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

First Wood Sandpiper of the season. Summer plumage.

Also summer plumage.

Wood Sandpiper, summer plumage.

Black-winged Stilt, female, summer plumage.

Black-winged Stilt, male, summer plumage.

Greater Painted-snipe, female (left) and male.

Greater Painted-snipe, female, first-summer plumage.

Little Ringed Plover may also have been a first for the season. I've been busy lately and may have missed some records.

Ryukyu Little Bittern, male. Singing. It was moving between several spots within the area and singing at each one.

Breeding colour has come in.

There appear to be two Japanese Paradise Flycatcher chicks. The male parent came to the nest. After feeding them, he carried their droppings away from the nest in his bill.

This is the female parent.

A Brown Hawk-Owl chick that had fledged. It returned to the nest again that same day. Like the Ryukyu Scops Owl earlier this season, it was the first time I had seen this.

The female parent watching over the fledgling.

The male parent a short distance away.

At the Ryukyu Scops Owl nest near my home, only the male is keeping watch, so the chicks are probably still small.

A Ruddy Kingfisher raising chicks in a primary school playground. It was perched in front of the nest hole, giving the impression it was encouraging the chicks to fledge.

The first Ruddy Kingfisher fledgling of the season was at a mango farm.

The eldest of three siblings. It seems able to fly short distances.

This is the second brother. He was nervously making his way along the branches.

A Ryukyu Scops Owl fledgling that left the nest on the night of 24 June. Three days since fledging.

The father of the fledgling above.

Likewise, the mother.

The Ryukyu Scops Owls at a different site from the family above have also fledged. The first chick apparently left on the night of 27 June.

This is a sibling of the one above. It probably fledged on the night of the 28th. It was in the tree next to the individual above.

The father of the two fledglings above.

Likewise, the mother.

A male Brown Hawk-Owl. The female has been appearing more often, so fledging may be imminent.

A male Japanese Paradise Flycatcher brought food to the nest. The prey was small spiders and moths, so the chicks are probably still quite small.

The female parent was sitting on the nest occasionally.

This is the male digging out the nest hole. A late start — will he make it in time for the autumn migration?

Ryukyu Fantail, adult male.

Same individual as above. It was singing frequently while moving at low height, less than one metre from the ground.

Ruddy Kingfisher, male.

A different male individual.

Also a different male individual. They are paired, but have not yet started digging a nest hole. They are in a small patch of greenery — perhaps they cannot find a suitable spot?

Ryukyu Scops Owl breeding at the same nest tree for several consecutive years. This male is strikingly rufous and very handsome.

A male Brown Hawk-Owl standing guard at the nest. The spot sees a lot of foot traffic, but it shows no reaction to people.

Bridled Terns wheeling right in front of me. Three were in breeding plumage and one was in non-breeding plumage.

The crab-specialist Bridled Tern, once it has a target, hugs the ground at ultra-low altitude and creeps up on the crab.

A Bridled Tern that caught a Soldier Crab.

A Bridled Tern eating a Soldier Crab.

When it spots a crab, it wheels sharply and dives.

Soldier Crabs are abundant on Ishigaki Island. Besides Bridled Terns, Whimbrels and Grey-tailed Tattlers also take them.

Fiddler crabs were also on the menu.

The Chinese Egrets are now up to two. They were catching juvenile mullet.

The tide came in and it moved closer.

As the tide approached full, it moved to the rocky area.