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

Hearing an Asian Koel calling, I scanned with binoculars and spotted a male singing from the top of a she-oak. It looked approachable, so I eased the car forward carefully. Even at 100 metres it showed no sign of alarm. I kept closing in. The track ended about 20 metres short, so I continued on foot, using the undergrowth as cover, and managed to get right beneath the she-oak where the Asian Koel was singing. It seemed unaware of me, and I had a close, impressive view of both the bird and its call. Asian Koel have been recorded here before, but from around 2020 the number arriving on Ishigaki Island in May has increased considerably.

After about ten minutes of observation, a female Asian Koel called from a nearby thicket — there appeared to be two individuals. The male then disappeared, seemingly drawn by the female's call, so I searched the area. A Large-billed Crow, thought to be a likely host for Asian Koel brood parasitism, also appeared to be building a nest nearby. This could be a real chance to confirm breeding!!

Black Drongo have been turning up in good numbers across Ishigaki, Okinawa Main Island and elsewhere in the Nansei Islands this season. The peak has passed, but I counted two birds on this day. I think they will be wrapping up soon.

The Ryukyu Scops Owls that breed near my home every year appear to have started incubating again this year. The chicks should fledge in early July.

Working my way around the rice fields, I heard a Ryukyu Flycatcher calling from the forest edge. Searching for it, I found a male in song. For some reason it also moved into the shrubs at the edge of the paddies.

Visiting Banna Park for the first time in a while, I had good encounters with several Ruddy Kingfishers. Males were conspicuous, which may mean many pairs have already moved into incubation.

I also spotted one Red Collared Dove. Perhaps tired from the crossing, it perched on a wire and occasionally closed its eyes.

In the paddies towards evening, a Ryukyu Sparrowhawk came down onto a farm track and looked around. Watching it, I could see it was targeting a Eurasian Tree Sparrow that had ducked into a thicket.

The Ruddy Kingfishers appear to be progressing well through the breeding season — I can watch them nest-building and courtship-feeding.

A Black-faced Spoonbill has been staying for several days. Chinese Pond Herons in breeding plumage are scattered across various paddies, with several individuals present.

In paddies with open water, Ruff, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper and Whiskered Tern were resting.

The Black Drongo that appeared near my home has been drifting slowly eastward and is now into its fourth day of stay. It is an unwary individual, always perched on the roadside wires. This season has been a bumper year for Black Drongo on Ishigaki Island — on peak days nearly 20 birds were recorded in a single day.

A small flock of Oriental Pratincoles had moved into the paddies. They were working the same area as the Whiskered Terns, but while the terns drifted low and picked insects off the rice plants, the pratincoles were up high, hawking incoming insects.

Black-faced Spoonbill, Eurasian Spoonbill and Chinese Pond Heron have also been dropping into the paddies one after another.

When I arrived at the paddies I was caught in a heavy downpour, but once it stopped, Cinnamon Bitterns began emerging from the grass.

Activity was high after the rain, and I was able to see two males and one female in the same area. The males had started calling, and I managed to get it on video. ^^