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

A Japanese Paradise Flycatcher pair moving around together. They will probably build a nest somewhere in this area.

A Ruddy Kingfisher nest-building. It was excavating a hole in the nest tree of a Ryukyu Scops Owl — I am curious to see how things develop.

Towards evening a Brown Hawk-Owl hunting along the forest road. The female of the pair was also nearby.

Same individual as above. Flying insects are completely invisible to the human eye in these conditions, but the Brown Hawk-Owl clearly has no such problem — it was making successful catches one after another.

An individual presumed to be a Steppe Buzzard. It looked thoroughly fed up with being harassed by crows in the rain.

A Brown Shrike still lingering. They typically stay on until after Golden Week.

The second Chinese Egret of the season. It was showing its familiar behaviour of chasing fish at the water's edge.

Three Black-faced Spoonbills are staying. Apparently there were as many as five at one point.

A female Ryukyu Striated Heron. Neck stretched, keeping watch on its surroundings. Lip-licking is a characteristic behaviour of the Ryukyu Striated Heron — I wonder what it means.

A Ryukyu Striated Heron in among the dried grass.

A lone female Eurasian Teal left behind by the migrating flock. Nearby was a single male Northern Shoveler.

A Bar-tailed Godwit in summer plumage that suddenly dropped in alongside Black-winged Stilts and Black-tailed Godwits near the end of a shorebird search. Looking sharp in that summer plumage.

A Pectoral Sandpiper among a flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. It flew into my binoculars while I was watching Pin-tailed Snipe.

I also came across a Little Stint — not often seen in large numbers on Ishigaki.

On the coast, a Curlew Sandpiper in summer plumage.

In the rice paddies, a Curlew Sandpiper mid-way through its moult into summer plumage.

A Broad-billed Sandpiper was in the same paddy.

A dream combination came together: Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, and Little Stint, left to right.

A Common Greenshank also moving into beautiful summer plumage.

Three Common Redshanks arrived. Some birds overwinter here, but these are part of the passage.

Grey-tailed Tattler in fresh summer plumage — as good as it gets.

The third Pin-tailed Snipe of the season.

Long-toed Stints on the thin side too. A bit worrying.

Wood Sandpipers past their peak, lingering in small scattered numbers.

Black-winged Stilt, adult male in summer plumage. The large flock has gone; around ten birds are staying on, cycling through.

Black-winged Stilt, first-summer plumage.

Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in summer plumage. Small flocks of a few birds turning up at several spots.

A Marsh Sandpiper looking tired — perhaps just arrived. Beautiful summer plumage.

Black-tailed Godwits also moving into summer plumage. Large waders won't come down to the island unless the weather turns rough…

A few Great Knots on the coast.

About ten Terek Sandpipers arrived.

The Common Sandpiper is always alone even during migration season. Does it not migrate in flocks?

Ruddy Turnstones are present year-round, so I cannot tell whether they are migrants or winterers, but their numbers do fluctuate.

Greater Sand Plover numbers have dropped.

As Greater Sand Plovers have declined, Lesser Sand Plovers have increased in number.

A male Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher. Its bill has wood chips on it from digging out a nest hole.

Same individual as above. Stunning.

Ryukyu Kingfisher, female. Paired with the individual above.

A male Ryukyu Minivet— I often see it flying about actively.

A female Ryukyu Minivet. She was following the male around.

A male (left) and female Ryukyu Minivet. I wonder if they will nest somewhere around here.

A Chinese Pond Heron that has been staying since last autumn. The moult is progressing.

A Cattle Egret caught a frog. Also present are Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, and Grey Heron.

Two Swinhoe's Snipe, apparently stopping over mid-migration.

Also what appears to be a Swinhoe's Snipe on migration. This individual was quite wary.

A Common Snipe that flew in and landed. I could only get the upper half in the frame… ^^;

Also a Common Snipe. Appears to be a migrant passing through.

White-breasted Waterhen are active too, with birds calling back and forth during the breeding season.

Several hundred wintered here, but at this time of year only a handful of Tufted Ducks remain.

This Tufted Duck may be injured — it has been seen along the same bank for several days.

The wintering Eurasian Coots are also down to just a few.