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Hello, all- My wife and I have been in Japan since late March, and we are on the verge of returning to Canada. We've seen a lot of interesting natural history during our stay here, especially of course butterflies. There are several species of swallowtails, including the Old World Swallowtail, and the familiar Cabbage Butterfly is everywhere right now. A small Blue, much like our Spring Azure, has just emerged and can be seen flying around people's gardens. I wanted to tell the story of a corporate approach to a natural annoyance. Most Tokyoites travel by train to and from work (or anywhere else for that matter), and there is a train station near our apartment which we use almost daily. The concourse is open to the elements, although roofed over. A couple of Barn Swallows have built a nest in the corner between a big support column and the concrete ceiling. Today, as we passed through the station, we were surprised to see the two swallows flying in and out of the station concourse, twittering and apparently agitated about something. As we entered, we saw a crew of three workers with a ladder set up against the column. They had attached a wood strip to the column about a foot below the nest, and were obviously preparing more carpentry. "Insensitive corporate goons" thought I, and went on to board my train. When I returned, the carpenters had gone. The two swallows were perched calmly on a nearby wire, and just beneath the nest was a brand new plastic shelf, to catch the droppings and protect the commuters below. I don't know if the adults will return to the nest in time to prevent the chicks (or eggs) from perishing, but I thought that it was a pretty sensible gesture on the part of the big corporation which owns the station. In many places in Canada the nest would probably have been destroyed. Peter Payzant Tokyo
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