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

The first Pectoral Sandpiper of the season turned out to be an adult.

Common Redshank juvenile. As usual, juveniles arrive before the adults at this time of year, and juveniles outnumber adults right now.

Red-necked Stint in breeding plumage. Many individuals are worn and looking whitish.

A female Greater Painted-snipe appeared right in front of me.

Intermediate-morph Pacific Reef Heron juvenile (left) and Little Egret juvenile. For some reason this Pacific Reef Heron is in the rice field every day.

A Black-winged Kite juvenile that had caught a White-breasted Waterhen chick.

Two Javan Pond Herons. Not particularly wary — easy to observe.

First Black-winged Stilts of the season, juveniles. Several were present.

Also a first juvenile of the season. Long-toed Stints are arriving in good numbers, both adults and juveniles.

At this time of year, Wood Sandpiper is the most numerous species on Ishigaki. Juveniles are also turning up one after another.

First juvenile Little Greenshank of the season confirmed as well (foreground).

These are adult Little Greenshanks. A few birds present.

Common Redshank adult in late breeding plumage. Several small flocks of juveniles also arriving.

A flock of adult Wood Sandpipers. In the best areas, dozens are staying in a single paddy field.

Long-toed Stint adult in worn late breeding plumage.

Around ten Red-necked Stints are staying on.

While I was watching the snipe, eleven Pacific Golden Plovers dropped down right in front of me.

Found an adult Pin-tailed Snipe among three snipe. We pulled the car up close, waited until their wariness eased, then began watching.

Before long the Pin-tailed Snipe started bathing.

Wing-stretching after the bath. Moult of the flight feathers does not appear to have progressed much.

During preening I was able to confirm the needle-like tail feathers.

The tail feathers on the other side are clearly visible too.

A different adult Pin-tailed Snipe. A beautiful individual with a strong reddish tone.

The tail feathers of the same individual as above. It was fairly wary and spent much of its time feeding in the grass.

Adult Swinhoe's Snipe. While I was watching the Pin-tailed Snipe, this one flew in from the opposite bank.

A bit compact-looking, but an adult Swinhoe's Snipe.

Same individual as above. It showed me its tail feathers.

Swinhoe's Snipe, adult.

Another Swinhoe's Snipe adult.

Another Swinhoe's Snipe adult. This one and the individual below are additional birds found in the same paddy field three days after the first record of the season.

Yet another Swinhoe's Snipe adult.

Same individual as above. It fanned its tail feathers wide open.

An adult Latham's Snipe. I had a good, fairly close look at it.

The same individual as above. When startled by something, it retreated into the adjacent grass.

It occasionally paused from feeding to rest on a field bank.

It also showed off the tail feathers.

I observed it preening several times as well.

A Latham's Snipe fanning its tail feathers at a Grey-headed Lapwing in a threat display.

A Latham's Snipe lit by the early morning sun.

A juvenile Latham's Snipe seen in Okazaki. The only juvenile of this camp. I wanted to observe it at length, but we flushed it at close range and it flew off immediately.

The first adult Latham's Snipe I saw on this snipe camp. It was distant, but I was thrilled!!

Same individual as above. I was just barely able to confirm the tail feathers as well.

Also found a Greater Painted-snipe.

There were several Green Sandpipers.

As always, Grey-headed Lapwings were recorded in good numbers.

Found a Little Ringed Plover with a curved bill tip. You see it occasionally.

Located a Japanese Wagtail by its call. After waiting a while, it appeared briefly from the grass.

Juvenile Eurasian Skylark. There were many birds hatched this year.

Also observed many juvenile European Greenfinches.

The first Curlew Sandpiper of the season.

Also the first Dunlin of the season — just squeaking in before the end of July. The summer plumage is looking pretty ragged at this time of year.

A few Long-toed Stints arrived among a flock of Wood Sandpipers. First record of the season.

Large numbers of Common Greenshanks arriving, mostly adults.

Little Ringed Plovers are increasing too.

First juvenile Little Ringed Plover of the season.

A small flock of Whiskered Terns was flying around over the paddy fields.

The Javan Pond Heron is still present. In recent years, the number of wintering individuals has been increasing.