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

The only-child Brown Hawk-Owl made it through the typhoon and fledged safely. Hope it grows into a fine adult.

The parent birds were side by side keeping watch over the fledgling. Left is the female, right is the male Brown Hawk-Owl. You can just about tell the difference between the sexes. ^^

It was perched beside a walkway where people were passing in the rain with umbrellas and raincoats. Maybe it's not so frightened because it's been watching walkers go by since its time in the nest.

It was raining and very dark, but a modern lens at 400mm can still freeze the shot at something like 1/13 of a second.

The second chick of the Japanese Sparrowhawk. It was moving back and forth between the nest tree, a Sea Almond, and a nearby Ryukyu Pine.

The first chick. Growth is nearly the same as the second chick, but noticeably bolder in its movements.

First chick (right) and second chick.

Resting in the Sea Almond, perhaps to shelter from the rain.

There are large numbers of Large Brown Cicadas around, but it doesn't seem very interested. Before long it will start tracking moving things with its eyes and pouncing on leaves as if they were prey.

A Brown Hawk-Owl chick at the nest entrance. Last night there was a typhoon, but it seems as though nothing happened.

A male Brown Hawk-Owl. This is the first time I've seen it perched on this branch. Nobody visits the park after the typhoon, so it isn't startled by any walkers — this may be its usual lookout spot.

It showed its whole body during the day. It's grown to the point where it could fledge any time now.

It appears to be just one bird this time. It's keeping an eye on me, swaying its head left and right and twisting it around.

Already impressive feet.

A big yawn.

It dozed off for a while too.

At night it watches from above like this as people out for a walk pass beneath the nest tree.

During the day, it was showing just its face.

The male parent standing guard during the day had returned to the branch he used during the incubation period.

The female parent was perched in a tall tree. Both male and female were in different spots from the past few days.

Through a crack in the nest I could see two chicks moving about. One seemed to notice me and watched for a while with a curious look, then turned its back and started wriggling again. Can't wait to get out, I wonder?

The male parent.

Ryukyu Pygmy Woodpecker, male. It came right up close and was tapping away at a branch.