I have experienced many typhoons in the last twenty-five years. Typhoon Trami was by far the strongest storm of the year. Its normal to see marine life washed ashore but this was my first time finding shorebirds washed ashore.
The images might be disturbing to some of the viewers but this is how I naturally found the birds on local beaches. A variety of egrets, terns, snipes, pigeons, and herons could not cope with the harsh conditions.
An abundance of marine debris also washed up. A disgusting amount of single-use items like styrofoam, plastic bottle caps, water bottles, lighters, combs, razors, cigarette butts, and floats littered the shoreline.
Our trash is a serious problem on our shorelines. What are you doing to make a difference? Have a great day.
Pryer’s woodpecker (Dendrocopos noguchii) is the prefecture bird of Okinawa and designated as a natural treasure of Japan. They are a rare species only found in the northern part of Okinawa and are currently listed critically endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species.
Scientific name: (Dendrocopos noguchii)
Common name: Okinawan or Pryer’s woodpecker
Distribution: Northern Okinawa
Habitat: Yanbaru Forest
Diet: Beetle larvae, moths, spiders, centipedes and fruit
Average Size: 30cm – 35mm
Shawn Miller featured – WILDLIFE AS CANON SEES IT -Published National Geographic May 2015. Bringing awareness to the endangered species of the Ryukyu Islands one image at a time.
Woodpecker featured Nat Geo May 2015 –
The woodpecker can rotate its head 180 degrees to capture the difficult insects. This is the first and only time I have observed this occurring.
Pryer’s woodpecker 180 head twist
This woodpecker is unique. It feeds its young only one insect at a time.
Okinawa woodpecker
Pryer’s woodpecker in flight
Both parents stay busy feeding the chicks. The nests can have up to three chicks.
Pryer’s woodpecker feeding chick
The woodpeckers biggest threats are deforestation and natural predators.
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
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.
The Canon Ef 400mm f/5.6 USM lens is a light weight high performance prime lens. The auto focus system is impressively fast without hesitation. It performs best when photographing birds in flight and animals on the move. This is a very sharp high quality lens and would recommend purchasing it if you are on a limited budget.
The Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is one of my favorite birds to photograph with the the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens.
Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
A beautiful Ryukyu hawk owl spotted during daylight.
The Ryukyu hawk owl (Ninox scutulata)
The Black Faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) is a common visitor in Southern Okinawa.
The Spoonbill is critically endangered and has an estimated population of less than 3000.
The Black Faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor).
The Pryer’s woodpecker (Sapheopipo Noguchii) is the prefecture bird of Okinawa and designated as a natural treasure of Japan. It is a rare species only found in the northern part of Okinawa.
A Wiskered tern (Childonias hybridus) shaking away – Kin, Okinawa.
Wiskered tern (Childonias hybridus)
The Japanese wood pigeon is listed as near threatened on the IUCN red list of threatened species. A very difficult bird to photograph.
Japanese wood pigeon
The Rudy kingfisher is a summer visitor. Another bird hard to photograph
Rudy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda)
The Japanese white eye (Zosterops japonicus) is popular to photograph in January. The green and yellow feathers compliment the pink cherry tree blossoms.
Mejiro – Japanese white eye
The Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) is a flightless bird only found in the northern part of Okinawa. It is a protected species and declared a living natural monument. It is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species. In 2012 populations of this endemic bird were estimated at 1500 by the Environment Ministry.
Okinawa Rail ( Gallirallus okinawae)
The Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a rare visitor in Okinawa. Nature Photographers travel from Mainland Japan to photograph this beautiful bird.
Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
The male Japanese sparrowhawk ( Accipiter gularis ) has stunning bright red eyes. This bird can pluck the feathers off a sparrow within minutes.
Male Japanese sparrowhawk ( Accipiter gularis )
The Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) dive bombing a fish. This bird is a spectacular hunter.
Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) dive bombing a fish
Check out more Images of Birds of Okinawa-
All Images were photographed using the Canon 70d with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens.
An abundance of marine debris also washed up. A disgusting amount of single-use items like styrofoam, plastic bottle caps, water bottles, lighters, combs, razors, cigarette butts, and floats littered the shoreline.
Our trash is a serious problem on our shorelines. What are you doing to make a difference? Have a great day.
