Wintering Waders
Shorebirds are wintering along the coast and in the rice paddies. The most numerous are Greater Sand Plovers, Siberian Sand Plovers, and Ruddy Turnstones on the coast. Unusually for Ishigaki Island, a flock of Grey Plovers is also wintering.
Shorebird numbers in the paddies this season are low; species present include Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, and Green Sandpiper.
Little Stint, winter plumage.
Eight Common Snipe.
Green Sandpiper, first-winter plumage.
Solitary Snipe, first-winter plumage.
Dunlin, first-winter plumage.
I was sitting and waiting on the shore when a Ruddy Turnstone came right up in front of me.
Besides flipping stones to look for food, the Ruddy Turnstone was also eating what appeared to be detritus.
Sanderling, first-winter plumage. Wintering individuals are scarce on Ishigaki-jima.
Greater Sand Plover, winter plumage.
Lesser Sand Plover, winter plumage.
Lesser Sand Plover, first-winter plumage.
Greater Sand Plover, first-winter plumage.
A male Kentish Plover already transitioning into breeding plumage.
Grey Plover, winter plumage.
Pacific Golden Plover, first-winter plumage.
Lesser Sand Plovers and Greater Sand Plovers wheeling about after being startled by a Peregrine Falcon.
In the field I thought this was a Little Stint, but it appears to be a Red-necked Stint.
This one also looked like a Little Stint to me — but.
Same individual as above.
Red-necked Stint, first-winter plumage.
Red-necked Stint, first-winter plumage.
Long-toed Stint, first-winter plumage.
Temminck's Stints usually come in groups of two or three, but this time it was a flock of 12.
