Ryukyu Kajika frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Admin11

The Ryukyu Kajika frog ( Buergeria japonica ) is found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. It is the most common frog found on Okinawa.

Scientific name: Buergeria japonica
Common name: Ryukyu Kajika frog
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, mountain slopes, drainage ditches and farm fields.
Diet: Small Insects
Average size: 25mm-40mm
Color: Olive green, brown and golden yellow

This small frog is a master of camouflage. I often find it on rocks, plants, trees, drainage ditches and even our trash.

Ryukyu Kajika frog on tatami mat

Ryukyu Kajika frog -macro

Ryukyu Kajika frog – Kume Island

Ryukyu Kajika frog

Ryukyu Kajika frog- manhole cover

This is the only frog on Okinawa that is capable of living on the shoreline next to the ocean. I have photographed them as close as five feet away from the saltwater.

Ryukyu Kajika frog- skin discoloration

Beach-dwelling Kajika frog

A beautiful Kajika frog in the jungles of Iriomote Island.

Kajika frog -Iriomote Island

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours Project

Ryukyu Kajika frog – MYN

The males turn a golden yellow during mating season. The season stretches from April to September on Okinawa.

Ryukyu Kajika frog – Amami Island

Ryukyu Kajika frog – mating

Ryukyu Kajika frog – drainage ditch

The eggs are laid in slow-moving and still water sources. The eggs will develop into tadpoles and eventually transform into baby frogs. I often find tadpoles thriving in farming water buckets.

Juvenile Kajika frog

The summer months provide a great opportunity for natural predators.The frogs come together in large numbers.

Crab feeding on frogs

Pryer’s keelback feeding

Never give up

Never give up -Okinawa, Japan

If you see frogs, there is a possibility that snakes are nearby. The snakes patiently wait for frogs in drainage ditches and still water sources. The Kajika frog is the Hime habu’s favourite meal.

Hime habu – GoPro

Have a great day!

Asian grass frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Admin11

The Asian grass frog ( Fejervarya kawamurai) is found on Mainland Japan and most of the Ryukyu Islands. The warty frog is fairly common on Okinawa. It’s biggest threats are pesticide exposure and habitat loss.

Scientific name: Fejervarya kawamurai
Common name: Asian grass frog, marsh frog and common pond frog
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands and Mainland Japan
Habitat: Rice fields, ditches, marshes, parks and farm fields.
Diet: Insects
Average size: 45mm-75mm
Color: light brown with a white belly

Asian grass frog – Canon 70d * 60mm macro

Wide angle macro – Canon 70d *Tokina fisheye

Asian grass frog- Macro

Asian marsh frog – drainage ditch

Asian marsh frog

Asian grass frog feeding

Asian marsh frog – Okuma resort

Asian grass frog -MYN

Egret feeding -the last goodbye

Have a great day!

Okinawa green tree frog – Ryukyu Islands

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Admin11

The Okinawa green tree frog ( Rhacophorus viridis viridis ) is found on Okinawa, Iheya and Kume Island.

Scientific name: Rhacophorus viridis viridis
Common name: Okinawa Green tree frog
Distribution: Okinawa, Kume, and Iheya.
Habitat: Forests, mountain slopes and farm fields near water.
Diet: Insects
Average size: 45mm-75mm
Color: Olive green, Bright green and dark brown

Okinawa Green tree frog © Shawn Miller

This beautiful frog is a master of camouflage. I often find it resting on tree branches, blending in with the surrounding green leaves.

Natural habitat © Shawn Miller

Green tree frog © Shawn Miller

Amami green tree frog ( Rhacophorus viridis amamiensis) © Shawn Miller

The breeding season stretches from February to April on Okinawa.

Green tree frog mating © Shawn Miller

On Kume Island the tree frogs transform to a golden brown when mating.

Kume Island tree frog © Shawn Miller

They construct a foam nest on a tree branch above a still water source. Eventually, the foam liquefies when the eggs are ready to hatch.

Frog foam nest © Shawn Miller

Not all frogs survive to make the nest. The Akamata is the most common snake on the Okinawan Islands. It feeds on venomous habu snakes, baby sea turtles, lizards, and frogs.

Akamata snake feeding © Shawn Miller

Photographed on white for the Meet your Neighbours global biodiversity project.

MYN Technique © Shawn Miller

Green tree frog © Shawn Miller

I often find this frog searching for insects on the road.

Roadside green tree frog © Shawn Miller

” Know your nature with Shawn Miller ” Let’s protect the wildlife of Okinawa.

Seagulls on Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Admin11

Every winter, I see a few Black-tailed gulls (Larus crassirostris) on our shorelines. They generally do not stay for longer than two weeks. In January 2016, I photographed eight Black-tailed gulls on Nagahama beach. Four gulls had oil residue stuck on their feathers. The birds were constantly bathing in the sea water and preening. The Black-tailed gulls are abundant on the mainland, but on Okinawa they are a rare sight.

Juvenile Black-tailed gull

Possible reasons why there are no seagulls living on Okinawa.

Warm water temperatures – too warm ( 68F- 88F)
Not enough food (fish, worms, mollusks)
Competition with other birds ( osprey, terns and crows )
Small land mass

A mature Black-tailed gull bathing and preening. It was working hard trying to get the oil residue off its feathers.

Black-tailed gull bathing

Black-tailed gull drying off

Shaking off

Black-tailed gull preening

Black-tailed gull

Mature gulls feeding on fish scraps

Black-tailed gull feeding

Have a great day !

Light-painting with the nightsea by Shawn Miller

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Admin11

Light painting is the artistic technique of moving a hand held-light source while taking a long exposure. The purpose is to illuminate the subject with constant lighting to create a powerful image. It takes a steady hand, patience, trial and error and imagination. Using a specialized blue light (nightsea) will allow you to capture fluorescence. The images will be enhanced with beautiful bright vibrant colors.

Most plants and animals fluoresce under blue light. Below are some of my favorite long-exposures photographed using the Nightsea and a Canon 70d. I also included some comparison photos under white light.

Beautiful cherry blossoms under blue light, Okinawa-Japan