So, it rains. This gives us the opportunity to head North to track down the Okinawan Rail, the rarest bird in the world, like around here. The Japanese name is Yanburu Kuina.

Not a Rail but a Common Sandpiper

James in the rain

The slow road North

We check out tombs.

Mourn him thou Sun, great source of light;
Mourn, Empress of the silent night:
And you, ye twinkling starnies bright,
My Matthew mourn;
For through your orbs he’ taen his flight,
Ne’er to return.

We take along hike up to a waterfall in drenching humidity and butterflies.

The Fall

James likes to eat. He is in the right place.

Lunch up North.

So the deal is that the Yanburu Kuina is a very rare bird and skulks around the undergrowth in the hundreds of square miles of the forest of Yanbaru, which is like the totally northern part of the island.

There are only a few hundred in existence.

What chance of seeing one by straying around for a couple of hours? About femtochance.

We plod around when amazingly, a rail pops out and poses. We are too shocked to be able to photograph. We bumble around and see six in total. I mean, er, you know.

The Kuina May

Yay!