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

The Black-tailed Godwit is still very much in winter plumage.

The Pectoral Sandpiper had almost completely changed into breeding plumage.

Long-toed Stint in breeding plumage. Arrived in a group of several birds.

This Long-toed Stint still shows a lot of winter plumage.

Marsh Sandpiper in breeding plumage — really beautiful.

Five Greenshanks together. Each one at a different stage of moult, which makes for an interesting comparison.

Common Redshank in breeding plumage.

Green Sandpiper in breeding plumage. One of my favourite calls among the sandpipers. ^^

Wood Sandpiper also in mid-moult to breeding plumage.

Black-winged Stilt in breeding plumage, male. Around this time of year the breast takes on a pinkish hue, adding to their elegance.

Pin-tailed Snipe. It would not come out into the open at all.

A Swinhoe's Snipe in the same spot as the Pin-tailed Snipe above.

First Striated Heron of the season. In transition from juvenile to first-summer plumage.

Eurasian Spoonbill, adult. An oddly pale individual — the bill and all.

Cattle Egret in breeding colours.

A Ruddy Kingfisher along the prefectural road. I hope they stay clear of the traffic.

The Brown Hawk-Owl is back for this season. This is a male.

The Ruddy Kingfisher near home. The same individual as last year.

Also a Ruddy Kingfisher, at a spot close to home.

A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle hatched last year. A few adult-type feathers are just starting to come in.

Pin-tailed Snipe. Frozen in this position. ^^;

The Common Redshank has largely come into breeding plumage now.

The Marsh Sandpiper has also almost completed its moult into breeding plumage.

A male Citrine Wagtail in breeding plumage. That vivid yellow is stunning.

It rained on and off, but photos taken in that kind of weather really capture the feel of migration on a remote island.

An adult male Eastern Yellow Wagtail in breeding plumage.

Also an adult male Eastern Yellow Wagtail, though not quite in full breeding plumage yet.

A Ruddy Kingfisher near home. Last year I was still seeing it into September, so this is our first reunion in half a year.

Driving along a farm track, a Ryukyu Sparrowhawk overtook me from behind. Searching around, I found the male perched on a power line. It seemed to be targeting sparrows in the grass, but crows kept getting in the way.

A Purple Heron wandered over while I was watching the snipe. It keeps flushing them, which is a real nuisance.

Three Black-faced Spoonbills arrived at two locations.

A typical Pin-tailed Snipe on Ishigaki Island in spring.

There were 13 snipe in total, more than half of which were Pin-tailed Snipes.

Same individual as above.

This one is also a Pin-tailed Snipe.

Same individual as above.

Pin-tailed Snipe again.

Same individual as above.

This type is common too. Pin-tailed Snipe.

Three Pin-tailed Snipes.

Pin-tailed Snipe in the distance. The back pattern says Pin-tailed Snipe. ^^

Same individual as above.

A plump Swinhoe's Snipe.

This one is also Swinhoe's Snipe.

Swinhoe's Snipe preening.

It was probing the ground repeatedly in search of food. After a stay of a few days, it will move on toward its breeding grounds.

In the morning it was actively foraging and preening — a pleasure to watch.

Pin-tailed Snipe.

A Swinhoe's Snipe stretching.

Five Swinhoe's Snipes and one Pin-tailed Snipe.

Pin-tailed Snipe.

Swinhoe's Snipe.

And a Ryukyu Kingfisher while I'm at it.