ハシボソガラス：Carrion crow (Corvus corone)

賀茂川で野鳥を観察しました、桂川に比べると川幅が狭く、手入れが行き届いていて、「てなづけられた川」という印象です。流量の少ない水位からは、かつて白河法皇が「賀茂川の水、双六の賽、山法師。これぞ我が心にかなはぬもの」と嘆いたという面影はありません。そんな賀茂川でハシボソガラスが、水中の石を岸辺に運んでいました。目的はどうやら石に付いているトビケラなどの川虫を食べることのようです。地方によっては、車の通る道にオニグルミの実を落として車にひかせて食べる知恵もあるとか。近年「羽毛を生やした人類」とも言われるカラスのことです。これくらいの芸当はたやすいことなのかもしれませんね。

I observed wild birds at the Kamo River. Compared to the Katsura River, the river is narrower and better maintained, giving me the impression of a "tamed" river. This  river reminds me of the passage from the Story of Heike, in which Emperor Shirakawa once said, "The water of the Kamo River, Sugoroku no Sai (the number of the dice), and Yamahoushi (monk soldiers): these are things that do not work out the way I want."  However, the sight of the tame river retains no trace of the one with ferocious power which made the emperor lament. In the Kamo River, carrion crows were busy carrying pebbles from the water to the shore. Their purpose seemed to be to eat the river insects such as lacewings larvae attached to the stones. In some parts of the country, there are also clever crows dropping walnuts on the road for cars to run over using the automobiles as nutcrackers. In recent years, crows have been referred to as "humans with feathers". Perhaps this kind of trickery is easy for them to do.

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Photo 2021-12-11