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

The Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher, first confirmed on Ishigaki this season, already seemed to have paired up.

Today I tried an EF600mm F4L IS II USM on a SONY α9ii through the Metabones V (MB-EF-E-BT5) adapter for mounting Canon lenses. I came away with a strong feeling that it is usable for bird photography. I plan to write a detailed review at a later date.

The raptors that breed on Ishigaki are the Crested Serpent Eagle, the Black-winged Kite and the Ryukyu Sparrowhawk. Wintering species include the Grey-faced Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon and Osprey.

The Crested Serpent Eagle, which had a very poor breeding season last year, seems to have done well this season, and white juveniles are being seen all over.

Most Grey-faced Buzzards have moved north. The few I still see are all birds born last year that are not taking part in breeding. Some young Common Kestrels also remain in the same way.

Thanks to their strong breeding, raising young several times a year, Black-winged Kites have increased to the point that they can be seen all over Ishigaki. They have also been confirmed on Yonaguni and Iriomote.

A flock of about 20 Eastern Yellow Wagtails had come into a field the raptors use as a hunting ground.

Ohama Beach is a few minutes' walk from home, and I usually only check it with binoculars when I drop my child off at nursery. Today it coincided with high tide, so I photographed it on the way back from nursery. At one point there was a flock of 200 made up mainly of Siberian Sand Plovers, but on this day there were about 40 Siberian Sand Plovers, 5 Greater Sand Plovers, 20 Red-necked Stints, 15 Pacific Golden Plovers, 10 Common Greenshanks, 10 Ruddy Turnstones and 5 Grey-tailed Tattlers.

There was a mix of birds still in winter plumage and birds almost fully moulted into breeding plumage, which made it fun. ^^

A pair of Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfishers has come back this year to the spot where they breed every year. Spotter, a bird guide, first confirmed them on March 26. They come out obligingly every day.

It is rare to see Ruddy Kingfishers steadily on Ishigaki from March, so I am grateful. ^^

Spotter says tours have been cancelled because of the new coronavirus, so you can book a bird guide now. ^^

The Common Hoopoe, Chinese Blackbird and Oriental Plover that had been there until the day before had all gone. With the weather improving, they seem to have departed during the night. (P.S. On the 27th, the next day, Common Hoopoes and others came in again.)

Still, pinning a faint hope on it, I went around Ishigaki and was greeted by birds typical of Yaeyama: Crested Serpent Eagle, Malayan Night Heron, Purple Heron, White-breasted Waterhen and Brown Shrike. While the wintering wagtails were disappearing one after another, I managed to photograph a White Wagtail.

It was not only birds leaving. The Ruddy Kingfisher, whose call I had been hearing for a few days, finally showed itself. I got word from Spotter, Ishigaki's number one bird guide, but by the time we reached the site it seemed to have retreated somewhere.

Reports have come in from others of Ruddy Kingfishers seen, so the Ruddy Kingfisher season on Ishigaki is finally here. ^^