6 Photos of the Endangered Bird on Kouri Island

Oriental White Stork

Golden Week in Japan has ended and rainy season should begin any day now.

So the good doctor, Doc Graff and I decided to visit Kourijima under blue skies.

This rare bird needed to be captured with some long lenses before it migrates off the island.

It was 10:43 when I took my first shot and, I would have hundreds before the day was done.

At 11:06 the bird took off in flight, giving us a view of the pattern on its wings.

The past two times we've chased this bird it disappeared while we weren't looking.

So, it was nice to discover, which direction the rascal was flying to when it wanders.

Usually, we spot the thing perched on tall, dead trees. Today it did a few things differently.

It was 11:13 when this photo was taken of the bird in live evergreens.

It reached down below and acted as if it was eating bugs or something crawling among the pines.

There were crows buzzing through the air on the island and they would spook the stork.

Not too wild about crows, I won't show you any scenes with them in the frame.

Around 11:20 a crow riled the bird up and it flew away.

Another first was the stork landed in a field, giving us some ground shots.

It was 11:32 when this image was captured.

By 11:35 the bird gave me this pose with some green background.

It's hard work, chasing these elusive birds so, by 11:35 I was ready to go eat lunch.

Kentucky Fried Chicken in Nago seemed like a good place to go. So, we did.


More About Oriental White Stork:

Encyclopedia of Life

Wildscreen Arkive

Wildlife Photos: Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana)

Endangered Species

Riding around Kouri Island last Monday this creature caught my eye. It was huge.

A large black and white bird was at the top of a dead tree. It looked unreal.

Being a sort of tourist trap island, I figured maybe, it was a gimmick. Like a plastic statue.

We don't have any birds that look like this one, native to Okinawa.

Traveling light Doc Graff and I weren't equipped to shoot distant birds.

We pulled over to the side of the road and took handheld shots with short zoom lenses.

Unsure of the bird's nomenclature, I moved around taking various shots.

Identification would come later, back at the office. A stiff breeze was blowing off the ocean.

The best I could do was take plenty of sport-focused images and hope some were clear.

The red legs, long beak, feathers, and markings, helped with identification.

For sure that's an Oriental Stork. It's strange, it picked this island to visit.

The mating season for these storks is the month of April.

During May and June the eggs hatch and both parents, care for the chicks.

During July and August, the birds return to their wintering grounds.

The bird winters in China, Russia and maybe, North Korea.

It's on The IUCN Red List as Endangered because the population is under 3000.

Is this a rare bird for Okinawa or what?


Reference: Wildscreen ARKIVE

Endangered Bat - The Ryukyu Flying Fox

Someday Might Become Extinct

This 2008 image was found and cleaned for presentation and, the research was done today.

It started last week, when a gal asked me, "Are those owls, flying around here at night?"

Out behind my office, the visitor from Hawaii, caught me while on a smoke break.

There haven't been any owls, spotted by me, in the few years, I've occupied this office.

She mentioned, the critters hang from telephone wires, upside down and, I knew immediately.

She was talking about the Ryukyu Flying Fox, which is a Fruit Bat.

Scientific Name: Pteropus dasymallus 

Five subspecies of this animal, exist in the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and the Philippines.

First the Fun Facts

• These bats, won't bite people. So, don't scream as, they swoop down and surprise you.
• They are nocturnal and, usually start flying as the sun is going down. During daylight hours, they hang in trees and, are fairly well camouflaged.
• Adults, with a wingspan of a meter (3 feet) make a good swooshing sound, when they flap.
• Fruit Bats, don't have radar, like others. They navigate, using their eyes and ears and fur.
• The diet of these flying foxes is mainly fruit and leaves, with an occasional insect.

Holy Bat Shitman !

Bats are categorized differently, from one country to another, based upon population size.

At one point the species was declared extinct, in Taiwan. But, somebody spotted, two.

Squirrels, feral cats, dogs, typhoons, deforestation and hunting, wipe the bats out.

Critically endangered on the Japanese Red List, these bats have been declared Natural Treasures.

The IUCN Red List has this bat listed as Vulnerable.

But, they go on to say, "Local illegal cults, operated by farmers in response to crop damage, 

are a major threat, which has been ignored, so far."

In the Philippines (Not all bad people) on certain islands, the bats, have it worse.

Poachers, go after these bats because, they are considered, a delicacy !

REFERENCES

Animal Diversity Web

Animal Info & Endangered Animals

Encyclopedia of Life

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Wildcat Facts and Photos - Iriomote Yamaneko

Critically Endangered Species

Scientific Name: Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis

Japanese Name: イリオモテヤマネコ - Iriomote Yamaneko

English Name: Iriomote Mountain Cat

Thousands of years ago this little critter evolved from the Leopard Family.

It can climb trees and swim wherever or whenever, it wants to.

It eats bugs, frogs, snakes, rats, birds, wild boar and fresh or saltwater fish.

A critically endangered species, there are probably only 100 remaining in the wild.

The animal is a national monument and protected in Japan, to conserve the breed.

The wildcat lives at less than 200 meters elevation in the mountains and wetlands.

When, It wants some seafood, it has to cross the only highway on the island.

When, you see this Japanese in the road, slow down. It says "Cat Crossing."

There are no know, natural predators to destroy or eat these rare and endangered felines.

The biggest contributor, to their demise, is human beings.

For folks who can't read, they posted these warning signs, to let you know, "Cat Country."

Learn more about Yamaneko

NOTE: Before everybody starts asking, I didn't shoot the Yamaneko in the wild.

The two wildcat photos above were taken indoors.  My favorite, off a TV screen !

Visit: Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center

Good - Bad - Ugly: Wild Bird Photography

Good

It's good, when you can catch a Grey Heron in flight, with a wooded background.

They are some nicely colored birds and, put on a great display of feathers.

Catching the Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) feeding is good, too.

When the light, hits them just right, you get cool, contrasting colors.

Getting a Black-faced Spoonbill to pose, is better than good, it's great !

These birds are an endangered species and, migrate here for the winter months.

Bad

The bad part is waiting for these birds, to move into the right position, for a decent photo.

It takes patience, moving around and sometimes, cropping the image to make it presentable.

It's pretty bad, when careless individuals throw their trash in the water.

Here's a picture of a bird known as a teal and, a Family Mart drink container. Groan.

Don't run off yet, I saved the worst part for last. This photo was taken during high tide.

So, only the stuff that floats on the water, would make bird photography challenging.

Ugly

For about the past four years, I have visited this location and, not much has changed.

It's best to visit during high tide or, shoot the birds when, they're in the air.

Otherwise, you may capture a scene like this one. Call it a wildlife and garbage picture.

Once, a magazine in Europe was willing to publish my first impression of this wetland.

But, I decided it wouldn't be such a nice thing, for a travel writer, to do.

The mission of a travel writer should be, to make people want to visit here, not avoid the place.

And, I don't want the folks, living around here to get upset with me. Shucks.

Recently, I discovered this is a historical landmark. Google Maps, asked for a review.

So, I told them, what I thought and, let the bird watchers know, when it's best to visit.

It's the Triangle Pond of the Rice (与根の三角池) for those Japanese history buffs.

Regular tourists or nature lovers, might not show much interest in going here.

Who cares ?

Endangered Species Photo: Japanese Night Heron

This red-colored bird was spotted on a road in the north of Okinawa.

First guess: It might be a Cinnamon Bittern.

But, after looking at several sites, a decision was made  to get some help with the ID.

Hat's off, to the experts at the Bird Forum.

They helped convince me, we've got a Gorsachius goisagi, here.

While, checking several websites with photos for identification, another discovery was made.

The bird is on the IUCN Red List, as an Endangered Species.

We Seem to Be Getting an Awful Lot of Endangered Species on this Planet

 

 

One of these days, I need to make a photo gallery of those, I have collected.

From my observations, there is a common denominator, at work here.

The biggest threat to wildlife, around the globe, seems to be humans.

The percentage who care about nature, is overwhelmed by those who don't give a hoot.

Management, zoology, conservation and whatever else, just ain't working.

Why don't the people who don't care about this planet, just leave.

Hop on a space shuttle and go screw up some other planet.

The wild animals and, a bunch of other folks, would be a lot better off.

Dontcha think ?

Black-faced Spoonbills Have to Eat Too !

There Are Migratory Birds in Tomigusuku

 

 

The month of March brings on warmer weather so, they will be leaving Okinawa soon.

In the photo above Ducks, Black-winged Stilt and the Spoonbill are all migratory.

And, they will move on to cooler, northern climates.

It would be nice, if somehow, we could teach the Spoonbills to come to Kin Town.

They are an Endangered Species and, are eating out of some nasty water source.

Chances of survival would be much better in my hometown.

We have clean water and take our trash to the landfill.

Imagine that !

Related Post: Who Fouled Up Tomigusuku Wetlands ?

Photo Essay: Baby Sea Turtle Release as as Educational Tool

Loggerhead Turtles and Children

 

This release at Maeda Point in Okinawa, Japan took place September 4, 2013.

The little sea turtles had hatched earlier that day.

Baby Loggerheads (Caretta caretta) are about the size of my Swiss Army Knife.

At first, I was worried about trying to take photos with all the children handling them.

But, they got a lesson from an expert in sea life preservation.

There were plenty of parents and teachers on hand to supervise the project.

The boys and girls handled them gently.

The little turtles were the rambunctious ones.  They want to run into the ocean !

A line was drawn in the sand.

The people with little flip flops, had to stay behind and let the baby turtles go.

Only adults and cameramen were allowed to follow the turtles to the sea.

So, that's what we did.

The little critters made a run for the coast, at high tide.

And, it looks like a happy ending when they hit the water.

Sometimes, Mother Nature has other plans for them.

And, they get tossed, by the tide, back onto the beach.

They wiggle and thrash around with those strong front legs until they get it right.

Eventually, they make it out into the open sea.

Sea Turtles Around the World Are Endangered Species

 

 

It would be nice to see more people around the globe teaching children about them.

Here is a list of resources:

ARKive

Baby Sea Turtles

National Geographic

Sea Turtle Conservency

Defenders of Wildlife

Sea Turtle Association of Japan  ENGLISH

 

 

Endangered Species: Sword-tailed Newt (Photo)

This photo was taken up in the hills of Okinawa, Japan.

It was one of the few times I've ever seen one of these critters out of the water.

So, I squatted down low, with the Pentax K5 on a tripod and used the big Sigma to zoom-in.

Letting people know about endangered species is important.

The Sword-tailed Newt is on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, I learned on ARKive.

Folks should do something about these animals, before humans become endangered, too !

Related Post: Sunday's Silly Sign April 24, 2011

Lunacy Before the Full Moon (Photo Essay)

Does the Full Moon Cause Lunacy ?

 

It has an effect on the tides and that causes strange things to happen in the animal world.

And, it got me thinking about some of the crazy things people do, too.

Just making preparations for tomorrow's full moon I had one heck of a day.

Wanting to get some camera practice in tonight, I deliberately, didn't drink last night.

So, I was up at the crack of dawn.  I promised the Missus, I'd go shopping today.

Shopping, to me, is worse than having root canals.  But, people have to eat.

It took a little convincing (the wife) that we would save a lot, if I went by myself.

By myself, means the front seat of the car gets loaded with camera gear.

Heading home with the trunk and back seat full of groceries got me smiling.

Going by myself must have saved me at least a hundred bucks.  Hah !

And, I spotted this Flame Vine growing on someone's house.

So, I whipped a U-turn and shot this photo to show how huge they get in Okinawa.

Feeling a little guilty about leaving the wife, home alone, I came up with a plan.

"C'mon baby let's go for a Sunday drive, after you put the groceries away", I said.

So, back up to the mountains of Motobu, I went for the third time in a week.

The Missus could see Buddha, natural rock gardens and all kinds of flowers.

Plus, she could read that Kanji on the rocks, beyond the bamboo.

Now, I know what it says.  It's the Long Life Rock.

Just when I was about to say "Mission accomplished, let's go home" I remembered something else.

We climbed up to the top of the hill and I introduced the wife to this sweetheart of a lady.

They got drinking green tea and chatting.

That gave me a chance to try and get some better photos of these critters.

A rare, endangered species is what they are.  I still want better photos.

But, this was enough for today.

Get out of the mountains without the wife filling the car-up with plants and flowers became the plan.

Getting ready for a moon shoot sometimes, requires a nap.

At home, I crashed from 4 to 5PM and was at my office by six.

If you look, real close, the moon is peeking over that orange-tiled roof.

It was 6:11PM when I took that wide angle shot.

Here's a photo taken by zooming with the Sigma 50-500mm lens, at 6:20.

Next, I played around with different compositions and crops.

People walk by and look at me like I'm crazy but, it's not lunacy; it's practice, to me.

 Running in and out of the office, I swapped cameras and lenses, a few times.

It all pays-off when it's time for the real-deal.

While I was in the office, I checked email a few times tonight, too.

 That's how I found out this Goat Fight photo essay was published.

Do you know how to capture a photo like that ?

Just lay down on the ground and, act like a lunatic, before a full moon !

Who Fouled-up the Tomigusuku Wetlands ?

This series of photos is not what I usually show the world.

My goal, with photography and travel writing, is to show you the beauty of Okinawa.

The Tomigusuku wetlands is where these photos were taken, yesterday.

We were searching for Black-faced Spoonbills, a bird I had never photographed before.

The birds are an endangered species that visits Okinawa, about this time, every year.

 Not wanting to scare them, I walked around the marsh with a 50-500mm Sigma lens.

That way, I could shoot wide angle, or zoom from a distance.

 One of the rules in photography, is to eliminate distractions in the photo.

The viewer's eyes should be attracted to the subject, not anything else.

The best way to get great wildlife photos, is to take plenty of shots.

Then, you may be able to crop out any distractions when you process the photos, later.

At the end of the day, I had plenty of Spoonbill photos and, other birds, as well.

It's a good thing I was tired and didn't delete this series of photos.

People need to see where these endangered birds are living.

Suppose, some school decided to take the children for a field trip.

Teach kids all about nature and wildlife.

That way, maybe, they will become responsible, nature-loving citizens when they grow up.

Do you have any idea, who fouled up Tomigusuku's wetlands?

Me neither but, I bet, it wasn't the birds!