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

A male Japanese Scops Owl. I've had a long acquaintance with this individual.

White-winged Terns in breeding plumage were flying back and forth over the paddies, picking off prey.

Six White-winged Terns — all in breeding plumage. Wonderful to see them all matching like that. ^^

A first encounter in a long while with an Eastern Yellow Wagtail. It still appeared to be in winter plumage.

Only this one Pin-tailed Snipe remained of the snipe. We'll have to wait until late August for snipe again.

Wood Sandpipers were so numerous I barely paid them any mind, but as the migration season winds down, their numbers have thinned.

A Red Knot transitioning into breeding plumage. Three appearing at the same time is unusual.

A Great Knot also showing a little breeding plumage coming through.

A Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage, with deepening reddish tones.

A Pied Avocet also turned up in the paddies. It was alone.

A few Whimbrels appeared too. They were catching Okinawa mud lobsters — washed down from the mangrove stands upstream by the heavy rain the other day, most likely.

A few Terek Sandpipers confirmed as well.

Grey-tailed Tattlers were the most numerous.

Ruddy Turnstones are present year-round, but numbers have been fluctuating as migrating individuals join the flock.

The Red-necked Stints were still in full winter plumage.

A Greater Sand Plover pulling out what appears to be a geophilomorph centipede from the sediment washed in by the previous day's heavy rain.

The Oriental Pratincoles in the paddies were bathing. Water has been let into the field they seemed to be eyeing for breeding. They'll probably move on soon.

A Black Drongo with zero wariness. It was catching flying insects.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl standing watch. If eggs have already been laid, the chicks should fledge in early July.

A Black Drongo perched in a guava tree. It was completely unafraid.

It was flying about, fluttering and preying on dragonflies and bees.

A Black Drongo that caught a bee.

Oriental Pratincoles are known for aerial foraging, but this one was in rest mode and didn't take off.

A Swinhoe's Snipe observed at just the right distance.

Another Swinhoe's Snipe. It had been moving around together with the one above.

The two Swinhoe's Snipe from above, side by side.

Are the Oriental Pratincoles trying to breed in this paddy field? They show no sign of moving on.

A few Little Ringed Plovers have also arrived.

A small flock of Pacific Golden Plovers is staying on.

A few Black-bellied Terns had arrived.

This is a Black-faced Bunting found on Iriomote Island. There were about three of them. The Ruddy-breasted Crake I was hoping to see never showed up… ^^;