エゾモモンガという夜行性の動物の観察を続けて、いつの間にか4年?も経っていた。冬だけじゃなく、春も夏も秋も、頻度は減るけど時間の許す限り巣穴の前で待ち続けている。
繰り返し繰り返し・・・毎日あらゆる巣穴を巡っても、明るい時間にモモンガが巣穴から出てこなくて、姿を見ることもなく日没後の森で静かに三脚を畳んだ。
ただ彼らの生態を知りたいという欲求と、可愛い仕草を見ることが出来ればゲストが満足そうにしてくれるので、自分の撮影は後回しにして観察した。
I’ve been watching the Hokkaido flying squirrel — a small, nocturnal creature of our northern forests — and somehow four years have already gone by.
Not only in winter, but in spring, summer, and autumn as well.
Even though the visits become fewer in the warmer seasons, whenever I have a little time, I still find myself standing quietly in front of their nest holes.
Day after day, I make my rounds, checking every nest I know.
And many times, they don’t appear during the daylight hours at all.
On those evenings, I simply fold my tripod in the dark forest after sunset and walk back through the quiet trees, without seeing a single one.
What keeps me going is a simple wish: to understand their lives a little more.
And when my guests get to witness their tiny gestures and gentle behavior, their smiles tell me everything.
So I often put my own photography aside and focus on observing, learning, and sharing these moments with them.
夜行性の動物の生態はまだまだ謎が多い。
2019年に哺乳類についての学術誌に北米の生物学者がブラックライトでピンク色に光るモモンガについての論文が掲載されている。普通のリスは光らず、北米に生息する3種のモモンガ全てにおいて発光が確認されている。ネットで調べるとわかるが、かなりド派手に光っている。
エゾモモンガはどうか？
まだ試していないけど、おそらく光ると思う。なぜ光るのか、理由はまだ分かっていないようだけど、紫外線で発光する生き物は他にもたくさんいる。暗闇でモモンガがお互いに認識できるように光っているのか・・・？
人の爪や白っぽい服もよく発光するので、それらを身につけていたら、警戒されるのか？気になる。
There are still so many mysteries surrounding the lives of nocturnal animals.
In 2019, a group of North American biologists published a paper in a mammalogy journal reporting that flying squirrels glow bright pink under blacklight.
Ordinary squirrels do not glow, but all three species of flying squirrels in North America were confirmed to show this fluorescence.
If you search online, you’ll see—the glow is surprisingly vivid.
So what about the Hokkaido flying squirrel?
I haven’t tested it yet, but I suspect they may glow as well.
We still don’t know why flying squirrels fluoresce, but many other creatures are known to emit light when exposed to ultraviolet.
Maybe they glow so they can recognize each other in the darkness…?
Human fingernails and light-colored clothing also fluoresce strongly under UV.
So it makes me wonder: if we wear something that glows, would they become more cautious?
It’s something I’d really like to find out.
上の二つの写真はどちらも、この秋から冬に撮影したもの。
この季節のモモンガは、巣穴の側を歩くと様子を伺うように日中でも巣穴から出てくることがある。10月から本格化するエゾモモンガのガイドの前に数ある巣穴の様子、紅葉が綺麗な場所はどこか、痕跡の具合はどうかなど見回りの時期に、こうしたびっくりモモンガに頻繁に出会う。
決して巣穴の木を叩いたりしているわけでは無いので、念の為・・・。
樹洞に集まっている個体数が少ないことなどから、巣穴の襲撃を警戒して外に出て逃げることを選んでの行動だと思うけど、ちょっと気まずい雰囲気。だけど撮影はさせてもらう。
これはこれで、モモンガの生態を表しているとも言えるが、夜行性という本来の生態を表現できないのはとても味気なく感じる。
Both photos above were taken this autumn and winter.
During this season, Hokkaido flying squirrels sometimes peek out of their nest holes even in daylight when someone walks nearby.
In the weeks before my guiding season begins in October, I make my rounds—checking the condition of each nest hole, looking for forests with beautiful autumn colors, and reading the fresh signs they leave behind.
And during this time, I often encounter these “surprised squirrels” popping out unexpectedly.
Just to be clear, I never knock on the trees or disturb the nest holes in any way.
These moments happen naturally.
Because the number of individuals sharing each tree cavity is smaller in this season, I think they may choose to come outside and escape when they sense possible danger near their nest.
It creates a slightly awkward moment for both of us—but still, they allow me to take a photograph.
In a way, scenes like this also reflect part of their ecology.
But at the same time, not being able to show their true nocturnal life feels a little unsatisfying to me.
The night-time behavior is such an important part of who they are.
偶然撮れる写真と、狙って撮る写真。
どちらも面白いのだけど、そこにストーリーが乗っていないと写真のパワーは半減する。
それは観察機会が多いほど、写真に滲み出すものだと思う。そうして撮った写真を見てお客さんが自分も撮りたいと思ってくれると有難い。そのために自分が見てきた景色をしっかり表現して、評価されないといけないとなと思い、真面目に撮影するようになった。
There are photos you take by accident, and photos you take with clear intention.
Both are enjoyable in their own way — but without a story behind them, the power of a photograph is cut in half.
And I believe that story comes from spending countless hours observing.
When a guest looks at my photos and feels, “I want to capture something like this too,” I’m truly grateful.
That’s why I feel I need to express the scenes I’ve witnessed as honestly as possible — to create images that carry real value.
With that in mind, I started taking my own photography more seriously.
夜の森で滑空するエゾモモンガ、これを写真で本当に表現した人は自分が見た限りまだ居ない。
暗がりでシャッタースピードを1/20以下にして、エゾモモンガの滑空が最も安定する水平コースを読み、飛び立ちからファイダーで捕らえて、パンニングする。おそらく確率は3~5％程度・・・？そんな撮影に一日2回のチャンスを使える人がどれくらいいるのか。
50-100mmで撮るエゾモモンガの世界もまだまだ面白い。
In all the images I’ve seen, I don’t think anyone has truly captured a Hokkaido flying squirrel gliding through the night forest — not in a way that reflects what it really looks and feels like.
In the darkness, you have to drop the shutter speed below 1/20, read the moment when the squirrel settles into its most stable horizontal glide path, catch it in the viewfinder right as it takes off, and then pan with it.
Maybe the success rate is only three to five percent… if that.
And I wonder how many people are willing to spend their two daily chances on such a difficult shot.
But the world of photographing Hokkaido flying squirrels with a 50–100mm lens still has so much potential.
There are angles and stories there that no one has captured yet.
この枝に乗る幼いエゾモモンガを撮ったのは確か2023年の12月。
今でもこの写真を撮った時のことを覚えていて、お気に入りの写真。
巣穴には8~9匹のモモンガが住んでいて、そのうちの半分近くが体が小さく若いモモンガ。若いモモンガは警戒心が強くて、少しの物音でとても素早く動き回るので落ち着いてと願いながら枝の前で座って静かに待っていると・・・日が沈み、牡鹿のラッティングコールが響く中で巣穴から数匹の若いモモンガが出てきて幹を走ったり、登ったり。
眺めたくなるのを堪えて、動かずにひたすら待って枝に飛び乗った瞬間。わずか数秒。
カメラは中古で買ったオリンパスの古いミラーレス。レンズは40-150mm,F2.8。ISO640、S/Sは1/160。
シャッタースピードがとても速いので驚き。
覚えている印象ではかなり暗かった気がするので、よく撮れたなと思う。またこういうドキドキする撮影がしたい。
I photographed this young Hokkaido flying squirrel on this branch back in December 2023.
I still remember the moment clearly, and it remains one of my favorite images.
There were about eight or nine squirrels living in that nest hole, and nearly half of them were small, young individuals.
Young squirrels are very cautious — even the slightest noise makes them rush around quickly — so I sat quietly in front of the branch, hoping they would relax.
As the sun went down and the rutting calls of stags echoed through the forest, several young squirrels appeared from the nest.
They ran up and down the trunk, climbing and exploring.
I wanted to just sit and watch them, but I resisted the urge and stayed completely still, waiting for that one moment when a young squirrel would jump onto the branch.
It lasted only a few seconds.
The camera I used was an old Olympus mirrorless I bought second-hand, with a 40–150mm f/2.8 lens.
ISO 640, shutter speed 1/160.
The fast shutter speed still surprises me.
I remember the forest being quite dark, so looking back, I’m amazed the shot came out as well as it did.
最近のリサーチでの新しい発見。
エゾウコギの実の食痕を見つけた。今年のハンノキやシラカバの雄花は豊作で去年と違ってあちこちで見かける。それなのになぜ？
エゾウコギを食べる様子はまだ実際に見れてないので、楽しみ。
A new discovery from my recent field research:
I found feeding marks on the fruits of Ezo-ukogi (Siberian ginseng).
This year, the male catkins of alder and birch are plentiful—unlike last year, I see them everywhere.
So why are they eating Ezo-ukogi?
I haven’t yet seen a Hokkaido flying squirrel actually feeding on these fruits, so I’m looking forward to witnessing it with my own eyes.
この実をどうやって持ち、食べるのか。
今朝のモモンガは5:48amに1匹目が暗いうちに巣穴に戻り、2と3は6:05amあたり。寒くなったのでもう少し増えるかと思ったけど、まだ少数。雪も一旦溶けたので仕方ないか。あっさり戻るので、明日は別の巣穴を見に行くことになりそう。
This morning, the first Hokkaido flying squirrel returned to the nest at 5:48 a.m., still in the dark.
The second and third came back around 6:05.
I expected the numbers to increase now that it’s getting colder, but it’s still just a few individuals.
Since the snow has melted once already, I guess it can’t be helped.
They returned very quickly today, so tomorrow I’ll probably check a different nest hole.
