Amami Woodcock- The Birds of The Ryukyu Islands

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Admin11

The Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) is considered a prefectural bird of Amami Island. They are a rare species mainly found on Amami and Tokuno islands. These ground dwelling birds are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list of threatened species.

Scientific name: Scolopax mira
Distribution: Amami, Tokuno and Northern Okinawa
Habitat: leaf littered forests
Diet: Beetles, crickets, moths, spiders, and worms
Average Size: 34cm – 36mm
Threats: Habitat loss and the introduced mongoose.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

The Amami woodcock is a master of camouflage. It crouches down low and limits its movements in the leaf litter. When predators approach the woodcock will fly away in most cases.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

In this case the female has chicks that she has to protect.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

We managed to see one sub-adult, it quickly followed its mothers lead and fled the scene.

Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) © Shawn Miller

The mongoose is the biggest threat to the wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands. It was introduced to the Ryukyu Islands in the1900’s In order to reduce the venomous habu populations. All the islands are still battling this never ending problem.

Mongoose ( Hepestes javanicus ) © Shawn Miller

All the photographs of the Amami woodcock were taken from the car through the back seat window. In the beginning, I had difficulty with the cameras auto-focus system. I adapted by mounting a Light&Motion GoBe light with a 500 search head to my tripod collar. This allowed the auto-focus system to be extremely responsive using the Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM.

Amami night adventures setup © Shawn Miller

People often ask me what is the purpose of conservation photography? Having the ability to affect some form of positive change in the environment and make a global difference with the photographs. Hopefully, the images will inspire people to care more about nature and make a positive difference in the environment.

Learn more about the Light&Motion GoBe Exploration light https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/gobe

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Earth Day 2019 Okinawa

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Admin11

Happy Earth Day 2019,

This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines.

As you can see our trash is a serious problem on our shorelines. Some organizations are doing great things making a difference but its not enough, We must all work together worldwide to attack this problem.

We all have the ability to make a difference by reducing the amount of single-use items we use daily. Change can be difficult but I challenge you to Make The Switch for Nature

Three items that can make a huge impact are:

Reusable thermos instead of single use
Reusable bag instead of a plastic bag
Metal utensils instead of single use plastic

I also recommend volunteering in a community beach cleanup at least once a year. Its important to see the amount of trash for yourself!

Hopefully this post will inspire you to make a positive change.

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

Mission

To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bringing solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Light bulbs, Plastic Bottles and Hermit Crabs

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Admin11

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to go beach walking. Over the years I have seen a significant increase in the amount of marine debris washed ashore. The trash is from all over the world, but majority of it washes up from Korea, China and Japan.

The trash is overwhelming on our shorelines and will take a very long time to clean up. Its absolutely necessary that we work together to fix this worldwide issue.

When I look at the photograph below, I see the potential monetary value in these single use products. I think the only way to combat the problem is to reduce the use and to make the debris worth picking up by giving it a cash value. One solution for the plastic bottle problem would be to create a worldwide deposit-refund system. For example, If people were paid 5-10 cents per plastic bottle collected I guarantee our beaches and forest dumping grounds would be cleaner.

Light bulbs are another form of debris that wash ashore. The light bulbs are transparent and blend in well with the surrounding beach litter. I have accidental stepped on light bulbs while beach combing after typhoons. It is important to wear protective footwear on majority of the beaches surrounding the Ryukyu Islands.

Try and find the broken light bulb below, this is a common site on local beaches.

Meet Edison, A resourceful blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus ) found naturally using a incandescent light bulb screw end as a protective home. I usually find hermit crabs adapting with plastic tops and twist top caps. This was my first encounter with a hermit crab using a light bulb screw end as a mobile home.

The hermit crab is one of the few animals that can successfully adapt with our waste. If you would like to learn more about hermit crabs adapting with our waste please check out my post on “Crabs With Beach Trash Homes” by Shawn M Miller.

This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines. We all have the ability to make a difference by reducing the amount of single-use items we use daily.

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations. – If you would like to join my journey, check out my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bringing solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

When The Red Tractor’s Arrive The Egrets Will Thrive

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Admin11

Reflections of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

On Okinawa, we have six species of Egrets (Great, Intermediate, Cattle, Little, Chinese, and Pacific Reef Egret). Egrets spend most of the day foraging on food in the grasslands. They are opportunistic hunters and have learned a new behavior. They follow a tractor as it plows the field and food rewards are given in large amounts. The tractor plow exposes insects, worms, snakes, eels, mice, and frogs. The payoff is great, a large amount of food in a short period of time.

Plowing the field © Shawn Miller

Farming on Okinawa © Shawn Miller

These specialized birds are beneficial for local farming fields. Egrets also feed on grasshoppers and caterpillars that can devastate farmers crops in a matter of days.

Egrets feeding © Shawn Miller

One of the egret’s favorite food is the Japanese marsh frog. The last wave goodbye.

Goodbye © Shawn Miller

All you can eat buffet © Shawn Miller

Frog legs © Shawn Miller

Egrets can also be found huntings in wetlands and the shorelines on Okinawa. Here they spend many hours patiently hunting with small rewards of food.

Wings spread © Shawn Miller

Striking a pose © Shawn Miller

I have observed these birds hunting for hours on many occasions and the majority of the time they miss their prey in the wetlands.

The miss © Shawn Miller

Nature and waste © Shawn Miller

The sad truth is our waste is a serious problem for all animals worldwide.

That’s not food © Shawn Miller

Let’s work together to make a difference.

Birds in motion © Shawn Miller

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Crown of Thorns Starfish – Hazardous Starfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Admin11

The crown of thorns starfish (Ancanthaster planci) plays an important role in the underwater world. They generally feed on the fastest growing corals, allowing the slower growing coral to establish ground. They are the coral moderators, the gardeners of the sea and help increase the diversity of coral species on the reef.

Mature Crown of thorns starfish © Shawn Miller

Animals that feed on coral are known as corallivores.

Natural coral bleaching © Shawn Miller

In Okinawa, we have a variety of Corallivorous marine snails ( Drupella sp). These small snails have also caused serious damage to coral reefs.

Corallivorous snails © Shawn Miller

The venomous sea star has sharply pointed spines that deliver a painful sting. The spines inject venom which causes extreme pain, discomfort and nausea. Most injuries occur because recreation Scuba divers cut up the starfish with a dive knife and the spine penetrates the hand. The starfish serves a purpose in the ecosystem so leave it alone. They are a native marine animal of the Ryukyu Islands.

COTS of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

COTS venomous spines © Shawn Miller

In Okinawa, we have had massive COTS outbreaks in the past. These outbreaks have devastated some of the most beautiful shallow water coral reefs.

Juvenile COTS feeding © Shawn Miller

Possible Outbreak Causes

A natural cycle of nature
The decrease in natural predators that feed on COTS
Increase in food source caused by agricultural runoff, causing a blooming effect.

Coral crabs are one of the natural protectors of the coral reef. The coral provides shelter and food for the coral crabs. The crabs are on call to defend against the coral-eating starfish and other marine predators.

Coral crabs (Calcinus minutus) © Shawn Miller

Coral crabs (Cymo melanodactylus) © Shawn Miller

Protective Coral crab (Trapezia sepata) © Shawn Miller

Coral hermit crab (Pagurita vittata) © Shawn Miller

Gall coral crabs © Shawn Miller

COTS have many natural predators. Over the last twenty-five years, I have observed marine snails, harlequin shrimp, sea anemones and fish feeding on healthy and injured COTS in the wild. I was not able to get photographs of all of this behavior taking place, many natural observations occurred before I purchased an underwater camera.

Marine snails feeding on COTS © Shawn Miller

The trident trumpet (Charonia tritonis) is sought after by fisherman and shell collectors worldwide. The meat is a popular food source and the beautiful shell is valuable.

These large snails are capable of eating mature COTS. Overtaking has reduced populations of this of this predatory snail. More effort needs to be directed to the protection of this species. I have personally observed populations drastically decline over the years.

Trident trumpet © Shawn Miller

Trident trumpet feeding © Shawn Miller

The Harlequin shrimp feed on juvenile COTS in the wild and captivity. Harlequin shrimp populations are decreasing as well due to the over-collecting for the pet trade market.

Harlequin shrimp feeding © Shawn Miller

Sea anemones are vicious predators and known to feed on the crown of thorns as well.

Sea anemone © Shawn Miller

Red soil runoff contributes to coral reef bleaching and fertilizers entering the water. Could fertilizers, sewage or pollution really be the cause for a massive bloom in plankton causing an outbreak of healthy numbers of baby COTS?

Okinawa agricultural runoff © Shawn Miller

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Make The Switch For Nature By Shawn Miller

Featured

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Admin11

“Crabs with beach trash homes” was featured in one of the most influential issues of National Geographic Magazine of all time. June 2018 National Geographic launched Planet or Plastic. This powerful issue focuses on bringing awareness to the worldwide plastic pollution problem and efforts to reduce the single-use plastic waste.

Planet or Plastic June 2018 featured © Shawn Miller

June 2018, National Geographic replaced the plastic cover with a paper cover ( PEFC-Certified Paper ) that can be recycled. This is a huge step in reducing the big problem of single-use plastic pollution in our oceans one small step at a time. The Editors did an outstanding job on this powerful ocean impact issue of National Geographic.

Below left is the new paper cover and on the right is the previous plastic cover

National Geographic Paper wrap © Shawn Miller

What a powerful National Geographic cover by Artist Jorge Gambo. The cover is a plastic bag resembling and Iceberg. This is one of the best covers of all time in my opinion. I was fortunate to get my hands on a Japanese issue as well.

Planet Or Plastic Cover

Excited and honored to have one of my photographs from Okinawa featured in the National Geographic Planet or Plastic Exhibition at the Church of Santa Maria della Vita in Bologna, Italy. Exhibition Date: 04/15/2019 – 09/22/2019

Photograph by Paolo Righi

Planet or Plastic Iconic Photographs

Learn more about reducing waste and making a difference. TEDx OIST Talk – Adapting to Our Changing Environment by Shawn Miller

If you would like to see more of my work in National Geographic Magazine, below are four powerful issues that featured the Endangered Species of Okinawa. (WILDLIFE AS CANON SEES IT)

Anderson’s crocodile newt by Shawn Miller. 11/2020 National Geographic

Amami Oshima frog by Shawn Miller. 08/2019 National Geographic

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko by Shawn Miller. 10/2017 National Geographic

Okinawa woodpecker by Shawn Miller. 05/2015 National Geographic

Let’s Make The Switch 4 Nature before it’s too late

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

The Red-eared slider – Introduced animals of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Admin11

The Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is found throughout the Ryukyu Islands to include Mainland Japan. It was introduced in the 1950s by the pet trade market and is still sold in pet shops here in Okinawa.

Scientific name: Trachemys scripta elegans
Common name: Red-eared slider turtle
Distribution: Introduced to most of Japan and the Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Ponds, drainage ditches, rice paddies and farm fields.
Diet: Insects, fish, frogs, snails, and plants
Average size: 20-28cm
Color: Brown and yellow with a bright red temporal blotch

Before you purchase one of these turtles make sure you are committed to taking care of it for a very long time. They can live for over thirty years. A big problem is people frequently abandon these aquatic turtles in local ponds and rivers. The introduced turtles compete with all native animals. Eventually, causing a negative impact on the environment.

I often find the Red-eared slider sunbaking on logs and rocks

The Red-eared slider Okinawa © Shawn Miller

We found this Red-eared slider painted silver at the Comprehensive park. Cruel, not cool!

Silver painted turtle- Comprehensive Park © Shawn Miller

These turtles are considered the most abandoned pet in the world. The local zoos often end up taking care of these abandoned reptiles.

Abandoned turtles- Okinawa city zoo

I found this cute hatchling crossing the road in Yomitan.

Turtle hatchling © Shawn Miller

An Albino turtle I photographed at a local Pet shop in Okinawa.

Albino Red-eared slide © Shawn Miller

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours Biodiversity Project. All images are used for educational purposes

MYN technique © Shawn Miller

A large Red-eared slider catching some rays at the Ginowan convention center pond. A balancing act!

A balancing act © Shawn Miller

Check out that balance- Turtle Yoga with a smile!

Turtle Yoga pose, Comprehensive park © Shawn Miller

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Testing The Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens Underwater

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Admin11

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens for Canon EF

Underwater Housing © Shawn Miller

The Laowa D-Dreamer 12mm lens is a technical lens with great optics. The specialized lens is manual focus and manual aperture selection. I decided to see what it could do underwater.

The lens was used in combination with a Canon 70d DSLR, mounted in an Ikelite housing with an eight-inch dome port. For all the underwater shots, I preset the aperture to f11 before I locked it in the underwater housing. I tested it under ambient light, with the use of modeling lights and underwater strobes. I only had time to test it four times underwater due to bad weather and family obligations. It was challenging for sure. By the fourth dive, I started getting the hang of using this manual lens underwater.

1st issue – Reflection when shooting into the sunlight. (see the bottom right corner)

Venus 12mm underwater reflection © Shawn Miller

I made an anti-reflection lens ring cover to reduce reflection and eliminate the letters and numbers in my image.

Anti-reflection lens cover © Shawn Miller

Anti-reflection lens cover attached to the lens. (Nice and simple)

Anti reflection lens cover Anti-reflection lens cover

Anti-reflection lens covering © Shawn Miller

2nd issue – Locking on focus. Many of my images were soft due to user error and malfunctions. The focus ring kept slipping off. I adapted with some orange nonstick stretch tape to prevent it from slipping again.

Underwater setup by Shawn Miller © Shawn Miller

If you plan to use this lens underwater I would recommend a camera body that has focus peaking. I tested it without the function and had some difficulty underwater. Below are some of my favorite photographs using the Laowa D-Dreamer 12mm lens underwater. Okinawa, Japan

Light & Motion Sola 3800 © Shawn Miller

To be expected the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens was a lot easier to use on land. Below are some of my documentation photographs of the marine debris washed ashore on local beaches.

I hope these photographs will inspire people to care more about nature and make difference in the environment

Tidal flats of Kaichu-Doro by Shawn Miller

We are polluting our oceans with single-use items at an unstoppable rate. Let’s work together to make a positive impact!

https://www.venuslens.net/ref/40/?campaign=OkinawaNaturePhotography

Have a great day – Shawn Miller

Searching For The Strawberry Conch in Okinawa By Shawn Miller

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Admin11

The Strawberry conch (Strombus luhuanus) is a popular food source found on the Island of Okinawa. Locals know as uchinanchu (sea people) search for this marine snail during extreme low tides. The sweet tasting meat of the conch shell is sought after during the summer months.

The beautiful people of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

After harvesting and consuming the conch meat, the shells are giving back to the ocean in large piles. This will provide shelter for marine-based hermit crabs and eventually stabilize the sediment.

Marine hermit crab

Land hermit crabs are often found next to these onshore shell piles, scavenging on conch meat remains.

Hermit crabs of the Ryukyu Islands The beautiful people of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

The beautiful conch shells are commonly confused with the hazardous cone shells. The main difference is that conch shells have a stromboid notch. A small side slit or indentation which allows the animal to see while moving. The conch shells movement is much different as well, they travel using a jumping style movement instead of a steady crawling motion.

The animal has strange eyes located at the end of long eye stalks. The eyes color is usually a vibrant green, yellow and orange combination.

Take a close look at this strawberry conch below. What do you see? I see two extra eyes poking out of the stromboid notch. The marine snail naturally has two eyes, not four.

What is the cause of this? Could this deformity be caused by nutritional deficiencies, a genetic disorder or pollution?

Photographed on white for the meet your neighbours project

Regardless of the cause, I hope these images will inspire people to care more about nature and make a positive impact in the environment. We all depend on the ocean in some form. Let’s work together to make a difference.

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

– If you would like to use any of my photographs for a publication or website please contact me directly. Do not use any of my images without permission! Shawn Miller

Whale Watching Okinawa – Searching for Humpback Whales by Shawn Miller

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Admin11

Whale watching season starts at the beginning of February and ends in April. We went out with The Zamami Whale watching Association In 2013. Before the boat ride, a local Scientist delivered an informative presentation on these powerful endangered animals. I have to say they are doing their best to educate the public on the protection of the Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). During the boat ride, the staff and boat captain were highly professional. The boats kept a safe working distance from the whales. The whales would surface for a few minutes go back down for 10-15minutes and resurface. We really wanted to get some powerful images of the whale jumping out of the water but we didn’t get that lucky. It was still worth the experience.

Whale watching tours – Kerama Islands

Humpback checking out the scene

Humpback Whale Dorsal fin

Whale Fluke -Karama Islands

Whale watching tours at Zamami Island

Whale tail splash

The Humpback whales biggest threat is Pollution. They are filter feeders and often accidentally ingest marine debris. Our waste is a serious problem for all marine animals.

Our waste is overwelling. We are at the point of massive destruction if we don’t do anything about it right now. The trash (Marine debris) is found on the surface of the water, underwater and littered on our beautiful shorelines. This is a worldwide issue we continue to ignore.

Ocean surface pollution

Underwater Pollution

Beach shoreline pollution

Ropes and fishing gear are entanglements for the Whales

Ropes, fishing gear, and nets are entanglements for the Whales

Plastic pollution, noise pollution and an increase in large boat traffic are having an impact on the whales. Every year we see whales washed on our shorelines.

Dead humpback whale – Kadena

Juvenile humpback whale

Another Juvenile humpback whale washed up on Torii beach.

Dead humpback whale – Yomitan

Dead humpback whale – Yomitan

Let’s protect the animals of the Okinawa.

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Category Archives: Environmental Impact

Amami Woodcock- The Birds of The Ryukyu Islands

Earth Day 2019 Okinawa

Light bulbs, Plastic Bottles and Hermit Crabs

When The Red Tractor’s Arrive The Egrets Will Thrive

Crown of Thorns Starfish – Hazardous Starfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Make The Switch For Nature By Shawn Miller

Featured

The Red-eared slider – Introduced animals of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Testing The Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens Underwater

Searching For The Strawberry Conch in Okinawa By Shawn Miller

Whale Watching Okinawa – Searching for Humpback Whales by Shawn Miller