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

A male Large Hawk-Cuckoo calling near the top of a casuarina tree. You can hear them calling all over Ishigaki Island, so use this kind of image to guide your search.

Lots of Roseate Terns on the rocky reef where Black-naped Terns always form their breeding colony.

This reef is not often used, but since the reef above is overflowing, there are also plenty of Roseate Terns here along with a few Black-naped Terns.

A recently fledged Pacific Reef Heron still has down feathers on its head. It was still being fed by a parent.

Over the week it stayed, it gradually lost its wariness of people and was relaxed about foraging in the open.

I was also able to get a good look at the Pheasant-tailed Jacana's characteristically large feet.

A Crested Serpent Eagle that came close to the Pheasant-tailed Jacana. This is the individual that breeds in the area closest to town.

This is the Crested Serpent Eagle that turns up near my house. It appeared to have an injury to its right eye.

A Pheasant-tailed Jacana in the paddy fields. When I lost sight of it, it was very hard to find again, hidden among the rice plants.

It kept coming back regularly to a spot with standing water, picking at what appeared to be small snails.

The Black-naped Terns have arrived at the rocky reef where they breed every year. Numbers are still low, but I expect they will build from here.

A Chinese Pond Heron almost fully into breeding plumage. This individual was a bit wary.

A female Cinnamon Bittern that appeared near the paddy field where the Chinese Pond Heron above was seen.

The six Whiskered Terns that had arrived were down slightly in number.

A Black-tailed Godwit also showed up. This individual appeared to be injured — all the toes on its left foot were missing. Perhaps it had an accident with fishing line or something similar.

A Pectoral Sandpiper passing through — the first in a while.

A Common Redshank in breeding plumage. Beautiful.

The Common Greenshank is starting to come into breeding plumage as well.

A Ruddy Kingfisher on the forest track near my house. As usual, it showed no wariness at all.