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Highland Birds: The Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Guinea-Hen and Ducks, Osprey, Kite and Buzzard: Nests and Habits of and how to hunt them.
CHAPTER X.
The Eagle: Habits; Greediness; Anecdotes of; Killing Eagles; Trapping;
Food of-The Peregrine Falcon: Manner of Hunting-Tame Falcon
Anecdotes of - Guinea-Hen and Ducks - The Osprey - The Kite:
Trapping-The Buzzard; Nests and Habits of.
I saw an eagle today passing southwards, apparently on his way
from the mountains of Sutherland or Caithness to the more southern
heights of the Grampians. The bird was flying very near the
ground, making his way against the wind, and pursued by a whole
squadron of grey crows, who had found out that he was a stranger,
and taking advantage of the unconcerned contempt with which
he treated their attacks, kept up a continual clamour and petty
warfare against the royal bird. The eagle, as he came over the
more enclosed part of the country, flew higher, as if suspicious
of concealed foes amongst the hedges and enclosures. I have
almost every year during my stay in Morayshire seen the eagles
occasionally passing, at the beginning of winter invariably going
southwards, and again early in the spring on their return northwards ; in windy weather flying low, but when calm, cleaving
the air at a great height. The eagle's flight, when passing from
one point to another, is peculiarly expressive of strength and
vigour. He wends his way with deliberate strong strokes of his
powerful wing, every stroke apparently driving him on a considerable distance, and in this manner advancing through the air
as rapidly as the pigeon or any other bird which may appear to
fly much more quickly.
Notwithstanding the facility with which he flies when once
fairly launched, like many other heavy birds, a very slight wound
disables him from rising into the air when on level ground.
Even after having gorged himself to excess (and there is no
greater glutton than this king of the air) the eagle is unable to
rise, and falls a victim occasionally to his want of moderation in
feeding. When in Sutherlandshire I twice fell in with instances
of eagles being knocked down when unable to rise from overeating. On one occasion a curious kind of character, who acted
the part of hanger-on to me in my deer-shooting excursions,
brought home an eagle, which he had killed with his stick before
it could rise from the ground. This man, who was dumb, and
was supposed (very erroneously) to be half-witted also, had a
great penchant for assisting in beating the woods for roe or deer;
and from long acquaintance with the country, and from a propensity (very common to people similarly afflicted) for wandering
about, he had a perfect knowledge of every corner of the extensive
woods on the property, and also a most shrewd guess as to where
the deer would be lying, and in which direction they would break
cover. Though generally of a most morose and even malicious
temper, Muckle Thomas, as they called him, entertained a great
affection, in his way, for me ; and every morning was to be found
seated in front of the windows, smoking a solitary pipe, and waiting to see if I wanted him. Though dumb, he was not deaf, and
understanding what was said to him, could make himself quite
intelligible by signs, assisting my comprehension by drawing, in
a rude way, figures on the ground with the long staff which he
invariably carried. One morning I had sent him to look in a
certain part of the woods to see if any deer's tracks were visible.
In an hour or two he returned with something large bundled up
in his plaid, which he opened, and cast down his load at my feet
with a look and grunt of triumph. After some explanatory
signs, &c, I found out that he had come on the eagle, who had
so completely gorged himself with a rotten sheep in the wood
that it could not rise.
Another instance occurred in the same country. A shepherd's
boy found an eagle gorging itself on some drowned sheep in a
watercourse, and being, like all herd-boys, as skilful as David in
the use of sling and stone, he had broken the eagle's pinion with
a pebble, and had actually stoned the poor bird to death. In
this case the eagle was taken at peculiar disadvantage, being
surprised in a deep rocky burn, out of which he would have had
difficulty in rising quickly, even if he had not dined so abundantly. When wounded by shot, or even after escaping (but
maimed) from a trap, the eagle is often unable to rise. A curious
anecdote was told me by a friend. An eagle had been caught in
a vermin-trap, and, by his struggles, had drawn the peg by which
the trap was fastened to the ground, and had flown away with it.
Nothing was seen for some weeks of eagle or trap, till one day
my friend seeing some strange object hanging from the branch
of a tree, went to examine what it was, and found the poor bird
hanging by his leg, which was firmly held by the trap. The
chain and peg had got fixed amongst the branches, and the poor
eagle had died miserably from starvation in this position, suspended by the foot. Though certainly the eagles in some localities commit great havoc amongst the lambs, and also destroy the
grouse when no larger game offers itself, it would be a great
pity that this noble bird should become extinct in our Highland
districts, who, notwithstanding his carnivorous propensities, should
be rather preserved than exterminated. How picturesque he
looks, and how perfectly he represents the genius loci, as, perched
on some rocky point or withered tree, he sits unconcerned in
wind and storm, motionless and statue-like, with his keen, stern
eye, however, intently following every movement of the shepherd
or of the sportsman, who, deceived by his apparent disregard,
attempts to creep within rifle-shot. Long before he can reckon
on reaching so far with his bullet, the bird launches himself into
the air, and gradually sweeping upwards, wheels high out of shot,
leaving his enemy disappointed and vexed at having crept in vain
through bog and over rock in expectation of carrying home so
glorious a trophy of his skill. When intent on his game, the
eagle frequently will venture within a short distance of the
grouse-shooter or deerstalker. I have seen him pounce (no,
that is not the proper word, for he rather rushes) down on a
pack of grouse, and, with outspread wings, he so puzzles and
confuses the birds, that he seizes and carries off two or three
before they know what has happened, and in the very face of the
astonished sportsman and his dogs. The mountain hare, too, is
carried off by the eagle with as much apparent ease as the mouse
is borne away by the kestrel.
The marten and the wild cat are favourite morsels. A tame
eagle which I kept for some time killed all the cats about the
place. Sitting motionless on his perch, he waited quietly and
seemingly unheeding till the unfortunate animal came within
reach of his chain. Then down he flew, and surrounding the
cat with his wings, seized her in his powerful talons, with one
foot planted firmly on her loins, and the other on her throat;
and nothing more Avas seen of poor Grimalkin except her skin,
which the eagle left empty and turned inside out, like a rabbit-skin hung up by the cook, the whole of the carcass, bones and
all, being stowed away in the bird's capacious maw. The quantity of meat taken from the stomach of an eagle killed on the
mountain is sometimes perfectly incredible. I regret not having
taken a note of the weight of mutton I once saw taken out of one
I shot.
We are occasionally visited, too, by the peregrine falcon, who
makes sad havoc in the poultry-yard when he appears here.
There is a nest of these birds always built in the inaccessible
rocks of the Findhorn. Indeed, in the good old days of hawking, when a gentleman was known by his hawk and hound, and
even a lady seldom went abroad without a hawk on her gloved
hand, the Findhorn hawks were always in great request. The
peregrine seems often to strike down birds for his amusement;
and I have seen one knock down and kill two rooks, who were
unlucky enough to cross his flight, without taking the trouble to
look at them after they fell. In the plain country near the seashore the peregrine frequently pursues the peewits and other
birds that frequent the coast. The golden-plover, too, is a
favourite prey, and affords the hawk a severe chace before he is
caught. I have seen a pursuit of this kind last for nearly ten
minutes, the plover turning and doubling like a hare before
greyhounds, at one moment darting like an arrow into the air,
high above the falcon's head ; at the next, sweeping round some
bush or headland-but in vain. The hawk, with steady, relentless flight, without seeming to hurry herself, never gives up the
chace, till the poor plover, seemingly quite exhausted, slackens
her pace, and is caught by the hawk's talons in midair, and
carried off to a convenient hillock or stone to be quietly devoured.
Two years ago I brought a young peregrine falcon down from
near the source of the Findhorn, where I found her in the possession of a shepherd's boy, who fed her wholly on trout. For
the first year the bird was of a dark brown colour above, with
longitudinal spots on the feathers of her breast. On changing
her plumage during the second autumn of her existence, she
became of a most beautiful dark slate colour above, and the spots
on her breast turned into cross-bars, every feather being barred
with black ; her throat became of a beautiful crean colour.
With great strength, she is possessed of the most determined
courage, and will attack any person or dog whom she takes a
dislike to. Her poultry-killing propensities oblige me to keep
her chained in the kitchen-garden, where no other bird, except a
tame owl, resides. The owl she appears to tolerate with great
goodnature, and even allows him to carry off any remains of
pigeon or crow that she leaves after she has satisfied her hunger.
One day an unfortunate duck strayed within reach of her chain,
and was immediately pounced on and devoured, leaving a numerous family of ducklings to mourn her loss.
A curious stepmother took them in hand, however. A Guinea-fowl, whose mate had been condemned to death for killing young
poultry, took compassion on the orphan ducklings, and led them
about, calling them, and tending them with as much or more
care than their deceased parent. It was a most singular sight
to see the Guinea-fowl quite changing her natural habits, and
walking about followed by a brood of young ducks. She never
left them for a moment, excepting when she retired to her nest to
lay; and even then, if the ducks uttered any cry of alarm, on
the approach of dog or children, their stepmother came flying
over bushes and fences in a most furious hurry. Indeed she became quite the terror of the children, running after them and
pecking their legs if they came too near to her adopted brood;
although at other times she was rather a wild and shy bird. The
ducks had a habit of hunting for worms in the dusk of the evening, and the poor Guinea-hen, much against her inclination and
natural propensities, thought it necessary always to accompany
them. Frequently tired out, she used to fly up to roost, but
always kept her eye on the young ducks, and on the least alarm
came bustling down to protect them if she thought it necessary,
at any hour of the night. A pugnacious cock at another time
was rash enough to attack the hawk, and was not only killed, but
devoured. Frequently, unlucky pigeons came within reach of
her chain, and were also eaten. In consequence of these depredations, she is exiled to the walled garden. One day I was
altering her chain, and she flew away. After flying three or four
times round the house and garden, she perched in a high tree and
would not come down. I was obliged to leave her at night, and
in the morning the hawk was nowhere to be found. For four
days I saw nothing of her; but on going out early on the fifth
morning, I saw her wheeling about at a great height, with some
hooded crows giving battle to her. I stood out in an open place
and whistled. As soon as she heard me, after two or three rapid
sweeps round my head, she perched down on my arm, and immediately began caressing me, and as plainly as possible expressing
her delight at having found me again ; whether hunger or affection induced her to return, I know not; though I rather fear the
former, as, on my giving her a rabbit, she commenced devouring
it as if her fast had not been broken since she got away. In
feeding on birds, I observe that she invariably begins by plucking
them of almost all their feathers, however hungry she may be;
and when I give her a rat or rabbit, she always pulls off most of
the hair before commencing her meal. The only animal that she
appears unwilling to eat is a mole, everything else is devoured
without hesitation, and, when hungry, no bird is too large for
her to attack. Black-backed gull or cormorant is instantly seized
and plucked ; and one day, a Skye terrier going too near her
chain, she instantly flew at it, and, had I not come to the rescue,
would probably have killed it, as, perching on the dog's back, the
hawk commenced immediately tearing at its head and eyes. The
male peregrine is considerably smaller than the female, and of a
much lighter colour; their nest is built in some inaccessible
niche or shelf of a lofty cliff or rock, and both birds assist in the
business of incubation. The quantity of game killed by a pair
of these birds to feed their young is immense ; and, from their
great courage and strength, no bird of the game kind in this
country has any chance with them.
Occasionally an osprey comes sailing down the course of the
river, but does not breed anywhere in our immediate neighbourhood. This very beautiful bird drops like a stone on any unlucky
fish that its sharp eye may detect in the clear pools of the river,
and I believe she seldom pounces in vain. Having caught a
trout or small salmon, she flies with it to land, or to some rock,
and there tears it up. When the river is too high and black for
the fish to be attainable, no dead carcass comes amiss to her ;
and in floods on the Findhorn there is seldom any dearth of food
of this kind. Mountain sheep or wounded roe are frequently
swept down its rapid course, when swollen with much rain or by
the melting of snows on the higher mountains from whence this
river derives its source. This winter, a young red deer (a calf
of about eight months old), was found in the river. The animal
had been shot with a slug through the shoulder, and had probably
taken to the water (as wounded deer are in the habit of doing),
and had been drowned and carried down the stream.
That beautiful bird, the kite, is now very rare in this country.
Occasionally I have seen one, 'wheeling and soaring at an immense height; but English keepers and traps have nearly exterminated this bird, as no greater enemy or more destructive a foe to
young grouse can exist. Their large and ravenous young require
a vast quantity of food, and the old birds manage to keep their
craving appetite well supplied. Not only young grouse and black
game, but great numbers of young hares are carried to the nest.
Though a bird of apparently such powerful and noble flight, the
kite appears not to be very destructive to old grouse, but to confine her attacks to the young broods. During the season of the
year, too, when she has no young ones to provide for, carrion of
all kinds forms her principal food. In consequence of her greedy
disposition, the kite is very easily trapped. From her habit of
following the course of streams, and hunting along the shores of
the loch in search of dead fish or drowned animals of any kind,
one of the most successful ways of trapping the kite is to peg
down the entrails of some animal in the shallow part of the water,
and then to place the trap either on the shore immediately adjoining ; or, what is often done, to form a small artificial promontory
close to the bait, and to set the trap on this. The garbage
catches the sharp eye of the bird, as she soars at a great height
above it, and the clever trapper seldom fails in catching her in
this manner.
The buzzard is another of the hawk tribe, which is gradually
becoming rarer and rarer, and from the same cause. Like the
kite, too, the buzzard is a carrion-feeding bird, and seldom kills
anything but small birds, mice, or frogs, excepting during the
breeding-season, when it is very destructive to game; at other
times the buzzard lives an indolent lazy life. After having satisfied her hunger, this bird will sit for hours perfectly motionless
on some withered branch, or on a projecting corner of rock,
whence she commands a good view of the surrounding country,
and can easily detect the approach of danger. A cowardly bird,
except when excited by hunger, she submits patiently to the
attacks of the smaller birds, and flies from the magpie or jackdaw.
Like the kite, the raven, the eagle, and all birds who feed much
on carrion, the buzzard has a lofty flight when in search of food.
Soaring high up in the air, and wheeling in circles, she appears
to examine the surface of the land for miles and miles, in hopes
of detecting some dead sheep or other carcass. The buzzard
evinces little cunning in avoiding traps, and is easily caught. I
have found their nests, containing from three to four large and
nearly white eggs, in different situations; sometimes built on
rocks, and at other times in the branches of a tree, at no great
height from the ground. She sits close, and will allow the near
approach of a passer by, before she leaves her eggs. Though she
is one of the most ignoble of the hawk kind, I have a lingering
affection for this bird, in consequence of her being connected in
my remembrances with the rocky burns and hanging woods of the
most romantic glens in the Highlands, where I have frequently
fallen in with her nest and young. In this part of the country the
buzzard has become very rare, and is only seen as an occasional
visitor.
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