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

This is the extras edition of the 7th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp. Since we had already observed both adult and juvenile Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe to a reasonable degree on the first day, the second day was spent observing a wider variety of species beyond snipe. This post covers those sightings, including observations from day one.

Please also see the main report from the Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp.

Three Javan Pond Herons confirmed during the Ishigaki Island snipe camp.

The 7th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp was held successfully over two days, 22 and 23 August. This time we had two women join us. Both took notes and made sketches with great enthusiasm.

The camp went ahead despite unsettled weather as a typhoon approached. The first day in particular brought occasional heavy rain, and by evening the sky had turned wild with a typhoon look about it.

We shifted the car around to dodge the driving rain and managed solid views of a dozen or so snipe, including both adults and juveniles.

Because of the prefectural governor election and unified local elections, the camp was held earlier than usual this year, and Common Snipe were not recorded.

The bonus post will cover Javan Pond Heron, an out-of-season Roseate Tern, Black-naped Tern, and more.

Arrived at the paddy field with the highest snipe count this season. The first bird I could observe was a pale-looking adult Swinhoe's Snipe.

6th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp side notes: a Broad-billed Sandpiper showed at close range, and the paddies also produced a flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Long-toed Stints in summer plumage, freshly arrived Eurasian Whimbrels, breeding Greater Painted-snipes, and Cinnamon Bitterns in beautiful nuptial plumage.

While traveling between sites, we encountered Ruddy Kingfishers, a Crested Serpent Eagle, Red-throated Pipits, and a large flock of Eastern Yellow Wagtails.

When I first spotted it the Broad-billed Sandpiper was at the far end of the rice paddy, but it gradually worked its way closer.

We held the 6th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp. This time one woman and one man joined us. Day one was tough going, but on day two we managed reasonable views of both Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe.

Spring snipe are harder to identify than autumn birds, and some individuals were left for later determination.

For the main species seen other than snipe, please see the side notes.

Past camps from the 1st onward are also available at past Ishigaki Island Snipe Camps.

Pin-tailed Snipe. The scapulars and other feathers are changing into breeding plumage.

We held the Ishigaki-jima Snipe Camp again this season — five years running, thanks to everyone who has taken part. This time there was one participant. We met at 9 a.m. and spent the day watching snipe until around 4 p.m.

Because we held it about a month later than usual, Pin-tailed Snipe numbers were low — only 2 individuals out of several dozen snipe seen. Swinhoe's Snipe were the most numerous and are at peak, so almost all were juveniles. Common Snipe juveniles are now arriving to join the adults, and numbers should peak soon.

Please also have a look at past Ishigaki-jima Snipe Camps. The next one is planned for spring next year. Come and sharpen your skills at separating Pin-tailed Snipe from Swinhoe's Snipe. ^^

First Grey-tailed Tattler juvenile of the season, Great Knot, and Temminck's Stint juvenile were all seen. Common Greenshank juveniles are increasing. While watching the snipe, a Ruddy-breasted Crake appeared — the first in a while.

A Pin-tailed Snipe finally squeezed out after scanning through dozens of snipe.

While watching a group of around ten Swinhoe's Snipes, a snipe appeared in the grass. It was a typical Pin-tailed Snipe juvenile, so I followed it with binoculars hoping to get a look at the tail feathers — and it bathed rather sooner than I expected. ^^

We held the 4th Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp again this year. Two participants came down from Hokkaido. That said, snipe numbers were already low during the pre-camp scouting the day before, and I had a bad feeling about it. Sure enough — poor results. It ended up being the worst outing yet: one Pin-tailed Snipe, a few Swinhoe's Snipe, and a few Common Snipe.

On the plus side, we managed to see around 50 species including Collared Kingfisher, Ryukyu Kingfisher, Crested Serpent Eagle, and various resident and migratory birds, which everyone was happy about, so I'll call it good. Years like this happen.

The only Pin-tailed Snipe of the day. A beautiful individual — I knew what it was the moment it came into the binoculars.

We held the 3rd Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp, which has earned quite a following. The participant came from Aichi Prefecture. As it happens, every participant from the 1st through the 3rd camps has been from Aichi. ^^;

This time an unavoidable work commitment cut things short, so we only had about three hours of snipe watching — but we spent that time poring over roughly 20 snipe in paddy fields in a single area with intense focus.

Individual numbers this season have been as high as usual, but Pin-tailed Snipe were frustratingly scarce. On the other hand, we got to observe some very interesting Swinhoe's Snipe, so as snipe camps go it was a great success. ^^

Swinhoe's Snipe, juvenile.

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.

In this sideshow from the 1st Ishigaki Snipe Camp, I introduce the birds encountered during two days of snipe hunting.

A Javan Pond Heron was found — the fourth individual on Ishigaki this season. First juvenile Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, and Red-necked Stint of the season were confirmed. An adult Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was seen for the first time this season. A Greater Painted-snipe family with small chicks was encountered.

Please also see the day 1 and day 2 reports.

A Javan Pond-Heron that stayed for several days.

This is day 2 of the 1st Ishigaki Snipe Camp, and the final day. I would have liked to start at first light, but with children to look after, we got going at 9 a.m.

A Javan Pond Heron greeted us at a nearby paddy — the fourth individual on Ishigaki this season, and the fifth of the season counting the first record for Yonaguni Island.

Pin-tailed Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe were in the same paddy, but the light was badly against us and the grass was tall, so we moved early to the spot that typically holds the most snipe on the island and offers the best views.

We worked through several more sites after that, squeezing every last minute out of the final day right up until participants had to leave for their flights. ^^

On day 1 we concentrated on Pin-tailed Snipe, but on day 2 we had a bit more breathing room and made a point of photographing Swinhoe's Snipe tail feathers as well. The sideshow is here.

Pin-tailed Snipe, juvenile. I really love the plumage on this type — it reminds me of a Solitary Snipe. This type is uncommon. There's a video below as well.

I took the liberty of organizing the 1st Ishigaki Island Snipe Camp, complete with a complimentary invitation to Shimasoba-so.

For this inaugural event I was joined by a contributor who writes the field identification articles on snipe for BIRDER magazine. The Pin-tailed Snipes and Swinhoe's Snipes of Ishigaki seemed to hold genuine interest even for a professional eye. During the camp I received a direct lecture on migration timing and moult characteristics of Latham's Snipe and Swinhoe's Snipe from the mainland — extremely educational. As someone who writes about identification, the way they put the distinguishing features into words was precise and impressive.

The results were excellent. We observed large numbers of Pin-tailed Snipe and the so-called western-type Swinhoe's Snipe that are commonly found in the Nansei Islands, including both adults and juveniles. Despite spending nearly all our time on snipe, the by-catch was good too: 2 Javan Pond Herons, the season's first juvenile Common Greenshank and juvenile Green Sandpiper, juvenile Red-necked Stints, and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.

On day one I met the participants at the airport at around 1:30 p.m. and had the first Pin-tailed Snipe in the bag just after 2:00 p.m. We watched until 6:00 p.m. I am posting photos of the 10 Pin-tailed Snipes we managed to photograph. Day 2 and the bonus post are covered in separate articles.

I intend to keep running snipe camps in the future. Announcements will appear here on the blog and on social media. The planned timing is around late August, when both adults and juveniles are present and moult variation is at its richest. I would also like to hold one during the spring migration (early to mid-April), when other birds, waders and plovers are enjoyable too, if there is enough interest.

The very first Swinhoe's Snipe of the training camp encountered in conditions like this…. ^^; A valuable adult.