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

A female Brown Hawk-Owl. The brood patch is visible.

The male Brown Hawk-Owl returning close to the nest after driving off a crow.

The female Brown Hawk-Owl returning to the nest.

The tree hollow seems to be shallow — you can see her sitting on the eggs. No wonder the crows found her.

The male back at his regular lookout post.

The White-breasted Waterhen family finished bathing quickly, then followed their parents into the sugarcane field and disappeared from view.

This White-breasted Waterhen was seen on a different day, preening on a branch jutting out over a river.

A Ryukyu Kingfisher in red and white — quite a celebratory look. This one is a female.

This is what the back and left side of the face look like.

This is the male of the pair. Again, the facial expression is noticeably different between male and female.

Black-tailed Godwit, female, first-summer plumage.

Black-tailed Godwit, male, summer plumage.

All Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in breeding plumage. The two on the left are adults; the one on the right is in first-summer plumage.

Common Redshank in breeding plumage.

At the Okinawa Rail site, I found an individual roosting almost as soon as I arrived.

A male Ryukyu Robin on guard near the nest.

When other robins approached, the male would drive them off. He showed no reaction to people.

A Ruddy Kingfisher roosting on exactly the same spot, the same branch as last year.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl loitering around the nesting tree of a Elegant Scops Owl. Like the Elegant Scops Owl, the female of this species is probably incubating at this time of year.

Sankakuike had few birds, but I was able to see Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Long-toed Stints in summer plumage.

This Sharp-tailed Sandpiper still had winter plumage remaining.