春の自然観察

I have been too busy to sketch wildlife properly the last few months but I watched some memorable wildlife scenes this season.

Long-talied Tit fledgelings and the plums. 

This spring, I was lucky enough to see a pair of Long-tailed Tits breeds near my place. The first nest we found was under construction. A pair was bringing nest materials. I was so happy to see it and also so afraid of it to be found by crows and Taiwan Squirrels that are so many around here. Since those predators could find a nest by watching me looking at the nest intensely, I tried to observe it as I walked pass it. I couldn't find a place to hide so I didn't sketch it.  But the nest was unfortunately blown away by a storm one night. 

 
Then a local friend told me that there is another nest, possibly by the same pair. It was on a tree right above a narrow road!  The eggs were already hatched and parents were bringing food. To my surprise, that pair often came together and searched for food in my apartment shrubbery! I was quite sure of it because from my window, I could almost follow the pair fly toward the nesting tree.
I also spotted a helper bird, as it lacked some tail feathers and could be easily identified from the parent birds that were always moving about as a pair. 

The chicks fledged safely one early morning. My friend counted eight of them.

この春は、エナガが家の近くに巣を作ったので、ちょこっと繁殖行動を観察することができた。その後中村登流著の『エナガの群れ社会』を読んでお勉強。断片でも生活の様子を垣間見れた後に、その鳥の生態をしっかり勉強できるのはうれしい。いつも２羽連れ立ってうちのマンションの植え込みに来るので、両親それぞれが勝手に違う所で餌とりをして、それぞれに巣へと戻るのではないらしいと気付いたけれど、本当にエナガ夫婦は常に行動を伴にすると知った。 大嵐で壊れた巣は落ちてきたらよく見てみたいと思って、その後何度も確認に行ったのに、いつのまにか形があやふやになっていた。巣を作り直す際には、古巣から巣材を抜き取って使うらしいので、きっとそれで無くなっちゃったんだと分かった。

シロバナハンショウヅル (Clematis williamsii) 

I sketched two beautiful wild clematis species this spring!

Clematis patens　 

1パックのオムツを買うと中に２種類の模様が入っているのだが、チビはなぜか風車柄が好きで、凧柄は履きたがらないのでそればかり余り、数ヶ月苦労した。本人はずっと風車ではなくて花だと信じていて、冬頃にようやくこれは風でクルクルまわるものなのだと理解した。その矢先の５月、カザグルマの花を見に連れ出す夫……。

ヤママユの幼虫

I also spent some evening hours sitting outside with my little one and drew the pink sky.

Evening on summer solstice. I miss living at high latitude, where the summer days are really really long. Here, I don't feel it's mid-summer apart from the fact it's hot. At least I sat outside with my little one to watch the sunset and enjoyed the last hour of a slightly-long day.

夏至の夕暮れ

そして6月末の大事件は、うちのエアコンの室外機にスズメが巣材を持ってきはじめたこと。 住宅難なのは知っているし、イラストレーターとしてその生態を家から眺めるチャンスには飛びつきたいところだったけれど、これから卵を順に産み、孵すのに２週間、雛が巣立つのに２週間……。間違っても、室外機のファンに巻き込んで殺したりはしたくないし、稼働して巣内が異様に暑くなったりするのも怖い。8月までエアコンが使えない可能性があるとさすがにチビもいるのに人間のほうが耐えられないかもしれないと思い、ごめんなさいと思いながらお引越しをお願いした。あと巣を作り始めるのがひと月早ければ大歓迎したのになあ。来年は使ってくれそうな巣箱をかけてみようかなあ。

In the end of June a pair of sparrows started to bring grasses into the exterior unit of our air conditioner. I wanted to welcome them but then I was afraid of not being able to use the air conditioner on hot days in early July and August. So I had to ask the pair to move.  If only they started in May...!