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

Three Javan Pond Herons turned up. While I was watching one, two more burst out chasing each other from among the rice in a nearby paddy. As happens every year, once Javan Pond Herons have been around for a while on Ishigaki in autumn, Chinese Pond Herons follow. Two Javan Pond Herons are also currently staying on Okinawa main island.

Encounters with Cinnamon Bittern — adults and juveniles alike — are becoming more frequent. It is the season when numbers peak after the breeding period ends. Purple Heron adults and juveniles are also showing up regularly.

Pin-tailed Snipe seem to be increasing gradually. I confirmed the first juvenile Black-winged Stilt of the season.

Passed through Banna Park. I had good encounters with multiple Ruddy Kingfishers. One adult was feeding a fledgling that had grown to nearly adult size.

The Crested Serpent Eagles are in the final stages of raising their young. The beautiful white-plumaged juveniles should be appearing soon.

I also recorded the first Grey Wagtail of the season — a small group of four.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow chicks that had been breeding in the nest box on my house have also fledged. The garden is lively these days.

I found three Pin-tailed Snipe — the first of the season!! The three were together, so they may well have come through last night.

Besides snipe, the paddies now hold Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Long-toed Stint, Wood Sandpiper, and Whiskered Tern. Migration is well and truly under way.

For moult notation, from this season I will be adopting the WRP System (Wolfe–Ryder–Pyle System).

I recorded the first Black-faced Spoonbill and Dunlin of the season. The Javan Pond Heron disappeared after about a week.

I have been busy lately and have not been shooting much, but I am keeping up my daily observations. On the island, the terns, owls, Ruddy Kingfisher, and Black Paradise Flycatcher that breed here have finished raising their young. Crested Serpent Eagle and Common Emerald Dove fledglings should be appearing around now too.

The migration that began in mid-July is moving along at its own pace. I expect it to accelerate sharply once we get past the middle of August.

I went back to my home prefecture for the children's summer holidays. I took the chance to look for Latham's Snipe but drew a complete blank. Still, I got to see Japanese Wagtail, Eurasian Skylark, Grey-headed Lapwing, and Black Kite — birds not found on Ishigaki — so I can't complain.