Baby Boom — KAMERANNE

When a kingfisher couple started building a nest in my nearby garden, some people said we would not be seeing any chicks there. A few times earlier kingfishers had tried nesting there but each time a snake or some other animal had visited the nest and had a feast with the unhatched eggs. Anyhow, this time we can congratulate the kingfisher couple for 5 lovely chicks. First one left the nest on 15th of this month and the rest during the following two days. I spent two days trying to capture the scene. It was pretty dark and the chicks were doing their best to hide from predators as well as from curious photographers. Once, a large-billed crow tried to attack the chicks, but they managed to escape.

In the same garden I came across with a family of Japanese pygmy woodpeckers. There was a parent and perhaps 4-5 juveniles. I heard and saw them flying from one tree to another on two sides of a narrow path I was walking on. When I came closer, the parent ordered them to freeze and they did as they were told and it became very silent. I took a few pictures and kept walking. After a while they thought it was safe again, and the they continued their ways. Freezing and moving again was repeated a few times. With kingfishers it was easy to tell the adult apart from the chick. The chick’s feathers looked dirty. Japanese pygmy woodpecker chicks on the other hand did not look very different from adults.

In another garden I photographed newly born ducklings of spot billed ducks as well as and juvenile Japanese tits. The tits were mostly hiding behind tree branches but there was one that looked at me very curiously.

近所の公園でカワセミが巣作りを始めたら、子供が巣立ちまでには行かないだろうと人々が言っていました。何回か同じ公園でカワセミが巣を作っていましたが、雛が飼える前には巣は蛇か別の何かにやられてしまいました。今回はめでたい事に５羽の雛が誕生しました。一羽は15日に、後の四羽は16〜17日に巣立ちしました。私は２日間カワセミの子育てを見守りながら写真を撮っていました。一度カラスが攻撃して来ましたが、幸い雛が逃げ切れました。

カワセミの少し前同じ公園にコゲラの雛も巣立ちました。コゲラの家族との出逢いにも恵まれました。歩いている道の両側にコゲラの鳴き声が聞こえ、探してみたら親と４〜５羽の雛が木から木に飛び移っていました。たまに親の命令でみんながフリーズして静かになりました。危なくないと判断して、再び動き出しました。そしてまたフリーズして、また動き出しました。カワセミと違ってコゲラの雛は親との区別は中々難しかったです。

別のところでカルガモやシジュウカラの雛にも逢いました。シジュウカラの雛は枝や葉っぱの後ろに隠れようとしていましたが、一羽だけは興味津々に私を見つめていました。