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

Rescuing a Cinnamon Bittern

Aug. 5, 2023

While driving near my house, a light van that had just passed me struck a Cinnamon Bittern.

It was unable to move on the road, so I took it in. Its condition was poor and I feared the worst, but remarkably, after about 24 hours it had recovered enough to stand on its own. Herons really do have a strong will to live.

For food I used tadpoles of the Yaeyama tree frog, which live in large numbers in the biotope in my garden. Typhoon No. 6 was closing in on Ishigaki Island, so it was a race against time, but I managed to release the bird safely.

An adult male Ryukyu Bittern immediately after being rescued.