A daily journal.
Mainly introducing wild birds of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, through photos.

ツバメチドリ、ハリオシギ、ウズラシギほか

3月下旬から断続的に観察されているツバメチドリを見てきました。多いときは30羽ほどいたそうですが、今日は10羽ほどが畑で休んでいました。キビ刈りが終わったばかりのようで、ムラサキサギが大きなクマネズミを仕留めていた。

田んぼでは、こちらも3月下旬から確認されていたウズラシギ。同じ個体ではないと思いますが、少数が中継地として島を訪れます。春は秋より少ないです。

畦道にはジシギが。尾羽の確認はできませんでしたが、プロポーションや顔つきからハリオシギと思われます。

満潮の海岸では、今季初のダイシャクシギに出会えたほか、オオメダイチドリやムナグロ、キョウジョシギなどいつものメンバーが休んでいました。クロサギは黒色型と白色型が餌場を争っていた。

Oriental Pratincole

An Oriental Pratincole in beautiful breeding plumage.

Oriental Pratincole

By the time I found it the harvest was already over, but it was probably searching for insects flushed out by the sugarcane cutting.

Purple Heron

An adult Purple Heron took a large Black Rat.

Purple Heron

A young bird from last year had also caught a Black Rat.

Pin-tailed Snipe

The first Pin-tailed Snipe of the season.

Pin-tailed Snipe

The Pin-tailed Snipe wanted to forage along the paddy bund, but was repeatedly chased off by a Common Moorhen that was on edge from nesting.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Finally managed to photograph a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in breeding plumage this season.

Eurasian Curlew

First confirmed Eurasian Curlew of the season.

Greater Sand Plover

A Greater Sand Plover transitioning into breeding plumage. It seems that the Lesser Sand Plover subspecies — commonly known as Chūmedaichidori — also visits Yaeyama and Okinawa, and resembles the Greater Sand Plover.

Ruddy Turnstone / Pacific Golden Plover

High tide had pushed a group of Pacific Golden Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones up onto the rocks to rest.

Pacific Reef Heron

A dark-morph Pacific Reef Heron. It was chasing a white-morph individual around.

Categories: 野鳥