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

Took two apprentice birders who live on the island out for about four hours of birdwatching. We came across juvenile Greater Sand Plover and Common Redshank — first juveniles of the season for both species. Together with Kentish Plover and Little Ringed Plover, that brings the juvenile wader tally to four species for the season.

A juvenile Greater Sand Plover. It was found in a rice paddy — possibly due to the influence of the typhoon.

Typhoon No. 3 passed through without causing major damage, but even after it reached the western side of Taiwan the wind continued to make itself felt in the Yaeyamas.

In the rice paddies, wader numbers increased considerably — Wood Sandpipers were present in flocks of several dozen wherever I went. Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, and Long-toed Stint were all up in numbers too, making for a lively scene.

A Common Greenshank still largely in summer plumage.

The Northern Boobooks have fledged. Pair formation was later than usual this year, so fledging was delayed too. I wonder whether one of the pair has changed.

Ruddy Kingfisher fledging is finished everywhere now, and the adults are catching their breath. The fledglings are still within their parents' territories but are catching prey on their own.

Cinnamon Bittern chick-rearing is also over, and juveniles are appearing in rice paddies here and there. Juvenile Purple Herons that have become independent are also starting to show up in the paddies. Chinese Pond Herons and Black-faced Spoonbills are arriving on autumn passage.

Waders are beginning to move through little by little. As autumn migration gets into full swing, numbers and species will keep increasing.

Terns are in the thick of chick-rearing. Black-naped Tern chicks that are roughly one to two weeks post-hatch are starting to be seen.

The last fledgling of the season for the Brown Hawk-Owl. There were still some remaining in the nest.

The Ruddy Kingfishers that were breeding near my home had fledged before I noticed. I confirmed three fledglings that can now fly.

Malayan Night Herons have also fledged. I confirmed two juveniles that have been out of the nest for some time. Three or so Cinnamon Bittern juveniles were in a flooded paddy. The adults' calls were audible too.

Oriental Pratincoles apparently bred at a quarry on private land — there were around 30 birds in total, adults and juveniles together. Two Little Ringed Plover juveniles as well. There is a possibility they bred on Ishigaki Island.

The Ruddy Kingfisher just a stone's throw from home fledged around three chicks again, as it did last year.

When I arrived at the paddies I was caught in a heavy downpour, but once it stopped, Cinnamon Bitterns began emerging from the grass.

Activity was high after the rain, and I was able to see two males and one female in the same area. The males had started calling, and I managed to get it on video. ^^

A male Ryukyu Cinnamon Bittern appeared in a conspicuous spot once the downpour stopped. Nuptial coloration is showing.

A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle, which has been hard to find reliably this season, was out in the farmland. A Common Kestrel that has been present for several days seems to have taken a liking to the pasture and was hunting in a relaxed manner.

The Javan Pond Heron has been staying a long time, but the recent pattern is for it to leave around March, before shifting into breeding plumage.

Six Pied Avocets are staying at four sites. How long will they stick around?

Juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle. I heard its call and went looking — and there it was.

Javan Pond Heron, Malayan Night Heron, and Cinnamon Bittern confirmed. Chinese Pond Heron and Yellow Bittern are also still present.

Javan Pond Heron in winter plumage.

The Javan Pond Heron staying since late August was still feeding with no sign of wariness.

Cinnamon Bitterns are dispersing — this year's fledglings are turning up all over the place. Many individuals are crossing roads, and I have witnessed two traffic casualties in the past month.

One White-winged Tern was mixed in with a flock of Whiskered Terns.

A Javan Pond Heron with zero wariness. It has now been staying for over a week.

The season's first Javan Pond Heron and White-browed Eastern Yellow Wagtail have arrived. Javan Pond Herons will trickle through from here on, while the Eastern Yellow Wagtails will suddenly surge in numbers.

This year's Cinnamon Bitterns appear to be dispersing; individuals in the same area have been thinning out.

Javan Pond Heron with a tadpole it had caught. First record of the season.

With Typhoon No. 6 moving away from Ishigaki Island, I did a patrol of the rice paddies. Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, and Red-necked Phalarope had all arrived for the first time this season.

I recorded my first juvenile Wood Sandpiper and Long-toed Stint of the season. Common Greenshank and Little Ringed Plover numbers were also up.

Cinnamon Bitterns breed on the island, and I am encountering recently fledged juveniles more and more often.

First Pin-tailed Snipe adult of the season.

While driving near my house, a light van that had just passed me struck a Cinnamon Bittern.

It was unable to move on the road, so I took it in. Its condition was poor and I feared the worst, but remarkably, after about 24 hours it had recovered enough to stand on its own. Herons really do have a strong will to live.

For food I used tadpoles of the Yaeyama tree frog, which live in large numbers in the biotope in my garden. Typhoon No. 6 was closing in on Ishigaki Island, so it was a race against time, but I managed to release the bird safely.

An adult male Ryukyu Bittern immediately after being rescued.

Three juvenile Cinnamon Bitterns were in rice paddies in the same area — likely three siblings. A juvenile Purple Heron was nearby. In the forested hills, Malayan Night Herons are breeding; two fledglings appear to have left their parents.

A juvenile Ryukyu Least Bittern. The feathers are ragged — moult seems to be proceeding rapidly.

The long-awaited autumn wader migration has begun. Six Long-toed Stints have arrived. A few Wood Sandpipers as well. Black-winged Stilt and Common Greenshank are present in small numbers sporadically throughout the year. Little Ringed Plover has also arrived.

First Wood Sandpiper of the season. Summer plumage.

The rice fields are lively with migrants, though the spring shorebird passage feels like it may be winding down. In good weather, birds seem to be turning over every two or three days.

Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, Little Stint, and Broad-billed Sandpiper — all popular birds — are still present.

A Pin-tailed Snipe foraging along a paddy bund, mixed in with several Swinhoe's Snipe.

The Pectoral Sandpiper first recorded on 15 April is now into its fifth day. It is spending its time among a flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Autumn juvenile records are the norm, so a spring adult is a rare find.

Several Pin-tailed Snipe are also staying at multiple sites. Spring records of Pin-tailed Snipe are very scarce, making these birds equally valuable. They are approachable and allow extended observation — great fun. ^^ Swinhoe's Snipe and Common Snipe are also present.

The season's first Whiskered Tern arrived, following a tractor as it puddled a field.

A precious spring record of Pectoral Sandpiper.

After several consecutive clear days, bird numbers on Ishigaki had been dropping — but today's heavy rain brought in all sorts of things.

In the same area of paddies, Little Curlew, Pectoral Sandpiper, and Pin-tailed Snipe all turned up together. And a miracle: Little Curlew and Pectoral Sandpiper in the same frame!!

Little Whimbrel and White-rumped Sandpiper together. I don't think I'll ever get this combination in a single shot again!!

The three Ruddy Shelducks already on the island have joined up together. Two more have also arrived, bringing the total on Ishigaki to five — a record high.

While I was watching the Ruddy Shelducks, a Eurasian Spoonbill came down. It's likely the individual that has been moving around the island since last month.

I had just spotted a Von Schrenck's Bittern and was waiting at the edge of the rice field where it had vanished in an instant, when a Cinnamon Bittern walked over from the adjacent paddy. A little while later, just as the Cinnamon Bittern seemed to have entered the rice too, it flushed the Von Schrenck's Bittern out…

The Von Schrenck's Bittern dropped into a fallow field a short distance away, but the grass was too tall to see anything. I had to be somewhere else soon, so I left the rest to my friends. Apparently, once a farmer started working the field, both a Von Schrenck's Bittern and a Eurasian Bittern flushed!! All sorts of things are hiding out here — Ishigaki really is a joy to bird. ^^

Ruddy Shelduck — juvenile (background) and adult.

今季初のウズラシギを確認。4羽ほどで飛来していました。

クロハラアジサシは数日前から徐々に数を増やしています。トラクターについて回って巻き上げられた水生生物を捕まえているようでした。

リュウキュウヨシゴイは成鳥、幼鳥とも見やすくなっています。

ほかにも田んぼには、タカブシギやセイタカシギ、アオアシシギ、ヒバリシギ、トウネンなどが滞在中。

First Sharp-tailed Sandpiper of the season. Moulting into winter plumage.

今季初となるコアオアシシギとヒバリシギの幼鳥を確認しました。成鳥に少し遅れて、ぞくぞくとやってきています。

ツバメチドリは石垣島内繁殖してる群れではないと見られる個体を確認。

リュウキュウヨシゴイは巣立ったヒナたちが親元を離れ出し、出会う機会が増えてきました。

First Long-toed Stint juvenile of the season.

石垣島の野鳥たちの繁殖は連日の記録的な雨の影響を受けつつも順調に進んでいます。

リュウキュウアオバズクとリュウキュウコノハズクは、それぞれ1ペアの巣が大雨で水没したようで繁殖失敗していました。

そのほかのリュウキュウアカショウビン8、リュウキュウコノハズク4、アオバズク3、サンコウチョウ2、リュウキュウツミ3の繁殖は順調に推移しています。

ツバメチドリは孵化率が低いような印象。エリグロアジサシとベニアジサシは抱卵中。繁殖の早いコアジサシは巣立ちビナを連れて飛び回っています。リュウキュウヨシゴイは親離れした幼鳥を今季初確認しました。

先日のソリハシセイタカシギ は2羽から1羽に減りましたが、まだ滞在しています。

稲刈り後の田んぼにはキジバトに混じってベニバトが飛来していました。こちらは秋の渡りシーズンに向けて増加し、幼鳥も見られるようになります。

Male Ruddy Kingfisher.