Wildlife Photo: Oriental Pratincole: Bird Found in Okinawa, Japan

Here is a bird that may be my excuse to visit Tsuken-jima, again

The Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum) is found throughout Asia.

But, has been spotted as far away as Australia and England.

Like, one time in 2004, over two million of them gathered at Eighty Mile Beach and had the 

Australasian Wader Studies Group scratching their heads, wondering.  Why ?

When the Map It Okinawa Dude and I went to Tsuken-jima we weren't planning on shooting birds.

We were looking for some caves so, I left the big lens behind.

Maybe, after this l'il typhoon blows-by, I'll make plans to go back to Tsuken-jima.

Take the Sigma 50-500mm lens and get some better photos of the critter.

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on what I found on another BLOG.

And, my hat goes off to the folks on Bird Forum who helped ID this bird for me.

I'd never seen an Oriental Pratincole before, in my life.

It looks like it's wearing some kinda Grannie Glasses with a string hanging around it's neck ! 

My mind's made up.

Back to that island I'll go and get some better shots for you to see.

Photo Essay: What Sort of Beach, is a Pretty Beach, to You ?

Recent comments on Mike's Ryukyu Gallery Facebook Page inspired today's post.

And, reminded me that I'm not done developing last month's photos from Tsuken-jima.

 The truth is, all beaches are pretty, to me.

Sometimes, though, it pays to hop on a ferry and go look for an island in the sun.

May 24, 2012 was one of those days here. Okinawa was under some dark clouds at 7AM.

The sun was shining on Tsuken-jima, though.

At 9AM on a sunny day, even a rocky beach has appeal, to me.

That's a woman, fishing, way out there. She added character to the scene.

 And this guy, let's just say, he was a character, too.

This beach had some development done to it and it made an interesting composition.

The sole, adult female on the beach was friendly and gladly gave us some directions.

Looking over the heads of those school girls, she's traveling with, way back under the clouds

and barely visible, is the island of Okinawa.

Past 10AM, usually, outdoor photography should be put on hold, until after 3PM but,

when the light is like this, I'll break some rules for a pretty beach.

Probably, not the ideal spot for suntanning, volleyball or snorkeling, this beach is OK, by me.

Using an 18-250 lens at 35mm, I snapped a shot (dead center) of the Kin Cho Power Plant.

 Rocks, shrubs, driftwood and shallow pools of seawater in the sharp coral, make a beach scene 

attractive, to some folks.

Look !  There's the Map It Okinawa Dude (lower left of the scene) doing his thing.

 By 3PM we were headed back to Okinawa.

Taking a parting shot from the ferry, I captured some of Tsuken-jima's white sand in the 

afternoon sun.  We walked all the way around the island and had seen every beach in one day.

They were all pretty, to me.

What sort of beach is pretty, to you ?