Chinese Pond Heron, Purple Heron, Malayan Night Heron, and More
The Chinese Pond Herons that have been wintering since last year — about four of them. One individual appears to be a Javan Pond Heron. When the tractors started turning over the paddies, they joined the Eastern Cattle Egrets and took part in the attendant feeding.
Purple Herons can be found as young birds from last year as well as adults. The adults are in nuptial colour and looking particularly fine.
Wader numbers in the paddies have dropped considerably; just scattered Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Green Sandpiper, and Black-winged Stilt. The wintering Common Snipe seem to have headed north, and almost none remain. Looking forward to the arrival of passage birds.
Chinese Pond Heron, winter plumage.
A Chinese Pond Heron that was right beside the individual above.
A Chinese Pond Heron predating a woodpecker.
With multiple individuals present, it becomes hard to tell which is which. ^^;
This one was wandering around a paddled rice field.
A Purple Heron in breeding plumage. Some of the earlier individuals were already carrying nest material.
A Cattle Egret that caught a Sakishima brown frog. The frog was letting out a rather plaintive call.
A Japanese Night Heron transitioning from juvenile to adult plumage. This individual was hatched last year.
I checked several rice paddies, but the only snipe I found was this single Common Snipe.
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