Katsuren-jo Sunrise

I was up early to go birding at another good spot for shorebirds. Scope, binoculars, and two fully-charged cameras, my usual complement of equipment, prepared me to see and photograph just about anything. I needed the birds to show up.

The birds were less-than exciting, but I did get to spend some quality time in the morning shadow of one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Japan: Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Ryukyu Kingdom. There are several old castles on Okinawa, and Katsuren-jo provides a pretty backdrop to those who walk or bird along the edge of the Katsuren estuary.

I'm still figuring out how to get nice, crisp photos of birds. How to manage the settings to captures a gorgeous sunrise is beyond my knowledge base, but I think I did well enough. This photo shows the estuary at low tide. The birds were not especially numerous or interesting, but I still had a great morning.