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

A beautiful Long-billed Dowitcher. Depending on the species, spring migration has already begun. I wonder if the Long-billed Dowitchers will stay long enough to come into summer plumage.

Dipping its bill into the water in search of food. Hard to tell what it was catching.

A few Dunlins were bathing.

From left: Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Teal, Gadwall. The Gadwall's right wing is drooping — is it injured?

A Little Ringed Plover came right up in front of me.

Pacific Golden Plovers were spread across a wide area of the shore.

A male Gadwall. Fully in breeding plumage now.

A female Gadwall. She was moving together with the male above, but still in non-breeding plumage.

2:00 a.m. — a Ryukyu Scops Owl hunting at its usual spot. It had grass seeds stuck to its rump.

I counted four Ryukyu Scops Owls. Given the time of day, I suppose that's about what you'd expect.

After setting up a comfortable car-camping arrangement, I slept too well and didn't wake until around 10. ^^; When I went to use the toilet, an adult male Ryukyu Robin came out to greet me.

I made a rare trip all the way to the northernmost tip of the Okinawa main island — quite a distance, so I don't get there often — and all I had to show for it was a female Daurian Redstart….

First-winter plumage of a White Wagtail (race ocularis). Presumed male.

Is this a female White Wagtail (race leucopsis) in winter plumage?

Two Water Pipits were mixed in with a flock of White Wagtails.

A Grey Wagtail with noticeably white areas. It doesn't look like partial albinism.

Looking from behind, it seems the white is simply the tertials showing.

A pale-looking Bull-headed Shrike. It's far away, and the heat haze is bad, so focus just isn't coming together.

A Buff-bellied Pipit walking around a closely cropped pasture.

I shot the back view too, hoping it might be a Red-throated Pipit, but there was absolutely nothing Red-throated Pipit about it — a thoroughly convincing Buff-bellied Pipit. ^^;

Female juvenile Falcated Duck.

This flock on the shore — they weren't Common Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, or Northern Pintail, so what were they? I thought the neck looked too short for Gadwall, but shot them anyway. Back home, comparing with the field guide, I finally worked out they were Falcated Ducks.

While I was watching the ducks, a Black-tailed Gull started bathing in a tidal pool.

Black-tailed Gull is a common bird on the mainland, but in Okinawa it is a scarce winter visitor.

Three Black-faced Spoonbills were resting.

Common Greenshank, which had been conspicuous on the same shore, had also thinned out in numbers.