具志干潟でオニアジサシ、ズグロカモメほか
今年も具志干潟にオニアジサシがやってきました。現地に到着して双眼鏡で対岸を確認すると2羽のオニアジサシが休んでいました。距離にして450メートルほど離れているのでのんびりと観察していると上空からもう1羽オニアジサシが降ってきて合わせて3羽となりました!!
ズグロカモメも12羽ほど渡ってきていました。干潟手前で3羽のズグロカモメがシオマネキの仲間を走ったり、急降下したりして捕まえていました。
クロハラアジサシもかなりの数が滞在、ダイシャクシギやサギ、ミサゴなどやってきて賑やかな干潟でしたが途中、ハヤブサがやってくるとアジサシたちやカモが一斉に舞い上がりさらに賑やかになっていました。ハヤブサは獲物を捕る気がなかったのかそのまま空港の方へ消えて行きました。
マヒワの20羽ほどの群れは、西の方からやってきて干潟の上を通過し、東の公園の方へ消えて行きました。きょうは時間がなく探せなかったけど、明日会えるだろうか。
Two Caspian Terns far away on the opposite shore. Many White-winged Terns were resting around them.
Another Caspian Tern, a little apart from the others. This one was sitting down. It was startled by a Peregrine Falcon and flew up toward me, and when it got closer I could see something that looked like fishing line coming from its bill. I wonder if it had swallowed a fishing rig by mistake. There was a Caspian Tern with fishing line coming from its bill last year too.
The Caspian Tern from above was startled by the Peregrine Falcon and came toward me. Looking closely, I can see what appears to be tangled fishing line coming from the base of its bill.
The individual above. Even from the front, the tangled-looking line is visible.
A Saunders's Gull that ran and caught a fiddler crab.
Mangroves and Saunders's Gull. It's a scene you can only see in Okinawa.
From the wing pattern, this is a first-winter juvenile. Most of the other Saunders's Gulls were also juveniles.
Saunders's Gulls would sometimes dive steeply from low flight to catch crabs.
Fiddler crabs — prey for Saunders's Gulls, Eurasian Curlews and others. There are huge numbers of them.
Eurasian Curlew.
A White Wagtail also came by and caught a small crab.
A Spot-billed Duck and a male Mallard with juveniles, startled by a Peregrine Falcon that arrived. I hadn't noticed them when they were down on the tidal flat.