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

A female Daurian Starling appeared right in front of me.

This one is the male.

The male Pink-necked Green Pigeon was mixed in with a flock of Oriental Turtle Doves. A familiar sight on Ishigaki-jima.

A Chinese Pond Heron that has been wintering since last year. At least two are in the same paddy field.

Eurasian Skylark is a rare visitor not only to Ishigaki-jima but across Okinawa as a whole. While watching a flock of Red-throated Pipits I heard a call, so I searched from one end and found it.

Around 50 Red-throated Pipits are currently staying.

They are in various stages of moult, and many individuals still show strong reddish tones.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, first-winter. About 20 of these were moving together with the Red-throated Pipits.

Grey Wagtails appear on Ishigaki Island every year, but this was a rare chance to see two individuals at the same time, so I made the trip all the way to the north of the island to observe them.

I observed them together with my daughter. We were also able to hear the Grey Wagtails' call notes at close range.

They appeared to be feeding on compost piled up in the field. They moved back and forth through the grass.

A Grey Wagtail on the compost pile.

I also managed to capture a rare photograph showing two Rock Bush Chats together.

A Glaucous-winged Gull — a first record for Japan. It had been staying for a long time and had moulted from juvenile into first-winter plumage.

At a rice paddy I stopped by on the way back, a Pied Avocet was by itself.

Ring-necked Duck, male breeding plumage. Following a record on Miyako Island in 2023, this became the second record in the prefecture — a valuable sighting.

It is sleeping, but the Ring-necked Duck is the one in the middle. All the others are Tufted Ducks. Once your eye adjusts, you can spot it straight away.

When it lifts its head, the difference between the Ring-necked Duck and the Tufted Ducks is immediately obvious.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, first-winter plumage.

Long-toed Stint, first-winter plumage. Numbers have been increasing lately. Perhaps the return migration has begun.

A Striated Heron, unusual for Ishigaki Island. I was also able to hear its call.

The two Tundra Swans are still present.

An Osprey came to bathe. It seemed to be wary of me, so I left the area promptly.

A Brown Shrike that has wintered in my workplace car park every year since it was a juvenile. Several years on, it has grown into a fine adult male.

A Siberian Rubythroat in the morning, moving through the undergrowth while giving its call note.

Siberian Rubythroats are pretty much like this. Ryukyu Robin is even harder — I could only confirm it by voice…

A Korean Bush Warbler appearing in the grass.

These three Korean Bush Warblers were moving along a forest edge.

A Japanese Bush Warbler found on a forest road.

A Pale-legged Leaf Warbler also detected by its call note. I was able to get a brief look at it as well.

Yellowhammer Yellow-throated Buntings in a flock of about 10.

A solitary Black-faced Bunting detected by its call near the settling pond. Rustic Buntings and Little Buntings were also present, but I couldn't get a photo.

There were three Richard's Pipits at Higashizaki. Feels like I haven't seen them in a while.

A White's Thrush on the farm track by the rice fields.

Also confirmed a few Red-flanked Bluetails.

A fair number of Daurian Redstarts are wintering.

Pale Thrushes are wintering in considerable numbers across a variety of spots, from within the village to cemeteries, farmland, and forest roads.

Although fewer than Pale Thrushes, Japanese Thrushes are also wintering here.

Dusky Thrushes are concentrated in the south pasture.

Common Mynas are increasing in number year by year. In the evenings, Sonai is noisy with Common Mynas roosting on utility poles.

Purple Herons are relatively scarce on Yonaguni Island. This time I found only one individual, a juvenile.

Common Kestrel, first-winter plumage. A completely unafraid individual.

A Common Sandpiper on the lawn. Rice paddies have nearly disappeared on Yonaguni Island, and sandpipers and plovers are almost absent.

Around 30 Pacific Golden Plovers flew in to the school lawn. They may have taken shelter from the heavy overnight rain.

A White's Thrush in the rice fields. It is noticeably larger than Pale and Brown Thrushes, and the bold patterning adds to its presence.

A Pale Thrush appearing in my garden every day.

A Pied Avocet on an extended stay.

Red-necked Stints arrived in a small flock.

Little Ringed Plovers in a flock of about 20.

About 20 Common Snipe wintering.