This blog introduces the breeding and child-rearing struggle of little grebes that bred in Inokashira Park in 2018.
The chicks who had been observing the previous year were wiped out. Let's see the whole story until the chicks grow up well this year! I started writing this blog.
The food given, this time tadpoles? Aquatic Life House Family June 8
This time I will introduce what the chicks are eating.
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As of June 8, all five chicks in the Aquatic Life House are growing well.
It seems that they are protected by their parents and well-fed.
I still feed on the nest, but now that the chicks are able to swim, the parents go out with the chicks.
The chicks can swim to their heart's content and eat a lot of things, so it looks very fun.
I think I feel like going on an excursion.
As a parent bird, it is much more efficient because it catches food and feeds it to chicks immediately.
Previously, I was worried that I couldn't see the fish shadow in the pond.
It seems that a lot of small animals are growing in the pond, so there seems to be no problem so far.
It looks like a tadpole when you look closely at what it is like a fish that you have stopped quite easily. (Maybe a catfish fry)
Soft and nutritious, the chicks swallowed.
Even before the chicks hatched, the parents often went straight to catch food in this area.
The reason is probably that frogs spawn in this area and a large number of tadpoles are growing. Or catfish.
The neighbors who are in constant quarrel may have been aiming for tadpoles here.
(There will be various troubles with the neighbors who share this hunting ground.)
I also like dragonflies, but it's hard to swallow them
Hina tries to swallow a dragonfly while being watched by her father Little Grebe.
All the brothers are waiting for their turn without fighting, whether they know that they will get food in turn.
Everyone is pretty well-behaved.
Next is my turn! Do you know
Still, when my brothers are eating, I envy them.
Probably that much food is abundant.
For parent birds, hard and large food such as dragonflies are repeatedly struck or bitten on the surface of the water, softened, and cooked until they are sized to be easily eaten by the chicks.
Still, the dragonfly's body is sturdy, and the chicks can't swallow it easily.
Each time the parent bird looks at the situation, it is re-cooked by tapping it in water as many times as necessary to make it softer, smaller, and easier to eat.
The parent bird watches the chicks until they see them completely swallow the food.
It picks up spilled food and helps chicks eat it.
Little Grebe, a troubled parent.
Who is hungry?
The appetite of chicks diminishes after eating large food.
When the parent bird catches the food, all the hungry chicks come to get the food.
The parent bird may also be aware of which chicks are hungry and how hungry they are.
And the chicks become sleepy when they are full, or they become sluggish.
When the parent bird sees it, it gradually moves toward the nest.
It's about time to take a nap.
Is it the tail of the crayfish?
Near the nest, the last thing I caught before taking a nap was a crab.
Already only the tail part.
Did the parent bird eat the head during cooking?
Both tadpoles and dragonflies are seasonal.
Is it a seasonal food?
The season means that you will not be able to catch it after the time has passed.
At present, it seems that the proportion of shrimp is small.
So far, there are fish, but the number seems to be small.
Little Grebe chick food is abundant at present, but it seems that it is not optimistic.
It will be very interesting to see how the pond that has been cultivated will regain its ecology in the future.
I think I've been watching through the little grebe.
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to be continued
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