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

Pin-tailed Snipe, adult.

Another Pin-tailed Snipe adult. There was one juvenile as well, but it slipped into the grass before I could get a shot… ^^;

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Once set on the ground, the Crested Serpent Eagle known as Kare took off without a moment's hesitation. A blue band engraved with the number "5" for individual identification is fitted on the left leg. This is a valuable record, so please let me know if you spot it in good health.

Strong wingbeats as those involved looked on. The flight path was exactly as hoped — heading straight toward me with my camera raised. ^^

The rescuer and their family with the Crested Serpent Eagle. The right eye cannot see.

A juvenile Greater Sand Plover. It was found in a rice paddy — possibly due to the influence of the typhoon.

A juvenile Common Redshank. It was mixing alone into a flock of Wood Sandpipers.

My first Marsh Sandpiper of the season is transitioning from summer to winter plumage.

Some Common Greenshanks are also showing a little winter plumage.

Wood Sandpipers have been arriving in large numbers — I saw several hundred in half a day. Juveniles have not yet arrived.

Grey-tailed Tattler, first-summer transitioning to winter plumage.

The Ryukyu Yellow Bittern — a bird I encounter almost every day when searching for waders and plovers.

A Common Greenshank still largely in summer plumage.

My first Long-toed Stint of the season.

My first Green Sandpiper of the season, seen distantly.

Common Sandpiper — also a first for the season.

Long-toed Stints have been increasing too.

Black-winged Stilts appear here and there in small groups of a few birds.

Little Ringed Plovers also arrived in a flock of around a dozen.

In strong winds, a female Crested Serpent Eagle was hunting for prey. She has a black ring marked "7" on her left leg, so this is "Mitchan," an individual that was rescued and rehabilitated in the past. She was released in early April this year, and I recorded her in the same area in April and May as well.

At this time of year I encounter Ryukyu Bitterns very frequently. Perhaps the adults are beginning to drive the juveniles out of their territories.

Black-bellied Terns were often seen sleeping, looking tired.

A Great Crested Tern at the fishing port was catching cockroaches. Perhaps they were washed out of the drains by the typhoon rain.

I'd really rather the Great Crested Terns were eating fish… ^^;

Several Great Crested Terns were flying around the fishing port area. Every individual is in the process of moulting into winter plumage. It will be a little while yet before they bring in juveniles.

A slow drive along the usual forest road turned up several Ruddy Kingfishers in a short time.

This is the Ruddy Kingfisher near my home. The fledglings seem to have dispersed — they were nowhere to be found.

Oriental Pratincole, juvenile. Moult is progressing.

This one still has plenty of fresh juvenile plumage remaining.

Wood Sandpipers are increasing in number day by day.