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

After finding the season's first Pin-tailed Snipe the day before , I went back after work to try for shots of the tail feathers. You want the first record of the season to be done properly. While I was there I also picked up the season's first Swinhoe's Snipe — more than a month earlier than usual. Spring migration this year is behaving strangely.

Two Javan Pond Herons are continuing to winter here. Every year I hope they'll stay long enough to come into breeding plumage, but in most years they depart during February. We'll see how this season goes.

I'll be holding the "2nd Ishigaki Snipe Camp" sometime in early to mid-April. A report from the 1st is here → Day 1 , Day 2 , Extra edition .

First-winter Pin-tailed Snipe. Same individual as the previous day.

I have found a Grey-headed Swamphen — a first record!! There were apparently three records on the mainland in the 1970s and one on Okinawa Island in 1995, but all have been ruled as escapes, so there is no accepted record. There is therefore a strong possibility this will become the first accepted national record after further review.

A planned assignment was cancelled, so I reluctantly stopped by the paddies — and found it. At first I thought it was a Watercock, but when I put binoculars on it, question marks started spinning through my head. "Wait, a Takahē?" "No, Takahē can't fly." "Could this be a Grey-headed Swamphen!!!!!!" — and the enormity of it became real.

The genus Porphyrio has several members worldwide; they were formerly treated as subspecies, but after splitting the IOC list now recognises at least seven species. Among them, this bird struck me as closest to the Philippine Swamphen.

In the 2023 eighth edition of the Check-List of Japanese Birds it is listed as a species under consideration. I would like to take this opportunity to write up a report and have it elevated from that status.

When a bird you hadn't even considered turns up, you have no idea what you're looking at…. ^^;

The first Pied Avocet, Spotted Redshank, Eurasian Wigeon, and Northern Shoveler of the season have arrived. I had been hearing Japanese Leaf Warbler by call for several days, but this time I finally managed a photograph.

Pin-tailed Snipe numbers have dropped; today I could only squeeze out a single bird. Swinhoe's Snipe are past their peak but still well represented. Common Snipe are increasing.

Pied Avocet, juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipe have thinned out considerably. Common Snipe are increasing in their place. In terms of numbers, Swinhoe's Snipe are still the most abundant. As usual I concentrated on searching for Pin-tailed Snipe, but found mostly Swinhoe's Snipe.

An individual identifiable as a Swinhoe's Snipe by the face alone.

Found a mixed flock of about ten birds — Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe and Common Snipe. Scanning for Pin-tailed Snipe first, I turned up only two. Most were Swinhoe's Snipe, with two Common Snipe.

From there I settled in to try to photograph tail feathers, keeping an eye on my surroundings so as not to get in the way of the farmers working nearby, while staying focused on the snipe through the viewfinder and binoculars. It is more tiring than you might expect, but when you manage a clean tail-feather shot, it makes for a very satisfying day out. ^^

Pin-tailed Snipe, juvenile. A typical individual — no room for doubt.

Confirmed the first Common Kestrel and Eurasian Teal of the season. Autumn is deepening steadily. The Javan Pond Heron has been staying on for an extended period — there were briefly two in the same paddy, but on this day only one.

Could this be a second breeding attempt for Greater Painted-snipe? Parent birds with small chicks are turning up in paddies here and there.

Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Green Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and three snipe species are all still present, numbers fluctuating.

A juvenile male Common Kestrel with a captured Eastern Yellow Wagtail.

In the same area, the Javan Pond Heron count is up to two birds and the Broad-billed Sandpiper to three, much to the delight of visiting birdwatchers from outside the prefecture.

The Javan Pond Heron count in the same paddy field has gone up to two.

All three snipe species of Ishigaki Island at once. Got carried away and shot Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe and Common Snipe to my heart's content. I've also accumulated quite a good set of tail-feather shots. I'm rather proud of this one. ^^

Pin-tailed Snipe, juvenile, in flight.

I recorded my first Broad-billed Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint of the season — both juveniles. A few Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe were also present. Common Snipe still not showing up as usual.

In the paddies: Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, and Terek Sandpiper.

A small flock of Whiskered Terns was feeding and bathing.

The first Broad-billed Sandpiper of the season, found by my daughter. In autumn it's always a juvenile.

I confirmed the first juvenile Grey-tailed Tattler of the season. Swinhoe's Snipe and Pin-tailed Snipe have crashed in numbers after the typhoon — almost none left. Snipe-watching will have to wait until the next wave arrives.

The Greater Painted-snipe chicks from the first brood of the year are fully grown but still seem to be moving around together as siblings. A second brood is underway and I am seeing adults with small chicks.

A flock of around 200 Eastern Cattle Egrets came into the paddies. Numbers will keep climbing.

First Grey-tailed Tattler juveniles of the season. All five birds in the flock were juveniles.

This is day 2 of the 1st Ishigaki Snipe Camp, and the final day. I would have liked to start at first light, but with children to look after, we got going at 9 a.m.

A Javan Pond Heron greeted us at a nearby paddy — the fourth individual on Ishigaki this season, and the fifth of the season counting the first record for Yonaguni Island.

Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe were in the same paddy, but the light was badly against us and the grass was tall, so we moved early to the spot that typically holds the most snipe on the island and offers the best views.

We worked through several more sites after that, squeezing every last minute out of the final day right up until participants had to leave for their flights. ^^

On day 1 we concentrated on Pin-tailed Snipe, but on day 2 we had a bit more breathing room and made a point of photographing Swinhoe's Snipe tail feathers as well. The sideshow is here.

Pin-tailed Snipe, juvenile. I really love the plumage on this type — it reminds me of a Solitary Snipe. This type is uncommon. There's a video below as well.

I took the liberty of organizing the 1st Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp, complete with a complimentary invitation to Shimasoba-so.

For this inaugural event I was joined by a contributor who writes the field identification articles on snipe for BIRDER magazine. The Pin-tailed Snipes and Swinhoe's Snipes of Ishigaki seemed to hold genuine interest even for a professional eye. During the camp I received a direct lecture on migration timing and moult characteristics of Latham's Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe from the mainland — extremely educational. As someone who writes about identification, the way they put the distinguishing features into words was precise and impressive.

The results were excellent. We observed large numbers of Pin-tailed Snipe and the so-called western-type Swinhoe's Snipe that are commonly found in the Nansei Islands, including both adults and juveniles. Despite spending nearly all our time on snipe, the by-catch was good too: 2 Javan Pond Herons, the season's first juvenile Common Greenshank and juvenile Green Sandpiper, juvenile Red-necked Stints, and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.

On day one I met the participants at the airport at around 1:30 p.m. and had the first Pin-tailed Snipe in the bag just after 2:00 p.m. We watched until 6:00 p.m. I am posting photos of the 10 Pin-tailed Snipes we managed to photograph. Day 2 and the bonus post are covered in separate articles.

I intend to keep running snipe camps in the future. Announcements will appear here on the blog and on social media. The planned timing is around late August, when both adults and juveniles are present and moult variation is at its richest. I would also like to hold one during the spring migration (early to mid-April), when other birds, waders and plovers are enjoyable too, if there is enough interest.

The very first Swinhoe's Snipe of the training camp encountered in conditions like this…. ^^; A valuable adult.

I found a Javan Pond Heron on Yonaguni Island — almost certainly a first record. Veterans who have visited the island for decades have not seen one, and it does not appear in any checklist.

Up to about seven Yonaguni Wood Pigeons came to Tacchigami Rock on the south-east side of the island. What draws them there, I wonder?

On the schoolground of Kubura Elementary School after rain there was 1 Pin-tailed Snipe and 2 Swinhoe's Snipes. The rice fields on Yonaguni have completely dried up, so they presumably have nowhere else to go. A few dozen Pacific Golden Plovers had also come down.

A Javan Pond Heron — a first record for Yonaguni Island. It was at Agariizaki. This individual was fairly wary.

As late August approaches, snipe numbers keep climbing. In the best spots there were around 7 birds in a single paddy field. The Swinhoe's Snipe migration is reaching its peak, so Pin-tailed Snipe are relatively fewer by comparison.

In one week I will be holding the inaugural Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp. Together with snipe-watchers coming from the mainland, I plan to scrutinize every last snipe on Ishigaki.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

The other day I focused squarely on Pin-tailed Snipe tail feathers, so today I went after Swinhoe's Snipe tail feathers. I managed to rack up a good number of individuals. ^^

In the same paddy field there were at least 8 Swinhoe's Snipes and 3 Pin-tailed Snipes. There was another flock of snipe in a neighbouring field, but it was too far away and the heat shimmer was too bad — I will go back and try again another day.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

Pin-tailed Snipes and Swinhoe's Snipes in the paddy fields are steadily increasing. Both species were all juveniles on this day.

I took two local naturalists who wanted to see some birds on a light circuit of the paddies and coast.

Juvenile Swinhoe's Snipe.

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.

Turnover among shorebirds in the fields and along the coast has intensified.

In the rice fields, Curlew Sandpipers in beautiful summer plumage were mixed in with a flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. A Little Stint also in summer plumage has arrived, and nine Black-tailed Godwits have come in, adding to the activity.

Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, and Common Snipe are staying on, including some long-term individuals.

Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, and Marsh Sandpiper are beginning to show noticeably contrasting summer plumage.

Along the coast, large numbers of Siberian Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone, Red-necked Stint, and Eurasian Whimbrel have been arriving.

A Curlew Sandpiper flushed red.

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!!