Despite the ongoing sad news related to the earthquake in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, a stork was spotted on February 14 in the Tsuruhama area of Nanao City. Researcher Koyama took a photograph of the bird, and upon checking the leg band information, it was confirmed to be a 5-year-old female stork that hatched in captivity in May 2018 and was released in September of the same year (Identification number: J0205). After reporting the sighting to the Hyogo Prefectural Kob contra-Ko (Stork Village Park), which collects stork sighting information, I was informed that this stork is a female from a pair that has been breeding in Shiga Town in recent years, and her name is “Hikari-chan.” We hope she raises healthy chicks on the Noto Peninsula again this year.
In Nanao City, water outages continue, blue tarps are stretched over roofs, and there are collapsed houses, with concrete ground cracking in many places. However, witnessing the lively sight of swans and storks soaring in the sky made for an uplifting day amidst this challenging situation.
