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

I had a close-range view of Lesser Cuckoo — an adult and a young bird, foraging in a pine grove. Around six Asian Koels were in the area too, making it a spot with a notably high concentration of cuckoos.

Despite the heavy rain, the Northern Boobook's incubation seems to be going smoothly; the male was keeping a steady watch. Year by year it has become less wary, and it shows no concern when walkers pass right in front of it.

Little Terns have arrived at the planned site of the cruise-terminal building — close to 30 birds, the same location as last year. Some individuals were already incubating. Last year the nest colony was completely wiped out by a PAC-3 deployment, so I wonder whether this season will go better. Kentish Plovers were running about — several chicks at various stages, from just-hatched to those that could manage a short flight.

White-breasted Waterhen are in full breeding mode; I often come across pairs with chicks. The breeding season is long, so for a while yet I expect to encounter families at all different stages of development.

In the paddies after the rice harvest, Purple Herons, Grey Herons, Intermediate Egrets, and Little Egrets are gathering to hunt.

A Common Cuckoo still in juvenile plumage. I was able to observe it at close range.

The Lesser Whistling Duck that arrived on Ishigaki Island has now been here for three weeks. On this day it was active, and I was able to watch it feeding and in flight. Lesser Whistling Duck once ranged as far north as Okinawa, and with "Ryukyu" in the Japanese name, I hope records will increase and the range will recover here.

Four groups of acquaintances came to the island to see the Lesser Whistling Duck. Everyone is enjoying Ishigaki's birds, with Asian Koel as a bonus alongside the duck. Several more groups are due to come this week with the Lesser Whistling Duck as their target. Anyone wanting to see it, book a guide with Spotter-san!!

The Cotton Pygmy Goose was active on this day.

The Lesser Whistling Duck, visible every day. On this day it was particularly wary — both in the morning and in the evening, only the top of its head and neck were visible above the vegetation…

Chinese Pond Heron had also arrived, along with Grey-headed Lapwing, a scarce visitor to Okinawa and the Yaeyamas.

A Ryukyu Duck, just its face showing.

Since the Lesser Whistling Duck on Ishigaki Island was relocated, it has been seen continuously. When anglers arrive it gets spooked and moves away, hiding in the grass. There seem to be a lot of anglers at weekends.

I covered the release of a juvenile Crested Serpent Eagle that had been taken into care after being found weak. It was banded with a red leg ring engraved with the number "6" on its left leg. The person who handled its rehabilitation named it "Mirai" (Future). With staff and press looking on, it flew off strongly.

A Ryukyu Duck sitting on aquatic vegetation on the far bank.

I confirmed incubation beginning at a fifth Ryukyu Scops Owl site. The Ruddy Kingfisher female near my home has not been seen much lately, so she may also be incubating.

The rescued Crested Serpent Eagle, Mitchan, keeps getting driven off by the territorial male in this area, but comes back undeterred and keeps searching for food. I hope she builds up her strength properly this summer, gets through the winter, and grows into a fine adult.

The Lesser Whistling Duck is still present. Its reactions to passing vehicles and crows have settled down and its daily routine has become predictable, so a long stay looks likely. If it summers over, it will be a treat for many birders.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl keeping watch over the nest. This is the third consecutive year breeding at the same site.

The Lesser Whistling Duck found on Ishigaki Island on 1 May has shown up again!! It has now been here for two weeks. I was able to get video as well. How long will it stay?

It turns out this Lesser Whistling Duck had been seen on Iriomote Island on 28 April, before it was photographed on Ishigaki. Apparently someone only realised what it was after it appeared in the newspaper. On top of that, a local resident says they saw two birds last year in the lower reaches of a certain river. The person is a farmer with a keen interest in wildlife, and from what they described, Lesser Whistling Duck seems very likely.

Furthermore, a blog post records that a bird — photographed unclearly — was seen on Kohama Island in late May to early June 2006.

Lesser Whistling Duck's northern breeding limit was Okinawa, but confirmed records had been absent since an observation in the Kerama Islands in 1963. A Yamashina Institute for Ornithology report noted two birds seen during a 1999 survey, but without photographs and with few details.

It sets the imagination going — could a small number be living somewhere along a river on Iriomote Island, much like the Mandarin Ducks of Yanbaru?

A Tufted Duck resting on floating weeds.

Hearing an Asian Koel calling, I scanned with binoculars and spotted a male singing from the top of a she-oak. It looked approachable, so I eased the car forward carefully. Even at 100 metres it showed no sign of alarm. I kept closing in. The track ended about 20 metres short, so I continued on foot, using the undergrowth as cover, and managed to get right beneath the she-oak where the Asian Koel was singing. It seemed unaware of me, and I had a close, impressive view of both the bird and its call. Asian Koel have been recorded here before, but from around 2020 the number arriving on Ishigaki Island in May has increased considerably.

After about ten minutes of observation, a female Asian Koel called from a nearby thicket — there appeared to be two individuals. The male then disappeared, seemingly drawn by the female's call, so I searched the area. A Large-billed Crow, thought to be a likely host for Asian Koel brood parasitism, also appeared to be building a nest nearby. This could be a real chance to confirm breeding!!

Black Drongo have been turning up in good numbers across Ishigaki, Okinawa Main Island and elsewhere in the Nansei Islands this season. The peak has passed, but I counted two birds on this day. I think they will be wrapping up soon.

The Ryukyu Scops Owls that breed near my home every year appear to have started incubating again this year. The chicks should fledge in early July.

A male Large Hawk-Cuckoo. I was able to observe it at quite close range for an extended period.

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.

The Ruddy Kingfishers appear to be progressing well through the breeding season — I can watch them nest-building and courtship-feeding.

A Black-faced Spoonbill has been staying for several days. Chinese Pond Herons in breeding plumage are scattered across various paddies, with several individuals present.

In paddies with open water, Ruff, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper and Whiskered Tern were resting.

A Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher near my home. It appears to be test-digging trial nest holes in several spots.

The Black Drongo that appeared near my home has been drifting slowly eastward and is now into its fourth day of stay. It is an unwary individual, always perched on the roadside wires. This season has been a bumper year for Black Drongo on Ishigaki Island — on peak days nearly 20 birds were recorded in a single day.

A small flock of Oriental Pratincoles had moved into the paddies. They were working the same area as the Whiskered Terns, but while the terns drifted low and picked insects off the rice plants, the pratincoles were up high, hawking incoming insects.

Black-faced Spoonbill, Eurasian Spoonbill and Chinese Pond Heron have also been dropping into the paddies one after another.

A Black Drongo near home, now on its fourth day of the stay.

When I arrived at the paddies I was caught in a heavy downpour, but once it stopped, Cinnamon Bitterns began emerging from the grass.

Activity was high after the rain, and I was able to see two males and one female in the same area. The males had started calling, and I managed to get it on video. ^^

A male Ryukyu Cinnamon Bittern appeared in a conspicuous spot once the downpour stopped. Nuptial coloration is showing.

Both the Ryukyu Scops Owl and the Northern Boobook have entered their breeding season. Incubation has started at multiple sites for each species. Fledging should be observable around late June.

A male Ryukyu Scops Owl. This pair has started breeding at almost the same time as last year. Three Ryukyu Scops Owl nests confirmed.

Last spring, 29 May was the final record of Pin-tailed Snipe. This season, this sighting looks set to be the last as well.

This spring, waders in general were very scarce, with almost no encounters with Pin-tailed Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe or Common Snipe. I am looking forward to the autumn snipe migration, which gets under way from mid-August.

And, following last year, I would like to hold the "3rd Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp" again around late August this autumn. Please do join us. You can also see reports from the 1st camp (autumn) and the 2nd camp (spring).

The rice had grown tall enough that I couldn't see the whole bird, but I found a Swinhoe's Snipe.

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.

Three Black Drongos arrived. It is nothing like the flock of seven from two years ago, but it is always good when more than one turns up. They were gliding low over the paddies and snatching prey.

I also had good views of Black-winged Kite, Hen Harrier and Crested Serpent Eagle.

A Black Drongo perched right in front of me. You can also see the small white spot at the base of the bill.

A pair of Ruddy Kingfishers was hard at work excavating a nest hole. Male and female took turns digging earnestly. If all goes well, chicks should fledge in late June. While I was watching the Ruddy Kingfisher pair, a pair of Slaty-legged Crakes walked past. ^^;

A small group of Arctic Warblers was present, and I could hear both their call and their song at the same time. Bliss. ^^

Ruddy Kingfisher, male.

First records this season of Black-tailed Godwit, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Striated Heron. Unless the weather turns rough, large waders like the Black-tailed Godwit don't come down to Ishigaki. Striated Heron is scarce on the island, so finding one felt like a bonus.

The Black-tailed Godwit is still very much in winter plumage.

The Northern Boobook that fledged three chicks last year has returned to the same nest tree this season. It looks like breeding is starting a little earlier than usual, so fledging could happen by late June.

Ruddy Kingfishers have increased in number and are turning up all over the place.

Young Crested Serpent Eagle no. 16 is now being seen reliably along Route 16.

Sandpipers and plovers are thin on the ground this season, but there are at least a few Pin-tailed Snipe, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper about.

The Brown Hawk-Owl is back for this season. This is a male.

A bonus from the 2nd Ishigaki Snipe Camp: a Citrine Wagtail turned up — and a strikingly beautiful adult male in summer plumage at that. Juveniles appear every year, but adults are uncommon, so this was a real treat.

It was associating with a flock of Taiwan White Wagtails and Grey Wagtails, though it seemed the Grey Wagtails and the Citrine Wagtail didn't get on — I watched the Citrine Wagtail get chased off several times.

The main post from this snipe camp features large numbers of Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe, so please have a look at that too. The 3rd session is planned for late August. In autumn both Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe are present in good numbers, and it's great fun watching juveniles alongside adults and comparing moult stages between the two species.

A male Citrine Wagtail in breeding plumage. That vivid yellow is stunning.

We held the long-awaited 2nd Ishigaki Snipe Camp. Following on from the first session last autumn, two fellow enthusiasts joined us — one from off-island, one local. ^^

As described in the bonus post, a male Citrine Wagtail in gorgeous summer plumage also put in an appearance, making for a very enjoyable camp.

In spring, Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe numbers are lower, but there's a good chance of meeting the regulars — Ruddy Kingfisher, Common Hoopoe, Chinese Blackbird and other migrants — as well as waders and plovers coming into summer plumage, and the possibility of an unexpected rarity. I plan to keep running the camp twice a year, spring and autumn, so please do join us.

A typical Pin-tailed Snipe on Ishigaki Island in spring.