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

September has arrived, and autumn migration on Ishigaki Island is now in full swing. Eastern Yellow Wagtail numbers jumped overnight, and flocks ranging from small to large can be seen in farmland all over the island.

Among the waders, juveniles have started arriving on the heels of the adults. Flocks in fresh juvenile plumage are coming in.

An adult Eastern Yellow Wagtail of the white-supercilium type, transitioning into winter plumage.

I recorded the first Black-faced Spoonbill and Dunlin of the season. The Javan Pond Heron disappeared after about a week.

I have been busy lately and have not been shooting much, but I am keeping up my daily observations. On the island, the terns, owls, Ruddy Kingfisher, and Black Paradise Flycatcher that breed here have finished raising their young. Crested Serpent Eagle and Common Emerald Dove fledglings should be appearing around now too.

The migration that began in mid-July is moving along at its own pace. I expect it to accelerate sharply once we get past the middle of August.

The first Black-faced Spoonbill of the season arrived. It was an easy bird to watch, showing no wariness at all.

A Greater White-fronted Goose has been present for several days now, but for some reason the guide is apparently calling it a Greylag Goose. To me it is clearly a juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose… ^^; A juvenile Tundra Swan has also arrived on its own. On Iriomote, two Tundra Swans and a Siberian Crane are staying as well.

Multiple Pied Avocets have turned up across the island. That day I tallied six birds in total — a group of four and singles at two separate locations. In the paddies, Northern Lapwings, Pacific Golden Plovers, Kentish Plovers, Little Ringed Plovers, Common Greenshanks, Common Redshanks, Wood Sandpipers, Dunlins, Common Sandpipers, Green Sandpipers and Black-winged Stilts are all wintering.

This season I had already confirmed the subspecies leucopsis and ocularis White Wagtails, but this day I was finally able to see the subspecies alba White Wagtail. That is pretty much how it goes every year.

A juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose. Why does it get misidentified as a Greylag Goose?

Following last week's visit when I was able to see a Willow Warbler, I was on Yonaguni-jima again for work. I made sure to fit in some birding between assignments. ^^

Nothing as noteworthy as last time, but it was striking to find small groups of Black Paradise Flycatchers all over the place. I was of course hoping for Indian Paradise Flycatcher too, but unfortunately didn't come across any likely candidates…

Discovered a flock of Japanese Paradise Flycatchers beside the park car park.

The day before, I had found only one Pin-tailed Snipe on my usual paddy rounds, but numbers were up today. It doesn't feel like a second wave — more likely they were simply hiding in the grass and I missed them.

Pin-tailed Snipe juvenile.

By mid-September the Pin-tailed Snipe numbers are falling and Swinhoe's Snipe are coming to dominate. After this, a second wave of Pin-tailed Snipe is expected.

Juvenile Red-necked Stints have started arriving. Long-toed Stint, Common Greenshank, Dunlin, and Superb Lyrebird are also present.

The only Pin-tailed Snipe of the day was at the far end of the paddy field — a long way off….

On Ishigaki Island, the autumn wader passage is growing more active by the day, with both species and numbers on the rise.

In the paddies I recorded the first Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, and Long-toed Stint of the season. Little Ringed Plover juveniles have also arrived. Wood Sandpiper can be seen in flocks of several dozen birds across various paddy areas around the island. Common Greenshank are also passing through in good numbers. Four Whiskered Tern — the first of the season — had arrived as well.

The first Curlew Sandpiper of the season.

Three Pied Avocets have been staying for several days. Single birds have also been found elsewhere, so they may have dispersed from the flock of eleven that arrived in November.

The first Black-tailed Godwit of the season has turned up. Also wintering in the paddies: Common Greenshanks, Common Sandpipers, Green Sandpipers, Dunlins, Common Snipes, Black-winged Stilts, Common Redshanks and Wood Sandpipers.

Three Pied Avocets delighting visitors to the island.

Two Black-faced Spoonbills are roaming and staying around the island. As it gradually starts to feel like autumn, Garganey, Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail are also increasing.

Adult Black-faced Spoonbill.

The first Mandarin Duck of the season has arrived. It was a male in eclipse plumage.

Male Mandarin Duck. It's in eclipse plumage, so it doesn't look very Mandarin-like.

The Ruff that has been staying since last month. When it is not in the paddies, it apparently moves into the irrigation channels. Common Redshank, Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Dunlin, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, and Wood Sandpiper are all still present.

Reunited with a Ruff. Apparently when they're not in the paddies, they're in the irrigation channels.

I went out to scout for the 3rd Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp. That said, these are rice paddies I check every day, so I already have a fair idea of who's around.

First records for the season: juvenile Broad-billed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, and Dunlin. All three are season firsts as juveniles.

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile. A dark individual — or rather, one with a strong brownish tone. Every now and then you get a Swinhoe's Snipe like this.

First Dunlin and Pacific Golden Plover of the season confirmed. The Dunlin was a single bird; the Pacific Golden Plovers were a flock of nearly ten.

Dunlin with winter plumage beginning to show in patches.

Shorebirds are wintering along the coast and in the rice paddies. The most numerous are Greater Sand Plovers, Siberian Sand Plovers, and Ruddy Turnstones on the coast. Unusually for Ishigaki Island, a flock of Grey Plovers is also wintering.

Shorebird numbers in the paddies this season are low; species present include Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, and Green Sandpiper.

Little Stint, winter plumage.

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.

Ruff have turned up at several sites, almost all juveniles. The regulars — Red-necked Stint, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshank, and Long-toed Stint — are present in paddies everywhere. Dunlin have started to appear as well.

The first Pacific Golden Plovers of the season arrived in small flocks of juveniles. Around the park and cattle sheds, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Red-billed Starling, and White-shouldered Starling are also increasing.

A juvenile Ruff.

Confirmed the first Dunlin of the season. In the paddies there were Long-toed Stint, Red-necked Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Black-winged Stilt, among others. On the coast there were also good numbers of Pacific Golden Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey-tailed Tattler and Greater Sand Plover. Whiskered Tern could be seen in flocks of a few birds up to around twenty at various points across the island.

First Dunlin of the season. It was a juvenile.

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.

Following the previous two adults, a juvenile Ruddy Shelduck has now arrived. The adults were extremely wary, but this juvenile showed almost no wariness — perhaps a sign of its youth — and was easy to observe.

The Greylag Goose has been staying a long time; it looks like it may well winter over. Taiga Bean Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, and Common Crane are also still present.

On the coast, small numbers of Siberian Sand Plovers, Kentish Plovers, Pacific Golden Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Common Greenshanks, and Dunlins are staying on. In the paddies, Spotted Redshanks, Black-winged Stilts, Wood Sandpipers, Long-toed Stints, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, and Common Snipe are conspicuous. Whiskered Terns — both adults and juveniles — are also still present.

This season, the starling family is represented by several species but numbers are low.

Dusky Thrushes, Pale Thrushes, Brown-headed Thrushes, and Eyebrowed Thrushes have started arriving.

The third Ruddy Shelduck of the season was a juvenile — in the process of moulting from juvenile plumage into first breeding plumage.

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.