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

The dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard that came last year as a juvenile. The bird known as the Black Grey-faced Buzzard has come to the same place again this year to winter. I was relieved to see it fully adult. ^^ It is as wary as ever.

When I found it in the morning it was far away, so I stopped by again in the evening and it was perched relatively close.

At least two adult dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzards winter on the main island of Okinawa, and they may be arriving about now this year too. The dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard in the south. The dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard in the central area.

The Amur Stonechat from the other day is still here. In the flooded paddies, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Teal and Eastern Spot-billed Duck come and go. They arrive and then disperse around the island.

At the settling pond there were Northern Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Teal, Little Grebe and others.

I found a small flock of Oriental Reed Warblers in a paddy. At least four were moving through the silver grass and weeds. It's the first time I have seen four at once on Ishigaki during migration. I have also seen them on Yonaguni during spring migration but didn't get photos, so this is the first time I have photographed them this clearly in Okinawa. ^^

However, every one of these Oriental Reed Warblers had plumage browner than any Oriental Reed Warbler I have seen so far. I wondered whether they were a different subspecies from the ones I usually see and checked the literature, but the details are unclear.

In the paddies in the same area, Red-throated Pipit, Red Collared Dove and Common Starling are staying. I was birdwatching with my child, so I've left out the photos. Sorry... ^^;

Black-winged Kites on Ishigaki have been breeding steadily, and about 20 now live on the island. They are present at almost all the paddies and pastures where you would go birdwatching. The chances of meeting them are especially high in the morning and evening.

Crested Serpent Eagles have also finished breeding and rice harvesting has started in the paddies, so I am encountering them more often. As last year, the number of juveniles is low this season.

Common Kestrels are numerous. They show up everywhere. When I'm watching Eastern Yellow Wagtails, Siberian Pipits or Oriental Turtle Doves, it's the Common Kestrel that comes along and scatters the flock. ^^;

The first Caspian Tern of the season arrived at the rice paddies. Caspian Terns in the paddies move on quickly, so I contacted my birding friends right away. The first friend rushed over, and before long the bird flew off to the east. But while we stood there talking for about ten minutes, the Caspian Tern actually came back. The next day there were two Caspian Terns on the coast. ^^

In the evening, at another paddy, backlight and poor light made a suspicious-looking juvenile marsh tern. But when I photographed it and looked closely, it was a juvenile Whiskered Tern.