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

Lately many Eastern Buzzards have been seen on Ishigaki Island, and none of them seem to be the Eastern Buzzards that breed on the mainland, but a subspecies that came over from the continent. The juvenile Peregrine Falcon the other day was also a bird thought to have come from the continent. It is a bird that feels odd, but it is neither an Upland Buzzard nor a Rough-legged Buzzard... ^^;

This year the Swan Goose and the Pheasant-tailed Jacana are also staying, so Ishigaki has many visitors from the continent.

Last year was a year with many Eurasian Sparrowhawks, but this year there are very many Common Kestrels arriving.

The Swan Goose that arrived two days ago and the Pheasant-tailed Jacana that arrived at the end of October are both staying on without trouble.

The first Northern Lapwings of the season reportedly came in early in the morning, about 20 of them, but by the time I visited around midday only 4 were left. All juveniles.

The first Eurasian Spoonbill of the season has arrived together with a Black-faced Spoonbill. Standing next to a Little Egret and the Black-faced Spoonbill, the Eurasian Spoonbill's size stood out all the more.

The Black-faced Spoonbill is a very young bird and perhaps anxious, so it kept following the Eurasian Spoonbill, but when it got too close it was scolded. ^^ Even so, when the Eurasian Spoonbill took off, the Black-faced Spoonbill took off too and followed.

I was watching a Javan Pond Heron when I got a message from my mentor. Three Swan Geese had come into a paddy. I gave up on the Javan Pond Heron photos and rushed to the spot, where the Swan Geese, all adults, were resting in a flooded paddy.

The Swan Geese were relaxed, eating grass and preening, and even when walkers or motorbikes passed they did no more than stretch their necks and did not run away.

After watching for a while, I saw them move to an area that had been puddled and graze on the grass single-mindedly.

This year on Ishigaki, 9 Pheasant-tailed Jacanas have already been recorded, there was a Peregrine Falcon thought to be from the continent, three Swan Geese have come, and a small flock of Eastern Buzzards with continental features has been observed, so many stopover birds from the continent are being seen. Three Bar-headed Geese arrived on Aguni Island, and a Yellow-bellied Tit arrived on Okinawa's main island. I cannot let my guard down about more oddities coming from the continent. ^^

The dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard is back on Ishigaki for its second year. Last year it stayed until March, so I expect it will keep me entertained through the winter again this year.

There was a Malayan Night Heron with a dark iris in a waterway that had been mown and dredged. This bird is far too used to people, so I worry about accidents and the like.