悪天候で島に降り立った渡り鳥たち
2日続いた悪天候の影響で渡り途中と思われるシギ、チドリが局所的ですが、大量に到着しました。一番多かったのはセイタカシギ400オーバーの群れで、次にタカブシギ200+。多すぎて途中でカウントを中止しました…。^^;
ほかにもソリハシセイタカシギやオグロシギ、コアオアシシギ、サルハマシギ、ウズラシギ、シマアジなどが飛来して田んぼは非常ににぎやかになりましたが、2日後にはもとの状態に戻りました…。^^;
海岸にはオオメダイチドリが増え、ダイゼンも少数が飛来していました。
Two Curlew Sandpipers confirmed.
A single Pied Avocet flew in.
A Bar-tailed Godwit — a species that tends to pass straight through Ishigaki on fine days thanks to its strong flight — was also resting among a flock of Black-winged Stilts in the rice paddies.
Black-winged Stilts in impressive numbers: over 400. The sight of them in flight was breathtaking.
Over 200 Wood Sandpipers arrived as well.
A group of ten-odd Pectoral Sandpipers.
Common Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper (left) also came down on the island.
A few Swinhoe's Snipe — first of the season — confirmed.
Perhaps out of exhaustion, nearly every individual I found was sitting still.
Around ten Pacific Golden Plovers confirmed.
The Oriental Pratincoles looked utterly exhausted.
A small group of a few Temminck's Stints arrived.
Barn Swallows were wheeling in flocks at low altitude.
Two male Garganeys arrived. Several more appeared to have come in at another site as well.
The Striated Heron that has been staying since last autumn has finally started to moult.
A few Grey Plovers were on the sandy beach.
There were no Lesser Sand Plovers that day — nothing but Greater Sand Plovers.
A Greater Sand Plover in active moult.
A dark-morph Pacific Reef Heron. It was being chased around by a white-morph individual.