THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
BIRDS OF THE LOCH
AND MOUNTAIN
GOLDEN EAGLE SEVEN WEEKS OLD.
BIRDS OF THE LOCH
AND MOUNTAIN
BY
SETON P. GORDON, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED
LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK, TORONTO AND MELBOURNE. MCMVII
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TO
MY MOTHER
TO WHOSE SYMPATHY AND ENCOURAGEMENT
I OWE SO MUCH
869414
PREFACE
I HAVE always had a great love for the solitude and
calm of the lone Scottish mountains, where a peace
and happiness are to be found unknown to the
dwellers in the plains. Here one seems to be apart
from the sorrows and anxieties of the world, and
the days I have spent among the Ptarmigan and
Golden Plover at a height of considerably more than
3,000 feet above sea level I shall always remember
as the happiest of my experience. What can be
more lovely than a mid-winter sunset from a dark,
lofty mountain, with many a snow wreath lingering
on its slopes ? As the sun sinks, the wide expanse
of hill and valley is lit up in the soft glow, and the
snow fields on the sister hills are changed from spot-
less white to a glorious rosy tinge, while the snow-
white Ptarmigan, wheeling across in the setting sun,
have their plumage transformed to pink as they
catch its rays.
To obtain the photograph of the Ptarmigan on
her nest, I was on the hills from midnight till one
o'clock the next afternoon.
I know the mountains at every season of
the year, but think that they are at their finest
during the month of June, when all Nature at
this height looks at her best, and the air is laden
with the scent of the mountain plants.
In the following pages it has been my endeavour
to give an account of the lives and habits of the
best known of the mountain nesting birds.
x PREFACE
The photographs of the Golden Eagle and
Ptarmigan are, I venture to think, if not unique,
at least almost so. To obtain the photograph
of the eyrie of the Golden Eagle, a ladder and
rope had to carried up the hill. When this
was done, it was found that the ladder was not
long enough to reach the first branch of the
pine tree on which the eyrie was built. Accord-
ingly, when I had climbed as high as possible,
the keeper raised the ladder and supported it
on his chest, thus adding several feet to its
length, and enabling me to gain a foot-
hold on the branch from which I obtained
the photograph, the camera being hauled up
afterwards by the rope. The photographing of
the eyrie was rather a risky proceeding, for the
camera was in constant danger of falling to the
ground, and the branch on which I was standing
was old and rotten in the extreme, but luckily held
my \veight.
Although I have been exceptionally fortunate
as regards weather conditions while photograph-
ing and studying the birds of the mountain at
their haunts, a friend and I had rather an excit-
ing experience last April on Ben Muich Dhui,
4,300 feet above sea level, and the second highest
mountain in our Island. At this season of the
year, the hill is more deeply covered with snow than
at any other time, and when we made the ascent,
all the burns were completely bridged over by
the snow wreaths, while every lochan.was thickly
coated with ice. On reaching the cairn on the top,
the weather, which hitherto had been mild and
spring-like, changed completely, the wind veering
to the north, while thick mist, accompanied by a
PREFACE xi
blinding snow-storm, enveloped the summit. Had
it not been that the snow was soft, and that the
footmarks we made during the ascent served as
landmarks, the consequences might have been
rather unpleasant, as on nearly every side were
lofty precipices, and the mist limited the view
to a few yards.
Many a time I have sat up all night to take
notes on the wakening of the birds, which, in this
part of the world, commence to sing considerably
earlier than their English relations. In June, the
Thrush and Blackbird are often in song before
2 o'clock a.m., while the Sandpipers and Oyster
Catchers by the river never cease to call all
night long.
The work has to me been indeed a labour of
love, and none save those who have actually taken
up this branch of Natural History can form any
idea of the fascination it holds for the true lover of
Nature — a fascination which is enhanced by the
difficulties to be overcome, and the patience and
perseverance necessary to secure the photographs
of some of our wariest birds at their native haunts.
SETON P. GORDON.
ABOYNE, ABERDEENSHIRE.
September, 1907.
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE GOLDEN EAGLE i
THE RED GROUSE 19
THE CAPERCAILZIE 31
THE PTARMIGAN 37
THE WOODCOCK 52
THE GOOSANDER 60
THE GOLDEN PLOVER ....... 68
THE CURLEW 76
THE SANDPIPER 85
THE REDSHANK 91
THE OYSTER CATCHER 96
THE COMMON TERN 106
THE COMMON GULL 115
THE BLACK-HEADED GULL 122
THE GREY CROW 131
THE WATER OUSEL OR DIPPER . . . .135
THE RING OUSEL 142
THE BULLFINCH 149
THE MEADOW PIPIT 156
THE WILLOW WARBLER . . . . . .163
THE PEREGRINE FALCON 168
MORVEN IN SNOW 177
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
GOLDEN EAGLE SEVEN WEEKS OLD Frontispiece
GOLDEN EAGLE'S EYRIE IN A SCOTS EIR 3
EYRIE OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE 5
GOLDEN EAGLET IN EYRIE IN A PINE TREE 7
GOLDEN EAGLETS — EIGHT DAYS OLD ..... .8
GOLDEN EAGLES — AGED THREE WEEKS ... .... 9
GOLDEN EAGLE — Six WEEKS OLD . 10
GOLDEN EAGLE— SEVEN WEEKS OLD 11
GOLDEN EAGLE — NINE WEEKS OLD 12
YOUNG EAGLE CROUCHING IN EYRIE 13
NESTING SITE OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE WITH EYRIE IN THE DISTANCE 14
GOLDEN EAGLE AFTER HIS FIRST FLIGHT 15
THE DOMAIN OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE 16
A HEATHER FIRE AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE'S HAUNT . . . .18
GROUSE'S NEST AND EGGS 21
GROUSE'S NEST IN A TUFT OF RUSHES 22
GROUSE ON HER NEST 23
HEN GROUSE COVERING CHICKS 25
NEWLY HATCHED YOUNG GROUSE 26
NESTING HAUNT OF THE GROUSE 28
HOME OF THE RED GROUSE 29
NEST AND EGGS OF THE CAPERCAILZIE 32
CAPERCAILZIE'S NEST 33
HOME OF THE CAPERCAILZIE 35
PTARMIGAN'S NEST AND EGGS 38
PTARMIGAN ON NEST, WITH SNOWFIELD AT TOP LEFT-HAND CORNER
OF THE PICTURE . -39
YOUNG PTARMIGAN CROUCHING . 40
THE POOLS OF DEE — THE PTARMIGAN'S HOME 41
THE PTARMIGAN'S HOME — BRAE RIACH AND THE SOURCE or THE DEE 42
HOME OF THE PTARMIGAN IN LATE MARCH 43
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xv
PAGE
THE PTARMIGAN'S HOME — SUMMER ... 45
THE HAUNT OF THE PTARMIGAN— MID WINTER 47
HEN PTARMIGAN ON SNOWFIELD — MID SUMMER . ... 49
ROOSTING HOLLOWS OF PTARMIGAN IN THE SNOW . . . .51
WOODCOCK'S NEST WITH ELONGATED EGG 53
WOODCOCK'S NEST AFTER A SNOWFALL 55
WOODCOCK ON NEST 57
THE WOODCOCK'S HAUNT . . 59
NEST AND EGGS OF THE GOOSANDER 61
GOOSANDER'S NEST WITH EGGS COVERED WITH DOWN DURING PARENT
BIRD'S ABSENCE 62
GOOSANDER ON XEST 63
NESTING SITE OF THE GOOSANDER 64
A FISHING HAUNT OF THE GOOSANDER 65
THE GOOSANDER'S HOME IN WINTER 67
GOLDEN PLOVER'S NEST— NEARLY 3,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. . 71
YOUNG GOLDEN PLOVER CROUCHING TOGETHER FOR WARMTH . . 74
NESTING SITE OF THE GOLDEN PLOVER 75
NEST OF CURLEW 80
CURLEW ON NEST 82
YOUNG CURLEW 83
WHERE THE CURLEW NEST 84
NEST AND EGGS OF SANDPIPER 87
YOUNG SANDPIPER CROUCHING . . 88
HAUNT OF THE SANDPIPER -90
NEST OF REDSHANK
93
95
HOME OF THE REDSHANK
OYSTER CATCHER'S NEST AND EGGS 98
OYSTER CATCHER'S NEST WITH NEWLY HATCHED CHICK ... 99
YOUNG OYSTER CATCHERS HIDING IOI
SUMMER HOME OF THE OYSTER CATCHER ... . Io-j
COMMON TERN'S NEST AND EGGS In
YOUNG COMMON TERN . . 113
NEST OF COMMON GULI u7
THE COMMON GULL'S MOUNTAIN HOME II9
NEST AND EGGS OF THE BLACK-HEADED GULL 125
YOUNG BLACK-HEADED GULLS IN THE NEST I2-
A HAUNT OF THE BLACK-HEADED GULL . . . . ' . I28
BLACK-HEADED GULLS FEEDING ^o
xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
NEST OF THE WATER OUSEL 136
NESTING SITE OF THE WATER OUSEL 137
HOME OF THE WATER OUSEL 139
FEEDING GROUND OF THE WATER OUSEL 141
NEST OF WATER OUSEL, WITH SPOTTED FLYCATCHER'S NEST AND
EGG ON THE TOP 143
KING OUSEL'S NEST AND EGGS 145
SUMMER HAUNT OF THE RING OUSEL 147
NEST OF THE BULLFINCH 150
BULLFINCH BROODING 152
COCK BULLFINCH FEEDING YOUNG 153
HEN BULLFINCH FEEDING YOUNG 154
FULLY FLEDGED YOUNG BULLFINCHES IN NEST 155
MEADOW PIPIT'S NEST WITH CUCKOO'S EGG 157
YOUNG CUCKOO — DISDAINING THE PHOTOGRAPHER .... 159
CUCKOO IN MEADOW PIPIT'S NEST — A TIGHT SQUEEZE . . . 160
FULLY FLEDGED YOUNG CUCKOO RESENTING INTRUSION . . .161
THE WILLOW WARBLER'S SUMMER HAUNT 165
WILLOW WARBLER'S NEST IN RABBIT SCRAPING 167
THE AUTHOR AT THE EYRIE OF THE PEREGRINE FALCON . . .169
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE PEREGRINE'S EYRIE, SHOWING EGGS ON
THE LEDGE 171
PEREGRINE'S EYRIE AND EGGS, SHOWING BONES OF GROUSE, ETC. . 173
POSITION OF EGGS IN PEREGRINE FALCON'S EYRIE AFTER THE HEN
HAD BEEN SlIOT 175
"THROUGH THE MIST" . 181
BIRDS OF
THE LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
THE GOLDEN EAGLE
THE Golden Eagle is, without doubt, the noblest
of our British birds, and has its home amongst the
most desolate forests and mountains of Scotland.
It has long since become extinct as a native of
England, and when one reads in the newspapers of
a " Golden Eagle " being captured or shot in the
latter country, it is usually a specimen of the
White-Tailed or Sea-Eagle.
These last mentioned birds are to a large extent
migratory, and so pass through England in spring
and autumn to and from the nesting sites in the
far north. A few — a very few — attempt to rear
their young in the north of Scotland and in the
Shetlands, but with small chance of success, as,
although the eggs are hatched off safely, the
natives frequently take the young when half grown.
The most common and easiest way to take
the young birds is to lower some cotton wool into
the eyrie. The eaglets think the cotton wool is
some enemy approaching them, and turn on their
backs, striking upwards with their powerful claws.
Soon these become hopelessly entangled in the
wool, when the Eaglets are hauled up to the
summit of the cliff.
2 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
The Golden Eagle, although much more com-
mon than the Sea-Eagle, is nowhere met with in
any great numbers ; but, thanks to the protection
afforded by most of the Scottish proprietors —
not to speak of the comparatively useless " Wild
Birds Protection Act " — it is fairly holding its
own. It is welcomed in deer forests, as it keeps
down the numbers of Grouse, which often render
the stalker's best-laid plans useless by suddenly
rising and alarming the deer by their loud " quack,
kurr ! — go back, go back." Whether the Grouse is
really warning the deer of their danger, or whether
the call is used only for alarming its own species,
is very uncertain ; but I am inclined to think
that the bird utters its alarm note automatically
when in danger, or else to warn any other
members of the species which happen to be in the
vicinity.
Quite recently a Golden Eagle was shot near
Tomintoul in defiance of the Order strictly protect-
ing it. There was a Grouse drive going on, and
it was noticed that the Grouse were flying much
quicker than usual. Soon a Golden Eagle came in
sight, when it was shot down by one of the
guns ! Incidentally, also, I may mention that the
Kestrel is another bird the shooting of which is
prohibited by law, and yet keepers arid others
shoot it regularly, without any notice being taken
by the authorities.
The Golden Eagle is the first of our birds of
prey to commence nesting operations. The same
eyrie is used year after year until it becomes a
very large structure. One eyrie I know was
used steadily for about fifteen years. Then one
winter there was an exceptionally heavy fall of
4 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
snow, which broke down the branch on which
the nest was built. Luckily, however, branch and
eyrie were caught on another branch a little lower
down, and there remained ; next spring the Eagles
returned to their home as if nothing had happened.
When a new eyrie is being built, the old birds
begin to look for a suitable nesting site in February,
if the winter be open, and building operations are
commenced during March. The usual situation for
the eyrie is on an ancient pine, or on a ledge of
rock commanding a good outlook. When a tree
is chosen, the eyrie is usually placed on some large
branch about half-way up, and at some distance
from the trunk. It is very strange that the Eagles
prefer quite a small cliff to nest on, or a tree
which can easily be climbed, while there are
usually inaccessible precipices or unclimbable trees
in the neighbourhood.
The eyrie is composed almost entirely of pine
branches, very large near the bottom, and getting
gradually smaller towards the top. It is a re-
markable fact that the Eagles never use dead
branches for the eyrie, but always break them off the
trees ; and if these branches are examined, it will be
found that nearly every one bears the marks of the
Eagle's strong beak where it has broken them off.
The inside of the eyrie is usually lined with rough
grasses, upon which the eggs rest. Once I found in
an eyrie a large red rubber ring, which the Eagles
evidently thought improved the look of their home.
The eggs number two as a rule, but sometimes
three are found. At times the Eagles will leave
their old eyrie, and will build a new one in the
vicinity ; but they seem loth to desert their old
home altogether, as they repair it to a certain
EYRIE OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE.
6 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
extent each spring, although the eggs are laid in
the new structure. In one glen that I know of
there are three eyries within half a mile of each
other — two of them deserted. Last spring the
Eagles repaired to a certain extent one of the eyries
which they had not used for years, although they
did not ultimately nest there. If the hen bird is
killed just before the nesting season, the male
will sometimes himself repair the eyrie, although
it is not very neatly done, and will use it as
a kind of larder. The Golden Eagles rarely use
any call note, but in early spring male and female
soar round and round each other, uttering a ring-
ing note sounding not unlike the cry of the wild
geese. Sometimes, when the hen is flushed from
the eyrie, she will use the same note, but she
usually soars up in silence.
The eggs are laid about the first week of April,
and the young are hatched out a month or so later.
The Eagle is very tame when brooding, and will
not leave the eyrie until absolutely obliged to do
so. Before the young are hatched the hen bird,
when disturbed, usually flies right away from the
eyrie, and is not seen again while the intruder is near
the nest. She usually alights on a rock commanding
a good view of her eyrie, and watches proceedings
from there. The Eaglets, when first hatched, are
like little balls of down, with pink eyes, and squeak
plaintively when taken up in the hand. They
grow very rapidly, and leave the eyrie early in
July. A great deal has been said and written about
Eagles attacking anyone attempting to steal their
eggs or young ; but, as far as my experience goes,
there is not the slightest ground for this belief.
Usually, when one is photographing the young
8 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
birds, the Eagles are nowhere to be seen ; and if
they are visible, they are mere specks in the sky,
apparently ignoring one's presence. The only
occasion on which I have ever seen them near the
eyrie was while I was photographing a fully-fledged
Eaglet, and then they passed and repassed the
nest at a distance of about 100 feet, but never
GOLDEN EAGLETS-EIGHT DAYS OLD.
showed the least inclination to attack, nor did
they utter a single cry.
The young are very liberally supplied with
food by their parents. On one occasion I was
photographing a young Eaglet only about a
week old, and in the eyrie were two Grouse,
quite fresh, and partly plucked by the old birds ;
the remains of a small bird, and the skin of a
field-mouse. This latter had evidently proved
too much for the young Eagle, as it was hang-
ing out of its beak, and the Eaglet was looking
io BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
very uncomfortable. I revisited the eyrie about two
months after, and found that the baby Eaglet had
developed into a splendid bird, almost fully giown.
The day was exceedingly hot, and the Eagle was
lying gasping in the eyrie. Directly he caught
sight of me he opened his beak wide and spread
his wings, so that I was afraid he would take flight.
GOLDEN EAGLE— SIX WEEKS OLD.
3M THE ORIGINAL EYRIE, AND IS HERE IN ONE MADE B1
THE FOOT OF
However, he soon became quiet again, and I was able
to secure several photographs. To see what would
happen, I held a stick out towards him, when he im-
mediately made a grab at it and clutched it fast.
All the time he was sighing and trembling just
like a human being. In the eyrie were four Grouse,
part of a hare, and, strange to say, a monk stoat.
This is very unusual, and the keeper said he had
never before heard of a stoat being found in an
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN n
eyrie. Very often only one Eagle is reared, and
stalkers say that the other bird is thrown out
of the eyrie, either by the old birds or by the
stronger Eaglet. When the young birds leave
GOLDEN EAGLE-SEVEN WEEKS OLD.
the eyrie they remain near their home for
several weeks, and are quite tame. They perch
on some tree, and there await their parents, who
are continually searching for food for them. The
young are very easily distinguished from the adult
birds by the fact of their having a great deal of
GOLDEN EAGLE-NINE WEEKS
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 13
white amongst their plumage, while the old birds
are of a uniform dark colour. The young birds
retain the white for some months after they are
hatched, and only last September I saw one which
was quite easily identified as a young bird,
although it must have left the eyrie more than
two months previously.
YOUNG EAGLE CROUCHING IN EYRIE.
The Golden Eagle preys chiefly on Grouse, Ptar-
migan, and mountain hares. A short while ago a
friend and I were crossing from Kingussie to Braemar.
On the low-lying moors any number of Grouse were
met with ; but as soon as we reached the home
of the eagles far up the glen, scarcely a Grouse was
seen, while we noticed at least three Eagles soaring
round and round in search of prey. The Golden
Eagle will rarely attack the Hoodie Crow, but will
NESTING SITE OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE WITH EYRIE IN
THE DISTANCE.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 15
sometimes do so when hard pressed for food. The
Hoodie, on the other hand, will not hesitate to
attack any Eagle venturing near its nest and young,
and sometimes the strange spectacle is seen of an
GOLDEN EAGLE AFTER HIS FIRST FLIGHT.
infuriated Hoodie in full cry after a Golden Eagle,
which usually seems only too glad to escape the
fierce onslaught of its small opponent. The Grouse
live in mortal terror of the Eagle, and directly
they see one of these birds in the distance,
they make a mad dash for life, sometimes flying
for many miles, and crossing mountain ranges and
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 17
valleys. Once I saw a flock of birds flying very
rapidly and at a great height. I thought they
were some migratory birds on the wing, but it
turned out they were Grouse attempting to
escape from a Golden Eagle.
One of the most remarkable characteristics of
this noble bird of prey is its ability to soar
for long periods without any apparent motion
of the wings, and I have seen them flying against
a very strong wind with their wings almost motion-
less all the time. On a calm day the Eagle is un-
able to soar with the same grace as during windy
weather, as there is not enough wind to support
it easily. The Golden Eagle usually flies at a
great altitude, and only recently I watched a
hen bird at such a height that she was actually
above the clouds, so that when a cloud came
over she was hidden from sight, reappearing after
it had passed.
In winter time the Eagles are sometimes hard
pressed for food, and wander for long distances.
They then run the risk of being caught in
traps set for vermin on some Grouse moor, but
the keepers usually set the bird at liberty if
it is not too much injured by the trap. It is
a strange fact that when the Golden Eagle is
pursued by any small bird — the Missel-Thrush, for
instance — it never turns upon its pursuer, although
it could kill the smaller bird with the greatest of
ease. In nature it seems to be the invariable rule
that the pursued flies from the pursuer, no matter
what their relative sizes may be.
It is pleasant to be able to record a slight
increase of the Golden Eagle in some favoured
localities, and I hope that with the continued
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 19
protection of our large landowners it will be
able to hold its own lor many a day, and will
continue to add a charm to the lone glens and
moorlands of the Highlands.
THE RED GROUSE
ALTHOUGH perhaps not quite such a fascinating
bird as his near relative the beautiful Ptarmigan,
the Red Grouse — Lagopus Scoticus — has neverthe-
less a great charm on his native hillside, as he rises
near the intruder with a noisy " Kirr-kobak-kobak."
The Grouse is, I believe, to be found nowhere out-
side the British Isles, and is far less plentiful on
the west coast than in the east and centre of Scot-
land, the reason being that along the west sea-
board very little heather is met with owing to the
excessive rainfall, and thus the Grouse does not
find congenial haunts.
Elevation seems to bf of little consideration to
these hardy birds, and they are met with nesting
on moors at sea level, and up to the elevation of
a little over 3,000 feet, which is the highest level
at which I have ever found a nest. At this
height they have as their companions the Ptar-
migan, while occasionally a cross between the
two birds is met with. Their nesting season is
comparatively early, considering the storms to which
they are subject on the mountains, and often a later
snowstorm than usual plays havoc with their nests.
Especially was this the case during the spring of
1906, when, about the third week of May, a very
severe blizzard visited nearly the whole of Scot-
land. In places drifts of great depth were rapidly
20 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
formed, and in one district after the storm a keeper
found no less than nine hen Grouse dead on their
nests during a single morning's walk on the moors.
In another case a keeper told me that a certain
Grouse had just finished Wing, but had not com-
menced to brood, when the storm came on and
covered nest and eggs with many inches of snow.
The hen bird, however, remained near for over
a week, until the eggs once more appeared from
beneath the snow, when she took up the duties
of incubation and hatched out her brood as if
nothing had happened. However, many of the
birds were not so fortunate, and in several instances
I saw a pair of old birds with only one or two young
ones, and in some cases none at all. Yet the
extraordinary thing was that the shooting season
was the most successful for years, and on a moor
which suffered more than any, bags of 140 brace
and upwards were got for days on end. The
only explanation seems to be that in the majority
of cases the birds had only just commenced to
brood, and so were able to lay a second clutch
within a short time ; for as late as the end of August
I came upon young birds still weak on the wing.
A shepherd informed me that at the beginning of
that month he had flushed a hen from her nest so
weak that she was unable to fly. She had probably
sat for two months at least on her eggs, and these
most likely had been rendered infertile by the May
snowstorm. I think, however, that, as regards
late nesting, the Ptarmigan is easily first, for as
late as September 23rd I have seen and photo-
graphed a Ptarmigan chick not yet fully grown,
and on that date came upon a Ptarmigan's egg,
which I should say was not more than a fortnight
GROUSES NEST AND EGGS.
22 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
old at the outside. Grouse have been known to
nest as early as February, but personally I have
never seen eggs before the end of April, and the
usual nesting time is the first three weeks of May.
GROUSE'S NEST IN A TUFT OF RUSHES.
The nest is, usually, made amongst fairly long
heather or ling, and is well hidden. The eggs
number from six to twelve ; sometimes even more.
They are beautifully speckled and blotched with
dark brown, and harmonise very well with the
surrounding heather. The hen is a fairly close
sitter, especially when incubation is far advanced ;
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 23
but even then is not nearly so easy to photograph
as the Ptarmigan, which one can often stroke
without causing her to leave the nest.
Last spring I discovered a hen Grouse brood-
ing on the exceptionally large clutch of eleven
eggs, and as she was sitting hard and I had
no camera with me, I returned next afternoon,
GROUSE ON HER NEST.
and after a long climb reached the nest, which
was situated high up the slopes of a mountain
well on to 3,000 feet in height. Unfortunately, the
position of the sitting bird was such that her head
was under the shadow of a neighbouring tuft of
grass ; so, although a good negative resulted, it
was almost impossible to make out the bird in the
print. But in natural history photography one
soon becomes resigned to all sorts of disappoint-
ments, and so I put the bird off her eggs and
24 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
retired behind a neighbouring hillock, hoping that
on her return the hen would sit more obligingly.
As I was lying in my place of concealment, the
sun set in full splendour beyond the mighty hills
to the north-west, on which the winter snow still
lay in deep wreaths, untouched by the summer
sun. Suddenly, in the distance, that most beau-
tiful of all the sounds of the bird world — the clear,
mournful whistle of the soaring Curlew — was borne
up from the moors to me, while every now and again
the wailing pipe of the Golden Plover, which were
nesting freely in the neighbourhood, and the call
of a cock Grouse, as he settled down for the night,
disturbed the silence of the evening. At length,
after a wait of close on an hour, I ventured back
to the nest ; but, alas ! the mother Grouse had not
yet returned, and so I had to give up the attempt
for that day, having had my ten miles' journey
for nothing. On my way down the hill, a cock
Grouse rose at my feet in a great state of excite-
ment ; and, looking about, I saw crouching low on
the ground a hen bird with her children beneath
her wings. To photograph her required a good
deal of careful stalking, but in the evening, when
the frost begins to be felt, the old birds are more
confiding than during the day, as the young birds
would, if left uncovered, die of cold in a very short
time.
Although on this occasion my photographs
of the brooding Grouse on the nest were not satis-
factory, I determined to make another attempt.
So a day or two later I set out in the early
morning, so as to get the sun in a good position.
This particular hillside is a very favourite one with
the Red Grouse, and on my way up the hill I
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 25
came upon perhaps half a dozen nests, from several
of which the young birds had just been hatched.
My Grouse was sitting obligingly close as usual,
but unfortunately I walked almost upon her before
HEN GROUSE .COVERING CHICKS.
I noticed her, and to my dismay she fluttered off
at my feet in a great state of alarm, and it was
well that she did so, for my next footstep would
have been right on the top of her. However,
hoping for the best, I walked on about half a mile,
and then lay and waited for her return. A pair of
26 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
Curlew had young somewhere near, and for long
they hovered suspiciously round me, uttering their
whistle, " Whoo-ee, whoo-ee," while several pairs of
Golden Plover joined in expressing their resent-
NEWLY HATCHED YOUNG GROUSE.
ment at my intrusion in no half-hearted fashion.
Presently, however, all became quiet, and I had
the rare experience of listening to a Skylark pouring
out its rich song at a height of about 2,000 feet
above sea-level. I had just started to return to
the nest when a couple of Grouse rose at my feet,
and by their behaviour I surmised that they had
young, which turned out to be the case. I think
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 27
that perhaps young Grouse are more difficult to
discover than any other young birds ; but at length
I found three or four downy youngsters, only a few
hours old, hiding in the heath, while the nest con-
taining two infertile eggs was only a few yards off.
Marking the spot with my handkerchief, I returned
as fast as possible for my camera ; but by the time
I got back, a few minutes later, the tiny youngsters
had gone through long heather and ling a distance
of between ten and twenty yards, which is rather
an extraordinary record ior such small chicks in
so short a time. On returning to my Grouse's
nest I was delighted to find her sitting as close
as ever, and succeeded in getting some very good
pictures of her on the nest at a distance of about
six feet.
Sometimes a dwarf egg is found in a Grouse's
nest, and I have in my possession one which is
little bigger than a Blackbird's. The period of
incubation is between seventeen and twenty-
one days, depending somewhat, I think, on the
altitude of the nesting site, and the amount
of frost experienced. At times the hen Grouse
will nest on an islet in a bog, and in such a
position it must be a very difficult undertaking
to get her young through the marsh. Often the
hens are greatJy disturbed by ants, and I have
seen a nest, from which the mother bird had just
risen, swarming with these insects, so probably
she had been having a very uncomfortable time
of it.
By the end of June the majority of the young
Grouse are strong on the wing, for the young of
both the Grouse and the Ptarmigan are able to
fly long befoie they are full grown, and when only
28 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
little bigger than Sparrows. It is remarkable how
the behaviour of the parent birds changes once
the chicks are hatched. While they have only
eggs, the hen bird when flushed usually flies straight
away and the cock " whirrs " off as if he had no
nest in the vicinity. When the hen's patience has
NESTING HAUNT OF THE GROUSE
been rewarded, however, and she is the proud
mother of seven or eight healthy chicks, all this
changes. Both birds are constantly on the look-
out for enemies, and the hen Grouse will rise at
your feet and flop along ahead of you as if badly
wounded. Sometimes, even, she will not take wing
at all, but will walk gently off, every now and
again looking back at you reproachfully. The cock
bird behaves in much the same way, only he does
not appear so anxious about his chicks as the hen
bird. When' a pair of Golden Eagles are to be found
30 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
near a Grouse moor, they take enormous toll of
the " bonny brown birds." Often the Eagle will
chase a covey of Grouse without any apparent
reason other than that of enjoying himself, and
it is astonishing to see how easily he catches them
up without a movement of his wings, although
his victims are flying for their very lives. Usually
in an Eagle's eyrie containing a couple of Eaglets
will be found a Grouse or two perfectly fresh and
half plucked, for the Eagles always make a point
of thoroughly plucking all their prey before offering
it to their young. I once saw a cock Grouse
which had fallen out of an eyrie, with his crop
packed full of tender heather shoots, showing that
he had made a hearty meal just before being cap-
tured by the king of birds.
As the summer wears on, the Grouse form into
packs ; and as early as August i8th I have seen
fully fifty together, flying high and steady, as
though changing their feeding grounds.
During the winter months they often have
difficulty in obtaining sufficient food when all
the country side is covered with a deep coating
of snow. Then they descend to the fields, and
wander about amongst the stubbles, picking up any
grains of corn they can find. If the harvest is a
backward one, and the crops are not all secured
before the snow comes, the farmers in the upland
districts often suffer great damage to their crops,
as the Grouse descend in large numbers, and wrould
devour nearly every grain of corn if the farm
hands were not constantly sent to the fields to
scare them off.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 31
THE CAPERCAILZIE
AT one time this handsome member of the Grouse
family was met with abundantly all over Scot-
land. Owing, however, to the destruction of the large
pine forests and the growth of civilisation, it had
become completely extinct by the beginning of last
century. In 1837, or thereabouts, it was re-intro-
duced, and has increased so rapidly that now
it is met with nesting throughout Scotland, but
has not as yet, I think, found footing in the sister
country.
Like its near relative the Black Grouse, the
cock bird is vastly different to the hen, being of
much greater size, and also of quite a different
colour. While the hen bird is clad in very subdued
fashion in much the same colours as the hen
Pheasant, the cock is resplendent in a bluish-black
plumage, and his red comb is very pronounced.
He takes unto him several wives during the
nesting season, and, like the Blackcock, leaves
them to hatch off their broods without showing
much further interest in them.
The Capercailzie's usual nesting month is May,
but in the higher forests the eggs are sometimes
not laid till June. The favourite nesting site is at
the foot of an old pine tree, and the hollow
destined to receive the eggs is scraped between two
of the roots of the tree. Very often a pine
growing at a slant is chosen, probably because the
overhanging trunk protects the sitting hen from
the rain. The eggs are usually laid on the pine
needles which cover the ground in the forests,
and no attempt at a nest is made. When the hen
NEST AND EGGS OF THE CAPERCAILZIE
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 33
is laying, she covers the eggs carefully with pine
needles on leaving the nest, but I have never known
her do this after incubation has commenced.
The eggs number from eight to ten, but the usual
CAPERCAILZIE'S NEST.
BIRD HAS COVERED THE EGGS DURI
clutch is from six to eight. They are very pretty,
being thickly spotted with reddish-brown, the ground
colour being of a lighter tinge, and are some-
what similar to those of the grey hen, only larger.
The period of incubation is nearly a month, and
the chicks on issuing from the shell are quite able
34 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
to take care of themselves. The hen is a fairly
close sitter, but rarely allows the ornithologist to
approach near enough to " snap " her. I only once
secured a photograph of a hen bird on her nest,
and this was at a distance of over twelve feet. One
nest that I found was situated in a very favour-
able position for photographing the sitting bird, so I
visited this nest several times until I got within
about six feet of my sitter, and was just about to
release the shutter when the bird, who had stood
the ordeal bravely up to now, suddenly rose from
the nest with a great flapping of wings, and my
chance was lost. For several days afterwards I
attempted to regain her confidence, but all in vain.
Evidently her nerves were completely unstrung,
and she never afterwards allowed any near
approach.
It is often the case that when these heavy
birds rise hurriedly from the nest they carry
some of the eggs with them for several feet ; and, as
they never seem to have sufficient sense to replace
these in the nest, no matter how close they may be,
the eggs are rendered useless. Especially is this
the case with the Ring Dove ; five times out of
ten, when this bird rises from her nest one of her
eggs is carried out of the nest with her, and
usually caught on the branches of the tree.
The Capercailzies roost on the branches of
the firs, and often at night, when one is passing
through the forest, their heavy flapping is heard
as they leave their roosting sites. .When a nest
is discovered from which the young ones have
been hatched, it is noticeable that the egg-shells
are almost invariably broken in the centre, and one
half placed within the other. This I think can-
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 35
not happen by chance, but is probably the work
of the parent bird. I once flushed a Capercailzie
from her nest, in which the chicks were just hatching,
and although some of the young birds had left the
HOME OF THE CAPERCAILZIE.
shell only a few minutes previously, they would
not keep still for a moment. This was most annoy-
ing, as, owing to the lateness of the hour —
it was past nine o'clock at night — I had to give
an exposure of several seconds, during which the
birds had, of course, hopelessly moved. Further
36 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
south it would probably have been impossible to
have exposed a plate at all at this late hour ; but
in Aberdeenshire, at the longest day, the sun is
still above the horizon at nine o'clock p.m., and
it is possible to read a newspaper outside at
midnight.
Although such a large bird, the Capercailzie
seems singularly unable to protect her eggs, and
these suffer greatly from the attacks of the Hoodie
Crow and four-footed marauders, such as the stoat
and weazel. Often I have seen a deserted nest
with the sucked eggs lying all around — a very
pathetic sight. At other times I have discovered
a Capercailzie's nest with a full clutch of eggs, and
on revisiting it have each time found one or
two missing, until at last the poor mother bird
had none left to care for. The haunt of these
birds may often be discovered by the droppings
beneath their favourite trees, and, as a general
rule, they prefer ancient pine forests to those of
more recent date.
Black Game and Capercailzie frequently in-
terbreed, and some very fine "crosses" have been
obtained in Aberdeenshire recently ; sometimes,
too, a single nest will be found containing eggs
of both these birds, but this is a much rarer oc-
currence than in the case of the Partridge and
Pheasant. The young Capercailzies are a consider-
able time before reaching maturity, and the male
birds are not full grown till very late in the season.
They keep with the parent bird until August
and are very carefully looked after. Often,
however, a chick falls a victim to a hungry
Sparrow Hawk, or a plundering stoat thins the
brood. The young birds, while fairly good eating,
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 37
are not much sought after for the table. A hen
bird with her brood is very courageous, and
often will fearlessly attack the intruder, rushing at
him with beak agape and tail widespread, in the hope
of scaring him from her chicks. (From " The Illus-
trated Sporting and Dramatic News.")
THE PTARMIGAN
No bird, perhaps, so appeals to the ornithologist as
the beautiful, confiding Ptarmigan. Far beyond
all traces of civilisation, on the lone mountain tops
and plateaux, the Ptarmigan has his home, and his
weird, croaking call as he rises at your feet is a
charming sound to the bird lover.
In summer, when at last the huge snowfields
have disappeared from the mountain slopes, the
Ptarmigan have for their companions the mournful
Golden Plover, the Common Gull, the Wheatear,
Meadow Pipit, and Twite. The Snow Bunting,
too, remains to breed on a few of the highest
Scottish mountains, and his clear musical notes are
heard at their best on the precipitous rock-strewn
hillside, where his mate is sitting. But when
winter storms descend and the powdery snow
blows into drifts, perhaps 100 feet deep, then all
other bird life seeks more sheltered quarters, and
the Ptarmigan have the hillside once more to
themselves. Even when the ground above 3,000
feet is snow-covered and the lower hills quite bare,
they disdain to seek more sheltered grounds, and
seem to revel in the snow. Only when a
severe snowstorm comes on, unaccompanied by
wind, are the Ptarmigan put to sore straits, as the
38 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
wind blows the ridges bare of snow, thus allowing
the birds clear feeding ground.
The Ptarmigan are, I believe, the only birds
that have four moults in the year — in spring,
PTARMIGAN'S NEST AND EGGS.
summer, autumn, and winter. From November
till well on in April their plumage is of a spotless
white, while during the summer they seem of
a lichen-grey until taking wing, when their white
wings give them a charming appearance. I noticed
last April, while ascending Ben Muich Dhui (the
PTARMIGAN ON NEST, WITH SNOWFIELD AT TOP LEFT-HAND
CORNER OF THE PICTURE.
40 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN.
hill of the black sow), 4,297 feet above sea-level,
that the Ptarmigan which were met with at about
the 3, ooo -foot line were changing plumage, while
those nearer the summit were still, for the most
part, spotlessly white, and it was also remarked
that a cock and hen were rarely at the same period
of their moult.
It has been stated that, while abundant on
their slopes, Ptarmigan are rarely met with on the
YOUNG PTARMIGAN CROUCHING.
summits of the highest Scottish mountains — that
is, those above 4,000 feet ; but I have by no
means found this to be the case, as only recently,
while ascending Brae Riach (4,200 feet), I did not
see or hear a single Ptarmigan until I had reached
the summit plateau.
Last year the Ptarmigan were most • un-
lucky in their nesting affairs. On May i6th an
unprecedented storm for that season of the year
swept over the Highlands, and quite 2 feet of snow
fell on the Ptarmigans' nesting grounds, while
drifts 20 to 30 feet deep were common. In one
42 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
way the Ptarmigan of the lower hills were more
unfortunate than their brethren of the higher ranges,
as the former had begun to lay, and even perhaps
to sit, while those on the higher mountains had
not yet reached this stage. On visiting a mountain
under 3,000 feet high at the beginning of June,
THE PTARMIGAN'S HOME-BRAE RIACH AND THE SOURCE
OF THE DEE.
most of the Ptarmigan were going in pairs, and
once I saw three together, showing what havoc the
storm had played among their nests. In fact, twice
I found an egg laid on the hillside, showing that
the hen bird had been unable to find her nest in
the snow, and so had been obliged to drop her
egg anywhere. The Golden Plover had suffered as
badly, and I saw a flock of as many as twenty.
It is a fact worth recording that in such cases the
44 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
Plover still call as though they had nests, and
then all take wing together ; so, evidently, the
parental instinct remains strong within them.
The average time for the Ptarmigan to begin
to lay is about May 2Oth, and they commence to
brood perhaps seven days later. Last year, on
the higher ground where they had got off compara-
tively lightly, they did not commence to sit until
June 4th, on which day I found three nests. Even
then, when the eggs were perfectly fresh, the birds
were sitting hard, so on returning a week later
I was enabled to secure an excellent photograph
of one of them on the nest.
Along with my friend — a famous bird photo-
grapher— I set out for the hill at midnight, so
as to escape the heat of the sun during the long
climb that lay before us. Even at that hour the
heat was oppressive, and the birches were giving
off their delicious perfume. As we commenced the
climb, a Redstart suddenly uttered his song at
1.45 a.m., while the dawn was still grey. The
moon was rising behind the mountain to the south
of us and shining through the pines with beautiful
effect. By two o'clock it was broad daylight, and
the snow-clad Cairngorm Mountains stood out
to our west. About 3.30 the sun appeared above
the horizon, turning the snow to a reddish tinge
and lighting up the hills with a weird, unearthly
effect. The Grouse were now waking, and their
calls resounded on all sides. Crossing the first
snowfield we found it was quite hard, although
the atmosphere felt very far from frost. No one
who has never been on the mountains at this early
hour can have any idea of the deathly stillness
that prevails — everything looks unreal, and one
46 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
has a feeling of loneliness and a desire for com-
panionship.
At last we reached the sitting Ptarmigan, but
she was only found after a careful search, as she
harmonised in an astonishing manner with her
surroundings. The dew had fallen on her back,
and each time she breathed it glistened in the rising
sun. She was sitting in close proximity to a snow-
field, which is shown on the top left-hand side of
the photograph. We reached civilisation once more,
thirteen hours later, and from eight o'clock the
night before till five the next day, one or two sand-
wiches were all we had by way of refreshments.
Latterly I think the Ptarmigan have suffered
more than usual at the hands of the Common Gull.
This bird nests on the high mountain tarns, and
seems greatly to like an egg diet. I have seen
these Gulls hawking up and down the plateaux,
and few nests can escape their keen eyesight.
Last year I knew of at least four sucked nests,
and probably half the birds in the neighbour-
hood had their eggs destroyed. Amongst them I
am sorry to say was the hen whose photograph
forms one of the illustrations. One pair had
evidently profited by past experience, and had
made their nest under a large stone, which is a
most unusual situation.
The eggs of the Ptarmigan number from seven
to nine. They are very similar to those of the
Grouse— in fact, very often it is impossible to dis-
tinguish them ; but sometimes they are redder in
colour, with their spots and blotches closer together.
The nest, unlike that of its near relative, is usually
in the most exposed situation, sometimes on a hill-
top, where the sitting bird catches every breath
48 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
of wind — in fact, I have seen an egg containing
a fully developed chick blown clean out of the nest.
Although this is merely a hollow scraped amongst
the blaeberries or grass — the Ptarmigan nesting above
the heather line — the nest is easily recognised after
many years. The blaeberry, it may be remarked,
is found flourishing at a height of 4,000 feet.
The period of incubation is several days longer
than in the case of the Grouse, probably owing to
the greater cold of these heights, and a day or
so before the young are hatched the hen bird is
so confiding that one may sometimes take an egg
from underneath her without causing her to leave
the nest. When the hen is put off the eggs, the
cock bird immediately joins her from the point of
vantage where he has been keeping guard, and
together they half run, half fly a short distance.
It is interesting to watch the cock working his head
up and down at his mate as if reproaching her for
her want of courage.
The best way to find a nest is to watch the
cock bird's behaviour when flushed ; he usually flies
round in a large circle, and lighting on some rock,
watches you anxiously. Then it is fairly certain
that he has a sitting mate within a radius of 300
yards, and an hour or two's searching is generally
crowned with success. In this way the cock Ptar-
migan is a far more loving husband than the Grouse,
and he and the hen show great signs of distress
when the nest has been discovered. The cock bird
on rising utters his cry, " Croak ; croak, croak,
croak," the last note being more prolonged ; and
on alighting runs along with tail spread out after
the manner of a strutting pigeon, while the hen
runs quietly along beside him.
50 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
The favourite nesting site is on the south slopes
of a hill well over 3,000 feet high, which is well
sheltered, and has a good growth of the blaeberries
and grass which form the bird's chief food — in
fact, I have never found a nest on the north side
of a hill, although a few birds probably breed in
this situation at times. Even after the young are
hatched, the troubles of the parent bird have by
no means ended. Towards the end of July I came
upon a newly-hatched chick — the mother's first
clutch must in some way have been destroyed —
whose head had been bitten right off by some stoat
or Hood'e Crow. The body was quite warm, and
blood was still dropping from the wound. Scattered
round were the pieces of down and tiny feathers,
so that probably more than one bird had fallen a
victim to the poacher. The mother bird was run-
ning round anxiously, and I felt sorry indeed for
her.
The young birds are able to fly very shortly
after they are hatched and while still quite small.
The old bird watches over them with great care,
and resorts to all kinds of tricks to lead the in-
truder away from her children. Once I was photo-
graphing a small young one, when suddenly it
and its brothers and sisters rose cheeping and flut-
tered down the hillside. Immediately the old bird
flew right up to my feet and looked up at me
appealingly ; but unfortunately my supply of plates
had run out, so I lost a splendid opportunity of
obtaining a unique photograph. I have seen a
Ptarmigan's young in great danger from a herd
of frightened deer, and the old bird half running,
half flying along in front of the herd.
By August the chicks are full grown, when
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 51
young and old form into coveys ; but I have seen
pairs in every month of the year. The photograph
of the hen Ptarmigan outlined against the snow-
field was obtained in June. The pair had evidently
had their eggs sucked, and while the cock flew
right off, the hen lighted on a stone about twenty
ROOSTING HOLLOWS OF PTARMIGAN IN THE SNOW.
yards away. Little dreaming of success, I fever-
ishly put up my camera and began to stalk her
foot by foot. Strange to say, she did not seem at
all disturbed, and I was enabled to get two or three
shots at her. It will be seen that her bill is open,
as she was greatly distressed with the heat. As late
as the end of June, after a month of fine summer
weather, winter again descended on the mountains,
which were covered with several inches of fresh
snow, and I fear this must have killed some of the
young birds on the highest nesting grounds. In
52 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
winter the birds sleep in coveys on the leeward
side of a hill, scraping hollows in the snow.
I think that a fine June day amongst the Ptar-
migan must ever live in the memory of a true lover
of nature, as, quite apart from the ornithological
point of view, the grand scenery and the delicious
scent of countless blaeberry plants, clad in the
softest green, broken here and there by a lingering
wreath of the winter's snow, all tend to form an
exquisite picture which, once seen, will ever live
in the memory. (From " The Illustrated Sporting
and Dramatic News.")
THE WOODCOCK
ALTHOUGH for the most part only a winter visitor
to England, the Woodcock remains throughout
the season in the sister country to the north, but
their numbers are in all probability considerably
augmented during the winter by birds from
Scandinavia and the Far North, which have come
south to escape the severe cold.
One of the earliest of our nesters, the Wood-
cock lays her eggs even as soon as the latter half of
March, and by April almost all the birds are brood-
ing. A favourite nesting ground is amongst the
withered and fallen bracken in a wood where the
trees are not too close together, and plantations of
birch and oak seem much sought after, especially
if they are near a river or loch where the birds
can obtain food without much trouble.
No nest worth the name is constructed, but a
slight hollow is scraped amongst the bracken or
fallen leaves, and here the eggs are deposited. These
WOODCOCK'S NEST WITH ELONGATED EGG.
54 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
number from three to four, but unlike most other
birds of this family, which invariably lay four, the
Woodcocks' nests I have seen have as often as
not contained three eggs only, which harmonise to
such an astonishing extent with the surrounding
objects that it takes a very sharp eye to discover
them. In shape they are not so pyriform as those
of the Curlew or Lapwing, and have an olive
ground colour with numerous spots of a darker
brown ; sometimes the ground colour is more of
a greenish tinge.
The mother bird is usually an exceedingly close
sitter, and as she crouches low on the ground the
only thing that betrays that she is not a stick or
piece of bark is her large bright eye, which, it is
said, she will half close in her attempt to avoid
detection. A year or two ago I discovered a Wood-
cock sitting very hard near the borders of a fir
wood ; and, as it was late in the afternoon, I
carefully marked the spot and returned with my
camera in the morning. When the bird saw me
she sat absolutely motionless, and I carefully
stalked her with my camera foot by foot. Each
moment I expected her to fly off ; but, no — even
when I w,as not more than four feet from her she
still kept her ground, and, having exhausted my
stock of plates, I left without flushing her from
her eggs. A day or two later, on revisiting the spot,
I found these hatched off and the young gone,
so that the mother's bravery had been rewarded.
As a result of such early nesting, the Wood-
cock have often to sit through snowstorms, and
very pathetic they look as they brood with snow
lying all around them, and a biting northerly gale
blowing through the trees. If the storm should
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 55
last they will probably be obliged to leave the
nests, and then the eggs will very likely be sucked
by a hungry stoat or Hoodie. These rascals will
sometimes carry off the eggs while the rightful
WOODCOCK'S NEST AFTER A SNOWFALL.
owner is away looking for food. If the marauder
has not time to purloin all the eggs before the
mother bird returns, he will probably come back
every day until he has stolen the whole clutch.
A very interesting point about the Woodcock
is that during the nesting season, from March till
56 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
mid-July, their flight is quite different from what it
is during the autumn and winter months. During
this latter period one rarely sees them on the wing
unless flushed, and then their flight is a zigzag one,
much the same as the Snipe's. In the spring and
early summer, however, they appear as dusk is
coming on, and for several hours fly backwards
and forwards over large stretches of country,
though they seem to prefer to fly a little distance
above the forests where they nest. Their wings are
moved very rapidly, and their flight is absolutely
different from that during the winter. Every
hundred yards or so they utter a sharp "Chisik,"
which is heard a long way off, and gives warning
of the bird's approach.
I think this particular note is the male bird's
love-song, and it is extremely interesting to observe
his special note and flight at this season of the
year. Sometimes I have seen one bird chasing
another, and then their cry is louder and shriller
than is usually the case. If a Woodcock is flushed
from the ground during the spring months, its flight
is exactly the same as in winter, and it seems to
be only during the evening hours that this special
flight is made use of.
During May and June one can count on seeing
the birds any evening, but before darkness has set
in they have disappeared, having probably gone
off to their feeding ground, where they spend most
of the night.
By the month of May most of the young Wood-
cock have been hatched, and, like all the birds
of their family, are able to run almost immediately
after breaking the shell. When they are small
and little able to look after themselves, the parent
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 57
birds will sometimes carry them from danger. If
one suddenly comes upon a Woodcock and her
brood, she will probably snatch up the chick near-
est to her and bear it off to a place of safety, and
WOODCOCK ON NEST.
I have known them carry a chick across a
wide river. The drawback to this latter plan of
campaign by the mother Woodcock is that although
she has one chick safe, her other children have
not benefited much ; and when danger is past she
has either to carry her child back to its brothers
58 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
and sisters or else leave her chick on the other
side to shift for itself.
I think one of the most charming sounds of
an early summer evening, when the air is heavy
with the aroma of the birches just bursting into
leaf and the murmur of the swift-flowing river in
the distance strikes pleasantly on the ears, is to
hear the note of the silent-flying Woodcock as he
flits like a giant bat in the gathering dusk. His
cry is first heard faintly in the far distance, and
gradually comes nearer and nearer, and one strains
to catch a glimpse of the bird as he flies quickly here
and there over the tree-tops.
Although such an early nester, the eggs of the
Woodcock are not unfrequently found as late as
the beginning of August, and I think these are
undoubtedly the result of a second hatching, though
most likely only a few birds rear a second brood.
During the winter months the Woodcock goes
into retirement, and is only occasionally seen unless
the thick woods are visited, when he will rise at
one's feet and flit off like an arrow through the trees.
Sometimes, when the birds have arrived
on our coasts after a long sea journey against
contrary winds, they are in such a state of
extreme exhaustion that one can take them with
the hand, so utterly worn out are they by their
battle against the storm. Numbers, too, are killed
by flying against the glass of lighthouses, dazzled
by the brilliant light.
The Woodcock's food consists chiefly of worms,
for which the bird probes with its long bill amongst
the bogs, and the proximity of which it is to a cer-
tain extent able to tell by thrusting its sensitive
bill deep into the ground and waiting until it
60 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
receives "impressions" of the nearness of food. It
has been stated that neither a Curlew, Woodcock,
or Snipe has ever been found starved to death.
A few winters ago, however, I noticed during severe
weather a Woodcock flying about a plantation,
although there was no marshy land near, and a
day or two later found it lying dead amongst some
leaves, and so thin that starvation was evidently
the cause of death.
There is no doubt that within recent years these
birds have greatly increased with us as a nesting
species, and probably before long will be commonly
met with during the summer months throughout
Great Britain.
THE GOOSANDER
UNTIL 1879 this handsome duck was not known to
nest in the British Isles, but is now met with fairly
abundantly on many Scottish rivers, where it
remains throughout the year, although I think its
numbers increase during the nesting season. The
birds mate in early spring, but the eggs are not
laid before the beginning of June, or even later.
They number from nine to twelve, and are similar
to those of the Mallard, only considerably larger,
and perhaps of a darker tinge.
While nearly every keeper I have come across has
told me he knows the bird well, yet not one has ever
seen the nest, although they have often met with
the young ones. The reason for this is that the
nest is placed in the most unlooked-for situations,
usually well down an old rabbit burrow. I had for
years looked unsuccessfully for a nest, until one
NEST AND EGGS OF THE GOOSANDER.
62 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
day I came upon a rabbit burrow, at the mouth of
which lay a Goosander's egg, newly laid, and sur-
rounded by several broken shells of a considerable
age. Looking inside I was delighted to see a
Goosander sitting closely — so closely, indeed, that
although I felt the eggs under her, she would not
leave the nest, but pecked vigorously at my hand.
GOOSANDER'S NEST WITH EGGS COVERED WITH DOWN DURING
PARENT BIRD'S ABSENCE.
There were altogether nine eggs, but the mother
bird was only sitting upon seven, as one was lying
at the entrance to the burrow and another was
outside the nest further down the hole.
When the eggs are first laid, the nest is only
a slight depression scraped in the burrow ; . but as
incubation advances the parent bird adds quantities
of down, with which she covers the eggs when she
is off feeding, which may be for hours at a time.
Although not exactly nesting in colonies, the Goos-
ander has favourite nesting sites, and several pairs
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 63
may be met with breeding in close proximity to
each other. I have noticed that the hen Goosander
is not particular where she deposits her eggs, and
I have seen a fresh and a last-year's egg in the nest
at the same time. It also seems to be the case
GOOSANDER ON NEST.
that the bird often uses the same burrow
more than one year in succession. When dis-
turbed the hen birds fly rapidly up and down the
river, quacking softly all the while, and are some-
times joined by their mates.
This summer I was shown a nest of the species
under some thick fallen branches on an island.
The hen sat closely, and by dint of careful stalking
I was able to get within about ten feet of her, and
obtained a photograph of the bird on her nest. For
NESTING SITE OF THE GOOSANDER.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 65
nearly a week I visited the nest daily, but the bird,
if anything, became shyer every time, so the first
photograph turned out the best. There were eleven
eggs in the nest and a goodly supply of down, but,
sad to say, the young ones were never hatched.
One day a friend of mine observed someone
A FISHING HAUNT OF THE GOOSANDER.
crossing to the island, and soon after heard the
report of a gun. On wading over shortly afterwards
I found the nest all torn and every egg taken,
and have no doubt but that the parent bird was
shot on leaving the nest.
The young are hatched off about the end of
June, and very pretty it is to see a brood and their
mother feeding by the river banks. The young
are very energetic, and even when only a day or
66 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
so old can half swim, half fly along the surface of
the water with astonishing rapidity. Young birds
have been seen as late as October, but these were
probably a second clutch.
I have often been puzzled by the behaviour of
the hen birds during the nesting season. When the
nesting haunt is approached several Goosanders —
of both sexes, but chiefly females — seem to appear
from nowhere and fly backwards and forwards,
quacking excitedly all the while. This fact seems
rather strange, because in the nests I have exam-
ined the hen always sits very hard, whereas the
birds one sees flying backwards and forwards must
have left their nest (if they had one) while the
intruder was yet a long way off. The young grow
quickly and are well on the wing by August, when
a keeper told me he killed five at one shot !
Very often the Oyster Catcher and Goosander
nest in the same locality, and once I saw what was
very nearly a collision between a Goosander and
an Oyster Catcher ; the latter, in its anxiety for its
young, making straight for the Goosander which
only avoided a bad accident by a desperate
effort.
Most fishers would probably be pleased if
protection ceased to be afforded to this duck,
as it must cause a considerable amount of
damage among the small salmon fry in the rivers,
and has been known to "do for" a couple of trout,
both quite J Ib. in weight, in a very short space of
time. One evening I was lying by .the river side
when a Goosander came unsuspectingly close up
and began diving for trout, making a charming
picture. After a time another bird of the same
species flew rapidly up the river, and, catching sight
68 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
of me, uttered a warning "quack," upon which the
first duck made off as fast as possible. Possibly
the Goosander has always nested with us, as in
former times less notice was paid to birds than
at the present day ; but keepers seem to be of
the opinion that it has increased considerably
within recent years, and I hope it will hold its
own for many a day to come.
THE GOLDEN PLOVER
ONE of the most charming of the birds of the
mountain is undoubtedly the Golden Plover (Chara-
drius pluvialis), and on vast tracts of desolate
moorland its plaintive long-drawn cry is heard
at its best. No bird has, I think, such a note of
exquisite sadness as the " rain bird," as it is some-
times called, on account of its supposed ability to
forecast changes in the weather.
When the soft breezes of spring have melted
the winter's snow on the heath-clad hillsides, the
Golden Plover appear on the uplands in large
flocks. Two years ago the month of March was ex-
ceptionally fine and open, and I noted the first
flock of Golden Plover on March igth. They had
evidently just arrived from the coast, and were
busily engaged in searching for food on some sheep
pasture in a wild glen. Among them, strange to
say, was also a small flock of Starlings.
Should a large flock of Golden Plover be dis-
turbed, it is a wonderful sight to see how they wheel
and manoeuvre. They seem to be making straight
for a certain point, when suddenly the leader turns
almost at right angles, and the whole flock follows
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 69
him without the least hesitation. This often goes on
for some time, and the flock usually returns to the
same place from which it rose. It is, I think,
quite certain that the leader must communicate
with the flock before a sudden movement is executed,
although the note is so low as to be inaudible to
the observer, otherwise it would be almost impos-
sible for them to turn so abruptly without warning.
The fine weather of March proved very deceptive,
however, as on April 4th — by which date the Golden
Plover, Curlew, Redshank, and Black-headed Gull
had all arrived on the moors — a severe snowstorm
commenced, and lasted for fully a week. No
ordinary spring snowstorm was this, but a regular
mid-winter blizzard, covering the ground with an
average depth of 6 inches of snow, and piling up
wreaths behind the dykes fully 6 feet in depth.
I have good reason to remember this storm, as I
started out on the wildest day for a remote glen
some twenty miles distant. On the low grounds the
snow was of little depth, but gradually immense
wreaths were encountered, and the snow was
drifted along the ground in blinding clouds.
Soon an intense frost set in, which froze the
cycle tyres to the mud-guards, and thus rendered
progress almost impossible. However, after a five-
hours' ride — or, rather, walk — my destination was
reached.
What sufferings did the Golden Plover undergo
during this storm ! All the landscape was shrouded
in spotless white, and immense flocks of Curlew,
Lapwing, and Golden Plover could be seen vainly
searching for food. After a few days they were
so weak from want of nourishment that they were
scarcely able to utter their call notes. Just before
70 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
the snow came, a Dipper had completed her nest
on a rock beside a tiny waterfall. On visiting this
during the storm I found no traces of the nest,
which was completely covered by a snow-wreath
several feet deep.
For some days after arriving on the moors, the
Golden Plover remain in flocks, but most of them
have paired by the beginning of April. However, I
have more than once seen flocks during the latter
half of May, and this fact is difficult to account for.
On the low grounds, if the season be an early one,
the eggs are sometimes laid in April, but the principal
nesting month is undoubtedly May.
The Golden Plover has a very wide range during
the nesting season, some pairs nesting almost at sea-
level, while the majority seem to prefer some grassy
hillside for a nesting haunt. On one mountain of
3,000 feet, the Golden Plover, Ptarmigan, Curlew,
and Lapwing — not to mention the Wheatear and
Meadow Pipit — all nest in perfect unity within a
stone's-throw of each other. In many respects
the Golden Plover differs widely from its near
relative, the Lapwing. Unlike the latter bird it never
— as far as I know — attacks Crows or other
birds which are on the look-out for its eggs or
young ; while the Lapwing will attack anything
that ventures near its nesting site — from a Golden
Eagle down to a Starling.
Again, the Lapwing keeps almost continuously
on the wing when uttering its alarm note, but the
Golden Plover usually calls while on the ground
and will never swoop and rush through the air as
does the Green Plover. The nest is far more diffi-
cult to discover than that of the Lapwing, as the
birds harmonise with their surroundings, and slip
GOLDEN PLOVER'S NEST-NEARLY 3,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
72 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
off their eggs at the least sign of danger, but
rarely fly away.
The Golden Plover make use of three distinct
notes. The one most frequently heard is its long-
drawn " Tu-ee," sometimes varied by " Twee." These
seem to be used principally as alarm notes. Another
note used is one of exceptional sadness ; it is some-
times uttered on the wing, and is not, I think, an
alarm note. It sounds something like " Whew-
wheoo." When in flocks, and also during the nest-
ing season, the Golden Plover uses a sort of purring
note, something resembling that of the Dotterel,
and sounding like " Trueoo, trueoo, trueoo."
The male Golden Plover usually stands on some
prominent rock or knoll, commanding a wide out-
look, and when he catches sight of the intruder,
utters his melancholy whistle " Tuee, tree." Then
he runs along in front as fast as he can, and
after a little while takes wing. On hearing his
alarm note, the hen slips off the eggs and
joins her mate at some distance from the nest.
Sometimes, however, she disregards her mate's
cry, hoping to escape detection by her protective
colouring.
Towards the end of May I was near the summit
of a mountain 3,000 feet high. There was a thick
mist near the top, but I thought I would attempt
to reach the cairn. All at once I came upon a
Golden Plover covering her eggs. She was exception-
ally confiding, and sat quite still, while I was watch-
ing her not five feet off. The gold feathers on her
back made her a fairly prominent object against
the dark surroundings. What a chance it would
have been if only I had had my camera with me !
But unluckily all I had was a field glass, so I built
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 73
a cairn near by to mark the spot, and, this done,
returned to the nest. I found, however, that the
bird had slipped off while my back was turned.
This, I think, shows that she fancied she was un-
detected, and so sat closely, but left the nest directly
she had a chance of getting away without being
observed.
Next day, I returned to the spot with my camera,
but the hen left the eggs while I was yet a long dis-
tance off. However, I succeeded in getting some
good photographs of the nest, one of which illus-
trates this article.
It is a fact worthy of note that during a mist
all birds — specially the Ptarmigan — sit very much
closer than on a clear day, probably because they
are aware that owing to the mist, danger is upon
them before they are aware of its presence.
Before the hen Golden Plover has commenced
to sit, and when there are only one or two eggs
in the nest, the cock bird stands on guard about
50 yards off, the hen usually taking up her position
a few yards from the nest. When disturbed, she
flies right away, and does not run along the ground
as is the case when she is brooding.
The eggs invariably number four, one being laid
each day. They are slightly larger than those of
the Lapwing, and are of very great beauty, being of
a greenish-brown ground colour and spotted and
blotched with dark red. The nest is placed among
heather or bent, sometimes among boggy ground,
and the eggs are exceedingly difficult to detect,
although you may be not a foot from them. Should
the nest be discovered, the birds do not call loudly,
but watch intently to see if their home will be
spoiled. Sometimes if the nest is reached without
74 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
any warning to the sitting hen, she rises and
flutters along in front, so as to try to decoy you
from the vicinity of her eggs.
The Golden Plover seem to be much more shy
when they nest on hills which serve as sheep pas-
YOUNG GOLDEN PLOVER CROUCHING TOGETHER FOR
WARMTH.
tures, as where there are sheep, shepherds are con-
tinually walking to and fro on the hills and
must give the nesting birds great anxiety. When,
however, they nest on desolate hillsides they are
much more confiding; but the responsibility rests
almost entirely with the cock bird, and if he is
absent from the nest, the hen will sit until you are
almost upon her.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 75
The period of incubation is about three weeks,
but varies somewhat according to the dryness of
the weather. The young are almost all hatched
out by the first week in June ; the earliest date on
which I ever saw them was May loth, when they
were probably quite a week old, and this although
NESTING SITE OF THE GOLDEN PLOVER.
April had been a very stormy month, with frost
and snow almost daily.
When the young have left the nest the old birds
are very anxious about them and show signs of the
greatest distress when they are approached. The cock
and hen will both run round and round all the while
you are near, keeping at a safe distance, and every
now and again taking short flights to try to decoy
you from the vicinity. Occasionally they will circle
round the intruder's head two or three times,
76 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
calling loudly all the while ; but they will never, like
the Lapwing, keep on the wing for a long period.
Even after you have gone hundreds of yards from the
young birds, the parents will still call shrilly, and once
I was followed about half a mile by the old birds.
This was on a flat moor, and when I had reached
a depression at the end of it, one of the Golden
Plover came straight towards me and circled round
my head. Then, seeing that I was really leaving
the vicinity, they both returned at once to the other
end of the moor, where the young ones were crouching
among the heather.
The young are full grown by Jury, and soon
after they are able to fly both young and old depart
for the sea coast, where they haunt the estuaries of
rivers in large flocks, along with the Curlew, Red-
shank, and Lapwing.
The winter months must be an anxious time
for them, for, besides the scarcity of food, fowlers
are very often tying in wait for the luckless birds ;
and many a Plover which led its young in pride
and joy down to the coast will return no more
to its beloved nesting grounds, where it hatched
off its brood in peace and happiness.
THE CURLEW
THERE is something very fascinating about the
wail of the Curlew. When, after wintering on
the sea coast, he returns to his nesting haunts,
his wild sweet whistle on the lone mountain tracts
fills every true bird lover with a great happiness,
bringing back to him memories of former spring
days passed on the hills, with the wailing of the
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 77
Curlew as the only sound to disturb the mountain
solitudes.
During the winter months, when they keep for
the most part in large flocks, haunting the estuaries
of rivers in company with the Redshanks, Golden
Plovers, and their other companions of the moor-
lands, the Curlews use a different note from that
which adds such a charm to the moorlands — or,
rather, they sometimes use this note during the
nesting season, as well as several others, among
which is the wild, vibrating cry which they begin
to utter directly they arrive from the coast. This
is the love-song of the male bird, and commences
with a whistle uttered in a low key, the succeeding
whistles being uttered rapidly, all the while in a
rising key, until the top note is reached, when the
whistle becomes more prolonged, until it dies away
in a sort of long-drawn wail.
If there is any wind the Curlew hovers against
it, something after the fashion of a Kestrel, all the
while uttering its plaintive whistle, but the call
note is used more frequently when the bird is
descending.
The Curlew is very local in its distribution
and may be found in great numbers on a hill on one
side of the valley, while on the other side it is almost
unknown. The ideal nesting haunt is a hillside
with not too much heather, but a plentiful growth
of long and coarse grass, and a good deal of boggy
ground here and there, as the Curlews obtain most
of their food from the marshes.
Towards the middle of March, if the weather be
fine, the Curlews begin to appear on the moor-
lands, adding an immense charm to the mountain
sides and lonelv moors. Thev usuallv arrive in
78 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
flocks, but almost immediately break up into pairs ;
until then, however, they rarely, if ever, utter their
nesting cry. Sometimes they are misled by a spell
of warm weather in March into thinking the winter
must be over ; but soon after they have reached the
moorlands winter again sets in with all its severity,
and they are put to terrible straits.
It seems very strange why the Curlews
should not descend again to the sea coast on
a return of winter, as with their powerful flight
they could reach the sea, even from the most in-
land districts, in the space of an hour or t\vo ; but
this, I believe, they never do. In fact, I have seen
them starving in frost and snow when less than
an hour's flight would have taken them down to
the coast where food in plenty is ever to be found,
and yet to do this apparently never entered their
heads.
The spring of 1905 was especially severe, with
fresh falls of snow daily, and the Curlews could be
heard calling mournfully to each other when a
new storm was commencing, as if they knew that
fresh hardships were before them. One day in
March of that year, there was a heavy storm
overnight, followed by a day of cloudless skies
and brilliant sun, which had a curious effect
on the hills. On their southern slopes the snow
had all disappeared ere dusk, and the mountain
burns on these sun-exposed sides were in flood.
On the other hand, the northern sides of the hills
remained spotlessly white the whole day. Thus
the sunny sides of the hills were crowded with bird
life — Curlews, Redshanks, Lapwings, and Golden
Plovers — all searching diligently for food, while
the snow-clad lands were absolutely devoid of wild
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 79
life. During this storm I saw a Wheatear — one
of the earliest of our summer visitors — gazing with
evident astonishment at the snow-covered ground,
probably seeing snow for the first time in its life.
After having been at their summer haunts for
six weeks or so, the Curlews begin to think of
nesting, and by the first week in May many of
the birds have eggs. The Curlews are extremely
shy at all times, but especially during the nesting
season. Then the male bird is usually on the
watch, and at his whistle the hen immediately
leaves her nest, when you are still perhaps half
a mile away. The hen always flies right off the
nest, and does not, like the Golden Plover and most
ground-nesting birds, run for some distance first.
As it is, the nest is extremely difficult to find, and
if the Curlew were to run along the ground before
taking flight, it would be almost hopeless to attempt
to discover it.
The Curlew's nest is a cup-shaped hollow scraped
in the ground, generally in marsh land and some-
times on a little knoll surrounded by water, as in
the photograph illustrating this article. The nest has
hardly any lining — sometimes a few straws or sprigs
of heather.
The eggs invariably number four ; they are
pear-form in shape, and are very large for the
size of the bird ; they are always placed with
their small ends lying in the centre of the nest.
It is usually the case with ground-nesting birds
that they lay very large eggs, as the young chicks
must be strong and vigorous directly they emerge
from the shell, so as to be able to hold their own
with the number of enemies which are always
abundant on the moorlands. Birds of the Hawk or
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 81
Crow family on the other hand lay comparatively
small eggs, for their young have no need of any
exceptional strength, as they remain in a safe nest
for many weeks and all their food is brought to
them by their parents. As an illustration of this,
the egg of the Golden Eagle is only slightly larger
than that of the Curlew, although the former is a
very much larger bird.
The eggs of the Curlew vary greatly in colouring,
even in the same nest. Sometimes the ground
colour is buff, at other times green, and the spots
and blotches vary greatly both in size and shape.
The eggs are beautifully coloured, and harmonise
completely with their surroundings, so that you
might almost tread upon them and be none the
wiser.
The Curlew which I was fortunate enough to
photograph was an exceptionally confiding bird ;
and after a good deal of perseverance I succeeded
in picturing her on the nest. The first time she
saw me she rose when I was about 200 yards away,
and I never dreamt of photographing her. I re-
turned with my camera a day or two later, in order
to photograph the nest. This time the bird allowed
me to approach within 100 yards or so, but even
then I had not hopes of " taking " her.
About a week afterwards I again visited the nest,
and to my astonishment was able to photograph
the sitting bird at a distance of some 50 feet. Every
day or so I managed to get a little nearer, until at
last I fixed up the camera within about 8 feet
of the nest, and obtained a good photograph.
Had I been a second later in releasing the shutter,
all my trouble would have been useless, as im-
mediately the photograph was taken she flew off
82 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
the nest and lighted in the heather quite near,
calling loudly, and was soon joined by her mate.
But, strangely enough, she had never previously
uttered her alarm note, but had flown off the nest
in complete silence.
Three of the eggs were hatched off safely, but
CURLEW ON NEST.
for some reason she left the fourth, even although
the shell was already chipped, and the young bird
in a few more hours would have gained its liberty ;
as it was, it died miserably in the shell. How-
ever, I think the remaining three youngsters were
reared in safety.
The young Curlews are hatched by the middle
of June ; those forming the subject of the illustration,
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 83
however, were photographed on July 5th, as late
as nine o'clock in the evening. I had searched long
and fruitlessly for some young Curlews to photo-
graph, and at length, in an upper Donside glen,
came upon a Curlew which evidently had young
ones, although I failed at first to discover them.
The young birds were in a grass field bordering
YOUNG CURLEW.
the road, and as long as the intruder kept walking
or cycling along the road, the mother bird took
no notice of him ; so I cycled past as if I did not
know there was such a thing as a Curlew, all the
while keeping the tail of my eye on the bird and
her young. When I had reached the point nearest
to them I suddenly dismounted and immediately
the Curlew rose with a wild cry, and all the young
ones crouched flat in the grass. But I had care-
fully marked the exact spot, and had no difficulty
in finding the downy chicks. Meanwhile the Curlew
84 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
was swooping at me, uttering the most frantic cries
and shrieks ; so immediately after the photograph
was taken I made off as quickly as possible and
left her to return to her family. I often saw the
WHERE THE CURLEW NEST.
mother and her chicks while passing along the road
and on July igth — the last time I saw them — they
had grown considerably.
By the beginning of August most of the young
Curlews are strong on the wing, and by the middle
of the month both young and old commence to return
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 85
to the sea coast. By the early part of September
the last of the Curlews have reached the coast,
and until spring comes again the wild ringing
cry of the soaring Curlew will no more be heard
at its beloved nesting-grounds.
THE SANDPIPER
THE Sandpiper is one of the most endearing of our
summer visitors and adds an immense charm to
the rivers and streams where it has its summer
home and rears its young. When spring has re-
turned once more and the rivers are swollen by
the melting of the upland snows, the Sandpiper
makes its appearance on its beloved river sides,
and it is always with a feeling of gladness that one
hears its clear, sweet whistle for the first time.
The usual date of its arrival is about the middle
of April. Last spring I heard its whistle for the
first time on April I7th. I was wandering along
the banks of a rushing mountain stream amongst
the glens of the Highlands, when suddenly this
little summer visitor flew whistling by, adding
a new joy to all the burn side.
Soon after their arrival the Sandpipers pair,
but usually are comparatively late in nesting.
The eggs are laid towards the end of May or
the beginning of June. They invariably number
four and are pyriform in shape, being always
placed with their small ends at the centre. Should
the experiment be made of turning the eggs so as
to lie with their small ends pointing outwards, the
mother bird on her return always restores them
to their former position, as she would scarcely be
86 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
able to cover them were the small ends not towards
the centre. They are very beautiful, the ground
colour varying from a buffish to a greenish tinge,
and the eggs are thickly speckled and blotched
with crimson or brownish red.
The nest is always in the vicinity of water,
usually on the river banks amongst the lupines or
thick grasses. It is scarcely a nest in the proper
sense of the word, being merely a hollow scraped
in the ground and scantily lined with dried grass,
stems, and leaves. Sometimes it is devoid of any
lining. Although the Sandpiper seems to prefer a
river for its summer haunt, yet it is often met with
nesting on the shores of a highland loch, and very
beautiful do the birds look as they skim whistling
over the loch's mirrored surface.
Altitude seems to count for nothing with them,
and I have seen two or more pairs nesting on
the banks of a mountain tarn almost 3,000 feet
above sea-level. However, they seem to be in
no hurry to arrive on the high ground, and
they are usually seen at the mouth of a river a
day or so before their advent is recorded on its
upper reaches.
When brooding, the Sandpiper is sometimes a
very close sitter, and will almost allow herself to
be taken with the hand. When at last she sees
that further deception is useless she flutters off,
hissing loudly, and trailing her wings along the
ground in the attempt to draw the intruder from
her nest. But once she knows that her secret has
been discovered, she no longer sits closely, but slips
off the eggs long before you are near.
Whether the Sandpiper is a close sitter or not
depends a great deal on her surroundings. Should
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 87
the nest be well concealed under a bush or tuft
of grass, then the mother bird will sit until you
have almost trampled on her ; but, on the other
hand, when the nest is placed in an open situation,
the bird is a very light sitter and will leave the
NEST AND EGGS OF SANDPIPER.
eggs at the slightest hint of danger, even though
the young are just hatching.
Although the Sandpiper does not nest in colonies,
it has its favourite breeding haunts, where a nest
may be discovered every twenty or thirty yards.
So long as you are in the vicinity of their nests
the Sandpipers whistle plaintively, every now and
YOUNG SANDPIPER CROUCHING.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 89
again taking short flights across the river and re-
turning immediately.
When on the wing they always skim the surface
of the water, often being so close to it that their
wings actually touch the surface.
No bird, I think, calls so much as the Sand-
piper. They are continually whistling to each other
all through the day, and even during night their
beautiful cry, often accompanied by the Oyster
Catcher's whistle, may be heard down by the rush-
ing river, and are the only sounds to break the
midnight stillness.
The young Sandpipers are hatched out in June.
Very soon after they are born they are able to
leave the nest and are led by their parents along
the river banks. The young Sandpipers are almost
impossible to discover. Harmonising perfectly with
their surroundings, they crouch motionless at the first
warning cry of their parents and remain so until
all danger is past.
Were it not for the parent birds, one would
never guess that young Sandpipers were in the
vicinity ; but both the old birds show signs of the
greatest anxiety when their young are approached,
trying in every way to draw the intruder off. They
will allow you to approach within a yard or two
of them, when they rise and alight a little farther
on ; all the while they bob their tails up and down
incessantly and show signs of the greatest distress.
During the daytime they rarely remain very near
their young ones, probably because if they
should suddenly be disturbed, the young have a
better chance of escape when they are scattered
about.
The usual note uttered by the Sandpiper when
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 91
its young are in danger is a long drawn " Twee-
twee." Then it goes off into several short notes
repeated rapidly, sounding like " Tu tu twee tu,
tu tu twee tu," although it is, of course, almost
impossible to reproduce in writing the note of any
bird.
The young birds take a little more than a month
to become fully fledged, and immediately they are
ready, both young and old leave their moorland
homes for the estuaries of rivers, and, after a short
halt, set out for their winter homes across the
sea. About the third week of July the Sandpipers
are still to be met with everywhere, and you can-
not find yourself by the river side without hearing
their musical cry. The next week you may wander
along the same river banks and be conscious of
something lacking. Suddenly you realise that the
Sandpipers have left for sunnier climes, taking
their young with them, and that they will be seen
no more till the snow and storms of another winter
have gone and spring has come to us once again.
THE REDSHANK.
ON the lone marsh lands, far up amongst the silent
hills, the ringing whistle of this plaintive bird, as he
soars and hovers above his nesting site, falls pleas-
antly on the ears. In many counties the Redshank
nests almost entirely along the coast line, but in
Aberdeenshire, although this is to a certain extent
the case, nearly every moorland bog has its
pair of Red-legged Sandpipers, to quote the local
name.
After wintering at the sea the Redshanks,
92 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
on the return of spring, leave for their well-loved
nesting - grounds and are usually paired on their
arrival, which is usually a little later than that
of the Curlew or Golden Plover. After being on
the moorlands for a month or so, the birds bethink
themselves of nesting and scrape a slight hollow
on a dry spot in a bog, very often on a little knoll
with water all around.
There is no nest in the true sense of the word,
but sometimes the hollow is lined with a few blades
of grass, and here the hen, in the early part of May,
lays her four eggs. They are pyriform in shape,
and, as is the case with all the " waders," are
placed with their small ends in the centre. In
colour and shape they might be mistaken for those
of the Golden Plover, were it not for their smaller
size and the presence of the parent birds.
The nest is very difficult to discover, as the
hen usually is a very light sitter, especially if she
knows that her nest has been previously found, and
she often leaves the eggs before the ornithologist
has any idea of a nest being in the vicinity. Some-
times, however, I have known the hen to sit closely
even when the eggs were only freshly laid, and her
cry is almost human in its distress as she leaves
her treasures.
There is one nesting spot that I know well,
where a highland road passes through a bog and
divides it into two parts, and on each side of
the road a pair of Redshanks every year rear their
brood, and usually at almost the same spot. On
one occasion, after finding the nest on the one side of
the road, I spent several hours searching for Snipes'
nests on the other, some 500 yards distant, expect-
ing that the Redshank would return to her eggs.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 93
But, no ; as long as I remained in the vicinity she
did not come back, and on feeling the eggs on my
departure I found them to be quite cold. But not-
withstanding the long absence of the parent bird,
NEST OF REDSHANK.
the young were in due course hatched out none
the worse.
For years in succession I have looked in vain for
the nests of two pairs of Redshanks on the margin of
a highland lochan, where they nest every spring ;
but, although I have found the broken eggs after
the young have been hatched out, I have never
been able to discover the nest.
It is interesting to notice that the Wood-
cock and, usually, the Curlew leave the broken
94 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN,
egg-shells in the nest, while the Redshank carries
each shell some distance away when the young
bird has emerged. It is difficult to understand
the reason for this, seeing that the young leave
the nest almost immediately after they are hatched,
so that the proximity of broken shells could hardly
betray the young bird's presence.
When the birds have eggs they are comparatively
silent after they have left the nest. When the young
have emerged from the shell, however, the parent
birds, both male and female, betray the greatest
anxiety on behalf of their chicks, circling round
the intruder's head and untiringly uttering their
alarm note.
Towards the end of May the young birds put
in an appearance, but are extremely difficult to
discover, as at the alarm note of the old birds
the chicks immediately crouch on the ground
and remain perfectly motionless until the danger
has passed.
During the spring months the Redshank uses
several different notes. The male bird is very
fond of soaring up against the wind, something after
the manner of a Skylark, and, after remaining for
a few seconds poised, descends rapidly to earth,
all the time uttering his song, which, during his up-
ward flight, sounds something like "Clu, clu, cm,"
and during the downward "Clueu, clueu, clueu."
The alarm note is sharp and short, and the
birds also use a cry which seems to be principally
a call note, sounding like "Tuc a tuc tu," and by
imitating this it is possible to make the birds imme-
diately respond to the human whistle.
There is one colony where I should think hun-
dreds of birds nest together, and in the month of
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 95
June, when they have young, the noise which the
birds make on the approach of danger is simply
deafening.
The Redshanks feed principally during the night,
and may be heard calling as they pass swiftly over-
head. When standing on a wall or fence they have
HOME OF THE REDSHANK.
a very Sandpiper-like way of jerking their tail up
and down, and it is probably due to this that they
are called locally the " Red-legged Sandpiper."
Their range is not so high as that of the Sand-
piper, and I have not met with them nesting much
higher than 1,500 feet above the sea.
Like most of the waders, which feed during the
night and yet seem quite lively during the day,
it is difficult to see when the Redshanks obtain
96 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
any rest, but undoubtedly it is the case that
they can do with a very little, snatched at odd
intervals.
They leave the moorlands comparatively early,
and hardly one is seen later than the first half
of July. When they are at the sea, they usually
keep in large flocks, and it is wonderful to watch
them wheeling and turning as one, following the
leading bird with marvellous dexterity.
They feed at the seaside chiefly on the molluscs
and worms left by the falling tide, and it is very
interesting to watch them follow a receding wave,
picking up choice morsels before another incoming
one forces them to retire. During the sojourn on
the coast many a Redshank falls a victim to the
gunner, but still, on an average, I think there
is no decrease in their numbers from year to year,
but, if anything, a slight increase.
THE OYSTER CATCHER
WERE it not for this handsome bird the rivers of
Scotland would indeed seem forsaken to the bird-
lover during the months of spring and summer.
After wintering on the sea coast, haunting the
estuaries of rivers and mud banks, where even
during the severest frost they obtain food in plenty,
the Oyster Catchers, about the first days of March,
begin to think of their nesting haunts and to
ascend the rivers and burns where they love to nest.
Last year I watched the inland migration of
these birds on March 4th. After a long spell of
severe frost and snow, the weather on that day
suddenly changed to almost summer-like mildness,
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 97
and all bird life at once responded to the welcome
change. On the river Dee, some three or four miles
from its mouth, it was most interesting to watch
the Oyster Catchers migrating in pairs up-stream.
They seemed to take the journey very leisurely
and halted every now and again. In fact, three
days afterwards there were none to be seen at a
distance of thirty miles from the mouth, although
one flock had been heard passing up the river at
night.
The birds seem to pair before they ascend the
rivers and keep together from the very first. Often,
a storm of snow visits their nesting haunts
not long after their arrival, and then many of
them are found dead on the river banks. It is
difficult to understand why they will not return
to the coast, however bad the weather may be.
But their motto evidently is, once having come, to
remain at all costs ; and after a severe frost it is
pathetic to see a pair of Oyster Catchers discon-
solately standing at the water's edge, seemingly
waiting for the sun's rays to put life into them.
Six weeks or so after taking up their summer
quarters, the birds begin their family cares, and
towards the end of April or the beginning of May
the first eggs are laid. The hen bird usually scratches
the scanty hollow destined to receive the eggs on
a shingle stretch by the river ; sometimes, however,
the nest is situated quite away from water. It is
lined with small pebbles, and sometimes with a
few pieces of coarse grass.
The birds have favourite nesting haunts, and
very often several pairs may be met with nesting
near each other. A very favourite nesting site is
a large island in midstream, covered with stunted
98 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
heather and grass, where the birds nest in security
from most of their enemies.
They are very light sitters, and leave their
nests while you are yet a long distance off. The
eggs usually number three ; sometimes only two
are found, and occasionally, I believe, as many
OYSTER CATCHER'S NEST AND EGGS.
as four, though I have never yet seen the latter
number. They are rather larger than those of the
common hen, and are beautifully speckled and
streaked with dark brown. The ground colour is
usually of a buffish tinge, and the eggs are in com-
plete harmony with their surroundings, being very
difficult to discover.
The period of incubation is about a month,
and towards the beginning of June the young birds
are hatched out. They are of a uniform greyish
brown, with their under-parts tinged with white,
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 99
and harmonise in an astonishing manner with the
grass and heather in which they hide.
Last summer I was very anxious to obtain
photographs of the young birds at home, but this
OYSTER CATCHER'S NEST WITH NEWLY HATCHED CHICK.
was easier said than done. On a fair-sized
island, a pair of Oyster Catchers had their nest
rather late in the season, having deserted their
first clutch for some reason or other. I was photo-
graphing a Goosander sitting on her nest at the
time and came upon the Oyster Catcher's eggs by
accident. When I first saw them, the young birds
were just chipping the shell and could be heard
whistling faintly inside. I returned next day,
TOO BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
thinking the young ones would be hatched, but
found the shells were only somewhat more chipped.
Even on the following day the young birds had not
freed themselves, and so on revisiting the spot that
evening I thought I was fairly certain of finding
the youngsters near the nest. To my great dis-
appointment, however, the nest was empty, and
although I looked long and carefully they were
nowhere to be found. Even the egg-shells had
been carried away from the vicinity of the nest by
the watchful parent birds, who all the time I was
on the island kept up a continual whistling and
showed signs of the greatest distress.
It is a noteworthy fact that the Oyster Catcher,
while it has eggs, cannot be called a very
demonstrative bird when its nesting site is dis-
turbed by the intruder ; but when the young
have left the shell all this changes, and both the
parent birds show signs of the greatest anxiety
for their children, uttering their shrill " Kabeek,
kobeek " repeatedly, and hovering round the dis-
turber of their peace until he is well clear of their
nesting ground.
Knowing that the young Oyster Catchers above-
mentioned must be somewhere on the island, I
left my camera there all night and waded across
next day. For some reason the parent birds
were less watchful than usual on this occasion, and
I had almost reached the island before the mother
bird caught sight of me. Immediately she called
loudly to her young, which thereupon squatted
flat on the ground, and though I looked carefully
where I knew them to be hiding, it was some time
before I could discover them. To all appearances
they were pieces of wood lying under a large pine
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 101
tree, and to make the deception more realistic,
their heads were buried in the grass.
When the parent Oyster Catchers saw their
young had been discovered, they evidently knew
YOUNG OYSTER CATCHERS HIDING.
that further demonstration was useless and be-
came quite silent, watching to see what turn events
would take. Having exposed two or three plates
on the chicks, I made all haste to leave the island
and allow the parent birds to return to their children.
Although the nest is usually made in a very
102 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
exposed situation, I found one in the middle of
a larch wood on a river island, and the Oyster
Catcher looked strangely out of place as she got
off her eggs and ran rapidly through the wood.
When the sitting hen sees the intruder from afar,
she never flies off the nest, but runs rapidly along
the shingle, and although you see her and
give chase, she will not rise, but will run
along as fast as she can until she has put a
considerable distance between herself and the
Last May the Scottish rivers came down in high
spate consequent upon three days of continuous rain,
and many eggs of the Oyster Catcher must have
been swept away. At that time I noticed pairs
of Goosanders flying disconsolately about, so that
probably their eggs shared the same fate.
By the latter half of July the young Oyster
Catchers are strong on the wing, and then they
assemble into flocks and leave the rivers for the
coast. Many of the birds, however, remain inland
throughout August and even during part of Septem-
ber ; the latest date I have seen one inland being
September 20th. Very often the Lapwing and
Oyster Catcher nest together, and although the
former is a very pugnacious bird, they usually seem
to get on quite well together.
This is not always the case, however, as on one
occasion I watched for some time a Lapwing mak-
ing repeated attacks on an Oyster Catcher which
was standing on the ground. Soaring to a good
height, the Lapwing would swoop down on the Sea
Piet — to give it its local name — which received
the attack with head down and tail in the air, but
did not attempt to retaliate. At last the Lapwing
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 103
seemed to tire of this one-sided encounter and
left its adversary in peace.
Although the Oyster Catchers seem to prefer
a fairly large river to nest near, I have con-
SUMMER HOME OF THE OYSTER CATCHER.
stantly met with them on the banks of moun-
tain streams. Two years ago I noticed, on
the banks of a burn, a bird which at first I took
for a Common Gull, but on its taking wing, I was
surprised to see it was an almost pure white
104 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
Oyster Catcher. Except for the tips of its wings
and a part of its head, the bird was as white as
snow, and appeared to be looked at askance by
the other members of the bird world, as I saw a
Lapwing chasing it a few moments afterwards.
Its call note also seemed more husky than the
usual clear ringing whistle uttered by these birds.
Last May I was pleased to see that it had escaped
the gunner and returned to its summer haunts,
but whether it was a cock or a hen bird I could
not determine, most probably the former.
At one of their favourite nesting sites the
Oyster Catcher and Goosander nest together,
and when their haunt is disturbed, both fly back-
wards and forwards in a great state of alarm. One
day a Goosander was flying fast and low along the
river when an Oyster Catcher, not looking where
it was going, almost dashed into it before it had
time to swerve off, missing the Goosander by
inches only.
An interesting point in connection with the
Oyster Catcher is that when it is using a certain call
note its wing-beats are much slower than at any
other time. The note " Ko-beek " is uttered half
during the upward stroke of the wing and half
during the downward. The Oyster Catcher flies
very rapidly, much like the Common Wild
Duck, but when this particular note is uttered
the wings beat at about the same speed as those
of the Black-headed Gull. This seems almost in-
variably to be the case when the particular
note is being used ; so that with practice you can
tell how the bird is flying by listening to its call
note. If the bird has been using this note
and changes to the more usual whistle, directly
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 105
the change takes place the wing-beats are also
changed. The only other bird in which I have
noticed this peculiarity is the Golden Plover.
Another note used by the Oyster Catcher
is one which seems to be indulged in only
when three or four birds are together, and very
often in the calm of a summer evening. The
notes are uttered slowly to begin with, but soon
follow each other in rapid succession, and all the
time the company of birds run backwards and
forwards with their heads down and bills almost
touching the ground, seemingly indulging in a kind
of " follow my leader " game.
It is an interesting fact that the Oyster Catchers
can do without practically any sleep during the
twenty-four hours. They are to be heard at all
hours of the day and during the summer nights
as well, when, along with the Sandpipers, they may
be heard at midnight down by the swiftly rushing
river.
I once saw what appeared to be an attempt
by a pair of Oyster Catchers to evict from a small
island the pair that Were already in possession.
First one bird appeared on the scene, and with
repeated swoops attempted to drive the sitting hen
from the eggs, which he easily succeeded in doing.
Then he and the pair in possession rushed back-
wards and forwards across the islet, whistling loudly
and looking very comical with their heads almost
touching the ground. Whenever the hen attempted
to go back to her nest, the intruder went for her
immediately and swooped repeatedly at her, she
receiving the onslaught with tail in air, which seems
to be the recognised mode of defence among
ground-nesting birds. After an hour or so of this
106 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
the invader, now joined by his mate, seemed still
in no mood to give in. A few days after, the island
appeared deserted, and so far as I could make out,
the rightful owners had been driven off, but the
other pair had not taken possession. Truly, bird-
land is a strange world, little understood by us
even in these davs of civilisation.
THE COMMON TERN
OF all our summer visitors the Terns are among the
last to trust themselves to our fickle climate and
are rarely seen before spring has really set in.
Pretty birds, they add an immense charm to the
sand dunes and river banks where they have their
summer home.
Often have I noted the arrival of the Common
Terns on a grassy islet on a lone mountain loch,
and about May 7th is the usual date for the first
Tern to make its appearance. For a day or so
one or two birds only are to be seen, but by the
middle of the month the island is occupied by a
dozen pairs or so, which almost immediately com-
mence nesting operations.
On this island the birds can hatch off their
eggs and rear their young in safety ; but the
same cannot be said of the majority of their
nesting haunts. Many of these one can scarcely
visit without noticing footmarks all over the sand.
Following the tracks, one sees that they go from
nest to nest, or what were nests a very short while
ago, but are now mere depressions scratched in the
sand. Notwithstanding this incessant robbing of
their eggs, the birds pluckily lay again and again,
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 107
perhaps at last succeeding in hatching off a
clutch.
I have visited a colony of many hundreds of
these birds during the nesting season, and have
found scarcely a single nest which has escaped the
eyes of the plunderers. Notwithstanding this, the
birds still hover over their nesting haunt, and it is
pathetic indeed to hear them uttering their wild
note, and to see them endeavouring to drive off
the intruder, although they have been deprived of
their treasures.
The Common and Arctic Terns are practically
indistinguishable while on the wing, and there is so
very little difference between them that they can
scarcely, I venture to assert, be quite a distinctive
species. The Arctic Tern is supposed to be the
more common in Scotland, and the Common Tern
further south. In Aberdeenshire, however, the
Arctic Tern is rarely met with — never, I be-
lieve, as the breeding species — while the Common
Tern nests in great abundance.
The Sea Swallow — the local name for the Common
Tern — is a charmingly graceful bird in every sense
of the word, and it is a very pretty sight to watch
them hovering above the surface of the water in
quest of small fish. With quickly beating wings
they keep perfectly motionless, poised in mid air,
and then dashing suddenly into the water reappear
with a fish in their bills, which is at once carried
off to the brooding mate or young ones.
Unlike the Little Tern, which, I believe, in-
variably nests on the sea-coast, the Common Tern
rears its young ones on the banks of the majority
of our Scottish rivers, wherever there is a shingly
beach suitable for a nesting site.
io8 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
In connection with the river-nesting birds, it
is, as far as my observations go, a curious fact
that neither the Tern nor the Oyster Catcher will
ever fly under a bridge if they possibly can help
it. Many a time I have watched these birds flying
up the river Dee at a point where it is crossed by
a suspension bridge, but never have I seen
either an Oyster Catcher or Tern fly under it.
Although the Oyster Catcher and the Tern
come up the river flying only a foot or so above
the water, directly they reach the bridge, instead
of continuing their flight on the surface of the
river, they rise fully 50 feet and fly well over
the bridge, whereas by continuing their original
course they could save themselves a deal of
trouble.
The Tern, although not a rapid flier, is able to
keep on the wing for a long time on end, and
will go great distances up and down the river in
search of small fry for its young ones. Usually
it works the ground once only in search of fish,
but should it come upon a good pool, it will
fly backwards and forwards repeatedly, every
now and then hovering motionless about a dozen
feet above the river's surface.
The Tern must see a great many fish it is unable
to capture, judging from the number of times it
hovers without dropping down into the water.
But the explanation may be that the bird does
not always see a fish when it stops suddenly in
its flight, but hovers so that it may the better
search the surrounding shallows for prey. It is
a pretty sight to see a Tern beating up the
river in the teeth of a strong summer breeze, carry-
ing a large worm or fish in its bill for its sitting
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 109
mate or young ones on the shingle bed a little further
up stream.
With slow-measured wing-beats, which have a
tremendous amount of power behind them, it makes
its way rapidly up the river in a zigzag course —
whence its name of Sea Swallow — every now and
again uttering its harsh " Kik, kik, kirree " as it
eagerly returns to its family.
Although principally catching its fish on the
wing, I have sometimes seen one standing motion-
less on a stone among the shallows for a con-
siderable time. Possibly it was catching its prey
after the manner of the sedate old Heron, although
no one could, by any stretch of imagination, picture
that bird capturing its dinner in the fashion of the
energetic Tern.
On the island mentioned above, the colony of
Terns have not the sole possession of the nesting
site, but share it with a pair or two of Oyster
Catchers and Sandpipers, and, strangely enough,
several pairs of Common Gulls. Now every keeper
will tell you that the Common Gull is an incor-
rigible thief and will not hesitate to steal the eggs
of any bird when it has the chance. If this be
the case — and to a certain extent I admit it —
how can all these birds nest in harmony to-
gether on a small island not 100 yards from end
to end ?
All the same, the island is quite an arcadia for
all kinds of water birds, and on it I have, in one
season, found the nests of the Oyster Catcher,
Common Tern, Common Gull, Sandpiper, Tufted
Duck, Moorhen, and Coot, while sometimes the
single tree the island boasts of is used as a nesting
site by a pair of Hoodie Crows. If the birds
no BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
which use the island as a nesting ground were to
combine against the Common Gulls or the Grey
Crows, they could drive them away with the
greatest of ease ; on the contrary, however, they all
seem to get on excellently together, and to rear their
broods in complete harmony. The only time I
ever saw the slightest sign of disagreement was
when a Gull happened to alight, before going to
her nest, rather near a Tern's eggs. The Tern re-
sented this by swooping at the Gull several times,
but beyond ducking each time the Gull completely
ignored its adversary ; and, as it made no attempt
on the eggs of the Tern, the latter soon ceased its
attack and harmony was once again restored in
the community.
Can it be that the Gulls of the island have
pledged themselves to abstain from all egg-stealing
and other sins, and in return are allowed to rear
their broods in peace ? It seems like it. It is, of
course, true that the Gulls and Hoodies are always
more ready to purloin the eggs of such birds as the
Pheasant, Partridge, or Duck, which are unspotted,
rather than the eggs of the Grouse ; but whether
because the former are more easy to find or not
it is difficult to say.
The Common Tern commences nesting operations
almost immediately it reaches its nesting haunts
after its long flight across the seas, and by the
third week in May the majority are brooding on
eggs. When the nesting site is on the seashore,
the Terns form large colonies, consisting of many
scores of birds ; but on the river banks it is
rare for more than one pair to nest on the
same stretch of pebbles, although there may be
ample room. Probably the reason is that, if several
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN in
pairs were to nest together, there would not be
a sufficient food supply for them, as the river
offers a much narrower scope for fishing operations
than the sea.
The Tern is an extremely shy bird, and leaves
the eggs while the intruder is yet a long way
COMMON TERN'S NEST AND EGGS.
off. On very warm sunny days the Terns some-
times allow the sun's heat to hatch the eggs, and I
have seen them leave their eggs quite unconcernedly
to the sun's tender mercies and fly off for a holiday.
It will be found that ground sloping towards the
north is rarely used for nesting, as the rays of
the sun have less power on north-lying ground.
A first visit to a large colony of these birds is
an event which will not be readily forgotten by the
H2 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
ornithologist. Rising in clouds in the air, they fly
round the intruder, some of the bolder spirits swoop-
ing fearlessly at his head, all the while uttering
their harsh, wild cry. It is only sometimes that
the nest is a nest in the true sense of the word
—more often than not it is merely a slight hollow
scraped among the pebbles or sand. Once I found
the eggs lying on the top of a sand dune without
even a hollow to receive them and looking as if
the least movement would send them rolling to
the bottom. Sometimes, however, quite a re-
spectable nest is made, composed chiefly of stems
of bent stalks.
The eggs number two or three. They are of all
shades and shapes, and occasionally there will be
found in the same nest one egg of a nearly black
ground colour with very dark blotches, another of
a bluish ground colour with dark brown spots,
and a third with buff for a ground colour and spotted
and blotched all over with reddish brown. As a
rule, and especially when laid amongst pebbles,
the eggs harmonise perfectly with their surroundings,
and it is an extremely difficult matter to discover
them. Sometimes, however, the birds lay eggs
which are almost black on the pure sand, rendering
them conspicuous at a great distance.
On one occasion I was visiting a Tern colony
late in June when the eggs were hatching.
Suddenly I heard a most frightful commotion-
all the Terns screaming in fury. Looking up, I saw
a poor Rook which had strayed on the sacred ground
and was being pursued by the enraged Terns. The
Rook seemed to be completely stupefied by the fierce-
ness of the attack, and instead of flying off, almost
fell to the ground and then hid amongst the bent.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 113
As long as it remained on the ground the Terns
paid little attention to it, but directly it recovered
from the shock and attempted to make off, the
whole colony was after it instantaneously, so that
YOUNG COMMON' TERN.
it again sank to earth in a dazed condition, and
that was the last I saw of it. Let us hope it escaped
what must have been a terrible ordeal.
Finding a Linnet's nest amongst the Terns, I
placed my handkerchief over it and returned for my
camera a short distance away. Scarcely had I left my
ii4 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
handkerchief when the whole colony of Terns flew
screaming towards it and swooped and dived at it,
all the while making the most tremendous uproar.
Whether they thought it was some egg-stealing
animal or whether the unlucky Crow had turned
their heads will ever remain a mystery.
By the beginning of July the majority of the
young Terns have left the eggs and are carefully
watched by both the parent birds. Within an
hour or two of being hatched they are able to move
about quite strongly. Care, however, must be
taken not to keep the old birds long away if
the weather is sunless and cold, as the spark of
life burns very weakly in newly-hatched chicks,
and too long an exposure to the cold winds has
very often a fatal termination.
A good way of finding the nest is to follow
up the footmarks of the birds in the sand, when
it will be found that they usually lead to a nest.
Especially is this the case with the Lesser Tern,
whose eggs are even more difficult to discover than
those of the common species, as they harmonise
perfectly with the shingle on which they are placed,
and a nest is never constructed. This bird is
the most charming of the species, and as regards
flight and call is not unlike the Swallow. Un-
fortunately, they are now met with in only a few
favoured localities. Like many summer visitors
arriving in the late spring, the Terns are
among the first to depart. Their usual time
of leaving the River Dee is the first week in
August, when they may be seen in small flocks
to the number of half a dozen or so making
ready for their departure and playing with each
other in the air.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 115
I hope that all bird lovers will do what they can
for the better protection of these charming visitors,
as I fear that unless the eggs are protected, the
Lesser Tern will in a few years have ceased to
exist as a Scottish breeding species, and we shall
have lost one of the most fascinating of our birds.
THE COMMON GULL
WHILE in most districts these handsome members of
the Gull family nest on the coast, in Aberdeenshire,
strange to say, they choose as nesting sites the
highest mountain tarns, and rear their young with
the Golden Eagle and Ptarmigan as their near
neighbours.
There is one lonely mountain loch that I know
well, lying at a height of nearly 3,000 feet above
the sea, which is a favourite nesting haunt of the
species. At this great altitude the spring is very
backward and the surface of the loch is usually
frozen hard until well on in April. Once, on the
i6th of that month, while on my way to the loch,
I noticed a flock of Gulls flying at a great height,
and evidently coming from their nesting site. They
were calling loudly to each other in a querulous tone,
and on reaching the loch I at once saw the reason
for their disappointment, as the tarn was completely
ice bound and deep snowdrifts lay everywhere around.
In all probability the company of Gulls was an
advance guard sent on by the main colony to report
as to the state of the loch, and was returning with
the unwelcome intelligence that it would be quite
impossible for them to take up their quarters there
for some time at least.
n6 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
The Gaelic name of the loch is Lochan-an-Eoin,
which means the " Loch of the Birds." As the
old language has practically died out in the neigh-
bourhood, the name shows that the Gulls have
made the loch their home for generations.
The winter is spent on the sea coast, and the
Gulls migrate inland early in March if the spring
is favourable ; until May, however, they frequent
the valleys. It is a most interesting sight to see
them coming down to rest after their long flight
from the coast line. Arriving at a great height,
they reconnoitre carefully ere descending in a body
at some favourite locality which affords a wide
outlook.
Their nesting season is late, and few of the Gulls
commence to brood till the last days of May — in
fact, if anything, they are later nesters than the
Ptarmigan. The usual nesting site is on a little
knoll at the edge of a loch, and if there are any
prominent boulders the Gulls generally place their
nests on these. A very favourite site is on a large
stone, some little distance out in the water, where
they are comparatively secure from the attacks of
foxes, stoats, and other enemies, and hatch their
brood in safety.
The eggs number two ; sometimes three are
found, and occasionally only one. They are large
for the size of the bird and are beautifully coloured,
being of an olive green colour and spotted and
blotched with dark brown ; but the ground colour
and markings vary considerably. A very scanty
nest is constructed, usually a few pieces of dry
grass, while sometimes a hollow merely is scraped
by the hen, and the eggs deposited without any
attempt at nest-making.
NEST OF COMMON GULL.
ON THE EDGE CF A LOOHAN NEARLY 3.OOO FTET ASCV
n8 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
During the period of incubation the male bird
is constantly on the look-out and often may be
seen soaring about in the vicinity of the nest. Once,
from the top of a precipice, I was watching a pair
of Gulls on a tiny loch below, the hen sitting on
her nest on an islet and the cock flying about and
calling loudly in a most dissatisfied manner. I
was anxious to find out the cause of his discontent,
so lay perfectly quiet. Soon a herd of deer, which
had been grazing out of sight, came trotting con-
tentedly down to the edge of the loch, eager for the
cool water, for the day was very warm. Although it
was the month of June, large snow-fields were still
lying around the loch, and on these many deer,
both stags and hinds, were lying half asleep. As
the herd of deer entered the water, which at no
point was more than a few feet deep, the hen Gull
rose from the nest, and through my binoculars I
could clearly make out the two eggs although the
nest was fully half a mile away. Then both
birds sailed angrily around the deer, calling loudly,
" Kick, kieu, kieu, kieu," and evidently causing
the latter no little anxiety, as they very soon
left the water. One solitary individual, how-
ever, persisted in browsing at the edge of the
loch after his fellows had moved away. The
male Gull stood it for some time, but at length,
losing all patience, made an angry swoop at the
startled animal, which did not stop to argue, but
fled in a dazed way — whereupon the Gull settled
on a rock and visibly swelled with importance,
receiving the congratulations of his mate.
An added charm is afforded the ornithologist
who studies these interesting birds in their summer
haunts at these great heights ; his only com-
120 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
panions besides the Gulls being the beautiful
Ptarmigan and the lordly Golden Eagle, with
an occasional absurdly confiding Dotterel. The
view from these mountains is unsurpassed, and
on a clear day, from the " Loch of the Birds,"
the river Dee — here only a tiny stream — is seen
dashing down Brae Riach's giant precipice, a dis-
tance of perhaps twenty miles away.
I think that the Common Gull and the Golden
Eagle are on quite friendly terms with each other,
and even if an Eagle should take it into his head to
try to catch a Gull he would have a very difficult
task, as the Gull's soaring powers are nearly —
if not quite — as good as his own.
The male Gull is very pugnacious and will
attack anything that ventures near his nesting site.
At the hands of a colony of these birds a fox has
a very bad time, and, on one occasion I watched,
from a distance of over a mile, a Goosander swimming
and diving in the vicinity of a stone on which a
Gull was perched. I felt pretty sure that the latter
would not stand this long, and sure enough, when
the Goosander boldly swam close past the stone,
the Gull swooped at him in a fury and effectually
banished him from that part of the loch.
The young Gulls are hatched out by the latter
part of June, but some do not leave the shell till
July. They take to the Water almost immediately
they are hatched, and are very carefully looked
after by the parent birds. While the intruder is
yet a very long way off, one Gull is seen to leave the
loch and make for him with strong wing-beats.
Then another rises, and another, and the air is filled
with wailing cries as the Gulls rise in a body.
One day last July I visited the loch to try to
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 121
obtain some photographs of the young birds at
home. On a tiny loch, lying considerably higher
than that on which the main body nested, a pair
of Gulls had eggs earlier in the season ; but there
were no signs of life as I passed, so I concluded
that the young birds had left. Just after quitting
the lochan, however, I saw a Gull coming up to-
wards me as fast as he could fly and calling loudly.
He did not stop, but went straight up to the small
loch, where probably he had left the young for a
short time, and was now hastening back to see
if any harm had befallen them.
On arriving at the main loch I found one pair
of Gulls especially demonstrative, swooping at me
repeatedly, and then I noticed two tiny youngsters,
only an hour or so old, floating behind a large rock
in the centre of the loch, where they had evidently
been hatched. Although able to float perfectly,
they found it impossible to swim against the waves and
were gradually carried to the shore. As there was
little cover for them to hide in, I thought I was fairly
sure to get a successful photograph, but one hid so
effectually that I could find no trace of it, and, on the
wind dropping, the other made for the loch again. So,
as the parent birds were in a great state of anxiety,
I left them in peace. These were an exceptionally
late brood, as often by the third week in July there
is scarcely a Gull left on the loch ; but on this occasion
the spring had been very stormy. I noticed another
young bird in the water, but several weeks old,
and quite a strong swimmer.
Late in the nesting season, when the young
have learned to take care of themselves to
a certain extent, the adult Gulls sometimes leave
the loch for hours on end, and may be heard in
122 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
the quiet of the evening flying noisily up to their
nesting haunt.
The young birds when fully fledged are of a
dark brown colour, even darker than a Curlew,
and would certainly not be taken for Gulls by the
novice. For some weeks they remain in the valleys,
near where they were hatched ; but by the end of
August both young and old have left for the coast,
where they will remain until the voice of spring
calls them once more to the mountains.
THE BLACK-HEADED GULL
THE Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) is one
of the most numerous of our sea-birds, and is met
with abundantly in suitable localities through-
out the British Isles. Its chief nesting haunt is
Scoulton Mere, in Norfolk, where it congregates in
thousands during the nesting season, and where at
one time the surrounding farmers made a consider-
able sum by selling the eggs.
During the memorable winter of 1895, when
Kingfishers were found frozen fast on rails, the
Black-headed Gulls left their haunts by the sea-
coast and were driven inland by the almost com-
plete absence of food. On their way up the Thames
they were received in London with open arms,
many of the poorer inhabitants dividing their
scanty meal with the confiding sea-birds ; while
men made small fortunes by selling sprats to en-
thusiastic bird-lovers on the Thames Embankment.
Ever since then the Black-headed Gulls have visited
London regularly every autumn, and it is a very
pretty sight to see them catching on the wing the
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 123
fish thrown to them by the spectators. Besides
the river Thames, another favourite resort is St.
James's Park, where they mix with the wildfowl ;
and once, when the pond there had been dried, I
saw them busily engaged in catching small rain-
bow trout which had somehow escaped from a
pond in Buckingham Palace grounds.
Some of the Gulls have their summer plumage
by the beginning of February, but it is not until
a month later that the majority don their summer
dress. About the first week in March they leave the
sea coast for the inland bogs and lochs, where they
construct their nests, but stragglers may be seen
by the sea throughout the summer. These, how-
ever, are probably unpaired birds. The nests are
commenced about the second week of April, to-
wards the end of which month the first eggs are
deposited.
Should the first batch be harried, as is often
the case in spite of the Wild Birds Protection Act,
which is in force in most counties, the birds will
lay a second and even a third time ; and I have
often found freshly laid eggs towards the end of
June, by which time the earlier hatched-off birds
were quite strong on the wing. The nest is some-
times rather a bulky structure, at others merely a
slight depression lined with a few pieces of dead
grass and heather, and is almost invariably situated
in the vicinity of a swamp or loch.
The usual number of eggs is three. Four are
said to be occasionally laid, but I have never seen
a nest containing the latter number. They vary
greatly in colour and markings, at times being of
a very dark brown ground colour, with even darker
spots and blotches of the same shade ; at others
124 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
the ground colour is of a light yellow or green, and
the marks of a light brown. They also vary greatly
in size and shape, some being pear-shaped, re-
sembling those of the Green Plover, and others
almost as round as those of the tawny Owl.
It is noticeable that the old and experienced
birds choose for a nesting site those portions
of the swamp which are most difficult of access ;
whereas the young and inexperienced Gulls often
construct their nests where they are harried as
soon as a single egg has been deposited in them,
and this is continued until the mother birds are
compelled by sad experience to make their homes
in a less accessible position.
When the nesting site is approached, the Gulls
rise in a crowd while the intruder is yet a good dis-
tance away and circle round his head, uttering all the
while their harsh grating note, not so very unlike
the " Craw " of the Hoodie Crow. Sometimes a
parent bird more zealous than usual will swoop at
the intruder's head ; but generally he loses courage
before he has actually struck the object of his
anger. The Black-headed Gull rarely attacks if
you are facing him, and it is amusing to wheel
sharply round and note how suddenly he shoots
upward as you turn your face towards him.
It is a very regrettable fact that within recent
years gamekeepers have laboured under the de-
lusion that the Black-headed Gull steals the eggs
of the Grouse and other game-birds dear to the
preserver's heart, and so, in open defiance of the Wild
Birds Protection Act, which renders it illegal to
kill this bird during the nesting season, they
destroy numbers both by shot and poison.
I know personally of several swamps, that
.NEST AND EGGS OF THE BLACK-HEADED GULL.
126 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
a year or two ago were tenanted by prosperous
colonies of Gulls, from which every bird has
been driven. With pathetic love for their old
homes they return each spring, in ever-decreasing
numbers, only to be ruthlessly destroyed by the
keeper's gun and their corpses left floating among
the peat and rushes.
Some years ago I was grieved to find on a moss,
where the year before they had nested in peace
and security, a solitary Gull rendered quite helpless
by a broken wing, the result of a keeper's misplaced
zeal. I carried it home under the focussing cloth
of my camera and a friend succeeded in keeping it
for a considerable period, during which it became
quite tame. One day, however, it escaped and
was never seen or heard of since.
As far as I am aware there is not the slightest proof
that the Black-headed Gull purloins the eggs of
game-birds ; and I believe the reason of the war
waged against it by certain keepers is the result
of confusing this species with that of the Common
Gull, which certainly does at times carry off the
eggs of the Ptarmigan.
In one instance that I know of, there were
several " Gulleries " on a marshy tract of moorland
within a few miles of each other. Owing to the
constant persecution of several keepers, however,
the Gulls were driven from all their haunts with
the exception of one. This latter, always a favour-
ite resort, was thereupon invaded by all the birds
which had been driven from their erstwhile re-
treats, until thousands of Gulls were nesting in
the swamp. The wrath of the keepers knew no
bounds, but luckily the proprietor of the moor
was an enthusiastic bird-lover and forbade the
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 127
keepers to shoot the Gulls on his property. They
then asked and obtained leave to " scare " the birds
awav, but after their visit I discovered at least
YOUNG BLACK-HEADED GULLS IN THE NEST.
half a dozen Gulls lying dead at different points
in the moss.
At times the Black-headed Gull chooses for a
nesting site a bog in close proximity to a public
highway, and I have often clearly discerned the
birds brooding while cycling along the road. On
calm days they may be seen skimming the surface
128 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
of some mountain loch in search of insects. At
one loch they almost continuously haunt the
A HAUNT OF THE BLACK-HEADED GULL.
locality where the burn flows from the loch,
and I think the explanation is that they are fish-
ing for the shoals of minnows which are often to
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 129
be seen around this spot. They are very pugnacious,
and I have seen several of them mobbing a sedate
old Heron which had unwarily wandered over their
nesting grounds and which flew from its small
adversaries in evident alarm.
During the nesting season the male birds go
long distances from their usual haunts, to return
at sunset, and very beautiful they look as they
wend their way westwards, with the setting sun
tinging their breasts and wings with pink. The
majority of the young birds are strong on the wing
by the latter part of June, at which time the journey
to the sea coast is begun. On their way down, the
birds remain in the neighbourhood of villages for
considerable periods, and a splendid chance is
afforded the ornithologist of making photographic
studies of them if the trouble is taken to throw
out food ; as almost instantaneously hundreds of gulls
congregate and devour whole platefuls of fat, bread,
etc., in a remarkably short space of time.
The Gulls at this time have begun to lose their
breeding plumage, and patches of white may be
noticed on their black heads ; indeed, it is hard
to believe that the birds of this year are of the same
species as their parents, as the former have very little
white on them and their feathers are almost all of a
dirty brown colour. Ah1 through July the Gulls gradu-
ally dwindle in numbers, until by the end of the
month hardly any except young birds are to be met
with at a distance from the sea coast, although
they may be seen haunting the estuaries of rivers.
I would appeal for the better protection
of this beautiful little Sea-Gull, as, taken all
over, it does a great deal more good than harm.
Its chief food in spring is the grub so injurious
j
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 131
to the tender shoots of the corn ; and dozens of
birds may be seen ranging a field for the grubs,
every now and again dropping suddenly down upon
one of these insects. Last June, when many fields
of oats were badly damaged by grub, I remember
congratulating a farmer whose land was in the vicinity
of a large " Gullery " on the excellence of his oat
crop. His reply was : " O, aye ; but ye see them
white beasts eats up a' the grubs." At first I
could not imagine what he meant, but discovered
that " them white beasts " was his name for the
Black-headed Gulls.
THE GREY CROW
FEW birds are more persecuted than the Grey or
Hoodie Crow. This persecution is abundantly justi-
fied when there is the least game preserving, as the
Hoodie is perhaps the worst culprit so far as the
stealing of Pheasants' and Partridges' eggs is con-
cerned.
I have noticed, however, that they are much
less ready to purloin coloured eggs — such as those
of the Grouse and Lapwing — than eggs which are
of a uniform brown colour, as those of the Mallard
or Pheasant.
This spring I discovered a Teal Duck's nest
amongst some coarse grass, and, when the hen
left the nest, was much surprised to see the drake
rise from close beside her, when they both flew off
together. The nest contained only four eggs, and
there were several sucked eggs in the vicinity, so
that probably a Hoodie was the culprit, and the
drake was stationed on guard to beat off the intruder.
132 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
When driven from their haunts, the Hoodies
often make their home in the vicinity of a large town
where, of course, there is no game preserving, and
here they sometimes nest in numbers in the tall
trees in the parks. The nests are often harried, but
the Crows seem to prefer losing their eggs to being
themselves shot.
This spring a pair of Grey Crows built a nest
on the top of a high spruce tree within the
grounds of a suburban residence where the sitting
hen had a commanding view on all sides. I first
saw her carrying up nesting materials on March
23rd. Then for some time nothing was done to the
nest, and I had begun to think they had forsaken
it, when they went at the work with renewed
energy and soon had the nest finished. The eggs
were laid about the middle of April, but never
hatched out.
The hen was very shy, and if you looked at
the nest through your field glasses at some
distance off, she immediately flew away. She
used to fly to a neighbouring tree and perch
on the topmost branch, where she remained
for hours. Gradually, when she saw that no
one came near the nest, she grew bolder and
would sit quite close ; but by this time the eggs
had been rendered unfertile owing to her prolonged
absences, and after sitting for about a month she
deserted in disgust. For over a month after-
wards the birds were still frequenting the grounds,
so that possibly they had thoughts of nesting a
second time, though this, I believe, is very unusual
with the Crow family.
The nest was a large structure, and the eggs
numbered six. The strange thing was that
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 133
although the nest was within 30 yards of a
main road, along which electric cars were passing
every few minutes, the sitting bird was quite
indifferent to them. Whenever I mentioned to
keepers that there was a Grey Crow's nest in the
grounds, they almost invariably said : "Of course
you've poisoned them ? " and were very indignant
when I replied in the negative.
Some ornithologists state that the Grey and
Carrion Crow are not two distinct species. In
Aberdeenshire, at all events, they not infrequently
interbreed, and in the above-mentioned instance
the hen bird was a Grey Crow, while the cock was
a Carrion.
In the large deer forests of the Highlands, the
Grey Crows still live in comparative security, as
they prove very useful in eating up the entrails
of the deer which are shot. Keepers have told me
that immediately a rifle is fired in the forest the
Grey Crows approach on every side, so as to be
in time for the impending feast. , Should a wounded
deer die on the hills, the carcase is soon eaten by
the Hoodies.
The Grey Crow is a fearless bird, and although
always making off when pursued by a bird with
young, he will not hesitate to attack any bird when,
in turn, his own nest is in danger ; and I have seen
one hotly pursuing a Golden Eagle, which was
making off as fast as possible.
The Golden Eagle seems to dislike attacking
the Hoodie, and I have know Golden Eagles in
captivity refuse to eat young Grey Crows. During
winter the Grey Crow feeds principally on refuse
round the coast, but in the spring he is a deadly
enemy to a feeble sheep or new-born lamb. If he
134 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
is fortunate enough to come upon one of these, his
chief aim is to pick out their eyes, which are
specially palatable to his taste.
Should a Hoodie find a Grouse or Pheasant
sitting on her nest, he waits patiently in the vicinity
till the unsuspecting victim leaves her eggs in search
of food, when the Crow immediately flies to the
spot and steals as many eggs as he has time.
Sometimes the Grouse surprises him in the act
and manages to drive him away, but this is seldom
the case.
However, it is but rarely that he manages to steal
the eggs of the Lapwing, as one or other of these birds
is always on guard ; and whenever the Hoodie —
or any species of the Crow family, for that matter —
makes his appearance, he is immediately driven
off by the angry rushes and swoops of the enraged
Lapwings. These latter will attack almost any
bird straying near their eggs or young ; and I have
seen a large number of them swooping furiously
at an old ccck Pheasant, which ducked and rushed
about as if he had quite lost his head.
Some time ago I was visiting a very large colony
of the Common and Lesser Tern, when suddenly I
became aware of a tremendous uproar and saw
that a Crow had wandered over the nesting grounds.
Hundreds of infuriated Terns were swooping and
pecking at him, and he was flying from the danger
zone as fast as ever he could.
On the whole, I think that as regards the Grey
Crow there is very little decrease in Scotland, as it
nests in safety all along the coast and also in
most of the deer forests, although banished from
almost every estate where game preserving is
practised.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 135
THE WATER OUSEL OR DIPPER
EVERY river and nearly every highland stream is
haunted by this charming little bird ; and as he
rises at your feet and skims along the surface of the
water uttering his cheery note, " Tzeet, tzeet," he
presents a very pretty picture. No moor-
land is too wild, no height too great for the Dipper :
he will be found haunting streams almost at
sea-level, while at a height of 3,000 feet, where
the mountain silence is broken only by the occa-
sional croak of the Ptarmigan, the Water Ousel
suddenly rises from the source of some moorland
burn and flies rapidly off.
Although the Dipper's call note is to be heard
any day, his song is comparatively rarely used,
but is of extraordinary sweetness, resembling to
a certain extent that of the Wren, but being much
purer and more liquid than that of the latter bird.
What gives it an added charm is the fact that it
is uttered all through the winter months, when
other birds are silent. Sometimes the Ousel sings
on the wing as he wends his way rapidly above the
stream, but his favourite spot when singing is a
large stone standing out into the stream. His song
appears sometimes to be used for the purpose of
calling his mate to his side.
During the winter, when the weather is
severe and the moorland burns are to a great extent
snow-bound, the Ousels may often be seen on the
rivers near their estuaries, where I have noted quite
a number " working " the river together — a state
of affairs which would not be tolerated during the
nesting season, when each pair of birds has a
136 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
certain portion of the stream as their beat and
trespassing Dippers are very soon driven off by
the rightful owners.
The Water Ousel is perhaps as early a nester as
any bird of the highlands, and early last spring I
watched for some time a pair constructing their
NEST OF WATER OUSEL.
marvellous dome-shaped nest on the foundation-
stone of an old disused bridge, about a foot above
the burn. Both birds were busy carrying materials
for the nest, and it was a charming sight when
they arrived together, the cock singing a few
snatches of song to his mate to cheer her on her
labours. The morning was very fine, but towards
noon heavy snow-clouds came down from the west,
and soon a dense snowfall commenced, the flakes
being of exceptional size. I wondered what the
NESTING SITE OF THE WATER OUSEL.
138 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
Dippers thought of the storm and whether they
imagined they had made a premature start in
house-building.
Three weeks later the nest was finished and
one egg laid, but when the young birds should have
been nearly ready to leave the nest, a tremendous
storm of snow and rain swept down from the north,
and the burn rose rapidly until it lifted the
nest from its foundations and bore it seawards
in its current. The last I saw of the nest was just
before it was washed away, but there were no signs
of the old birds ; so perhaps they had succeeded in
getting their brood to a place of safety. Let us
hope so, at all events.
The Dipper usually lays five eggs of a pure white
colour, but when fresh, the yolk shining through
gives them a pink tinge. They are rather elongated,
and are very similar in shape and colour to those
of the Swift, although, of course, the nesting site
is totally different. The mother bird sits very
close, and often the first intimation you have of
the nest being occupied is when your hand touches
the brooding hen inside.
The Dippers seem to take longer to rear their
family than most birds of their own size, and six
weeks after the eggs are laid the young may still
be in the nest. Sometimes, when you have
inserted your hand to feel how the young inside
are progressing, the young birds pop out one
after another directly it is withdrawn, and jump
into the stream below, chirping loudly and swim-
ming off in all directions. Then the parent birds
immediately make their appearance and with loud
cries of alarm endeavour to collect their scattered
family.
HOME OF THE WATER OUSEL.
140 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
A very favourite nesting site is in the niches
of a rock behind a small waterfall, the bird entering
at the side, where the rush of water is almost absent ;
sometimes, however, the parent bird has to fly
right through the fall. Often, the nest is con-
structed under the arch of a bridge where a stone
has fallen out, and sometimes on a stone in mid-
stream. In one of Mr. Kearton's charming books
is a photograph of a nest in a tree about 10 feet
above the level of the stream.
The nest is a large domed structure, with a
small entrance hole near the bottom, and this hole
is usually so small that it is almost impossible to
feel the eggs inside without enlarging it somewhat.
The usual nesting materials are moss and leaves,
and these are put together with such marvellous skill
that, although the water is often dripping continu-
ously on the nest, the inside is always perfectly dry.
The Dipper has often been accused — wrongly
so, I think — of feeding on the spawn of trout and
salmon in the bed of the stream. Although it is
true the Water Ousel spends most of his time in
feeding below the surface of the water, still I think
his food consists chiefly of the insects which have
their home in the bed of the stream. It is also said
that fish bones are found round the nest, but that
has never been the case in my experience.
When the frost is intense and the stream on
each side is frozen over, the centre only remaining
open, it is very interesting to watch the Dipper
feeding. Standing on the ice's edge, he constantly
dives into the stream, reappearing each time a yard
or so further down, and when his hunger has been
satisfied he preens his feathers contentedly in the
frosty sun.
142 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
As a result of nesting so early, the Ousel some-
times has his nest destroyed by the snow, and in one
case that came under my observation the unfortunate
birds had their home covered with a snow wreath
many feet deep, and when this had melted
their nest had vanished. The birds will return to
the same nesting place year after year, but this
particular pair have not returned to the spot
since the snow destroyed their nest.
I have seen a Dipper disappear into the ground
when flushed from a stream, the explanation being
that, a short distance further up, the stream went
under ground and was lost to view, the bird likewise
disappearing and following the course of the stream.
I have found the Water Ousel at the pools of
Dee, between Brae Riach and Ben Muich Dhui, at the
boundaries of the counties of Inverness and Aberdeen,
where even the Grouse were left below and his only
companions were the lordly Golden Eagle and the
snow-white Ptarmigan.
Once I found in the month of May a Dipper's
nest with half-grown young. On returning to the
place some time later, I was very much astonished
to find that a Spotted Flycatcher had built her nest
on the top of the Dipper's, probably after the latter's
brood had left, and had reared her young in this
unique situation.
THE RING OUSEL
THE Ring Ousel, or Mountain Blackbird, is one
of the sweetest songsters of the mountains, and
his song, though to a certain extent resembling
that of his near relative the Blackbird, has a far
NEST OF WATER OUSEL, WITH SPOTTED FLYCATCHER'S NEST AND
EGG ON THE TOP.
144 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
greater wildness in its long-drawn, plaintive notes,
as the bird pours it forth from the higher
branches of some hardy larch or mountain ash far
up on the lonely hillside. Does it not seem strange
that, although our Blackbirds remain with us the
whole year through, and never — or at least
rarely — venture on the drear moorland wastes
where the Ring Ousels nest, the latter, while
scorning civilisation so long as they are with
us, are unable to face the winter and migrate
to summer climes ?
When April, with its soft winds from the south-
west, has at length dispelled the winter's snows
from off the moorlands, and the birches of the
upland glens have begun to put forth their leaves,
diffusing a sweet aroma all round, then the
Mountain Blackbirds commence to arrive at the
nesting sites they love so well, and where probably
they themselves first saw the light, while the moor-
lands seem all the more joyous for their presence.
Sometimes, however, they reach the uplands
before winter is really over, and on one occasion
were everywhere to be seen on the mountains
on April 3rd, a day of summer warmth and sun-
shine ; while two days afterwards all nature was
covered by half-a-foot of snow. Although some
of the less robust birds probably perish during
storms such as these, still the majority somehow
manage to hold out until spring once more asserts
itself.
The Ring Ousels are the first of our
summer visitors to begin nesting operations, the
nest being commenced during the latter part of
April ; full clutches of eggs are generally found
by the first week in May. The number of eggs is
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 145
usually four, but often three only are laid, and
occasionally only two. They very often are in-
distinguishable from those of the Blackbird, but
as a rule are less thickly marked, and with larger
spots and blotches than those of the latter bird,
while the eggs are often more circular in shape.
RING OUSEL'S NEST AND EGGS.
A favourite nesting site is on a hillside where
juniper bushes grow in abundance; for the birds
love to nest under the shelter, and the eggs are
often so artfully concealed that it is impossible
to see them until the bushes have been parted.
The birds seem to prefer to be near a stream
whenever possible. The nest is very similar to
that of the Blackbird ; only, as it is placed on the
ground, it is rather less substantially built. Another
favourite spot is a wild mountain ravine, and
here the birds often construct their nests on the
146 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
ledges of the cliffs. They nest usually in small
colonies, but are very local in their haunts,
and one may walk for miles on some of the
moorlands without seeing a single one of the
species.
The hen bird at times is a very close sitter,
at other times she leaves her nest while the in-
truder is still far off and in these cases her secret
is difficult to find. She is very demonstrative,
and shows the greatest anxiety while her nest
is in danger, flying uneasily round the intruder
and using her alarm note, an oft-repeated
"Chack, chack, chack." The period of incubation
is a fortnight, and the young birds are hatched
out about the middle of May. They are fed
most assiduously by both the parent birds, and
by the end of another fortnight are able to leave
the nest.
A second brood is rarely reared, but as late
as June 22nd I have found a nest containing
small young, these in all probability being a second
clutch.
During the first week of last May I discovered
a Ring Ousel's nest containing four eggs, well
hidden under a thick juniper bush. The bird was
sitting hard, and had evidently been brooding for
a day or so at least. Ten days later a snowstorm
of unparalleled severity for the time of year came
on suddenly, and, being driven by a northerly gale,
soon formed deep wreaths everywhere. A day or
two later I visited the Ring Ousel's nesting site
and was sorry to find a snow drift many feet deep
covering the nest, which, of course, was completely
buried. It was pathetic indeed to see the birds
flitting disconsolately round their erstwhile home
148 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
and seemingly feeling their loss deeply. The nest
remained thus covered for quite a week on end,
but by that time the birds had probably forgotten
their cares and were looking out for a new nesting
site.
When their nesting season is over, the birds,
young and old, form into small parties, and may
often be seen frequenting the high grounds of the
mountains.
The call notes of the cock and hen are very
similar, but that of the male bird is louder and
sharper and uttered more repeatedly when danger
threatens.
The Ring Ousels seem very loth to leave their
summer haunts, and it is not until the chill winds of
October remind them of the near approach of
winter that they leave for the South. On their
journey they often alight in all varieties of strange
places, but they may always be distinguished from
the common Blackbirds by the snow-white crescent
on their necks, as well as by their more subdued
call notes.
As showing the harmlessness of the Kestrel
where bird life is concerned, a very favourite nest-
ing haunt of the Ring Ousels is a rocky ravine less
than half a mile long, and here the Mountain Black-
birds nest within a stone's- throw of a Kestrel's
nesting hollow. They seem to have no fear of the
little Hawk, which on its part never molests them
in the slightest, but confines its attentions to mice
and field voles, with the down of which its nest
is thickly covered.
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 149
THE BULLFINCH
THE Bullfinch is one of the most confiding of our
smaller birds and offers a splendid opportunity
for the naturalist photographer. It seems to
prefer the more uncultivated districts for a nest-
ing site, and I have often seen it near a Golden
Eagle's eyrie, where, strange to say, many of our
song-birds — such as the Redstart, Chaffinch, and,
more numerous than any, the cheery little Coal
Tit — are met with in large numbers. The
" King of Birds " apparently disdains such small
quarry, and a keeper who lives near an eyrie tells
me that they do incalculable damage to his fruit.
The Bullfinch is very local in its habits, and
seems to prefer a district rich in birch trees, the
catkins of which form the chief food of the
young birds.
The series of photographs which illustrate this
chapter was obtained last summer under the most
favourable conditions. The nest was built in a
small spruce tree at a height of about four feet
from the ground, and the hen began to sit on May 3ist.
About a week later I made my first attempt
at photographing the bird, which, as incubation
advanced, became exceptionally tame, even for so
confiding a bird as the Bullfinch. At- last she
would allow me to stroke her on the nest and
took not the slightest notice of the camera.
Once when, photographing her on the nest, the
cock bird began to call gently for her. She list-
ened intently and then, giving an answering cry,
left the nest and joined him to be fed. The young
ones were not hatched until June i6th, and I had
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 151
begun to fear that the eggs might prove unfertile.
However, three of the five eggs hatched out, the
other two having stuck together in some way.
Both cock and hen came to the nest together, but
the cock seemed to do most of the actual feeding,
the hen looking on admiringly. I was able to
secure a very good photograph of the cock feeding
the young. He is alone at the nest, as he usually
arrived a short time before his mate.
Three or four days after the hatching of the
young I again rigged up my camera and waited
patiently. This time the hen came alone all the
afternoon, and for two or three days there was no
sign of the cock, so I supposed he had been trapped.
One afternoon, however, after the hen had come
to the nest several times alone as usual, a cock
bird began to call from the top of a neighbouring
birch tree, and continued for about ten minutes,
at the end of which he was joined by the hen.
I doubt, however, whether he was the original
husband, as he never came near the nest and only
accompanied the hen for food occasionally, alto-
gether behaving quite differently from what he had
previously done if he was the original mate.
One afternoon I timed the hen's visits to the
nest. Her first visit during my watch was at
2.35, the second 2.55, the third 3.10, the fourth
3.25, the fifth 4 o'clock, and the sixth 4.25. The
young always welcomed her with great signs of
joy, and the strongest seemed to get most food, as
the more feeble were practically swamped by the
stronger. The young left the nest on July 3rd,
having taken quite seventeen days to become
fully fledged, which is, I think, somewhat longer
than usual.
BULLFINCH BROODING
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 153
Towards the end, I used to feed the hen with
hemp seed, and she was so confiding that she would
actually take it from my lips and would perch on
my hand without the least sign of fear. She was
COCK BULLFINCH FEEDING YOUNG.
very clever at shelling the seeds, and after shelling
about a dozen would feed her young with them ;
but she seemed to know that too much hemp seed
was not good, as she would only take a certain
quantity, and then fly off to look for birch
catkins. When the mother bird was feeding from
154 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
my hand, the young did not mind my presence,
but directly she left they showed signs of great
alarm, especially when they had reached the age
of nearly a fortnight.
I was very unlucky in my efforts to picture
the hen Bullfinch at the nest. Nearly every after-
noon I watched the nest for hours on end, but the
HEN BULLFINCH FEEDING YOUNG.
sun had a nasty trick of shining brilliantly as
long as the bird was away, and whenever she came
back it would disappear behind a cloud, in the
most exasperating manner.
In the vicinity a Meadow Pipit and a Willow
Wren were busy feeding their young ones, and
never seemed to understand the Bullfinch's con-
fidence. Although their nests were some distance
away, they kept hovering about in great anxiety,
even when the Bullfinch was feeding fearlessly from
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 155
my hand. After feeding the young, the mother
bird used to gaze at the nest for a few moments
and then attend to its sanitary arrangements.
I hoped to see the young birds after they had
FULLY FLEDGED YOUNG BULLFINCHES IN NEST
left the nest, but in this I was disappointed. The
call of the hen was of exceptional sweetness, and
was uttered in a higher key than that of the cock
bird. The Bullfinch is a very late nester, and this
particular pair reared a second brood, which did
not leave the nest till late in August.
156 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
THE MEADOW PIPIT
THE Meadow Pipit — or, as it is commonly named,
the Heather Lintie — is one of the most abundantly
distributed birds on the mountains, and on almost
every moor its shrill note may be heard.
Although resident in this country throughout
the year, they do not remain on the higher grounds
through the winter months, but seek more sheltered
quarters near the coast. At the earliest sign of
spring, however, they return to the moorlands
and there remain till late autumn. During the
winter they are mostly in flocks, but very soon
after their return to the high grounds they break
up and form into pairs.
About the commencement of May the nest is
constructed, and although the usual situation is
amongst the long heather, all kinds of sites are
made use of — under whin bushes, in banks, small
rabbit scrapes, and all kinds of unlikely spots.
The nest is a very neat little structure made of
heather and grass shoots, and lined with thin, dry
grass blades. Here four or five eggs are laid, of
a dark brown colour, and thickly blotched and
speckled with dark brown. They vary very much,
however, and are sometimes more grey than brown.
The period of incubation is about a fortnight,
or slightly under, and the hen, when the eggs
are hard set, is a very close sitter, and when
disturbed half flies, half runs, from the nest as
though wounded. Often after a few yards she runs,
or even walks, constantly looking back to see what
is happening to her nest.
This bird is victimised more than any by the
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 157
Cuckoo, and probably the reason for this is that
the latter bird is often very plentiful on the moors,
and the Heather Lintie is the most common of
the small moorland-nesting birds. It has been
proved that the Cuckoo does not invariably
MEADOW PIPIT'S NEST WITH CUCKOO'S EGG.
lay her egg in the nest of her victim, as in one
instance a Meadow Pipit's nest was found under
a rock in such a position that a cuckoo could not
possibly have got in to lay her egg, but must have
deposited it outside and then placed it inside with
her bill. Probably this is more often the case
than is generally supposed, as Cuckoos have been
158 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
shot with eggs in their bills. An extraordinary
thing, when the size of the bird is taken into con-
sideration, is the smallness of the Cuckoo's egg.
When laid in a Meadow Pipit's nest, it can scarcely
be distinguished from those of the rightful owner,
so alike are they in size and markings.
Last June I came upon a Heather Lintie's nest
containing four lawful eggs and one Cuckoo's. I
half thought of taking the one laid by the Cuckoo,
but in the end left it to be hatched out. A fort-
night later on I found the young Cuckoo, only a
day or so old ; but even by that time he had pitched
out the rightful occupants of the nest, which were
lying stark and stiff within an inch or two of
their rightful dwelling, while the ugly black little
villain was in sole possession. Even at that early
period of his life he strongly resented my taking
him up to look at him, opening his bill wide with
rage.
As the Cuckoo is so very young when it throws
out the other occupants of the nest, it is probably
due to instinct, and not to premeditated wickedness,
that it treats its fellow-nestlings so callously. But
perhaps the strangest thing of all is the indifference
of the parent birds to the fate of their offspring ;
for they will not make the slightest attempt to
replace their young in the nest when they have
been thrown out, but will devote their whole atten-
tion to the alien, while their own children slowly
perish outside.
This at first sight seems to be a terrible state of
affairs, but it is really only the wonderful provision
of nature ; for if the foster parents had their own
brood to feed as well as the Cuckoo, the food they
provided would not be sufficient for all, as it takes
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 159
them all their time to feed the Cuckoo alone when
it is nearly ready for leaving the nest.
Why, then, it may be asked, do not the Cuckoos
rear their broods themselves as their foreign
YOUNG CUCKOO — DISDAINING THE PHOTOGRAPHER.
relatives do, and as they themselves undoubtedly
did at one time ? To this question I fear there
can be no satisfactory answer. Sometimes, how-
ever, the Cuckoo lays her egg in the wrong nest,
and instances are on record of an egg being laid in
a Carrion Crow's nest, and (when the young birds
i6o BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
were hatched out) of the Cuckoo being killed, either
intentionally or not, and thrown out of the nest.
This particular young Cuckoo to which I have
referred as throwing out his companions, pro-
CUCKOO IN MEADOW PIPIT'S NEST— A TIGHT SQUEEZE.
spered exceedingly, and about three weeks later
had grown to such an extent that the nest would
not comfortably hold him, and he was huddled
up in a very cramped position. When I took him
out of the nest and placed him on the grass in order
to take his photograph, he resented it very strongly
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 161
and made lunges at my hand whenever I put it near
him. He threw his wings apart and opened his beak
wide in his attempt to overawe me. All the time
the poor foster-parents kept calling near by in a
FULLY FLEDGED YOUNG CUCKOO RESENTING INTRUSION.
great state of anxiety, holding in their beaks choice
morsels for their foster-child.
In one case, a young Cuckoo was so fierce that it
used to leave its nest and run after anyone ventur-
ing to disturb it, and when it thought it had scared
the intruder off went calmlv back to its nest.
162 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
The young Cuckoo heaves its companions out
of the nest by getting underneath them and lifting
them on to its shoulders, and then flings them out
to perish miserably. When the Cuckoo is fully
fledged and has left the nest, the foster-parents
continue feeding it for some little time until it
is fully able to take care of itself.
Occasionally, two Cuckoo's eggs are found in a
Meadow Pipit's nest, but this is very rarely the
case.
The Heather Lintie's call note is an oft-repeated
" Zizick, zizick," or " Sphink, sphink." The male
has a song very like his near relative the Tree Pipit.
Flying up to a good height, he descends precipitately
to the ground, meanwhile uttering his song, but the
notes he uses on his ascent are different from those
during the downward flight.
The first brood are able to look after themselves
by the month of June, when the majority of the
parent birds start housekeeping afresh, and I have
seen newly-hatched young as late as the middle
of July. The Linties are very anxious when
any danger threatens their young, and fly rest-
lessly around the intruder with their bills full of
food, calling incessantly.
It is interesting to notice that the fact
of their having food in their mouth in no way
interferes with their call notes. They feed the
young principally on insects, daddy-longlegs being
a very favourite morsel, and the long legs may be
seen sticking out of the captor's mouth.
Even as late as August an occasional Meadow
Pipit will be seen collecting food for her brood,
but by this month the majority of the birds have
finished their nesting cares. Until late October, or
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 163
even November, however, they linger at the nesting
haunts as if they would prefer to remain always
on the uplands, if there were a sufficient supply
of food.
THE WILLOW WARBLER
THIS beautiful little songster is almost everywhere
to be found throughout the Highlands. In the
dark pine forests, amongst the slender birches, and
on the open moorlands, his pathetically sweet
song is heard as he flits from branch to branch
in quest of food ; and when the cold winds of- early
autumn have driven him south, the wood-
lands and moors seem indeed deserted.
The first of the Willow Wrens arrives, should
the spring be favourable, about the first week in
April, but in some seasons I have not heard their
song until the first of May. Some years ago
we experienced a heavy fall of snow about
May 7th, after a fine, mild April, and the Willow
Warbler's notes seemed strangely out of place as
he flitted about amongst the snow-covered birches.
The birds usually arrive in considerable num-
bers— that is to say, their song is heard in widely
separate districts about the same time. When they
first reach us their song is very soft and low ; but
after two or three days' rest they regain their true
form, and on all sides their sweet undulating song
is borne on the wind.
For a month or so after arriving they seem to
take little thought of domestic duties, and it is
not until well on in May that the earliest nesting
birds begin to make their nests. Both cock and
164 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
hen help in the work, and very charming it is to
watch them flitting to and fro, bringing nesting
materials for their home.
By the first days of June the eggs are usually
laid and incubation commenced. The eggs number
from four to seven, occasionally more. They closely
resemble those of the Common or Brown Wren,
being of a white ground colour and spotted with a
beautiful rich red. The spots usually are more
numerous at the larger end, but sometimes are
distributed equally all over. When freshly laid,
the yolk, shining through the shell, gives the latter
a delicate pink tinge.
The nest is marvellously constructed, being
domed, with a side entrance, and lined with feathers,
which form a warm and soft bed for the eggs to
lie on. The outside of the nest is composed princi-
pally of dried grass with an occasional sprig of
withered heather. The nest is so well hidden that
even after marking the exact spot it is difficult
to locate, and often the eggs are trampled on by
unwary gardeners and keepers.
The hen bird sits very closely, and when flushed
flits noiselessly away, but almost immediately re-
turns, showing the greatest signs of anxiety as she
hovers round the intruder, uttering her plaintive
alarm note, " Whoo-ee, whoo-ee." This soon brings
her mate to her side, and they both hover rest-
lessly round.
1 The period of incubation is about fourteen days,
and the young, when first hatched, are very help-
less little things, with eyes shut and bodies almost
naked. A fortnight's careful feeding by the parent
birds works wonders, however, and by the end of
that time the young ones leave the nest and are
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 165
shown the ways of the bird-world by their father
and mother.
When the young are safely hatched out,
the parent birds have a very busy time,
THE WILLOW WARBLER'S SUMMER HAUNT.
and from three in the morning until nine at night
are constantly feeding their offspring. Every two
or three minutes either the father or mother enters
the nest with caterpillars or green fly for the hungry
youngsters, whose eager cries for more can plainly
be heard.
166 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
One never sees a Willow Warbler idle ; he is
always on the move, flitting from bough to bough
and eagerly examining the under part of each leaf
for the succulent green fly of which he is very fond.
In fact, I have repeatedly seen Willow Warblers
engaged in eating the green fly from sickly rose
trees and producing quite an appreciable effect on
the plants.
The Willow Wrens rear only one brood during
a season, and after the beginning of July gradually
become silent for about a month during their
moult. Early in August, however, their song is
recommenced, and during last summer they con-
tinued in full song throughout August, although
after the nesting season is over the song is
usually uttered only occasionally. The notes are
begun in a high key, and gradually descend
lower and lower, but often rise again just
before the close of the song. The bird does not
need to be still while he sings, but pours forth his
sweet music while busily hunting for food, without
even pausing in his search.
Though the nest is usually placed on the
ground, amidst the long grass or heather, it is
occasionally found in a tree at a distance of 10 feet
or even more above the ground, while the photo-
graph of the nest here reproduced was situated in
the mouth of a rabbit scraping. The nest, however,
was unfortunately destroyed before the young were
fledged. Occasionally the Cuckoo victimises the
Willow Wren, but this is rarely the .case compared
with the Meadow Pipit.
To ascertain the hour of the morning at which the
Willow Warbler commences his song, as compared
with other birds, I noted the time when various
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 167
birds commenced their song on the morning of June
2ist last summer. These were: — Blackbird, 1.50 a.m.
Thrush, 1.51 ; Robin, 2.7 ; Yellow Hammer, 2.19
Willow Warbler, 2.24 ; Wren, 2.48 ; Chaffinch, 3.1
and Hedge Sparrow and Greenfinch both at 3.17.
It will thus be seen that the Willow Warbler,
WILLOW WARBLER'S NEST IN RABBIT SCRAPING.
though not so early as the Thrush or Blackbird,
easily beats the Chaffinch or Greenfinch. In the
quiet June evenings the Willow WTarbler is in song
till shortly after nine, while the Thrush and Black-
bird do not retire to roost till about an hour later.
The alarm cry of the Willow Wren has an extra-
ordinary sadness and appeal, and he must be hard-
hearted indeed who destroys the nest while the
parent birds are pathetically begging him to spare
their treasure.
168 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
Towards the end of September the cold winds
telling of autumn warn these delicate little summer
visitors that they must be moving South, and by
the end of the month they all have departed for
sunnier climes, till the voice of spring once
more calls them North.
THE PEREGRINE FALCON
IT is a most regrettable fact that the noble Peregrine
is fast decreasing as a nesting species in this country.
This is due to a great extent to the constant warfare
waged against it by nearly all gamekeepers, many
of them acting under orders from their masters, who
are ready to sacrifice the Peregrine for the sake of
a few additional Grouse on the Twelfth.
In one Scottish county, where the ground is emin-
ently suited for them, I have heard of only two pairs
attempting to nest during recent years— sad to say,
with little success. In one instance a keeper
boasted of killing a Peregrine on the wing with a
rifle, though he had absolutely no excuse for this
contravention of the Wild Birds Protection Act, as
the birds were nesting in a deer forest, where they
are of great use to the sportsman by keeping down
the numbers of Grouse.
This year I visited, on April 24th, a rock
some forty feet high on the summit of a
mountain, where the birds usually attempt to
nest. The rock stands nearly 2,000 feet above sea-
level and commands a wide outlook, especially
eastwards, where a splendid view is obtained of
the North Sea some twenty miles distant. On the
west side the rock is quite insignificant, and, in fact,
THE AUTHOR AT
E PEREGRINE FALCON.
170 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
is not much more than a grassy slope, but the
east face is almost perpendicular ; and, on rounding
the rock, sure enough the Peregrine sailed out from
a ledge some 20 feet up and circled round,
calling repeatedly. Her note closely resembled that
of the Sparrow Hawk, but was not quite so clear
and ringing as the call of the latter bird.
I succeeded in gaining the nesting ledge after
rather a risk}' climb up the face of the rock, and was
rewarded by finding five eggs lying in a slight depres-
sion scraped in the earth. There was absolutely no
attempt at nest-making, but a few bones of Grouse-
captured during the preceding season — lay in the
hollow and one or two feathers from the parent bird.
The eggs were very similar to those of the Kestrel in
colour, but were larger in size, and a clutch of five
is, I believe, a very rare occurrence. On the way
up the hill we were struck by the great number
of Grouse which rose in front of us, and from
this surmised that the Peregrine could not be
nesting in the vicinity. Within fifteen yards of
the Peregrine's rock a cock Grouse was flushed,
and his alarm note sounded very weird as the
echo was thrown back from the rock. A blue hare
also was sheltering near, and it was quite evident
that the Hawk was not dreaded by the birds and
beasts in the vicinity.
Having no camera with me at the time, I re-
turned nine days later to the eyrie with photograph-
ing apparatus. The previous afternoon had been very
stormy with heavy snow on the hills, accompanied
by a southerly gale — a rare occurrence for early
May. Leaving not long after daybreak, the eyrie
was reached before eight o'clock, and on cautiously
peering round the rock we had a very fine view
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE PEREGRINE'S EYRIE, SHOWING EGGS ON
THE LEDGE.
172 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
of the hen as she stood ready for flight at the edge
of the nesting ledge. Immediately on seeing us
she flew off at top speed and did not return while
we were at the nest. We were rather surprised
at this, for at our last visit she sat closely and
hovered round us the whole time, calling loudly,
and once or twice half-swooped at me while
I was at the nesting ledge. A freshly-discharged car-
tridge, however, lying at the foot of the rock told of
an unsuccessful attempt on the part of some keeper
to add the sitting Peregrine to the list of his victims,
notwithstanding that the bird is strictly pro-
tected throughout the year. Fortunately, she had
escaped, but her experience had doubtless made
her more wary, and she had probably been warned
of our approach by the Grouse which we flushed
and which flew past her.
Each ascent to the nest made the rock more diffi-
cult to climb, as the grass which previously afforded
somewhat of a foothold was rendered insecure by the
strain put upon it. My companion, also, in his
endeavours to climb, clutched somewhat wildly at
any grass that was near, and succeeded in pulling a
good deal of it out. Having gained the nest, the
camera was hauled up by a rope, and, after a good
deal of manoeuvring, I got it in position in a some-
what precarious point of vantage and exposed
four plates, all of which fortunately turned out
well. The eggs, as will be seen from the accom-
panying illustration, were placed in a curious crescent
formation.
From the rock a grand view was obtained.
Eastwards the sun was shining brilliantly on
the North Sea, which was lit up with beautiful
effect, and fishing boats could be clearly made
174 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
out. Westwards the giant hills, which during
the ascent had been hidden by snow squalls, now
stood out in spotless white, and through the field-
glass one could almost see the drift blown
before the wind. During the descent we flushed
Grouse in such numbers as I have rarely seen
during the nesting season, and this despite the
statement by a keeper that the Peregrines were
numerous on the hill — a statement which, of course,
\vas absolutely without foundation. On the
lower ground, too, we met with great numbers of
Golden Plover and Curlew, most of them with
young, although on our previous visit we had not
seen a single Golden Plover.
I had hoped to obtain a series of photographs of
the young Peregrines at different stages of their
growth ; and with this view on the morning of
May 1 8th my companion and I set out before
five o'clock. A more depressing morning could
scarcely be imagined. A strong northerly wind
brought with it heavy squalls of sleet, and on the
hill we were caught in a blinding shower of snow,
with thick mist, so that we could only guess where
the rock was situated. Soon we saw it appear-
ing in the distance in a ghostly shape, and, just
as we reached the base, flushed a hen Grouse sitting
on her nest, which contained seven eggs. As the
wind was bitter and the ground powdered with
snow, incubation under such circumstances
could not be too pleasant a task. Climbing
the rock from the west side, we crept cautiously
to the summit, as the mist had lifted some-
what, and we expected every moment to see the
Peregrine leave her nest. But, alas ! for our hopes.
The nest was seen to be deserted, and I at once
176 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
concluded that the hen had been shot. Near by
were the remains of a Lapwing, evidently one of
the last birds taken by the luckless Peregrine, while
a few skeletons of Grouse were also lying near. On
climbing to the eyrie I found that two of the eggs
had been moved along the ledge a distance of
nearly two feet, and also found the mark of a pellet
on the rock with a corresponding groove in the
nest. It was plain that the keeper had crept up
the rock from the west side and shot the bird
while she was unsuspectingly brooding. On re-
ceiving the shot she had, in her agony, fluttered
along the ledge for about two feet, carrying two
of the eggs with her, and I could see the marks
made by her claws as she writhed in her death agony.
Numbers of her feathers were lying around, some
of the under-feathers being of extraordinary beauty
— tinged with greenish yellow.
To show how the eggs were found, I called for
a rope to be thrown to me, by which to pull up
the camera, and asked my companion to come up
also. However, the rock proved too much for him,
and after several desperate efforts he had to own
himself beaten.
While at the nest I saw a Peregrine flying in
the far distance — probably the cock — but he did
not venture to come near to his former home.
[From " The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic
News."]
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 177
MORVEN IN SNOW
A WINTER CLIMB
ABOUT six miles north-west of Dinnet, Morven,
"the Great Hill" (2,863 feet above sea-level), lies
midway between the valleys of the Dee and Don,
and from the summit cairn a view of surpassing
beauty is obtained in every direction.
At the time we make the ascent the new year is yet
only a few days old, but a succession of warm south-
westerly winds has caused most of the traces of
the recent snowstorm to disappear. Motoring from
Aboyne, we have, at the old mill of Dinnet, to take
the car through a field, as an immense drift, which
a day or two ago was estimated at 20 feet in
depth, lies across the roadway. The route is by
Ordie and Loch Davan, and two wreaths have to
be cut through ere we reach Morven's base. The
air is soft and mild and extraordinarily clear, but
a gale blows from the south-west and it is not
easy to make much progress against it.
The hill is wonderfully clear of snow, but
one huge drift is noted in a low-lying corrie
and the fence is completely hidden by the
snow. The first white hare is seen just below
the 2,000 feet level, and he runs off, looking
for all the world like a small snow wreath, as
he is spotlessly white with the exception of his
ears. Just before reaching the mossy plateau lying
about the 2,000 feet line, we put up several
Ptarmigan. These mountain dwellers are rarely
met with below 2,500 feet, but we have noticed
them several times at this spot, even during the
nesting season, which is rather interesting, seeing
178 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
that on Lochnagar, Ben Muich Dhui, and their
other strongholds they do not descend much below
3,000 feet. All round the plateau pack after pack
of Grouse get up, and, rising against the wind,
gradually swerve off and fly down-wind at express
speed. The birds are exceptionally wild and take
wing while we are yet several hundred yards from
them.
Although it is only two o'clock the sky to
the south-east, from Mount Keen to Kerloch, is
lit up a beautiful pink, as though the sun has al-
ready set. Morven's southern slopes have many
deep and soft wreaths on them, but we strike off
to the right and gain the summit plateau at the
eastern cairn, which is partly of natural formation.
Ere reaching the summit, however, we have some
snow climbing to do, as a drift some 200 yards long
and exceedingly steep bars the way, and at one
point we are almost blown from our scanty footing
by the force of the gale. On the distant wreaths
coveys of Grouse stand or run weirdly about, looking
very comical on the snow, and a number of hares run
quickly for safety from their natural enemy. Several
roosting hollows of the Grouse are discovered, some
containing fresh droppings, and it is suggested that
a bed on the snow must prove rather chilly when
there is so much bare ground all round.
As we emerge on the summit plateau the wind
blows with hurricane force ; but at length we gain the
shelter of the cairn, about 400 yards distant, and
gaze our full at the glorious view which it is given
us to enjoy. During the ascent a thin grey mist
has at times passed over the higher reaches of the
hill, but has been borne onwards by the gale. We
have climbed Morven many a time, but never has
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 179
the view been such as it is to-day. Due south,
Mount Keen (3,077 feet) and the Braid Cairn, a
few hundred feet lower, are comparatively free of
snow. The summit of Cloch-na-Ben is clearly seen,
as are also Kerloch and Cairn Mon Earn. Evidently
there is less wind further down the valley, for the
smoke of Banchory is lying above the village and
the North Sea is hidden by the smoke of Aberdeen.
It is the north and west, however, that supply
the grandest view. Due north, Ben Rinnes is
bathed a most glorious pink by the setting sun,
and here the sky is of surpassing loveliness. North-
west the blue is tinged with green ; this gradually
merges into dark blue, and still further east the
sky is tinged with pink. The Brown Cow (3,000
feet), between Gairn and Don, carries an immense
drift on its south side, locally known to the natives
as the " Brown Cow's White Calf." To the north-
west, about eleven miles distant, the road from
Cockbridge to Tomintoul is seen winding up the
hill and filled with huge drifts. Ben Avon and
Cairngorm are occasionally hidden by mist, and
at times the giant stones on the former's summit
are the only part of the mountain left visible.
The setting sun shining on the westward
slopes of the hills to the north-west has a marvel-
lous effect, and we seem to be transported to a
fairy world. Above Strathdon the road appears to
carry a considerable depth of snow, but between
Dinnet and Donside the road is comparatively free
of drifts. Looking south-west, ice-bound Loch
Muick is seen nestling amongst the mountains, and
Lochnagar and the Cuidhe Crom make a beautiful
picture with the setting sun behind them.
Suddenly a mist envelops the cairn behind which
i8o BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN
we are sheltering, and we see for the first time the
shadow of Morven thrown on the clouds. All the
time the mist rests on the summit a horse-shoe-
shaped rainbow or " glory " is outlined against the
mist east-north-east of the hill, and for a few seconds
a double " mock " rainbow appears. As the mist
clears off the hill, we notice the great distance
to which the shadow of Morven extends. Even
east of Towie many miles down the Don all is
in shade, and every moment the sun sinks lower
and the shadow correspondingly increases. About
3.30 the sun disappears beneath an Atlantic storm-
cloud coming up on the horizon, and the cloud's
edges are for some minutes tinged with purest gold.
Just as the sun is disappearing, a covey of eight
snow-white Ptarmigan wheel across the hill near
the summit, coming from the Donside direction,
whicli is in shadow. As they reach the sunlight
their snow-white plumage is suddenly lit up a rosy
tinge with beautiful effect.
A curious phenomenon is now visible. From
the eastern horizon three great rays gradually
spread over the whole sky to the east. One
points south-east, another north, and the third
north-west, while a fourth is faintly denned
shooting up to the westward. The sunset has
a marvellous effect in the valley of the Don,
lighting up wood, field, and heather with a fiery
tinge and having a grand effect on the snowy
hills. The Bin Hill of Cullen, many miles to the
north-east, has also its full share, while Lochnagar
against the sunset is a dark bluish black, and down
by Cambus o' May the Dee runs full and fast.
But now the descent must be commenced ; so, after
lingering a while to look on this beautiful panorama,
BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 181
we strike down the south side of the hill. We
hoped to have been rewarded with some glis-
sading ; but, unfortunately, the snow is compara-
tively soft, and, after several unsuccessful at-
tempts, we have to give it up.
For another hour at least the beautiful sunset
continues, each minute receding further west, where
for long the sky is lit up with a crimson hue im-
possible to describe in words. The Grouse rise
startled at our feet, calling loudly in alarm, and
darkness rapidly descends on the mountain ; while
the glow in the west becomes gradually fainter
and fainter, until at last night reigns supreme.
'THROUGH THE MIST;
PRINTED BY
CASSELL & CO., LIMITED, LA BELLE SAUVAGE,
LONDON, B.C.
^^ LIBRARY
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