In July I wrote two posts about a Japanese sparrowhawk couple building a nest in a nearby cemetery (Japanese Sparrowhawk Rainy season continues) . I am happy to be able to write that their nesting was successful and they have raised three heathy chicks that have already grown to almost same size as the adults are. I wanted to follow and document the growing up of the chicks but last month was my son’s school holiday and I have been busy traveling and spending time with my family. My friends, however kept me updated on major events. On 11 August I received a message that they had discovered a chick in the nest. I was at the time midway climbing up Mt. Fuji.
First time I saw the chicks personally was was a few days after coming back from Mt. Fuji. I didn’t get a decent capture that time but heard from a friend that there were altogether three chicks in the nest.
Next time I had chance to go and see the chicks was 22 August. I saw all the three chicks, then 11 days old, cute and fluffy with white feathers. I witnessed the mother bringing food for them, tearing the meat in small pieces easy for the chicks to swallow. The nest was pretty well hidden and difficult to see from any direction but I managed to get some pictures anyway.
7月にツミのカップルが近くの墓地で巣を作っていたとブログに書きました (Japanese Sparrowhawk Rainy season continues)。嬉しいことに３羽の雛が誕生し、大人とほぼ同じぐらいの大きさにに成長してきています。雛の成長記録を撮りたかったですが、先月息子は夏休みで、家族旅行などで忙しかったです。幸い友人が大事な出来事をメッセージで知らせてくれました。8月11日雛の誕生のメッセージがきました。私は当時富士登山最中でした。山を降りて東京に帰ってきて数日後墓地に行って、自分もなんとか雛を確認出来ました。雛は3羽だと友人から聞きました。
次雛を見に行ったのは8月22日でした。3羽も確認できました。真っ白で、ふわふわでとても可愛かったです。母親が餌を持って、食べやすい様に小さくちぎって雛にやりました。巣は四方八方から見えずらかったが、なんとか初めて雛を撮れました。
On August 29 a friend e-mailed that the chicks had already been seen out of the nest checking how the world looks like from nearby tree branches. The following day on 30th August, despite of rain, I rushed to the cemetery with hopes of seeing them. I was surprised to see the chicks were no longer white and fluffy but had changed their feathers already. They were flying around restlessly. After few shots it started pouring and I decided to pack and leave. Afterwards, I heard that a northern goshawk had been seen in the cemetery and perhaps that was the reason the juveniles were flying around restlessly.
8月29日に雛は巣立ちした、とのメッセージを受けました。次の日雨にも関わらず駆けつけると、ふわふわで白い雛ではなく、大人とほぼ同じ大きさで、色も着いてきていました。落ち着かない様子で、飛び交っていました。雨が本降りになったから、何枚かを撮ってから家に帰りました。後から近くにオオタカが確認されたとの情報を受け、もしかしたら雛たちの落ち着かない様子はそれだったかな、と思います。
On 31st August the weather was good and I was finally able to spend more time capturing the juveniles. It seemed that one, assumably the first-born had already left the nest. The other two were around the nest. It looked like to me that they were constantly preening their feathers. I guess they needed to get rid of the remaining white baby feathers. Only when they heard their mother calling they would stop preening and return to their nest with hope that they would soon be fed. Their mother did not tear the meat into small pieces anymore, but would have the juvenile do it themselves.
8月31日天気も良く、やっとまとまった時間雛の撮影ができました。第一子はすで完全にに巣立ったみたいです。残りの二羽は巣の近くでした。見る度に毛繕いをしていました。恐らく残りの産毛を取ろうとしていたでしょう。母親の泣き声を聞いたら、毛繕いを辞め、巣に入って、餌を貰うのを待っていました。母親は餌を丸ごとで落とし雛たち自身にちぎらせるようにしていました。
Two days ago, 3rd September, was my last visit to the cemetery so far. The two juveniles were still around. I heard from my friends that they had made some effort to catch their own food, namely they had captured cicadas, but they were still waiting their mother to feed them. When they noticed their mother to be close by, they quickly returned to the nest.
9月3日最後に巣がある墓地に行ってきました。二羽の雛はまだいました。友人からの話で蝉などの餌を自分で撮ったりしましたが、母親が餌を持ってきてくるのをまだ待っていました。母親が近くにいると分かったら、速やかに巣に戻りました。
