北帰行に遅れたり、通過中だだったり、繁殖に入る鳥でにぎやか
4月下旬になっても北へ帰らない冬鳥や渡りの途中で立ち寄った旅鳥、繁殖シーズンを迎えて活発な留鳥などが混在してにぎやかになっている石垣島です。
最近、特に目につくのが繁殖期を迎えたリュウキュウヨシゴイであちこちの田んぼで出会うことができます。北に帰るはずが、まだ残っているのはキンクロハジロやオオバン。ほとんどが北帰したのですが、数羽が残っているようです。渡り途中のジシギも確認しています。
A male Ryukyu Minivet— I often see it flying about actively.
A female Ryukyu Minivet. She was following the male around.
A male (left) and female Ryukyu Minivet. I wonder if they will nest somewhere around here.
A Chinese Pond Heron that has been staying since last autumn. The moult is progressing.
A Cattle Egret caught a frog. Also present are Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, and Grey Heron.
Two Swinhoe's Snipe, apparently stopping over mid-migration.
Also what appears to be a Swinhoe's Snipe on migration. This individual was quite wary.
A Common Snipe that flew in and landed. I could only get the upper half in the frame… ^^;
Also a Common Snipe. Appears to be a migrant passing through.
White-breasted Waterhen are active too, with birds calling back and forth during the breeding season.
Several hundred wintered here, but at this time of year only a handful of Tufted Ducks remain.
This Tufted Duck may be injured — it has been seen along the same bank for several days.
The wintering Eurasian Coots are also down to just a few.