Tag Archives: ryukyu islands

Ryukyu ken – Dogs of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

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Ryukyu-ken is a scarce breed of dog found on the Island of Okinawa. In the past, these dogs were used to hunt down wild boars in the Yanbaru forest. They are currently designated as an Okinawan national treasure. I have personally seen these dogs hunt wild birds and they have no problems catching them. The Ryukyu ken has a great sense of smell. They can smell their prey from far away. These smart dogs are outstanding hunters.

Ryukyu Ken - Kin Okinawa

Ryukyu Ken – © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu-ken

Ryukyu-ken © Shawn Miller

It’s impressive that these dogs hunt such a large powerful animal. Ryukyu wild boar (Sus scrofa).

Ryukyu wild boar (sus scrofa) This is a common wild boar found in Okinawa,

Ryukyu wild boar (Sus scrofa) © Shawn Miller

I was out searching for birds and saw this beautiful male Ryukyu Inu. I knew he was out on a hunting mission.  It was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time.

Ryukyu Enu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Enu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu native dog ready for the hunt © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog

Ryukyu Inu -Okinawan native dog © Shawn Miller

I tried to get a better photograph but the dogs kept avoiding me. The Ryukyu ken caught a duck with the help of a team partner.

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I often would see the Master walking his dogs on the beach and one day I finally asked him if I could photograph him and his dogs.

Master and his Ryukyu Ken

Master and his Ryukyu Ken © Shawn Miller

Master walking his Ryukyu Dogs

Master walking his Ryukyu Dogs © Shawn Miller

I had the opportunity to meet another Ryukyu Ken this weekend.  What caught my eye was the the double claw ( AKA Dew claw) on the rear legs. He had six toenails on the hind legs and only four toenails on the front legs, the term for this is polydactyl. I have only seen extra digits on the front legs of a cats before.

Ryukyu ken -dogs of the Ryukyu's

Ryukyu ken -dogs of the Ryukyu’s

Check out those dew claws- six toenails on the hind legs

Ryukyu ken -dogs of the Ryukyu's

polydactyl ryukyu dog- Meet boots the Hemingway cat (Polydactyl)

Meet boots the Hemingway cat (Polydactyl). Check out those extra digits!

Boots the Polydactyl Cat

Boots the Polydactyl Cat by Shawn Miller

Look at those beautiful patterns of the Ryukyu ken.

Ryukyu ken - tiger striped pattern

Ryukyu ken – Coat colors and patterns

The Ryukyu Ken is my favorite dog.

IMG_1393I often find some of the most interesting dogs on my photographic adventures exploring the Island. I try to capture their unique personality.  Below are some of my favorite dogs.

Okinawan dog

Okinawan dog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu guard dog

Ryukyu guard dog © Shawn Miller

Okinawan dog - Ogimi Village

Okinawan dog © Shawn Miller

Okinawa dog - chained up

Okinawa dog – chained up © Shawn Miller

Poochie the wonder dog

Poochie the wonder dog © Shawn Miller

Sometimes on my adventures, I run into aggressive dogs.  They are just protecting their territory.  I respect their space and leave the scene.

Okinawan dog

Okinawan dog © Shawn Miller

Dogs of Okinawa

Dogs of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Dogs of Okinawa

Dogs of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

guard dogs of Okinawa

guard dogs of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Dogs of Okinawa

Dogs of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Okinawan beach dogs, Yomitan Okinawa

Okinawan beach dogs, Yomitan Okinawa © Shawn Miller

 

Sometimes I run into kind photogenic dogs that love their photograph taken.

Shima -Ryukyu dog

Shima -Ryukyu dog © Shawn Miller

Cheetah like speed

Cheetah like speed © Shawn Miller

Okinawa Island style © Shawn Miller

Okinawa Island style © Shawn Miller

Okinawan dog with style

Okinawan dog with style © Shawn Miller

Dogs of Okinawa

Dogs of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Scuba dog -Maeda point

Scuba dog -Maeda point © Shawn Miller

Bear and Master Willson

Bear and Master Willson © Shawn Miller

 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 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

 

Nature therapy- Chasing waterfalls on Iriomote Island

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This was my fist time exploring Iriomote Island and I have to say it was an outstanding experience.  We were fortunate to have great weather with sunny days. The waterfalls were flowing with clear pristine water.  The twelve hour hike with an experienced guide and four good friends (Pete Leong, Mark Thorpe, Vish Lazcano and Nayuta Hirana) paid off.

The mission was to get some nature therapy and photograph three Impressive waterfalls. I spent most of my time just enjoying the moment and taking documentation photographs with my GoPro Hero 4 Silver.

This was our first view of Maryudo falls in the distance.

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Mariyudo falls, Iriomote

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Mariyudo falls, Iriomote Island

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Mariyudo no-taki, Iriomote Island

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Shooting Mariyudo falls, Iriomote Island

Mariyudo falls is a popular swimming area.  Watch out for leeches!

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Shooting Mariyudo falls, Iriomote Island

On to the next waterfall, Kanpire waterfall is only a ten minute walk from Mariyudo.

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Kanpire waterfall -Iriomote

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Kanpire waterfall -Iriomote

The two hour hike begins! time to find the most amazing waterfall known as Mayagusuku falls.

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Freshwater pools -Iriomote

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River trekking – Iriomote Island

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River trekking – almost there!

We finally made it to Mayagusuku falls! It was worth the hike!

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Mayagusuku falls -Iriomote Island

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Mayagusuku falls -Iriomote Island

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Mayagusuku falls -Iriomote Island

The climb to the top was the most impressive part of my trip ! The falls reminded me of a scene cut from Jurassic park.

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Mayagusuku falls -Iriomote Island

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Mayagusuku falls -Iriomote Island

I really didn’t want to leave this waterfall but we had get back before nightfall.

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The beauty of Iriomote Island

Twelve hours later…  we made it back safe!

Thousands of Blue button jellyfish washed ashore Okinawa

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Thousands of Blue button jellyfish ( Porpita porpita ) washed ashore on a local beach today.  These beautiful animals have stinging cells called nematocysts.  They can cause skin irritation but generally are not a threat.

Blue button jellyfish

Blue button jellyfish

Blue button jellyfish

Blue button jellyfish 

Washed ashore

Washed ashore

Button Jellyfish

Button Jellyfish -Gobe 700

Button Jellyfish

Button Jellyfish – Gobe 700

I collected a few specimens to photograph in the studio. I was curious to see if this animal would fluoresce under blue light. I used my underwater setup as my lighting studio.  I took a few photos using the Light & Motion Nightsea Blue light.

Studio setup

DTM -Studio setup

The round disc fluoresced bright orange under blue light.

fluorescence

fluorescence

Have a great day!

 

 

The King of the Yanbaru forest – Holst’s frog

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The Holst’s frog ( Babina holsti ) is a rare species found  in northern Okinawa. It is currently listed endangered on the IUCN red list. It is designated as a natural monument by the Okinawa Prefecture.  This large amphibian is decreasing in numbers due to habitat loss.

  • Scientific name: Babina holsti (Boulenger, 1892)
  • Distribution:  Northern Okinawa-Japan
  • Habitat:  Forest streams 
  • Diet:  Insects, worms, snails and small reptiles
  • Average Size:  100mm -125mm
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The King- Holst’s frog

The Holst’s frog is the largest frog found on Okinawa. It hides in holes, crevices and small caves in the day.

Searching for food

Searching for food

This is a size comparison photograph taken with the iPhone 6s. This is a good size frog but they do get larger than this.

Comparison - Iphone6s

Comparison – Iphone6s

The juveniles have a dark brown patch on the top section of the body. They blend in very well with their habitat.

Juvenile Holst's frog

Juvenile Holst’s frog

They are sometimes found searching for food on the back roads of Northern Okinawa.

Juvenile Holst's frog - Yanbaru

Juvenile Holst’s frog – Yanbaru

Be careful and pay close attention to crossing wildlife! 

Crossing wildlife

Crossing wildlife

 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.

Testing the Venus Laowa 60mm F2.8 macro lens underwater

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Laowa 60mmn f2.8 macro lens

Dive Team Miller Underwater set-up with Canon 70d Laowa 60mmn f2.8 macro lens-  Ikelite housing with 8inch dome port, 1 ikelite 160 strobe , 1 ikelite 200 strobe, 1 sola 600 and 1 gobe 700 focus light.

The Venus Laowa 60mm macro lens is a technical lens with great optics. The specialized lens is manual focus and manual aperture selection.  I had to use my wide angle dome port since this was the only port I had the lens would fit into. I preset the lens to a 1:2 ratio and used an aperture setting of F8. I went with the aperture setting of F8 since it was an overcast day and I wanted to see my subject through the viewfinder in the low light.  I used two modeling lights to add artificial light, which allowed me to see through the viewfinder at a depth of 100 feet. The focusing distance was already preset on the surface, so all I had to do was to move the camera until I saw the subject was in focus and take the shot.  It was very difficult to use with subjects that were moving. This was my first dive using this lens underwater and have more testing to do. Here are some of my images using the Venus Laowa 60mm macro lens underwater at Maeda point, Okinawa-Japan.

Tomato anemonefish -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Tomato anemonefish -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Cushion starfish underside abstract

Cushion starfish underside abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Clark's Anemonefish -

Clark’s Anemonefish – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Coral abstract - Laowa 60mm macro F8

Coral abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Canthigaster coronata

Canthigaster coronata -Laowa 60mm macr0 F8

Bubble coral -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Bubble coral -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Coral abstract

Coral abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Test dive two, I set the aperture to F11 with a focus distance between 1:1-1:2. It was  challenging working with all moving subjects. The dome port was to close for comfort for moving subjects such as fish.  Stay tuned for more images later this week!

Coral abstracts -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral abstracts -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Sea anemone -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Sea anemone -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Cushion star -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Cushion star -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral abstract -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral abstract -Laowa 60mm macro F11

July 8th 2017, I took the Loawa 60mm out for another spin. This time I did not use underwater strobes.  I set the Aperture on F5.6, shutter speed 1/200-1/640 sec and ISO settings 400-2500.  I used the Light&Motion Sola 3800 and Sola 1200 to provide beautiful fill light.

Underwater setup - Laowa 60mm

Underwater setup – Laowa 60mm

Mushroom coral -Sola 1200 red

Mushroom coral -Sola 1200 red

Octo coral- Laowa 60mm

Octo coral- Laowa 60mm

Bubble tip anemone - Laowa 60mm

Bubble tip anemone – Laowa 60mm

Stag horn coral - Laowa 60mm

Stag horn coral – Laowa 60mm

July 9th 2017, I did some more testing using two Ikelite strobes and the Light&Motion Sola 3800 modeling light. I set the sync speed at 1/250sec,  Aperature at F8 and Iso 100.

Finding Nemo Okinawa

Finding Nemo Okinawa

Brittle star on coral -Okinawa

Brittle star on coral -Okinawa

Scythe triggerfish -Laowa 60mm macro

Scythe triggerfish -Laowa 60mm macro

 

If you plan to purchase any Venus optics please click on the Affiliate link below *  http://www.venuslens.net/ref/40/?campaign=OkinawaNaturePhotography

Have a great day!

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko, Endangered species of the Ryukyu Islands!

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Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko is a beautiful lizard found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. It is currently listed endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species.  This lizard is decreasing in numbers due to poaching, deforestation, and the threat of feral cats. The lizard is high valued in the illegal pet trade market and needs to protected. This is one of my favorite reptiles to photograph on my night adventures in Okinawa.

    • Scientific name: Goniurosaurus kuroiwae

 

    • Distribution:  Okinawa Islands

 

    • Habitat:  Leaf littered forests 

 

    • Diet:  Worms and insects

 

  • Average Size:  110mm -130mm
Featured- Wildlife As Canon Sees. National Geographic October 2017

Shawn Miller Featured- Wildlife As Canon Sees. National Geographic October 2017

Kuroiwa's Ground Gecko

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

This is the first ground gecko I photographed in 2010. I found it under a piece of carpet in Onna Village. Illegal dumping is a huge problem in Okinawa.

1st Ground Gecko

1st Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

In the daytime, they live in caves, crevices, and holes in the ground

Kuroiwa's Ground Gecko

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

They come out to feed at night.  

Kuroiwa's Ground Gecko

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

When they feel threatened they will stand up on all fours and try to intimate you with a stare down.

Kuroiwa's Ground Gecko

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

They have some strange looking feet –

Ryukyu Ground gecko

Ryukyu Ground gecko © Shawn Miller

When I approached this ground gecko it stayed in place. I found three Mosquitoes sucking the blood right out of it. the first time I observed mosquitoes on a lizard.

Blood suckers

Ryukyu Blood suckers © Shawn Miller

The juveniles have vibrant orange stripes down the back and rings around their tails.

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Juvenile ground gecko

Juvenile ground gecko

Juvenile ground gecko

This beautiful Goniurosaurus kuroiwae orientalis was photographed on Ie Island.

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Goniurosaurus kuroiwae orientalis

A wide-angle macro perspective of a ground gecko in central Okinawa.

Ground gecko -WAM

Ground gecko -Wide angle macro © Shawn Miller

The Banded ground gecko (Goniurosaurus splendens) is endemic to the Island of Tokunoshima. It is designated as a living natural monument in Kagoshima prefecture.

Banded Ground Gecko

Banded Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

Toyama’s ground gecko (Goniurosaurus toyami) is endemic to Iheya Island. It is currently listed as critically endangered.

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Toyama’s ground gecko © Shawn Miller

Pay attention to crossing wildlife!

Kuroiwa's ground gecko -endangered

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko -endangered species © Shawn Miller

Kuroiwa's ground gecko

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko top view © Shawn Miller

Road kill sign © Shawn Miller

 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.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

 

Crabs With Beach Trash Homes – Okinawa, Japan

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  Crabs with beach trash homes is a series I am currently working on. I photograph Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus) that have begun to use beach trash as their home. The crabs are photographed in their natural environment and also on white for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project. The images are used for environmental awareness and educational purposes.
Hermit crabs with beach trash homes

Crabs with beach trash homes © Shawn Miller

 Blueberry hermit crabs are commonly found on local beaches in Okinawa. Most crabs are blue but occasionally have color variations of purple, pink, orange and or gray. They prefer to have a seashell as a protective home but when no shell is available they adapt.

 
Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) with a seashell © Shawn Miller

Before plastic caps filled our shorelines, hermit crabs adapted using tree nuts if no shells were available.

Hermit crab and tree nut

Hermit crab and tree nut © Shawn Miller

It’s becoming more common to find crabs with beach trash homes.  I have friends combing local beaches in search of more crabs for my series. While these are cute images, our trash is becoming a serious problem to the ocean and the animals that call the shoreline home. I often find hermit crabs using a variety of plastic caps from twist top pet bottles, laundry detergent containers, small propane tanks, sports water bottles and beauty supplies.

Possible reason why Blueberry crabs adapt with beach trash
  • Limited number of available shells causing them to make due with the best homes they can find. This is a good example of adaptive behavior.

Hermit crabs are very social animals and often fight over shells. Having a protective lightweight shell that covers the abdomen (soft parts of the animal) is crucial for survival.

Hermit crabs fighting

Hermit crabs fighting over prime real estate © Shawn Miller

The battle -

Battle over real estate © Shawn Miller

A close-up of the sensitive abdomen (photographed using the MYN technique)

Naked hermit crab

Naked hermit crab © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs are scavengers and take advantage of any food washed ashore. They mainly feed on dead fish, barnacles, other crabs, algae, insects, plants, fruit and various seeds. The screw pine (Pandanus odifer) is one of their favorite foods. I imagine long ago these vital plants lined our shorelines in abundance. Numbers are decreasing due to deforestation.

Pandus odifer

Pandanus odifer © Shawn Miller

Eventually the fruit drops to the ground and the sweet smell attracts the hermit crabs

Hermit crab feeding

Hermit crab feeding © Shawn Miller

The hermit crabs feed on the the fresh keys and help with seed dispersal. They both benefit in this relationship.  The Pandanus tree provides shelter, shade, food for the hermit crabs.

Hermit crab and Pandanus

Hermit crab and Pandanus © Shawn Miller

Eventually the keys dry, turn brown and litter the local beaches. The dispersed keys provide a perfect environment for hermit crabs to blend in with.

Where the treeline meet the beach

Where the treeline meet the beach © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs prefer to be in a shell that protects the entire body from predators. Sometimes they have to temporarily adapt with a much smaller shell.  The retracted hermit crab tightens up to protect itself.  Ball up, play dead and blend into the environment, minimizing the risk of being preyed upon.

Could this be a form of masquerading or just coincidence ?  It resembles (mimics) the shape of the screw pine seed to possibly avoid detection from potential predators.

Hermit crab and screw pine seed

Hermit crab and screw pine seed © Shawn Miller

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Hermit crabs have the ability to ball up tight to protect their eyes. (Transformers)

Hermit crab retracted

Hermit crab retracted © Shawn Miller

Below are some of my favorite images photographed on a portable field studio board (MYN Technique). The crabs are safely placed on a white studio board, photographed and released back into the natural environment (MYN Technique).

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) with cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic tube © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic top cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic top cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab- Ryukyu Islands.

Blueberry hermit crab- Ryukyu Islands © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab

Blueberry hermit crab – Okuma, Okinawa © Shawn Miller

It’s important to photograph the hermit crabs in their natural habitat.  I prefer to photograph them using a wide angle lens to achieve a unique perspective.

Meet zori -Wide angle macro

Meet zori -Wide angle macro © Shawn Miller

Hermit crab- Plastic pollution

Hermit crab- Plastic pollution © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab, Hedo-Okinawa

Blueberry hermit crab,  Wide angle macro © Shawn Miller

Meet scoop- Quaker

Meet scoop- Quaker © Shawn Miller

Meet shady

Meet shady – Worldwide trash problem

Hermit crab in a glass bottle

Hermit crab in a glass bottle- Yomitan, Okinawa.

Meet cassette -CWBTH

Meet cassette -CWBTH © Shawn Miller

Airplane -Senaga Island ,Okinawa

Airplane -Senaga Island ,Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab, Onna-Okinawa

Land hermit crab, Onna-Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Meet sparky- using a plastic cap from a cassette gas tank

Meet sparky- using a plastic cap from a cassette gas tank © Shawn Miller

Energy drink home- Trash homes

Energy drink home- Trash homes © Shawn Miller

The rock climber -Okinawa

The rock climber -Northern Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Sunset - Yomitan ,Okinawa

Sunset Time – Yomitan ,Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Beach pollution- CWBTH

Beach pollution- CWBTH © Shawn Miller

Tree climber-

Tree climber- © Shawn Miller

Plastic pollution - beach trash

Plastic pollution – beach trash © Shawn Miller

Crabs and plastic

Crabs and plastic – WAM © Shawn Miller

Got Meds -Beach trash

Got Meds -Beach trash © Shawn Miller

Get off the road jack -

Get off the road jack – © Shawn Miller

Crabs and plastic -Onna Village

Crabs and plastic -Onna Village © Shawn Miller

I also photograph the hermit crabs using a dedicated macro lens. I mainly use the Canon 60 mm or 100 mm macro lens to concentrate on the subject. These crabs are fairly small and  it’s important to have a lens that will focus close and deliver high quality sharpness.

Meet Edison- Gobe700

Meet Edison- Gobe700 © Shawn Miller

Meet hand -toy end cap

Meet hand -toy end cap © Shawn Miller

Beach trash -hermit crabs

Beach trash -hermit crabs © Shawn Miller

erry hermit crab, Okuma-Okinawa

Blueberry hermit crab, Okuma-Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Laundry detergent cap - Northern Okinawa

Laundry detergent cap – Northern Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Cassette gas tank cap - bbq beach party

Cassette gas tank cap – bbq beach party © Shawn Miller

White cap on drift wood

White cap on drift wood © Shawn Miller

Meet scoop-

Meet scoop- © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab, Hedo-Okinawa

Blueberry hermit crab, Hedo-Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Meet Edison -Gobe700

Meet Edison -Gobe700 © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab, Onna-Okinawa

Blueberry hermit crab, Onna-Okinawa © Shawn Miller

erry hermit crab, Hedo-Okinawa

Blueberry hermit crab, Hedo-Okinawa © Shawn Miller

School project  ” Crabs with beach trash homes ”  My family and I collected trash on a  local beach in Onna village. This is just a small portion of our beach trash findings.  The kids did a great job creating a project with impact.

Kirana's school project

Kirana’s school project © Shawn Miller

Kyle's school project

Kyle’s school project © Shawn Miller

Otis Brunner found this hermit crab flattened on a beachside parking lot. As you can see the plastic doesn’t provide much protection.

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Road kill – © Otis Brunner

Behind the scenes photograph  ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” I have documented over sixty crabs with beach trash homes. If you would like to see more images check out my Flickr account.

Shawn Miller - Crabs with beach trash homes. photographed by David Orr

Shawn Miller – Crabs with beach trash homes.    Photographed by David Orr

June 10th, 2010 was my first experience seeing a hermit crab with a trash home.  
Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Land hermit crab  climbing a tree © Shawn Miller

My series ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” has been featured on World Wildlife Fund, Petapixel, Business Insider, National Geographic, Atlas Obscura, Global citizen, Plethorist, Daily Telegraph, Little things, 15minutenews, Roaring earth, Hyperdojo, News.com.au, Follow news, Neotorama, BoingBoing, Insider, Activist, Now100fm and varies Scientific websites.

Planet or Plastic June 2018 featured

Planet or Plastic June 2018 featured

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 bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens – Birds Of Okinawa

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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)

Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

A beautiful Ryukyu hawk owl spotted during daylight.

The Ryukyu hawk owl

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 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.

Pryer's woodpecker (Sapheopipo Noguchii) Yanbaru forest

Pryer’s woodpecker (Sapheopipo Noguchii) Yanbaru forest

A Wiskered tern (Childonias hybridus) shaking away – Kin, Okinawa.

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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.

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Japanese wood pigeon

The Rudy kingfisher is a summer visitor. Another bird hard to photograph

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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, Okinawa

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

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)

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 )

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

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.

Canon 70d with 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Canon 70d with 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Have a great day!

 

Marine Life Washed Ashore – Typhoon Vongfong

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Super Typhoon Vongfong was considered to be to be the strongest storm of the year. We were very lucky the strength of the storm died down before it landed on the Island of Okinawa. The typhoon brought heavy winds and rough sea conditions. A fair amount of marine life could not cope with these harsh conditions.

Puffer fish and trash

A Common Pufferfish ( Diodon holocanthus) with beach trash © Shawn Miller

Blue starfish ,Onna beach-Okinawa

Blue starfish (Linckia laevigata) washed ashore © Shawn Miller

fish washed up with styrofoam

Carinalfish washed ashore with styrofoam in its mouth © Shawn Miller

Sea snake , Okinawa-Japan

Venomous Sea snake  (Emydocephalus ijimae) © Shawn Miller

Starfish washed up

Horned sea star ( Protoreaster nodusus ) washed ashore © Shawn Miller

sea hare

Large sea slug (Dolabella auricularia ) with internal shell © Shawn Miller

Sea cucumber

Sea cucumber ( Holothuria scabra ) washed ashore © Shawn Miller

Soft coral -Nago ,Bay

Soft coral  ( Lobophytum sp ) washed ashore © Shawn Miller

All images were taken on the western portion of the Island using the Canon 70d.

Have a great day!

 

Using the Light & Motion Sola red light feature to document the marine life of Okinawa

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I have been using the Light & Motion Sola series underwater lights for over two years now. They are the most reliable lights I have ever used underwater. The Sola photo series 800 and 1200 offer a red light feature. This feature enables the user to photograph the marine life without disturbing them. Most marine animals do not see or react to the red light.

I decided to put the Sola red light to the test on some marine subjects. I first setup a small studio saltwater aquarium to place the specimens in.

Aquarium setup - Documenting the Marine Life of Okinawa

Aquarium setup – Meet Your Neighbours Project

I wanted to photograph some marine gastropods with their shell and body showing. I first tried using white light, but they immediately retreated back into their shell.  As soon as I turned on the red light the marine snails crawled around as if it was nighttime. This red light feature allowed me to get the documentation photograph that I planned.

Cowrie shells are one of many beautiful marine animals found in Okinawa. Photographing the animals on white isolate the subject without any distractions.  

Chinese cowrie ( Ovatipsa chinensis )

Chinese cowrie ( Ovatipsa chinensis )

The animals are handled with care and then released back into the the environment without harm. The Images are used for conversation awareness and educational purposes.

Teres cowrie shell ( Blasicrura teres pellucens )

Teres cowrie shell ( Blasicrura teres pellucens )

I usually use the Sola Red light underwater. This is my underwater rig with the Light & Motion Sola 600 mounted on top of my Ikelite underwater housing. 

Underwater setup with sola 600

Underwater setup with sola 600

If you would like to test the Sola Photo 1200, please let me know. Friends and supporters – Save 20% off your first Light & Motion purchase https://prz.io/648x6bGC1

Learn more about the Light & Motion Sola series.   https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/sola

Learn more about the Meet Your Neighbours Project.   https://meetyourneighbours.net/okinawa-neighbours/

Have a great day-