Bottle Cap Challenge – No Kicking Just Picking!

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Admin11

The bottle cap challenge is a viral trend started by martial artist Farabi Davletchin. He was the first person to perform a precision spin kick and twist off the cap of the bottle using his foot. In 2017, I started a my own bottle cap challenge. The goal was to see how many twist top caps I could collect in fifteen minutes. Its an exciting challenge and I recommend getting others involved. Make it a friendly competition and document your beach trash finds using the Clean Swell app by Ocean Conservancy.

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

Next time your at the beach, take a minute and look around at the amout of single use waste on the beach. How do you feel when you see this waste?

Majority of the plastic bottles/caps that wash ashore become brittle and break down into smaller pieces. The smaller pieces (micro plastics) are harder to find and clean up.

Eventually these smaller pieces make it back into the ocean affecting the wildlife. Marine birds often mistaken and eat this plastic because it looks and smells like their natural diet (ex: fish eggs, crabs and small fish).

Even the marine fish will sometimes eat the plastic, they are attracted by the smell as well.

Hermit crabs are one of the few animals that can successfully adapt with our waste. They eventually move into this valuable real estate (plastic caps) and use it as a protective mobile home until they find a better option. Below are photographs of hermit crabs found naturally adapting with plastic twist caps.

This popular hermit crab was featured in honor of World Oceans Day 2019 on Stella McCartney’s website. Thank you all for bringing awareness to the plastic pollution problem.

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.

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.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Cryptic fish, Comets and Stars by Shawn Miller

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Admin11

The Comet (Calloplesiops altivelis) is a type of marine betta found in the beautiful waters of Okinawa. They hide in caves during the day. At night they come out to feed on small crustaceans. They are a mysterious fish and can be challenging to photograph. Comets are uncommon, yet very little is know about the behavior of these cryptic animals.

Scientific name: Calloplesiops altivelis
Common Name: Comet (Marine betta)
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: submarine caves
Diet: crustaceans and fish
Average Size: 20cm

Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Look close, can see the resemblance between the comet and the spotted moray eel?

Gymnothorax meleagris © Shawn Miller

When threatened the comet will stick its head into a hole and expose its tail end, which mimics the head of the a dangerous moray eel. The caudal fin also has detailed white lines that resemble the razor sharp teeth.

Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Having trouble getting close to marine life during your night dives? I recommend using the Light & Motion Sola 1200 red light feature. This feature enables the user to photograph marine life during the night without disturbing them. Most marine animals do not see the color red or react less to the red light.

Underwater setup with sola 600

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.

Frogs of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 23, 2019 by Admin11

Individuals that study amphibians are know as herpetologists. The act of searching for these beautiful animals is known as herping. Okinawa has twelve species of frogs. They all have the ability to live in the water and on the land. Most are nocturnal and feed on insects during the night. They are found in local parks, forests, streams, puddles, and on the road at times.

If you would like to learn more about a specific frog, I attached a link above each photograph. Links in red are endangered species.

Rana ulma – Ryukyu brown frog

Babina holsti – Holsts frog

Odorrana ishikawae – Ishikawa’s frog

Limnonectes namiyei – Namie’s frog

Hyla halowelii – Hallowell’s tree frog

Odorrana narina – Ryukyu Tip-nosed Frog

Rhacophorus viridis viridis – Okinawa green tree frog

Rana limnocharis limnocharis – Asian grass frog

Polypedates leucomystax leucomystax – White jawed frog

Microhyla okinavensis – The Ornate narrow-mouth frog

Buegeria japonica – Ryukyu Kajika frog

Rana catesbeiana – American bullfrog

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

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.

World Oceans Day 2019 – Okinawa, Japan

Posted on June 9, 2019 by Admin11

June 8th 2019, is designated as Wold Oceans Day. It’s a day encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. We can all do a better job making a difference, our lives depend on it.

I have traveled to many of the outer Islands in the Ryukyu Island chain. Every Island has an abundance of marine debris washed ashore from Japan, China and Korea. Below are some of the documentation photographs taken on Iheya Island.

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.

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

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

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.

The Shorelines of Iheya Island Turn Red

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Admin11

Mass coral spawning took place this weekend on Izena, Iheya and Noho Island. I have been waiting a very long time to see this natural wonder.

Coral spawn slick

Coral spawning takes place late at night during high tide. When many species of coral spawn on the same night it naturally forms a mass of gametes know as a coral spawn slick. These coral slicks eventually wash ashore the next morning. These brightly colored coral slicks give off a very strong odor that will stick in my memory forever.

Coral spawn slick

Coral spawn slick art

Iheya beach – RW&B

While exploring the island we stumbled upon more bright coral slicks. We often explored beaches polluted with single use waste. As you can see our trash is a series problem in our oceans and the shorelines worldwide.

Coral spawn slick and trash

Pink Coral spawn slick

Look close and you can see single-use waste and micro plastic floating on the surface of the water

Coral colored spawn slick

Red coral splash

Noho Island had a thick smelling coral slick at the local fishing port. A group of locals showed up to go swimming but immediately decided it was a bad idea and went to another location.

Noho – Fishing port

Coral spawn slick washed up

Noho fishing port

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

My Mission: To document and preserve the wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

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.

Birding and Plastic Dreams by Shawn Miller

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Admin11

Birding is one of the most popular hobbies for all ages. I find it enjoyable and extremely relaxing. It doesn’t matter where I go on Okinawa, I seem to find beautiful animals and trash. The animals have been forced to live with our single use waste. Below are some of my documentation photographs of animals surrounded by our waste.

Plastic Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Birding Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Birding Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Birding Okinawa © Shawn Miller

You can see how a bird could accidentally confuse single use plastic for actual fish. Now days, majority of marine birds have some form of plastic inside their stomachs.

Plastic pollution © Shawn Miller

This Gull arrived on Okinawa February 2016 with oil residue on its feathers. It spent most of the day bathing in the salt water trying to shake of the oil.

Birding © Shawn Miller

Plastic bag © Shawn Miller

Crab trash @Shawn Miller

Jungle crow and plastic

Even the endangered Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) has to deal with our waste.

Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) © Shawn Miller

Roadside streams are a great place to photograph waterbirds. This may look like a small waterfall but it’s actually a huge piece of plastic, beautiful isn’t it?

Plastic waterfalls © Shawn 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.

The truth hurts © Shawn Miller

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.

The Red Coral of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Admin11

One of my favorite types of coral is the red knotted sea fan ( Melithaea ochracea ). Mainly because of the color and the branching pattern. The vibrant red coral, white polyps and the blue water compliment one another. There are many small marine animals that thrive on the red tree of life. This beauty was photographed in the blue waters between Izena and Iheya Island.

April 4th 2019, I stumbled upon some colorful micro flatworms that I have never seen before. Leslie Harris informed me that these fast moving slugs were potentially undocumented benthic ctenophores.

Name: Coeloplana sp
Benthic ctenophore
Size: 8mm-10mm
Location: Okinawa, Japan
Depth: 40feet

Can you see how well the benthic ctenophore blends in with its host? This is a great example of mimicry.

Look close at the tiny chamber mounds. These mounds hold the stinging tentacles that are used for catching food and possibly for protection.

I found this strange benthic ctenophore (Coeloplana sp) on a dive near Ikea Island. When I first saw the ctenophore, the long stinging cells were extended out in hunting mode.

Some benthic ctenophores live on starfish (Echinaster luzonicus), look close and you can see the stinging cells.

A blue starfish (Linkia laevigata) infested with benthic ctenophores

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

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

Testing the Nauticam NA-D500 Underwater housing

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Admin11

It’s been a blast shooting with the Nikon D500 DSLR combined with the Nauticam Na-D500 housing. I am pleased with the superior quality and design of the entire system. My underwater rig is setup for shooting macro with two Sea & Sea YS-D2 strobes and a variety of Sola lights. I customized it slightly by mounting a Light & Motion Sola compact tray and loc-line arm kit to the bottom of the housing. This allows me to easily attach other Sola lights underwater based on my vision.

Nauticam NA-D500 shower

My favorite features of the Nauticam NA-500 Underwater housing

Internal camera lock-to prevent movement
Vacuum and leak detection system, Green is good!
Port lock system and audible housing lock latches
Super responsive optic flash system
Comfortable hand grips

I tested the Nikon D500 system with the Nikon AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED lens and the Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens. Both are responsive and quality pieces of glass. The great news is that they 40mm is compatible in the NAU-18701 port as well.

Below are my favorite fourteen photographs taken with the D500 underwater in the beautiful waters of Okinawa.

Bobtail Squid – D500|40mm

Hermit crab – D500|40mm

Reef squid D500|60mm

Nudibranch D500|40mm

Chromodoris hintuanensis D500|60mm

Paintpot cuttlefish D500|60mm

Dinahs Goby D500|60mm

Flatworm D500|60mm

Ryukyu Eyes D500|40mm

Pontoh’s Pygmy Seahorse D500|60mm

Fluorescence Nikon| 60mm

Bobtail squid D500|60mm

Eyes of Okinawa D500 | 60mm

If your planning on buying a Nauticam underwater housing online, I recommend Bluewater Photo, they are extremely knowledgable and have outstanding customer service.

I want to thank Black Fin Grouper, Light & Motion and Nightsea for all their continuous support over the years. Thank you!

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

The Eyes of the Underwater World by Shawn Miller

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Admin11

Okinawa offers some of the best Scuba-diving in the world. I really enjoy the art of underwater macro photography. Macro subjects can always be found, it just takes some imagination and good framing to create beautiful underwater abstracts. Animal eyes are challenging and exciting areas to focus on. Below are some of my favorite photographs of vision taken on the Island of Okinawa.

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

Parasitic Isopods of the Ryukyu Islands

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Admin11

Scorpionfish, lionfish and stonefish all belong to the family Scorpaenidae. They all are well camouflaged and highly venomous. Their defensive spines can deliver a painful sting. It’s best to wear exposure protection and maintain good bouncy control to avoid getting envenomated by these ambush predators.

In the 1980’s Robert Bolland stumbled upon an interesting underwater find. He found a tiny undescribed isopod hitching a ride on a scorpionfish. 1984 the parasitic isopod Renocila bollandi from Okinawa was named after him.

Over the years I photographed a dozen of these orange Isopods (Renocilla bollandi)

I have always wondered,

What is the relationship between the two?
Is the relationship mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism?
Why does the isopod only prefer venomous fish (scorpionfish) as its host?
Why does the isopod always stay close to the eye?

See why they call it the bearded scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis cirrhosa).

Learn more about the hazardous marine life of Okinawa.

Learn more about Robert Bolland and his research at The Okinawa Slug Site.

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

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

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: yeahiknowshawnmiller

Bottle Cap Challenge – No Kicking Just Picking!

Cryptic fish, Comets and Stars by Shawn Miller

Frogs of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

World Oceans Day 2019 – Okinawa, Japan

The Shorelines of Iheya Island Turn Red

Birding and Plastic Dreams by Shawn Miller

The Red Coral of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Testing the Nauticam NA-D500 Underwater housing

The Eyes of the Underwater World by Shawn Miller

Parasitic Isopods of the Ryukyu Islands