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

A second Chinese Egret for the season flew in to the river mouth. Three Black-faced Spoonbills are also staying nearby. I counted five Cinnamon Bitterns, which are active at the start of their breeding season. In the rice paddies there were Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler that had been left behind by the northward migration.

The second Chinese Egret of the season. It was showing its familiar behaviour of chasing fish at the water's edge.

I took my children to the shore to catch crabs and found four Gull-billed Terns and two Chinese Egrets. Both species seemed completely unafraid — even with the kids making a racket, they did not appear bothered at all. ^^

Bridled Terns wheeling right in front of me. Three were in breeding plumage and one was in non-breeding plumage.

Three Gull-billed Terns had been flying around in the morning, so when I found a break in my work and headed back out with the camera, they had been replaced by a Chinese Egret… ^^;

Chinese Egrets, as expected at this time of year.

今季はカラシラサギの飛来が多い石垣島です。今回のを合わせて、複数箇所で6個体を確認しています。

Two Chinese Egrets standing at the river mouth.

カラシラサギが2羽、河口に飛来しました。午前中は1羽でいたが、午後には2羽に増えました。後日、さらにもう1羽やってきました。

エリグロアジサシは十数羽が飛来。すでにペアになっているようで、産卵、子育ても間もなく始まることでしょう。

Two Chinese Egrets. Pushed off their feeding ground by the high tide, they were getting along together on a rock.

世界的に数が少なく貴重なカラシラサギ3羽が飛来していました。海岸を軽やかに跳ねながら小魚などをとっているようでした。

5月に入ってから島の海岸や河口などで断続的に観察されています。石垣島の春の渡りのカラシラサギは6月にかけてよく観察されます。

The Chinese Egret appeared to be walking along the coast at low tide, picking up small fish and crustaceans.