Flood and Heat Attack

ブログ記事にするのが遅くなってしまったけれど、7月末にリトルターン・プロジェクトの調査に参加させていただいたときのスケッチから。

I joined the research of the little terns' breeding colony again at the end of July.  The place was so crowded with many incubating adults, little chicks and eggs on my previous visit in mid-June that I was a little shocked to find the place already rather empty.



長径31mm、短径22mmと長径28mm、短径23mmの卵だった。
調査日前の大雨で流され、放棄されてしまっていた卵。自然界は厳しい。
Little Tern's abandoned eggs.  The storm caused a serious flood at their nesting site on the roof top of a sewerage facility building.  Lots of eggs were swept away.  I asked the staff and brought back two dead ones to paint.  It is sad to face things like this.



Yet, several little chicks had survived the storm and they were growing day by day. The hot sun was burning everything on the roof top so the chicks were wherever a shadow was.  We found several of them under the shelters, which the staff had put on the site.  



炎天下の屋上では、ヒナも調査者も暑さでぐったり。ほんの少しの影も貴重だ。



それでも大雨を耐え抜きヒナが生まれている巣があったり、生命の力強さも感じた。

先週土曜日の台風前の調査では、残りはあと2巣だったという。まだまだ暑いけれど、ひとつの季節が終わろうとしているようだ。