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

The last Ruddy Kingfisher of the season fledged successfully. I found the nest on June 24, confirmed 2 eggs on July 3, and the chicks fledged on August 12 and 13 in quick succession.

There has been large-scale development in the area, and perhaps because suitable nest sites were scarce, the pair nested in a Formosan subterranean termite colony in a horsetail casuarina tree alongside a fairly busy road. I worried about traffic accidents right after fledging, but they made it safely and disappeared into the shrubs on the ranch.

I recorded my first Grey Wagtail of the season — the usual time of year, the usual spot.

Crested Serpent Eagles are approaching their fledging season too, and the adults are turning up regularly in farmland and cultivated fields.

A Ruddy Kingfisher chick that fledged on the 12th. This was taken on the 13th, the second day after fledging, and it was already flying about fairly freely.

Still stalking Pin-tailed Snipe the day after, trying to get shots of the tail feathers. And then — incredibly!! — I managed to get video with the call of a Pin-tailed Snipe!! It's shaping up to be another wonderful autumn migration season!!

I recorded my first Marsh Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper of the season. Common Redshank and Whiskered Tern had also arrived.

An extremely close Pin-tailed Snipe. Preying on a cricket.

Day three of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana's stay. After the rain cleared, Ruddy Kingfishers and Crested Serpent Eagles were out and active.

With rain coming and going, the Ruddy Kingfisher was actively foraging.

Many Ruddy Kingfisher pairs are incubating or raising chicks, but numbers are high this year so I'm running into them all over the place. The earliest broods should be fledging around the end of this month.

Crested Serpent Eagles are also raising young. Rice harvesting and summer sugarcane planting have started, so there are more chances to watch them hunting.

The Ryukyu Scops Owl that took over a tree hollow where honeybees had nested two years ago appears to be breeding in the same spot again this year.

A Ruddy Kingfisher in the park. Completely unafraid.

Some of the earlier Ruddy Kingfisher pairs appear to have already started laying, but the local pair near me was still nest-building. Another pair is always moving around together and hasn't started excavating a nest hole yet. No courtship feeding observed either.

The Japanese Sparrowhawk is also approaching breeding season. I often see birds circling over their territories, and their calls are heard frequently.

The Crested Serpent Eagle seems to be incubating, so encounters are less common, but I came across two individuals this day.

A Ruddy Kingfisher near my home. It was in the middle of nest-building.

Chicks from a Black-winged Kite pair that entered breeding around the end of the year have now fledged. There were two this time. Black-winged Kites breed regardless of season, but a breeding attempt starting at year's end may be a first in my experience. Their reproductive drive is remarkable.

Two fledged successfully this time. After leaving the nest they practised flying — including receiving prey from their parents in mid-air — and have by now reached the point where they can hunt for themselves.

A Crested Serpent Eagle nearby was attacked by one of the adults and chased off somewhere. ^^;

A Black-winged Kite fledgling that has become quite a capable flier.

Thinking it would soon be departing on migration, I went to look at the dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard for the first time in a while. It first arrived on Ishigaki Island as a juvenile in 2018, and has returned to the same rice field every year since — this is its fifth season. I hope it keeps coming back.

A Peregrine Falcon is wintering in the rice fields. Eurasian Coots and Eastern Cattle Egrets are being taken regularly.

The dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard, returning for the fifth consecutive year since it was a juvenile.

A quick burst of birdwatching in a spare moment. Crested Serpent Eagles are active and encounters with both adults and juveniles are frequent. Common Kestrels are wintering all over the place.

Two Black-tailed Gulls were at the fishing harbour, apparently eyeing up bait from the anglers.

Northern Lapwing flocks have appeared in various locations. The largest was over ten birds. Red-billed Starlings and Dusky Thrushes come to the compost heaps in the sugarcane fields every day.

A Crested Serpent Eagle eating a habu.

I finally photographed the Crested Serpent Eagle near home that I had kept missing. It appears regularly in the field right in front of the house. There were 42 Mallards at the dam — quite an unusual number for Ishigaki Island.

A Crested Serpent Eagle I often spotted from my living room. It's always being hassled by a Common Kestrel.

Black-winged Kites are seen in numbers on a given day, with many pairs apparently moving into breeding. Crested Serpent Eagles are also in the early stages of breeding, and calling between individuals can be observed. The number of birds visible is high.

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

Wishing everyone a happy new year.

The new year got off to a rough start — the entire family came down with COVID-19 right at the beginning of the holidays. We couldn't go anywhere, and I spent the time in bed until the 8th. ^^

My first birding of the year was on the 9th. Overwintering since last year: Common Crane, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Shelduck, Tundra Swan, Korean Kestrel, Grey-faced Buzzard, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, thrushes, wagtails, Amur Stonechat, Chinese Pond Heron, and four species of starling.

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."

At year-end, having coughed up blood to get all my copy filed before the end of the year, I squeezed in a short final birdwatch for 2022.

Entering December, Dusky Thrushes, Brown-headed Thrushes, and Pale Thrushes had increased sharply. Most of the Dusky Thrushes were Naumann's Thrushes, and the variation in plumage tones makes comparing them a pleasure in itself. Brown-headed and Pale Thrushes have also relaxed since shortly after arrival and are easier to observe.

Manchurian Bush Warblers and Dusky Warblers were calling from patches of scrub here and there, though slightly fewer than last year.

Daurian Redstart, Amur Stonechat, Red-throated Pipit, and Eastern Yellow Wagtail are also wintering.

In addition to the three Ruddy Shelduck already present, four Common Shelduck also arrived. Tundra Swans, Common Cranes, and Eurasian Spoonbills continue to stay on.

Among the ducks, Northern Shoveler were the most numerous, followed by Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Teal, and Tufted Duck. Ferruginous Duck has not been confirmed this season.

Large numbers of Common Snipe are wintering; among roughly 200 counted across multiple paddies, there was one Swinhoe's Snipe.

Crested Serpent Eagles — both immatures and adults — have become easier to see. Road casualties will increase from here on, so care is needed when driving on Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island.

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

The dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard that has been wintering on Ishigaki Island for five consecutive years has become easier to observe. It may be showing itself in prominent spots because it is facing off against a neighbouring individual in an adjacent territory.

Korean Kestrels are numerous this season, with three individuals confirmed. Continental birds must be bold — none of them shows any wariness at all.

A dark-morph Grey-faced Buzzard visiting for the fifth consecutive year. After a long while, I was finally able to photograph it in sunlight.

The Greylag Goose that appeared about ten days ago is still here. Alongside the Greylag Goose, Ishigaki currently hosts a Lesser White-fronted Goose, a Greater White-fronted Goose, a Taiga Bean Goose, a Tundra Swan, and a Common Crane — quite an unlikely lineup for a southern island.

The juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle was the ninth individual of the season. A very active bird, it was catching prey in the rice paddies and mown grasslands.

Caspian Terns have also been coming in over the past few days. They usually stay for a while each year but rarely winter over. On the coast, Siberian Sand Plovers, Kentish Plovers, Little Ringed Plovers, Pacific Golden Plovers, Grey-tailed Tattlers, Common Greenshanks, and Ruddy Turnstones are present in fluctuating numbers.

I had already seen a flock of five Greylag Geese at the end of last year on Okinawa Island, but this was my first encounter with the species on Ishigaki Island.

A Tundra Swan arrived for the first time in about two years. Last time it stayed until spring — I wonder how long this one will stick around. It shows almost no wariness, so it would be great if it settles in for a long stay.

Crested Serpent Eagles are becoming more active ahead of the breeding season. I've been hearing them calling back and forth and often seeing them soaring over their territories.

Chinese Pond Herons are overwintering at several locations. Once they step into the grass they blend right in and become very hard to spot.

Eurasian Coots increased sharply after November began. Two years ago they were frequently attacked by Upland Buzzard. This season an Eastern Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, and Peregrine Falcon are all present, so it looks like it will be a tense winter for the coots.

For waders, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Long-toed Stint, Common Snipe, and Wood Sandpiper are all staying on.

I recorded my first Gadwall of the season. Tufted Duck and Eurasian Wigeon numbers are also building up at the dam.

Tundra Swan for the first time in two years. It doesn't seem particularly wary.

Found the sixth juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle of the season. It was relatively unwary and I was able to observe it at close range. With juveniles I keep the watch brief so as not to interfere with their foraging.

In the paddy fields, an Eastern Marsh Harrier appeared and startled the Pheasant-tailed Jacana. The Pheasant-tailed Jacana present since 12 October retreated into the rice and would not come back out…

A beautiful juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle.

Following yesterday, I found the second Pectoral Sandpiper of the season. This time conditions were good for both observation and photography.

The first Northern Lapwings of the season — a group of around ten, all juveniles. On Ishigaki Island at this time of year, Northern Lapwings are almost always juveniles.

I couldn't get photographs, but Red Collared Doves, Pechora Pipits, and Eurasian Skylarks were also seen.

The second Buff-breasted Sandpiper of the season. Like yesterday's bird, this one was also a juvenile.

The Pheasant-tailed Jacana found on 12 October is still present, six days on. A tractor came through to work the field but the bird seemed largely unbothered and kept foraging.

The two Lesser White-fronted Geese are also still here — today is day ten. They continue to associate with the Taiga Bean Goose as before. Twelve Greater White-fronted Geese also arrived and briefly joined the group, but they eventually parted ways and are keeping to themselves.

Juvenile Pheasant-tailed Jacana. It showed no fear of the tractor and was snatching prey turned up by the fieldwork.

今季初のチョウゲンボウを確認しました。アカハラダカやハヤブサも確認されています。

While watching the sandpipers, they were flushed by a juvenile Common Kestrel. ^^;

今季3羽目でやっと撮影できたカンムリワシ幼鳥。道路でキシノウエトカゲを食っていた。

カンムリワシの飛び出しで事故が増える時期になってきたので、島内ではゆっくり走りましょう。

Juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle. It was surrounded by several crows.