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

Found the first Pectoral Sandpiper of the season. Red-throated Pipits are also increasing but still difficult to photograph.

Garganey seem numerous this season — they are being recorded in paddies all over the area.

A strong north wind, almost typhoon-like, was blowing, and Barn Swallows had come down to rest on the farm tracks.

First Pectoral Sandpiper of the season — 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.

Temperatures have dropped and ducks are increasing. First Northern Shovelers and Eurasian Wigeons of the season confirmed. Northern Shovelers also arrived in July, but this will be the first as proper migrants.

The peak of wader migration has passed, but the paddies still hold Temminck's Stints, Red-necked Stints, Long-toed Stints, Swinhoe's Snipes, Common Snipes, Wood Sandpipers, Common Greenshanks and others.

First Northern Shoveler of the season. Juvenile male.

A juvenile Pheasant-tailed Jacana dropped into a paddy field. It appeared to be feeding on small freshwater snails. In a normal year they turn up between late October and early November, so this one is a little early.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana moulting from juvenile into first-winter plumage.

Twelve Greater White-fronted Geese joined the group of two Lesser White-fronted Geese and one Taiga Bean Goose that arrived on 8 October, making for a lively gathering all at once. I forgot to photograph them, but several Northern Shovelers also arrived.

Two Lesser White-fronted Geese that have been present for four days.

The Grey-faced Buzzard migration has begun. It is still early days, but the movement is already well under way. On this day, by around 4:00 p.m. the entire sky within view was filled with Grey-faced Buzzards.

An adult female Grey-faced Buzzard flying over the city.

A Pechora Pipit has turned up!! It tends to hide deep in the grass, making it the hardest pipit to photograph. I heard its call, waited at the spot where it landed after flushing, and it came out for just a moment.

The Pied Avocet that arrived last month is still here — it has been in the same rice field for more than three weeks.

Managed to get a full-body shot of a Buff-bellied Pipit despite the obstructing grass. The primary projection beyond the coverts and the white stripes on the back are key features.

With a strong north wind blowing, two Lesser White-fronted Geese and one Taiga Bean Goose arrived. Lesser White-fronted Goose is quite rare on Ishigaki-jima, but following last year, this is the second consecutive year they have appeared.

Two Lesser White-fronted Geese arrived together. They looked tired, perhaps having just come in from migration.

I went to Nagoya for a post-operative check-up after cervical spine surgery and did some birding while I was there. After three years of trying, I finally got to see Western Sandpiper. I also observed Broad-billed Sandpiper, Great Knot, and Red-necked Stint.

Along with the Western Sandpiper, Baikal Teal and Japanese Wagtail were lifers for me.

The Little Stint was at first sitting and resting in a hollow, but there was something about it that felt slightly off. ^^ Still, once it mixes into a flock of Red-necked Stints it gets difficult.

I went to see the Plaintive Cuckoo I had been tipped off about the day before. I expected it to disappear into the undergrowth and not come back out, but instead it flew lightly around an open area like a Barn Swallow, apparently catching small insects on the wing.

Autumn migration on Ishigaki-jima was excellent last year, with rare birds turning up one after another from November, and I have a feeling this season will be even better.

So far this season on Ishigaki-jima, Black-naped Oriole, Ashy Drongo, Daurian Starling, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, and Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch have all appeared.

One buff-coloured variant individual was mixed in among a flock of Ishigaki Brown-eared Bulbuls. It stood out considerably — for a moment I thought it might be a real rarity.

Little Bronze Cuckoo, juvenile.

Juvenile Pacific Golden Plovers have finally been confirmed. The fact that juveniles haven't arrived until now makes me worry that breeding may not have gone well.

There were two Chinese Pond Herons, one Javan Pond Heron, and a Yellow Bittern. Oriental Pratincole and Whiskered Tern are also still present.

Long-legged Buttonquail, first-winter plumage.

I searched for birds in an area where Black-naped Oriole has been appearing repeatedly over the past few days. I couldn't find the Black-naped Oriole itself, but Arctic Warbler, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Dark-sided Flycatcher, and Grey-streaked Flycatcher turned up in good numbers.

Grey-streaked Flycatchers moving through in numbers during the Chinese Sparrowhawk season.

A Pied Avocet has been staying for several days. I feel like I see them year-round on Ishigaki-jima — there must be wintering individuals in Okinawa and the Yaeyamas.

Pin-tailed Snipe was a good year, but most have moved on and they take some finding now. I managed to confirm number 20. Swinhoe's Snipe are plentiful.

Pied Avocet appeared in the rice paddies.

The first Eurasian Teal of the season arrived — a flock of six, sleeping off their fatigue, with a Garganey mixed in among them. After waiting a while they started feeding and preening.

Garganey in eclipse plumage.

A Daurian Starling was mixed in with a flock made up mainly of White-shouldered Starlings. Four days later a second individual appeared, bringing the total to two. White-shouldered Starling, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Red-billed Starling, and White-cheeked Starling are all currently present on Ishigaki-jima.

A beautiful male Daurian Starling. Some juvenile feathers are visible, so it may be in first-winter plumage.

久しぶりに石垣島にオオハシシギがやってきました。台風のおかげでしょうか。

Long-billed Dowitcher transitioning from juvenile to first-winter plumage.

各地にハシブトアジサシが入っているようですが、石垣島にも到着。台風で疲れが見えるクロハラアジサシやツバメチドリも多く見られます。

A Bridled Tern on a distant reef from the coast.

アカエリヒレアシシギが飛来。今季2個体目。エリマキシギは複数個所で複数羽が到着。ハリオシギは数を減らしつつも滞在中。

It was in a paddy field near the airport in an area where Red-necked Phalaropes often turn up. They apparently visit the stadium frequently too — perhaps they are easily attracted to lights.

キリアイは幼鳥に続き、成鳥も飛来しました。

ジシギはチュウジシギが激増してハリオシギは減少。なぜかタシギが増えず心配です。

ジャワアカガシラサギは毎日のように田んぼの畔でトンボ取り。

A Broad-billed Sandpiper in winter plumage has arrived. The third Broad-billed Sandpiper in the same paddy field.

7月から長逗留しているジャワアカガシラサギが見やすくなっています。台風後に増えたトンボを捕食しようと農道や畔に出てくるので見つけやすいです。

キリアイの幼鳥も滞在中。また台風が近づいてきているのでしばらくは渡れないでしょうね。

ハリオシギ、チュウジシギも滞在中。

Javan Pond Heron targeting dragonflies swarming on a farm road.