White-winged Tern, Garganey, Arctic Warbler, Ruff Arrive
Autumn is well and truly here — White-winged Terns, Garganey, Ruffs and Arctic Warblers are all building up steadily and the paddies are getting lively. Snipe numbers have also jumped sharply: 40 Common Snipe against 2 Swinhoe's Snipe. I couldn't find any Pin-tailed Snipe.
White-winged Tern, juvenile. The third bird this season.
Whiskered Tern, juvenile.
Whiskered Tern, adult winter plumage.
Ruff, juvenile female.
Among the snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe are being replaced almost entirely by Common Snipe and numbers are down.
A Swinhoe's Snipe in the distance. It may look like a Pin-tailed Snipe, but the moult stage, feather pattern and facial expression identify it as Swinhoe's Snipe.
The snipe in the paddies are almost all Common Snipe. In the paddies of this area, only the two Swinhoe's Snipe above were found among 40 snipe.
Long-toed Stint, adult (left), and Red-necked Stint, juvenile.
Wood Sandpiper, the most numerous species here.
Common Greenshank, winter plumage.
Black-winged Stilt, juvenile. It is retaining a lot of juvenile feathers for this time of year.
Temminck's Stint, juvenile. There were three birds.
Greenshank, Common Redshank, and Grey-tailed Tattler — a traffic light.
Adult Red-necked Stint. Among mostly juveniles, there was just one adult.
Adult Pacific Golden Plover.
First Garganey of the season. Likely a male in eclipse.
A few more Eurasian Teal than before.
A Dusky Warbler in the shrubbery around the fields. I could hear several calling, and while watching I had one appear right in front of me. Too close to focus….
Several Zitting Cisticolas had gathered.
Barn Swallows wheeling above the paddies. Their job is to make the snipe fan their tail feathers. ^^
Adult female Chinese Sparrowhawk. The weather has been poor and many birds unable to cross are staying on the island.
Adult male Chinese Sparrowhawk.