Lesser Whistling Duck — an extended stay (video)
The Lesser Whistling Duck that arrived on Ishigaki Island has now been here for three weeks. On this day it was active, and I was able to watch it feeding and in flight. Lesser Whistling Duck once ranged as far north as Okinawa, and with "Ryukyu" in the Japanese name, I hope records will increase and the range will recover here.
Four groups of acquaintances came to the island to see the Lesser Whistling Duck. Everyone is enjoying Ishigaki's birds, with Asian Koel as a bonus alongside the duck. Several more groups are due to come this week with the Lesser Whistling Duck as their target. Anyone wanting to see it, book a guide with Spotter-san!!
The Cotton Pygmy Goose was active on this day.
A Cotton Pygmy Goose burst out of the grass it had been resting in. It took off almost vertically.
It flies toward me. The long legs — a characteristic feature of the Cotton Pygmy Goose — catch the eye. Among duck species on record in Japan, the Cotton Pygmy Goose is the only one whose legs extend beyond the tail feathers in flight.
My α1 has been plagued by AF freezing since I updated the firmware to version 2, but this time it tracked reliably. I was able to produce a good number of valuable flight shots of the Cotton Pygmy Goose. ^^
A Cotton Pygmy Goose coming in to land on the water.
A Cotton Pygmy Goose moving through floating vegetation.
It was feeding on what appeared to be aquatic plants or algae beneath the surface.
Perhaps it's the eye-ring — reminiscent of a Lesser White-fronted Goose — that gives the Cotton Pygmy Goose its charm.
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