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

A pair of Black-winged Kites. These individuals showed little wariness.

Same individual as above.

A Crested Serpent Eagle foraging in a rice field. It was wandering about on foot.

The moult is progressing and the juvenile look is starting to fade from the face.

If it stays until March, I should get to see that beautiful rosy colour.

Around the end of the year I often saw large flocks of White-shouldered Starlings, but lately it's mostly groups of just a few birds. Maybe they've spread out across the island?

Female Siberian Stonechat. Small numbers are wintering here.

An individual that looks distinctly odd — probably a Western Yellow Wagtail or an Eastern Yellow Wagtail. That said, there are cases where first-winter Citrine Wagtails moulting into summer plumage also show white below the eye.

Same individual as above. The bright blue-grey of the head and the white throat are striking.

Same individual as above, in the centre.

This one is a perfectly ordinary (Yellow-browed) Eastern Yellow Wagtail, first-winter.

Also a (Yellow-browed) Eastern Yellow Wagtail, first-winter. No Citrine Wagtails mixed in.

White Wagtail (ocularis), first-winter.

Also a White Wagtail (ocularis), first-winter.

A White Wagtail that caught my attention.

Also a White Wagtail.

White Wagtail (ocularis), first-winter.

White Wagtail (leucopsis), first-winter.

Around 20 Red-throated Pipits.

They tend to stay hidden in the grass like this, which makes observation tough.

Even when they come out onto the ridge, they're so far away…

For New Year's, you can't leave out a juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle — the bird celebrated in the Okinawan song "Washi nu Tui-bushi."

Lesser Kestrel, juvenile. Wintering in the same spot. An individual with no wariness at all — easy to watch.

Common Kestrel, juvenile. This one also showed no wariness whatsoever.

A Hen Harrier appeared while I was watching the Rosy Starling. It seemed to be eyeing the starling flock but failed. Please, just don't hunt the Rosy Starling… ^^;

Black-winged Kite, juvenile.

Grey-faced Buzzard, juvenile. It was catching grasshoppers in a mown pasture.

Three Chinese Pond Herons are staying at two locations.

A wintering Hooded Crane. Lately it has been moving from feeding site to feeding site almost every day.

Ruddy Shelduck, juvenile. Starting to come into first alternate plumage.

Marsh Sandpiper, first-winter plumage.

Northern Lapwing. A flock of about ten birds, all juveniles, currently staying in the area.

Swinhoe's White Wagtail, first-winter plumage. Two birds were among a flock of about twenty White Wagtails.

A different individual from the one above — Swinhoe's White Wagtail, first-winter plumage.

White Wagtail (leucopsis), adult male.

White Wagtail, adult male.

A wintering male European Stonechat.

A Common Starling associating with Common Mynas.

The Common Mynas were in a flock of a dozen or so birds. They were eating Ficus (gajumaru) berries.

Naumann's Thrush, adult. The tail feathers were almost completely missing.

Dusky Thrush, first-winter.

Blue Rock Thrush, male, first-winter.

The most vividly coloured Naumann's Thrush of the day. An adult.

Naumann's Thrush, first-winter plumage.

This one has quite a smoky tone.

Pale Thrush, first-winter plumage.

Pale Thrush, adult winter plumage.

White's Thrush, first-winter plumage.

Korean Bush Warbler. It lurks in the kind of scrubby undergrowth you find anywhere. The call note carries well, but getting a clear view is another matter.

A Radde's Warbler photographed at relatively close range.

It appears to be eating something like a scale insect. It was also preying on spiders and small insects.

Judging by these tail feathers, I wonder if first-winter plumage is the right call.

A female Daurian Redstart. A small number are wintering on the island.

A female Siberian Stonechat. A small number are also wintering on the island.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, first-winter plumage. Adults are rarely seen.

Three Red-throated Pipits. Numbers are down this season.

The Ruddy Shelduck count reached a peak of five, but three are currently wintering.

Four Common Shelducks arrived, spread across two locations.

A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle seen reliably lately.

Adult Crested Serpent Eagle.

Adult Purple Heron.

A wintering Swinhoe's Snipe finally found after going through some 200 Common Snipe across multiple paddies. I was determined to find one before the year was out and searched single-mindedly — utterly exhausted by the end. ^^;

Common Snipe, first-winter plumage.

A flock of Common Snipe. On Ishigaki, flocks of 10 to 30 birds are wintering.

Male Greater Painted-snipe.

Multiple Eastern Marsh Harriers are wintering on the island this season, so encounters are frequent.

Two Tundra Swans also making a long stay. The individual on the right appears to have injured one leg.

Male Eurasian Wigeon, transitioning from juvenile to first-winter plumage.

Adult female Eurasian Wigeon. Non-breeding plumage.

Adult male Eurasian Wigeon, moulting from eclipse into breeding plumage.

Adult female Northern Pintail. Non-breeding plumage.

Adult female Eurasian Teal.

Male Tufted Duck. First-year?

Common Redshank, first-winter plumage.

Dunlin, first-winter plumage.

Common Greenshank, first-winter plumage.

White-faced Plovers roosting in a flock.