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

Out birdwatching with my five- and eight-year-old children. Got some good photos too. ^^

Six Pied Avocets staying at multiple sites.

Red Collared Doves have turned up at various spots around the island. The largest flock I saw was nine birds, roughly half male and half female.

Wintering Common Kestrels are also increasing, and a nearby water area had growing numbers of Little Grebe and Eurasian Coot — these too will be wintering on Ishigaki.

The Crested Serpent Eagles have finished breeding and are now easier to find in open habitats such as paddy fields.

A male Pale-backed Pigeon. Looking worn out after a spell of rough weather.

A quick stop at a rice paddy near the town centre turned up White-shouldered Starling, Red Collared Dove, Chinese Pond Heron, Red-throated Pipit, Eurasian Skylark, and Eastern Yellow Wagtail. Being able to fit in some birdwatching even in a short spare moment is one of the great things about Ishigaki Island. ^^

A female Daurian Starling appeared right in front of me.

The Collared Kingfisher on Ishigaki has been staying a long time. Its daily routine is settled, and it really feels like it will see the new year in. Caspian Terns and Black-headed Gulls are also visiting the beach where the Collared Kingfisher is found.

In nearby rice paddies, the first Taiga Bean Geese of the season were confirmed — a flock of six. Chinese Pond Herons, Red Collared Doves and Common Starlings are also present. It is all right on the doorstep, so there is plenty to enjoy there during the times when the Collared Kingfisher is not showing.

A Collared Kingfisher resting at its high-tide roost. Shot from behind cover because of the close distance.

Red Collared Doves turned up at two locations, four birds in total. Grey Wagtail is also a first for the season. From here on, migrants with a distinctly autumnal feel will keep arriving on Ishigaki one after another.

Painted Snipe were at two locations — two males and two females. In this paddy it was one male and two females.

Red Collared Dove confirmed at three locations, five individuals in total — four males and one female. Greater Crested Tern numbers have grown to around 30. They will increase further, and just before they move on to the breeding grounds the count typically exceeds 100.

The Ruddy Kingfisher that had been nesting near my home had its nest tree blown down in the heavy rain. It is still early in the season, so I hope they find a good new spot.

Pink-necked Green Pigeon, male.

Working my way around the rice fields, I heard a Ryukyu Flycatcher calling from the forest edge. Searching for it, I found a male in song. For some reason it also moved into the shrubs at the edge of the paddies.

Visiting Banna Park for the first time in a while, I had good encounters with several Ruddy Kingfishers. Males were conspicuous, which may mean many pairs have already moved into incubation.

I also spotted one Red Collared Dove. Perhaps tired from the crossing, it perched on a wire and occasionally closed its eyes.

In the paddies towards evening, a Ryukyu Sparrowhawk came down onto a farm track and looked around. Watching it, I could see it was targeting a Eurasian Tree Sparrow that had ducked into a thicket.

A singing male Ryukyu Narcissus Flycatcher.

Two Black Drongos turned up at a different location from the three seen the other day. That makes six individuals this season. Birds are also appearing on Iriomote Island and Okinawa Main Island at the same time. Across the Nansei Islands, numbers seem higher than usual.

Red Collared Dove arrived as a male and female pair. After a heavy downpour, the female stopped showing, but the male was foraging on the ground.

The Ruddy Kingfisher near my home sees me so often every day that it pays me no attention at all. I also managed to get video of it singing and dancing.

A Black Drongo after a downpour. It sat motionless on a branch tip — apparently drying its feathers.

Crested Serpent Eagle juveniles are few this season. One has settled in a small paddy field but is in constant conflict with a Common Kestrel.

Red Collared Doves are staying at several locations.

A juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle fleeing after being startled by a Common Kestrel.

Lesser White-fronted Goose, Siberian Pipit, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, and Caspian Tern all photographed for the first time this season in one go. Red Collared Doves continue to stay at multiple locations.

Common Snipe numbers are growing as birds settle into wintering mode. Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, and Common Redshank are also wintering in the island's paddies, though in small numbers.

Among raptors, Crested Serpent Eagle is becoming easier to find, and Common Kestrel, Grey-faced Buzzard, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, and Peregrine Falcon are all increasing.

Pale-capped Pigeon male juvenile. Spooked by raptors and not coming down into the paddies.

Four Red Collared Doves at two sites; Arctic Warblers in thickets here and there; Yellow Bittern again doing well as it did last year, seen frequently. The starling flock, in order of abundance: White-shouldered Starling, White-cheeked Starling, Common Starling, Common Myna. Until a few days ago Red-billed Starling and Rosy Starling were with them, but the group seems to have split up. Six Asian Glossy Starlings are mixed in as well.

Geese and ducks are gradually increasing. In addition to the more numerous Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler, and Eurasian Wigeon, Falcated Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Garganey, Greater White-fronted Goose, and Lesser White-fronted Goose have also been recorded.

Eurasian Coot, first noted at the end of October, keeps increasing. Wader numbers in the paddies are declining — Black-winged Stilt, Temminck's Stint, Common Snipe, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Green Sandpiper, and Common Sandpiper.

First confirmed juvenile Cream-coloured Dove.

Red Collared Dove numbers have been slow to build this season, but several have finally come in — around six individuals confirmed so far.

Black-winged Kites have recently been appearing in groups: two adults and one juvenile. On this day two were careening over the paddy fields and scattering all the small birds.

Crested Serpent Eagle juveniles are down in number this year, but encounters with adults are gradually increasing. The calls carry clearly from my house as well.

Small birds are also visiting the farmland. Red-throated Pipit, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, and Brambling confirmed — the Brambling was my first photograph of the species this season.

Two male Cream-coloured Doves. A female had also been present a few days earlier.

Two juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers arrived — beautiful birds in crisp fresh plumage. While I was watching them, a Black-winged Kite showed up earlier than usual. It didn't hunt and disappeared quickly. ^^;

The first Red Collared Doves of the season — three birds — arrived, but they seemed on edge because of the raptor and were hard to observe.

A juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

One Pheasant-tailed Jacana arrived. Summer records of Pheasant-tailed Jacana fall roughly between late May and the end of June.

A Red Collared Dove also turned up — numbers have been low this season. Two years ago was a banner year, with flocks of twenty-plus birds coming through, but last autumn and this season have been quiet.

The Whiskered Tern peak seems to have passed, but birds are still trickling through. An out-of-season Black-headed Gull was also noted. It appears to be a different individual from last week's bird.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana, first-summer plumage.

Following last year, Ruddy Shelduck has arrived again this year. This season there are two birds and they are extremely wary.

The Red Collared Dove from the other day has now been here for 10 days. It's probably unable to move on due to bad weather.

The Pied Avocet present since 26 October is also still lingering — 10 days for that bird as well.

It was skittish, taking flight every time a rental car approached.

House Sparrow has arrived on Ishigaki Island for the second consecutive year. Last year it was confirmed on 3 November in a pineapple field. This time the record is from a rice paddy.

As the rice harvest progresses, Red Collared Doves are becoming easier to see.

A Red Knot was in the rice paddies. It is most often seen on the coast, but it occasionally drops into paddies as well.

A House Sparrow, appearing again after last year. Within Okinawa Prefecture, in 2018 I found a male on Okinawa Island at Itoman City — the first island record — and last year (2021) I found a female in central Ishigaki Island. This time, unfortunately, it was not my own find; it was discovered by a birdwatcher visiting from outside the island.

Opportunities to see Red Collared Dove are increasing. Pied Avocet is also turning up at multiple sites.

Yellow Bittern appears to be numerous, as it was last year. As a side note, last November was a miraculous year in which all Japanese members of the bittern genus were seen within a single month — Black Bittern, Von Schrenck's Bittern, Yellow Bittern, and Cinnamon Bittern!!

The snipe remaining on Ishigaki Island are now almost entirely Common Snipe.

A male Pink-necked Green Pigeon.

A Red Collared Dove arrived, male and female, and were feeding on unharvested rice alongside Oriental Turtle Doves.

The first Amur Stonechat of the season confirmed in the paddy field area. In strong winds it appeared to be foraging, moving from branch to branch.

Geese and ducks are increasing. Garganey in particular seem numerous this season — they are being recorded all over the paddies. A Mallard also arrived, which is unusual for Okinawa. The two Lesser White-fronted Geese have now been here two weeks, joining up with Taiga Bean Geese and Greater White-fronted Geese to form a group of 26.

Adult male Eurasian Collared Dove. Going back and forth between the power lines and the paddies.

シラコバトが石垣島に現れました。島では珍しいです。大陸から南下してきたのでしょうか。

ベニバトもまだ数は少ないですが、渡りが始まっており観察できるようになってきました。

田んぼでは繁殖を終えたスズメやシマキンパラが群れになりつつあり、数を増やしています。キジバトはまだ繁殖中で2〜3羽ほどで行動していることが多いです。

石垣島では8月に入れば、シギやチドリも含めて渡りが活発化してきます。

Adult Eurasian Collared Dove. It was picking up fallen grain in a harvested paddy field along with several Oriental Turtle Doves.

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.