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

A flock of Greater White-fronted Geese was in a small field. They were drinking irrigation water, but the space is far too cramped for 11 birds. Adult in the foreground.

Juvenile. I wonder what it's eating?

Four juvenile Greater White-fronted Geese.

An adult Greater White-fronted Goose threatening a Cattle Egret that was following along behind.

Just one Bean Goose alone in the paddy field.

Northern Shoveler (foreground) and Eurasian Teal.

Several dozen Tufted Ducks on the dam.

A Little Grebe surfaced nearby.

It caught several mole crickets probing through the soil. I couldn't make out any sign of the mole crickets tunnelling and pushing the earth up. Can it detect them by sound or vibration?

This Chinese Pond Heron showed little interest in people or cars, but was wary of the Grey-faced Buzzard.

Stepping softly, carefully, so as not to alert the mole crickets.

Another mole cricket caught.

A Chinese Pond Heron catching mole cricket after mole cricket.

At closest it came within a few metres.

A single Bean Goose in a paddy field a little way off.

A Caspian Tern flying against a backdrop of mangroves. A scene you can only get in Okinawa.

The Caspian Tern flock had dropped by one, down to five birds.

Caspian Terns resting on the tidal flat.

The Caspian Tern is nearly a match for the Osprey in size, but it was startled by the Osprey's dive and flew away.

Sitting still, a Common Sandpiper came right up in front of me. Top left: a crab flying through the air. ^^;

A Whimbrel caught a crab too.

Swallowed whole — claws, legs and all.

A Far Eastern Curlew, usually quite wary, came close as well.

The rocks that serve as the Ospreys' favourite dining table.

Just before spotting prey and tipping into a dive.

A few metres to the water's surface.

Thrusting its feet forward, talons spread wide — two in front and two behind — it plunges into the water.

The body submerged about a metre underwater.

After a few wingbeats the Osprey lifted clear of the water. It had hold of a large Black Porgy.

Ospreys always seem to catch fish that look delicious.

This Osprey caught a Giant Trevally.

The Osprey that caught the Giant Trevally ate beside the one that caught the Southern Black Bream.

Without any particular conflict, the two Ospreys used the same rocky area.

As the tide came in and the rocks began to flood, a Pacific Reef Heron appeared between the two Ospreys. Was it after the small fish going for the Ospreys' scraps?

With the tide nearly full and the rocks submerged, it flew off somewhere carrying the half-eaten Giant Trevally.

The Osprey that had been eating the Southern Black Bream flew off too.

Barred Buttonquail — the moment the bell rang, both birds rose to face each other.

The grappling started immediately.

Barred Buttonquail, neither giving an inch, biting at each other's faces.

A third Barred Buttonquail runs past behind the two fighting birds. That's how densely packed with Barred Buttonquail the field was.

Both birds with desperate expressions, each trying to pin the other down.

The individual on the right is larger and has the upper hand.

Moments later it was over, and the bird on the left fled.

Four Barred Buttonquail in a single frame — three in the foreground and one more to the right in the vegetation behind.

Four Barred Buttonquail here as well. Hard to make out, but the fourth bird is visible in the sugarcane field behind, showing only its back.

Barred Buttonquail are about the same size as Eurasian Tree Sparrows. The two species are often found at the same feeding spot. If you see sparrows, watch for a while and a Barred Buttonquail that has lowered its guard will often appear.

One less wary individual kept coming closer and closer.

A Zitting Cisticola probing between sugarcane stalks with its bill, searching for food.

A White Wagtail with a large beetle larva that looks like a substantial meal.