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

A Javan Pond Heron appearing alone. It was catching tadpoles and insects in the rice paddies.

Encounters with Cinnamon Bitterns — both adults and juveniles — are increasing now that breeding has finished.

Ruddy Kingfishers have also finished breeding. They will remain on Ishigaki-jima until around early October.

A Okinawa Rail roosting in a tree. Unfortunately I was unable to photograph a Ryukyu Scops Owl — the first time I've visited Yanbaru and come away without one.

A Emerald Dove near home. A few juvenile feathers remain. Perhaps a second-calendar-year female.

The Brown Hawk-Owl at the utaki. As happens every year, freshly fledged crows have shown up and are causing quite a commotion.

Male Malayan Night Heron. At this time of year the breeding plumage has almost completely faded.

A female Malayan Night Heron that was with the individual above. I wonder whether this season's breeding was successful.

A male Ryukyu Least Bittern peering out from an uncultivated paddy field.

First juvenile Ryukyu Least Bittern confirmed this season.

A juvenile Purple Heron. From here on they will keep increasing, and I'll be seeing more and more of them being chased off by adults.

Juvenile Little Egrets have also started to arrive.

A juvenile White-breasted Waterhen. I often come across pairs with jet-black chicks in tow. They may be breeding multiple times in a single season.

A Eurasian Coot that summered on Ishigaki-jima. On Okinawa's main island, birds have been summering for several years now. Numbers on Ishigaki may increase in the future as well.

As the tide came close to high, Grey-tailed Tattlers and Terek Sandpipers gathered on the coastal rocks.

The first Greenshank of the season appeared in the rice paddies.

Also the first Wood Sandpiper of the season. Considerable numbers had moved into rice paddies here and there.

Every year, Common Redshank is the first to arrive as a juvenile. It showed up again right away this season.

Little Stint also confirmed at multiple locations. First of the season.

Common Sandpipers have been increasing. Migrants appear to be moving through. One was competing with a Wood Sandpiper over a Cryptotympana cicada wing.

Black-winged Stilts have increased a little as well.

First Whimbrel of the season.

First juvenile Common Sandpiper (right) confirmed this season.

Greater Sand Plover migrants also seem to be arriving.

Little Ringed Plover confirmed for the first time this season.

Greater Painted-snipe is a resident breeder on Ishigaki Island. A female was at the usual paddy field.

The first Lesser Crested Tern of the season has also arrived. It appeared to be bleeding from the left wing.

There are plenty of crabs at the river mouth, so it was diving down and catching them repeatedly.

Black-naped Terns breeding on the offshore rocks come to bathe near the river mouth when the tide comes in.

Two pairs of Ruddy Kingfishers breeding near home. This season's nests are out of sight from the house, so I can't tell exactly how things are going, but since they're carrying food I assume all is well.

A Ruddy Kingfisher spotted in the northern part of the island.

A Ruddy Kingfisher arriving with food for the chick. The prey was a large Crested Tree Lizard.

Same individual as above. After passing off the food, it perched in a nearby tree.

The male Ryukyu Scops Owl at the plaza is standing guard over the nest.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl deep in the undergrowth. Eyes closed, but it is aware of me.

The male Brown Hawk-Owl in the park is also on watch. A high-density area with three pairs nesting within a radius of a few dozen meters.

Japanese Sparrowhawks that breed in the Ryukyu pine grove every year. This year there appear to be four chicks, more than usual.