In early April, when we visited Naha, Okinawa in Japan, the first sunny morning we went for a slow stroll. We walked towards the Manko Wetland along the combined river draining Man Lake that is fed by the Kokuba and Noha rivers. Everywhere we looked were new birds, plants and butterflies to admire and attempt to identify. It was joyous!
Blue Rock Thrushes Give Robins a Run for the Title of Best Lawn Bird
The male Blue Rock Thrush reminds me of the colouring of an Eastern Bluebird.
When we wandered around Italy in 2024, I kept hoping to spot a Blue Rock Thrush. When we rambled around Okinawa my wish was fulfilled ten-fold! In April on Okinawa island, Blue Rock Thrush are as common as American Robins are in Mississauga. They are called “Ishisuusaa” in Okinawan.
I saw this gorgeous male catching grasshoppers on our river-side walk. Later, I saw others on lawns, railings, gazebos and even atop the newly restored Shuri Castle roof. Many were singing spring praises. I suspect they were not actively raising chicks yet as I didn’t see any carrying food.
The female Blue Rock Thrush is also quite pretty in a more subtle way.
Unfamiliar Trees To Admire in Naha Okinawa
For our walk, we were rambling along river-side trails and paths mostly through planned parks. The semi-tropical climate allows enthusiastic landscapers to use a wide variety of trees. Some that caught my camera’s eye had shaggy roots or flaming flowers.
This type of tree with the thousands of dangling fine roots was fairly common throughout Naha. It reminded me of a Banyan tree I had seen once in Florida. iNaturalist’s photo id suggested it is a Banyan native to China and Japan often called the Chinese Banyan. If correct, this may be the tree called in Okinawan a Gajumaru. A random Facebook post says there is a legend mischievous spirit-creatures live in these trees and those roots hide their red hair. If they are Banyans, then the parks staff must keep the aerial roots well trimmed so they don’t touch the ground and settle in to become secondary trunks to support the branches. (Banyans can spread to cover huge areas.)
The bright orange red flowers or flower structures on these almost leafless trees really stood out in the spring canopy around town. If I’m correct, this is a Deigo, and the flowers are the official flower of the Okinawan prefecture, like the Trillium is Ontario’s provincial flower. This tree is also called the Indian Coral Bean. We noticed a small group of Warbling White-eyes were in among the flowers–I wonder if they can get nectar from them like they do with the cherry blossoms in Tokyo?
Ever since I saw the fruit bat, I have been looking at fruit and seeds under trees. These corky husks and hard seeds littered the sidewalk.
Even though it was spring, the mature leaves of the trees were dark red and falling off. iNat suggested these may be Sea Almonds which lose their leaves during the dry season.
Almost at Manko Wetland, I tried to photograph another mystery bird in a tree with bright red orange blossoms. This time the tree was in full leaf.
A closer look showed the blossoms are quite different. This is probably an African Tulip tree, which is an invasive species in many parts of the semi-tropical world. It was beautiful so I can understand how landscapers brought it to many new countries.
Along the way. we passed many other trees. Some looked like various types of Palms; another like Norfolk Island Pines. More ‘normal’ pines were in some of the parks. I only took photos, unfortunately, of a few of the showier kinds.
And of course as we got closer to the Manko Wetland, we started noticing the Mangroves.
Warbling White-Eyes Are Always Watching You
Or so it seems sometimes in Japan during April flowers. We saw these fast-moving colourful birds in many cherry trees in Tokyo. And then we met again in Okinawa!
Back at the Deigo we also saw this tail only view of a White-Eye. iNat locals confirm it was another Warbling White-Eye–and state it is the local sub-species Zosterops japonicus ssp loochooensis. Who knew?
Butterflies Basking and Flitting Through the Flowers Along the Estuary in Naha, Okinawa
Birds weren’t the only things on the wing along our trail. We saw many butterflies and some even stopped to pose for us!
This may look familiar to you–yes, it is a Cabbage White! They are an introduced species in Okinawa just like in every country I have visited.
This Grass Yellow butterfly was a new one for me, though. Larger than the Cabbage White it was almost as common along the trail in early April.
In flight, it was more obvious that this Emigrant (another new one for me!) was different than the Grass Yellow. If you look closely, you’ll see this one has two of those round white dots like the dots on a Clouded Sulphur in Ontario.
When we walked on some wood chips at the start of a botanical garden section, we spotted a gorgeous butterfly basking. Of course it immediately shut its wings when it saw the camera.
Luckily it stopped being bashful and basked a bit more! According to iNat, this is probably a Blue Pansy. They are widespread in the semi-tropics and the colour can vary.
What Else Was Flying in Naha, Okinawa? Dragonflies!
Although we could not find many perched, there were an abundance of dragonflies in the air beside the path. This fuzzy photo was good enough for some iNat Ode lovers to identify it.
Despite the lack of evidence, it is a Scarlet Skimmer. One assumes that at some point either the male or female will be red!
A Few Flowers Along the Footpath in Naha, Okinawa
Most of the flowering plants we saw along the trail were ones familiar to any gardener. Where the trail approaches the Manko Wetland, it appears to be a type of botanical garden, tended by volunteers (who we thanked for their beautiful work!) That stretch was full of hibiscus. cosmos, verbena, roses, amaryllis, pansies, and many other varieties.
These white flowers were along every patch of disturbed ground in the city. iNat suggests they are a Beggartick which seems plausible to me. The butterflies liked them.
These small sprawling pink-flowered plants are probably Rose Evening Primrose.
Signs of Man Near Manko
This was an urban walk and the dominant life form was definitely human.
At the start of our walk, we noticed this huge grey ship hiding behind a Coast Guard vessel. A zoom lens led to the id of the US Naval Vessel Guam. Okinawa is the (willing?) host to a huge American armed force with many bases. (Until 1972 after WWII, Okinawa was controlled the US.) The Guam apparently started life intended as a ferry for Hawaii !
We spotted an entrance to the Okino Gu Shrine across a playing field. Given the signs of construction, weather and the tide tables, we deferred a visit.
The Monorail zips along past part of the trail. Many of the trains have been “wrapped” with images: this one is some of the baseball greats!
Other Birds Along the Pathway in Naha, Okinawa
One thing we did notice was the absence of gulls and cormorants along the river. In Tokyo, gulls and cormorants had both been abundant so this was a surprise. We didn’t notice any Eurasian Tree Sparrows. (House Sparrows are not common in Japan!) We did see lots of Rock Doves, aka pigeons here in Ontario.
A few times we saw and heard Asian, um, Chickadees? My photos aren’t worth adding to this particular post.
Crows were just as abundant. though. According to iNat this is a Large-billed Crow. (Also known as a Japanese Crow.) I’m pretty sure we saw and heard Carrion Crows, though. too.
This Swallow was perched on the same mooring line several days in a row. We never saw it with another bird but perhaps it had a nearby nest? At the time I believed it was a Barn Swallow but now I find there is a similar swallow called a Pacific Swallow. I had better put this up on iNaturalist.org for an id!
This Brown-eared Bulbul was just as fun and noisy as the ones in Tokyo. They always seem to be calling from the trees or swooping after each other in fast-paced chases. They are one of the few birds that Merlin (the Cornell bird id app for sounds) can identify in Japan.
What a wonderful walk! And who knew that the day ahead was going to hold even more fabulous firsts and fun encounters with old bird ‘friends?’
Related Reading
Well, once I write them any way!
- Birding and Botanizing and Bugging and Fishing and Crabbing at the Manko Wetland in Naha Okinawa
- Beauty and Beasts at the Beach in Naha Okinawa