Snipe.

Out of focus, but this shows the bird above spreading its tail feathers.

A juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe thinking it's hiding.

The first Great Knots of the season. They arrived as a pair.

Great Knot, adult. In transition from breeding to non-breeding plumage.

I thought it was a flock of Grey-tailed Tattlers, but one of them looks odd. ^^;

A few Common Greenshanks turned up — they were regular early in the autumn migration, then went quiet for a while.

An adult Lesser Sand Plover with a late moult. Still in late breeding plumage. I wonder where this one came from.

Lesser Sand Plover, juvenile to first-winter plumage.

A Greater Sand Plover in a field. After a typhoon you run into birds in unexpected places.

Greater Sand Plover (left) and Red-necked Stint.

Four juvenile Grey-tailed Tattlers in a group.

A Whimbrel that summered over. First-summer to winter plumage.

Red-necked Stint, juvenile to first-winter plumage.

Juvenile Red-necked Stint.

A Pacific Reef Heron with a tiger prawn it had caught.

The prey was large and the bird had a hard time swallowing it.