Little Tern Project

森ヶ崎水再生センターの施設屋上で営巣するコアジサシの保全のため、営巣地の整備や巣のモニタリングなどをしている、NPO法人リトルターン・プロジェクトの営巣調査に参加させていただいている。今年はすでに100羽を超えるコアジサシが来ているようで、昨日の調査では22巣が確認された。



調査のあと少し残ってスケッチをさせてもらった。そして気づけばリトルターン・プロジェクトのブログで紹介してくださっていた！



I started to participate in the researches for the Little Tern project.  Since we have less and less natural bare ground in Tokyo area for little terns to nest, they started nesting on the roof top of a sewerage facility building.   In 2001, one bird researcher happened to find it and started to protect them.   Now the project became big and people create good nesting ground for them, pulling out the weeds and spreading sea shells.



It seems that they love nesting on where white sea shells are to camouflage their eggs.



求愛給餌の様子が何度も見られた。巣で抱卵しているメス？にプレゼントしようとオス？が魚を持ってきたのに、メスは留守中で、オスは魚をくわえたまま抱卵開始。どうしよう、どうしよう、としばらく魚をもてあそんでいたけれど、結局、自分で食べてしまった。



The research we did was to walk on the nesting ground to find and check their nests and eggs. It was very very very scary to walk on the nesting site. Their nests quite often mean just eggs laid on the ground. And their three tones eggs are so camouflaged in the gravel and shells. The worst thing to do is to step on them. So we needed to be super careful.