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

A Common Blackbird turned up in a good patch of habitat. Looks like it may stay a while.

A flock of five Japanese Thrushes in a small grassland. Completely focused on foraging, not wary at all. Judging by how hungry they seem, they must have just arrived.

I was able to observe them up close at eye level.

I think a photo of Common Cranes with a pineapple field as the backdrop is something quite rare.

A Ryukyu Bittern appeared at the paddy bund.

A Purple Heron appeared right in front of the Ryukyu Bittern above.

A Common Snipe showing only its upper half.

From around late February, Common Ringed Plover arrivals have increased considerably. Already in summer plumage.

White Wagtails heading north are also passing through Ishigaki Island.

The overwintering Grey Wagtails are well into their moult, and have started gathering loosely in small groups. Migration must be approaching.

Confirmed a Merlin — a scarce species in the Southwestern Islands.

Distant Siberian Stonechat, but in the small-bird world spring still seems a long way off.

Around six Garganey on the reservoir, moving around together with wintering Mallards, Eurasian Wigeons, and Northern Shovelers.

Several Dusky Thrushes perched in scrub along the coast.

A Crested Serpent Eagle calmly lying in wait for prey in its usual territory.

A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle in the same area as the adult above. Every time the adult spots it, it gets an earful… ^^;

A Crested Serpent Eagle that holds territory in Banna Park. Most individuals here are used to people and have an easygoing temperament, but this one is a wary adult.

An adult Malayan Night Heron. Nuptial coloration is beginning to show.

A Malayan Night Heron hatched last year, in the process of moulting from juvenile to adult plumage.

A different individual from the one above. Moult progress differs noticeably.

A Chinese Pond Heron that has been lingering since last autumn. Still fully in winter plumage. About three birds are staying in the same paddy field, and none of them has advanced in moult.

Seven Bramblings arrived. The males had already changed into their beautiful summer plumage.

Hard to tell with the females, but are they also in summer plumage?

Four Garganey arrived at the paddy field. When Garganey appear, spring really feels close.

Wood Sandpipers heading north are starting to move through. Still only small flocks.

Common Greenshanks on passage are still few, but numbers are definitely picking up.

Wintering Common Snipe. Several birds are lingering in a small wetland.

As spring approaches, do they fill with energy and start fighting more?

It shows no wariness, so it can be watched at close range. It was finding cockroaches one after another.

The Eurasian Hoopoe, charming in appearance, is quite the hearty eater. There seem to be many cockroaches lurking in the grass on Ishigaki Island, and it was plunging its long bill into the ground and catching them one after another.

I also witnessed it being chased by a crow on several occasions.

A Eurasian Hoopoe that flew up into a branch, startled by a passing vehicle.

Scenes of it walking along the top of the artificial log were also frequently observed.