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

Short-eared Owl in the rice fields. This individual doesn't mind people, so it's easy to watch — but I don't want to disturb its hunting, so I kept the record shots to under a minute.

A Crested Serpent Eagle in a spot I don't usually see them.

A juvenile Grey-faced Buzzard scanning the grassland for prey.

Greater Crested Terns swallow small fish on the wing, but this Monocle Bream was too large, so the bird carried it to the water's edge. Looking closely, I could see it tearing off the obstructive dorsal and pectoral fins with its bill.

Once the troublesome fins were off, it set about swallowing the fish — which still looked like quite an ordeal.

It took a while, but the bird finally managed to get it down.

Common Gull, adult winter plumage. Common Gulls turn up on Ishigaki Island only about once every ten years, so this was a happy find.

Sanderling and Kentish Plover, hunkered down in a hollow to escape the strong wind.

Red-necked Stint, first-winter plumage. There were about three of them.

Long-toed Stint, first-winter plumage. There are fewer overwintering birds this year.

Little Ringed Plover, first-winter plumage.

A beautiful leucistic Chinese Bulbul.

In the evening light it feels more lutino than albino.

A Chinese Bulbul in flight. Still white!!

Eating the berries of Callicarpa shikokiana. There's also a normal Chinese Bulbul in the lower left.

This is a normal Chinese Bulbul, eating Schefflera berries.

Five Greylag Geese with a Tundra Bean Goose (right) and a Bean Goose (third from right). The Bean Goose is of the small type, so possibly the tundra form. All adults. The individual thought to be a Lesser White-fronted Goose appears to have separated from the flock.

Two Grey-lag Geese — this was back at the end of last year when there were only the two of them.

Grey-lag Geese in the rain. They made it through the new year. I wonder how long they'll stay.

I was listening for Emberiza calls when a Reed Bunting appeared right in front of me. You don't get to see these on Ishigaki.

Same individual as above. It looked around for a while, then flew off.

Meadow Bunting, male. A flock of about ten was moving in and out of view.

Meadow Bunting, female.

Rustic Bunting, male. There were a few of them in a small flock.

Rustic Bunting, female.

Eurasian Skylark was also present in a small flock.

A Buff-bellied Pipit in the distance. That was the only pipit.

I heard Oriental Greenfinch calls, then spotted two birds far off.

I saw Bull-headed Shrikes here and there, but this individual was the closest one. It was hunting something like a Common Skimmer nymph.

A Spotless Starling among the White-cheeked Starlings.

Dusky Thrush were fewer than usual — though I only visit once a year, so… ^^;

A few Northern Lapwing were moving around in loose association with Grey-headed Lapwing.

Grey-headed Lapwing were as numerous as ever. They were just casually present in paddies along a busy prefectural road.

The only shaper confirmed was Wood Sandpiper. Fewer than usual, it seemed.

Carrion Crow, from my family home window. This is the first time a Carrion Crow has appeared on this blog. There are no records of Carrion Crow on Ishigaki.

A pair with the individual above. Sex unknown.