This blog introduces the breeding and child-rearing struggles of little grebes in Inokashira Park in 2017.
A Common Moorhen that appeared in Inokashira Park after a long absence, the morning of September 12
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A Common Moorhen that I had never seen since I started observing little grebes came to Inokashira Park from somewhere.
Probably it came at night.
Van, who has not yet grasped the environmental conditions here, finished his feathers and went out for a walk in the pond, paying close attention to the area.
Six little grebes were seen in early summer, and now more than half have gone somewhere.
The little grebes that disappeared from Inokashira Park may appear in a pond somewhere like this.
Two chicks and their parent birds, who used to be near Nanai Bridge, disappeared about 10 days after their territory was expelled by their neighbors, and the parent birds also disappeared after that. He probably flew away in search of a new world.
The transparency of the water decreased due to the outbreak of blue-green algae, making it difficult to fish, and it may have been that he wanted to escape from his noisy neighbors as soon as possible.
Even so, it's amazing to be able to fly far away with those small-looking wings.
It seems that it will be a turbulent winter for the waterfowl living in Inokashira Park, as it will be squirming again this winter.
The pond is drained and runs out, so you have to evacuate somewhere in the meantime.
Former Nanai Bridge Little Grebe family, who were very close friends, at Gama Yabu on July 30
Previously, the exiled Nanaibashi Little Grebe was a family with very strong family ties.
The siblings were always together, sleeping in a roost with four family members until the chicks were as big as their parents.
Even during the nap time in the cattail bush, the parents were vigilant, opening their eyes in front of the chick that slept soundly and always being vigilant about the surroundings.
In exchange, the new Nanaibashi family, the couple, and the brothers who robbed the territory seem to be not so close. It's not bad, but it's a comparison.
Brothers sometimes get together, but usually act alone.
Parent birds also usually leave their chicks and go somewhere.
When I come back, I'm walking (swimming) looking for chicks here and there.
In September, I have hardly seen any family members on the wall these days.
It seems that the couple are living separately and raising their children separately.
Parent birds have begun to encourage child separation
When the chick grows and becomes about 3/4 the size of the parent bird, the parent bird may start to act to encourage the chick to leave the child so that the chick does not spoil.
The chicks are still receiving food from their parents, but at the same time they swallow the food they receive, the parent birds rush and attack at the base of the chick's neck.
Hina has no choice but to escape with surprise.
Every little grebe I've seen so far behaves the same when the chicks are about this size.
One of the chicks here, who thought this was a kind of play, imitated their parents and acted in the same way toward their parents.
The parent bird was also surprised at this.
The chick rushed toward the parent bird, perhaps thinking that the action of the attack away from the parent was playful.
One day, I thought that the parents were attacking the child as usual, but when I looked closely, it was the chick who was attacking.
For a while, the parent bird was like "Are?"
This chick, in turn, began the same action towards her brother.
The one who does it will be playful, but the one who can do it seems not to be accumulated.
One chick was poked by a parent bird (even though she could get food) and was attacked by her siblings.
After that, the chicks who were killed often swam alone in the pond.
What are the parents thinking about when the attack is spearheaded by their siblings?
If the couple does not emphasize each other and acts separately, it seems that the child will not act together with the siblings.
The former Nanai Bridge family and brothers who were close friends were always together when they were observed.
I have hardly seen a parent bird poking a chick.
The character of a bird seems to change depending on its living environment and the discipline of its parents.
If the discipline can survive, it will be inherited by the children as a nature to live.
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to be continued
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