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

I was getting ready to take my son to nursery school when a birding friend messaged: "There's an Asian Glossy Starling. And it's an adult." I've seen juvenile Asian Glossy Starlings on Ishigaki Island several times, but never an adult. I think this is also the first record of an adult arriving on Ishigaki.

Holding back my impatience to see it, I dropped my son at nursery school and went straight to the spot, but unfortunately there was no sign of it. After waiting a while, though, a black shape flew out from among the branches of a Mallotus japonicus tree and landed on a power line. The Asian Glossy Starling.

A juvenile has been appearing at another location for the past few days and was still around this day, but my timing was off and I couldn't see it. I got good shots of the adult Asian Glossy Starling, so I'll call that enough. ^^

The Asian Glossy Starling seemed to like the fruits of the Mallotus japonicus, flying to the power line and coming back again and again.

Perched next to a Light-vented Bulbul on the wire, it was almost the same size, smaller than it looks to the eye, but its exotic appearance stood out even over the rice paddies. ^^

I also heard its metallic, whistle-like "pyoo" call and the alarm call, a "gyaa", when it was chased by crows.

Together with the Ryukyu Northern Boobook the other day , two pairs are now breeding in my neighborhood. This pair seems to have started incubating. Compared with the birds that bred near here last year, it matches none of them. I can't tell whether they were breeding last year and I overlooked them, or whether they are new arrivals at this spot, but I'll keep watching until the chicks fledge.

Nearby, an Oriental Scops Owl is also nesting , and if all goes well, I should be able to see the fledged chicks around the end of July.

About two weeks ago several young Red Collared Doves were seen on Ishigaki Island, but today five appeared at two locations. Three males and two females all looked like adults, and some seemed to be pairing up. Breeding on Ishigaki may be just around the corner?!

On Ishigaki, the harvest of the earliest new rice in Japan, the "super early rice", begins around mid-May, which makes it easier to watch Red Collared Doves and others that gather at the rice.

A small flock of Scaly-breasted Munias was leading juveniles that fledged this year. On Ishigaki they build nests from straw and the like gathered in street trees such as Fukugi and breed, but they haven't increased greatly in number and seem to be getting by quietly.

The Greater Crested Terns, more than 70 of which arrived for the first time this season on May 10, are mostly still staying on Ishigaki Island. After this they will move on to their breeding ground in the Senkaku Islands.

The weather in the Yaeyama region has been poor for the past few days, but twenty-odd Greater Crested Terns were flying over the sea and catching prey.

Small terns were also dancing among the big Greater Crested Terns. Looking through binoculars, I found a few Whiskered Terns. They were hunting alongside the Greater Crested Terns.

Three Chinese Egrets, a rare species with low numbers worldwide, had arrived. They were hopping lightly along the shore and seemed to be catching small fish.

Since the beginning of May they have been seen on and off on the island's shores and river mouths. Chinese Egrets on spring migration are often seen on Ishigaki through June.