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<\/a><\/p>\r\nAugust 22nd (Sun) Koshiyanagi, Sanwa Ward, Joetsu-shi<\/p>\r\n
These are the storks photographed in a rice field in Koshiyanagi, Sanwa Ward, Joetsu City.\u00a0 At around 9:30 am on August 22nd (Sun), Mr. Kazumi Ikeda, who lives in Koshiyanagi, found the two birds while on his tractor doing farm work. He photographed them with his smartphone.\u00a0 According to Mr. Ikeda, the two storks were in a rice field with some herons.\u00a0 He was surprised to find that two birds were larger and longer than the other herons. He thought that they might be storks, and so he took the picture.\u00a0 The two birds did not fly away even when they noticed Mr Ikeda, and they stayed still for a while.\u00a0 In addition, Mr. Ikeda witnessed a stork again, nearby, on Tuesday, 24th.<\/p>\r\n
According\u00a0to Mr. Katsuyuki Nagai, director of the Joetsu Science Museum, the two birds in the photo are definitely storks.\u00a0 However, there is no clear difference between males and females, so it is not possible to tell whether the two birds were a mating pair just from the photo.<\/p>\r\n
Mr. Katsuyuki Nagai, Director of Joetsu Science Museum<\/p>\r\n
“I myself have seen storks in the rice fields of Higashikubiki. \u00a0I feel that the opportunities to see storks are increasing. \u00a0I think that natural breeding is going well and stork numbers are increasing nationwide.”<\/p>\r\n
Mr. Kazumi Ikeda
\r\n“I had heard that storks had flown around here before. \u00a0I didn\u2019t expect to see them, so I was surprised. Now I have met the storks, I hope I will have some good fortune.”<\/p>\r\n
Storks\u00a0also arrived in this area in March of this year. \u00a0Around the same time, storks were spotted in Katata, Ogata Ward.<\/p>\r\n
Storks\u00a0are an endangered species, and it is said that there are only about 2,000 storks in the Far East. \u00a0\u00a0Storks were commonly seen everywhere in Japan during the Edo period(1600\u301c1868), but disappeared from Japan by 1971 due to overhunting and a decrease in wetlands.\u00a0 Since then, Hyogo Prefecture and others have been working on conservation, breeding, and releasing of birds as part of a wildlife conservation and restoration project.<\/p>\r\n
According\u00a0to the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork, there are 257 storks that can be identified living in the wild as of the end of July.\u00a0 As of August last year, the arrival of storks has been confirmed in 47 prefectures and 485 municipalities nationwide, including Hokkaido and Okinawa.<\/p>\r\n
According\u00a0to Ms. Maka Ito of Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork, it is important to have an environment where food is available throughout the year. \u00a0If the storks recognize a good feeding ground, they will stay there in the long-term. Males and females may also use these sites for breeding.<\/p>\r\n
<Number of sightings in Niigata Prefecture>
\r\n2017\u00a0 3 cases
\r\n2018\u00a0 6 cases
\r\n2019\u00a0 3 cases
\r\n2020\u00a0 10 cases
\r\n2021\u00a0 14 cases<\/p>\r\n