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

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.

The three primary colors of light on Ishigaki Island: Ryukyu Kingfisher (Red), Common Emerald Dove (Green), and Collared Kingfisher (Blue). Right now you can see all three — RGB — in one go. ^^

A Ruddy Kingfisher near home. Looks like the same individual as last year.

Typhoon No. 3 is bearing down on Ishigaki Island — the first approach of the year.

The wind had a suspicious feel to it, but I had plenty of encounters with Ruddy Kingfisher. The Oriental Pratincole fledging season appears to be in its final stages, with numbers dropping steadily.

A slow drive along the usual forest road turned up several Ruddy Kingfishers in a short time.

The Northern Boobooks have fledged. Pair formation was later than usual this year, so fledging was delayed too. I wonder whether one of the pair has changed.

Ruddy Kingfisher fledging is finished everywhere now, and the adults are catching their breath. The fledglings are still within their parents' territories but are catching prey on their own.

Cinnamon Bittern chick-rearing is also over, and juveniles are appearing in rice paddies here and there. Juvenile Purple Herons that have become independent are also starting to show up in the paddies. Chinese Pond Herons and Black-faced Spoonbills are arriving on autumn passage.

Waders are beginning to move through little by little. As autumn migration gets into full swing, numbers and species will keep increasing.

Terns are in the thick of chick-rearing. Black-naped Tern chicks that are roughly one to two weeks post-hatch are starting to be seen.

The last fledgling of the season for the Brown Hawk-Owl. There were still some remaining in the nest.

The Ruddy Kingfishers that were breeding near my home had fledged before I noticed. I confirmed three fledglings that can now fly.

Malayan Night Herons have also fledged. I confirmed two juveniles that have been out of the nest for some time. Three or so Cinnamon Bittern juveniles were in a flooded paddy. The adults' calls were audible too.

Oriental Pratincoles apparently bred at a quarry on private land — there were around 30 birds in total, adults and juveniles together. Two Little Ringed Plover juveniles as well. There is a possibility they bred on Ishigaki Island.

The Ruddy Kingfisher just a stone's throw from home fledged around three chicks again, as it did last year.

I confirmed the first Ryukyu Scops Owl fledging of the season. It is a tree cavity that has been used for breeding year after year. The pair may be the same birds, but without banding there is no way to be certain. Only one chick fledged this season, so if it is the same pair, ageing of the parents could be a factor.

A fledgling Ryukyu Scops Owl.

On Ishigaki Island, Ruddy Kingfisher, Ryukyu Scops Owl, Northern Boobook, Black Paradise Flycatcher, Malayan Night Heron, Black-naped Tern and many other birds are right in the middle of the breeding season.

A male Ryukyu Ruddy Kingfisher singing.

Little Terns and Kentish Plovers are breeding at a construction site where work is about to begin. Several pairs of Little Terns are incubating. Kentish Plovers range from chicks that can just barely fly to pairs still incubating.

A Little Tern on the nest.

The first fledgling of the season was a Northern Boobook. Two birds successfully fledged from the same site as last year. For Northern Boobook, the timing was quite early.

I confirmed a Ruddy Kingfisher excavating a nest hole. Individual numbers are high this season, and I have found so many nests that I have lost count. All I can do is hope each one goes well.

I also recorded Terek Sandpiper on Ishigaki Island — a species that seems to be down in numbers nationwide this year. Being late is normal for this species, but the low numbers are a concern. Nearby, a single Common Redshank was there alone. Several Grey-tailed Tattlers are staying in the area. Wandering Tattler has been recorded on Okinawa Island, so I am hopeful for Ishigaki Island too.

Brown Hawk-Owl fledgling and the mother (right).

I spotted the second Pheasant-tailed Jacana of the season while out birding with my daughter. ^^ The bird was some distance away, so I showed her on the camera monitor — she was delighted: "So cute!!" The individual from a few days ago was in transition to first-summer plumage, but this one appeared to be an adult. The video has the sound of my daughter breathing through her nose. ^^;

The Ryukyu Scops Owl on watch duty was perched in a lower tree than usual. I expect the chicks will fledge around the end of this month.

I found a new Ruddy Kingfisher nest — it looked as though they were still digging it out. In the video you can hear the male and female calling back and forth as they excavate the nest hole.

The second Pheasant-tailed Jacana of the season. It appeared to stay for only one day.

Red Collared Dove confirmed at three locations, five individuals in total — four males and one female. Greater Crested Tern numbers have grown to around 30. They will increase further, and just before they move on to the breeding grounds the count typically exceeds 100.

The Ruddy Kingfisher that had been nesting near my home had its nest tree blown down in the heavy rain. It is still early in the season, so I hope they find a good new spot.

Pink-necked Green Pigeon, male.

The June regular, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, has arrived. Birds have also come in to the Okinawa main island at the same time, but both individuals appear to be young birds. I am looking forward to adult summer-plumage birds arriving in due course.

I photographed the Ruddy Kingfisher visible from my living room for the first time in a while. Its call is distinctive enough for individual identification. It has been coming for three years running. When crows approach it chases them off, so there is probably a nest nearby.

Within a radius of a few tens of metres from my home, around three pairs of Ruddy Kingfisher have arrived. One pair's nest was destroyed in the recent heavy rain. The season is still young, so they will likely rebuild somewhere.

A Ruddy Kingfisher that has taken a liking to the top of a plastic greenhouse. This is the Ruddy Kingfisher I can see from my living room. ^^

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.

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.

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.

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.