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

A day-trip for work to Iriomote Island. Looking into the settling pond near Ohara Port, I found a Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilts, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Coots and others.

The Black Stork goes back and forth between Ishigaki and Iriomote, so I searched for it a little but didn't find it. The next day, my wife saw it on Ishigaki, flying west out to sea over Hotel Grandvillio. The Black Stork seems to have crossed back to Iriomote just as I was leaving.

I picked out the first Russet Sparrow of the season in a flock of Eurasian Tree Sparrows. Every time the flock took off and reshuffled, I lost sight of the Russet Sparrow... ^^ Even though I was looking for it, I'm glad, because few Russet Sparrows come to Ishigaki.

The long-staying Swan Goose is still in almost the same place.

Red-billed Starlings, which I had worried were scarce this season, have increased now. They are eating the fruit of Bischofia trees and banyans in the town. Mixing with and separating from White-cheeked Starlings, White-shouldered Starlings, Common Mynas and others, they seem to be circulating around the park, the library and the civic hall.

In the paddies, Common Snipe are bunched together in one spot. On Ishigaki, several other species of shorebirds, mainly Common Redshank, are also wintering.

My second encounter of the season with a Lapland Longspur. The previous bird, in late October, was an adult female, but this time it was an adult male. Around October this year, Lapland Longspurs have been showing up often not only on Ishigaki but also on Okinawa Island, Yonaguni and Aguni. The habitat is good, and with many wintering birds such as Red-throated Pipits and Eastern Yellow Wagtails, the Lapland Longspur is quite likely to winter as well.

It is my first Black-faced Bunting since photographing a female last spring. As you would expect, this group often dives into the grass, which makes them hard to photograph. The Black-faced Bunting was alone, and today is its second day here so far.

The Oriental Greenfinch is as wary as ever, but it seems to have decided to stay on Ishigaki for a while.

First Brown-headed Thrush photographed this season. Many of the Dusky Thrushes, Brown-headed Thrushes and Pale Thrushes are recent arrivals and are still very wary.

The large number of Red-throated Pipits staying here have become somewhat less wary. A few Siberian Pipits are mixed in too, but that day three Common Kestrels were wandering about, and every time the flock took off in alarm it reshuffled and I lost sight of the Lapland Longspur, so I couldn't spare time for the pipits... ^^;

This year seems to be a good one for Red Collared Doves on Ishigaki Island. Since autumn I have photographed more than 20. If I added the ones I didn't photograph because conditions were bad or they flew off, how many have I actually seen? ^^;

All three this time were born this year, and had almost completely changed into first-winter plumage.

There were also Dusky Thrush, Pale Thrush and Brown-headed Thrush, but they were wary, and I couldn't photograph any except the Dusky Thrush... ^^;

Ishigaki Island BIRD Kansatsu gave me tips on Lapland Longspur, Common Hoopoe and Japanese Grosbeak, but I ran out of time and couldn't see them... ^^;

In the rice paddies of Ishigaki Island, Terek Sandpipers (3 birds at 2 sites), as well as Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt, Green Sandpiper, Dunlin, Common Snipe and others are wintering. Pied Avocet too.