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

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipe, adult. Transitioning from summer to winter plumage.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, adult winter plumage.

Swinhoe's Snipe, adult. Transitioning from summer to winter plumage.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipe, juvenile.

Swinhoe's Snipe, adult.

Swinhoe's Snipe, adult.

The first Chinese Pond Heron of the season. It was eating a tadpole.

Three Javan Pond Herons made a long stay in the same paddy field as the Chinese Pond Heron.

Sykes's Wagtail, adult winter plumage.

White-breasted Waterhen, male (left) and female.

Three Javan Pond Herons are staying in the same rice field. They have also been recorded in other areas, and there seem to be a fair number on the island. On the Okinawa main island, arrivals have been confirmed in the north, central, and south. Their range appears to be expanding steadily eastward in recent years.

Ryukyu Striated Heron, male.

Two female Greater Painted-snipes were feeding in close proximity. No exclusion behaviour was observed.

A male Greater Painted-snipe incubating.

A Common Moorhen incubating in the same rice field as the Greater Painted-snipe above.

A chick of White-breasted Waterhen. Probably only a few days since hatching.

The parent bird, with no wariness at all, came right up in front of me with three chicks in tow.

The Kentish Plover was in transition from breeding to non-breeding plumage.

The white wing-bar of the Kentish Plover is conspicuous even in flight and helps with identification from Little Ringed Plover.

Little Ringed Plovers were staying in rice fields here and there.

Pacific Golden Plover, transitioning from breeding to non-breeding plumage.

Common Greenshank is also changing into non-breeding plumage.

Marsh Sandpiper, transitioning from juvenile to first-winter plumage.

Black-winged Stilt, female in non-breeding plumage.

A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, the first appearance this season. Adults were first recorded in July.

Wood Sandpiper in the process of changing into non-breeding plumage.

Wood Sandpipers staying in good numbers.

A Ruddy Kingfisher from the neighbourhood. Moult is well advanced and the plumage looks ragged. September has arrived and departure is not far off. I went out to photograph it while it still looks lively, before it disappears.

From August onwards, singing becomes increasingly rare. They can still be seen throughout September, but by October most individuals have moved on to their wintering grounds.

A Emerald Dove appearing in the village. Almost no wariness at all.

An Emerald Dove eating fallen fruit of Okinawa mallotus on the pavement.