The omni-present Large-billed Crow, although these were outnumbered on Iriomote by White-bellied Waterhens, which were everywhere.
And a surprise for me: Purple Heron! I'd seen these before in Cambodia, but I did not expect to see one in Japan. Given how close Iriomote is to Taiwan and southeast Asia, Japan probably owes most of its rarities to these southern islands.
A whiptail scorpion made an appearance this morning, breaking up the birds pics.
The morning was a pleasant one and I enjoyed being out with the birds and their birdsong. I had the feeling that my time on Iriomote was going to be better than Ishigaki, but I am always biased towards a slower pace and proximity to open spaces.
After breakfast, Ryan and I decided to tackle some of the sights for which we'd seen signs the day before. First up was the Iriomote Nature Center. Some very informative maps outside, Although I'm sure we missed some of the finer points, we got the hang of it: the center of the island is protected for the yamaneko and anything else that thrives there.
You can see the White-bellied Waterhen in the bottom left of this more playful map. The Ruddy Kingfisher and a turtle are also pictured.
OK, so I don't have much to say about the Nature Center because most of it was in kanji. We enjoyed looking at the preserved animals very much. The staff were appreciative of our visit and seemed very sorry for us that we could not take in more. This is our loss, for I'm sure there is plenty of information to be had for those who speak and read Japanese. Etched in my memory is the shoes that were offered as we toured the place. Typical of Japanese establishments, the entryway offered cubby-holes with plastic "slippers" for your use. Your own shoes go in the cubbies until you are ready to leave. Mine fit, but these slippers were not made for Ryan's feet. Also, they were miserably hot, making our feet sweat to a level of annoyance that accelerated our departure. Ryan will hate me for posting, but some memories must be preserved for everyone.
After the museum, it was time to get in the water. FINALLY! We did not have the opportunity on Ishigaki, but the winds were mild on the beach south of our hotel. We saw that we would have quite a swim. It didn't seem terribly far from shore, but then again, long swims never seem as far as they are when estimating them from land. Not only was our swim to the reef a far one, the sea grass just before the reef was thick, tall, and quite nerve-wracking to swim through. I don't like not being able to see the bottom, or in front of me, or on either side of me, and I have being touched by sea vegetation. Yes, I had on my wetsuit, but it didn't matter. I tried to calm the panic, but I was so ready for open water that by the time I got to the reef I could hardly stand it!
We had just a few more feet of shallow rock once we cleared the sea grass, and then the open ocean. The first think I see is a shark:
This, plus the long and stressful swim, just kind of ruined my afternoon in the water. I tried to relax, but I kept looking for sharks. It was difficult to just have fun and look around, but I lasted for a while. A big blowfish never fails to ease the fear:
Ryan was absolutely in his element: totally chill and having fun recording everything.
There were a few caves and crevices that he explored. He did not have his pole spear with him. Although he brought the gear, we weren't really sure how we would prepare/save anything he caught. More importantly, we weren't sure if this would be frowned upon in an area that relies on tourism and fishing charters for income. This is probably one of the few shots of Ryan underwater without his pole spear. Savor this, folks.
I found other things to distract me from the sharks in the area. Truthfully, we only saw that one, and I must admit that it seems much smaller in the photo above than I remember it. Anyway, a clam nestled alongside a coral caught my attention:
Sea anemones and their clownfish - always a delight!
One thing Ryan and I discussed afterwards is our disappointment in the corals and fish we saw. This is supposed to be one of the very best places for snorkeling in southern Japan. We didn't see any soft corals at all, and the hard corals were small. More troubling was the presence of open wounds, or "ick," on some of the fish swimming in the area. I noticed it on one parrotfish, but Ryan said he saw it on several. We took this to mean not especially healthy waters for these fish, and suspect that these areas might be overpopulated because of the scuba tours that promote feeding of fish? Maybe. We wouldn't know, because we've never been on scuba tours, but have heard from friends that this is the case. Whatever the cause, we've seen prettier and larger corals and fish off the western coast of Okinawa than we saw on the southern side of Iriomote.
Back on land, Ryan enjoyed a cigar while I took the car to the end of the road on the southern side Iriomote, which is approximately 4 km west of our hotel. There is a campground here, and it looked wonderfully remote, shaded, and with bathrooms! Note to self: camping is a possibility here. I tried a bit of forest birding, but ended up rescuing one of the endemic reptiles: a Yellow-margined Box Turtle.
The edges of the roads in Okinawa Prefecture are cement gulleys. One must always be careful doing a three-point turn, because you truly are limited to the road surface. This little guy/gal was rustling the leaves that had accumulated in the gutter, and probably would have made its way out eventually. I decided to help a bit. It reminded me of helping box turtles cross the roads in Arkansas. Good deed done.
I headed back to the hotel to meet Ryan for our traditional Japanese dinner. A Gray wagtail seemed as intrigued with the plot in this crop as I was when I first saw it.
A good introduction to Iriomote. Tomorrow, more of the good birds and hopefully a better snorkeling place!
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