Francis Heatherley

“ I am rather inclined to the view that it was a fresh bird, owing to the bold way in which she came into the eyrie, and that the tussle for the thrush showed she required breaking in to her new duties. When Fortune came home and described the young as starving, it was resolved to give them some scraps to go on with until such time as the Tiercel, driven by hunger, hunted for himself, and then probably resume feeding the young. So I took up a freshly-killed puffin and a nestling shag ”

“ The gull, after each stoop, easily recovered herself, and with a few beats of her great wings caught up with the Falcon and stooped again. The Falcon paid no attention, and after five minutes the gull flew away; but apparently not satisfied, it came back presently and renewed its attack; but the Falcon neither retaliated nor paid any attention except just to shift slightly each time the gull stooped. After the gull had gone I climbed down to the eyrie just as the Tiercel arrived and joined the Falcon in calling the alarm. When I got down to the shed I found Booth very upset. ”

“ Only a young male chose the nest depression, the rest lying with their bodies in the sun and their heads in the shade, either of the mallow leaves or rocks. About 1.30 they woke up and a male and female started preening themselves. At 1.40 p.m, they were fed on a passerine bird, brought in his beak by the Tiercel, who alighting on B transferred the bird to his left talons. At 3.45 there was another feed by the Tiercel. The two young females kept in the background during most of this meal, whimpering in a half-hearted way as if they would eat "an they had room." ”

“ She stands facing me with her young around her, and they are all bowing their heads up and down with a subdued chorus of whimpers. As she stands there, taller and darker than her young, with her black cap, she looks like a cowled monk engaged with his acolytes in some mysterious rite. ”

“ The down is nearly fully developed now, and they keep their eyes open more. The earholes are still prominent, and when moving in the eyrie they hobble about on their tarsi, not on their talons. There has been no brooding worth mentioning to-day, and he cannot cover them when he tries. About 9 p.m., while changing plates, I heard the Tiercel flop down, and when I looked out, at 9.10, he was standing on B, from which he moved into the eyrie later on. The last I saw of him-he was standing close to the young, with his feathers ruffled out. ”

“ At 6.10 p.m, the Tiercel pitched silently on B with a gory lump of flesh that might have been half a pound of butcher's meat under his talons, there being nothing else left of the bird. Then he picked it up and, jerking his head forward, peered in all directions with it swinging from his beak, before he dropped into the eyrie. The young are for the first time showing some of the quilled primaries, so they are in the same stage as the young were in 1910, when we first found them. At 8.47 p.m, the Tiercel came silently with what looked like a plucked puffin. ”

“ Afterwards the Tiercel preened on C for a few minutes, and then, as the young whimpered, he got down and tried to brood them. As he sits 'he covers about a third of the family circle. One young female whimpered so persistently that at last he got up and brooded her by herself. The second meal, at 5.45 a.m., off a mangled thrush, lasted thirteen minutes. During this meal he pulled off and offered a female all the primaries of one wing, but she dropped them. Then he gave them all a mouthful of breast feathers in turn. ”

“ During King's watch, from May 29th to May 30th, he records that the young remained asleep until 2.57 p.m., when the Tiercel brought a domestic chicken, the meal lasting fifteen minutes. He came again at 3.57, and fed them on the remains. After this he came several times without food, and the young were very hungry. Thursday. May 30th, the Tiercel came four times without food before 5.54 a.m., when he brought a thrush. He did not apparently catch this himself, as he was calling for food shortly before he brought it. At 6.35 the Falcon brought a bird while the Tiercel was in the eyrie. ”

“ I noticed to-day that one young female stood upon her talons and tried to walk, but fell over. The Tiercel repeatedly called for food between 10.45 and 11.45. The young settled down to sleep, but roused up and whimpered whenever they heard his cries. Something has evidently gone wrong with the feeding, and although I saw both birds after G. A. Booth heard the shots, some other shot elsewhere may have been successful. 12.57 pm.: The young are echoing the Tiercel's cries for food. ”

“ I note that the youngsters are beginning to stand more on their talons. June 4th was a very hot day, and in landing I put the half-gallon jar of water down carelessly, and it separated into two. So, after shutting me up. Jim kindly went for more water. Soon after 7 p.m, the eyrie THE TIERCEL SHELTERING YOUNG FOURTEEN DAYS OLD FROM RAIN.
THE TIERCEL SHELTERING YOUNG FOURTEEN DAYS OLD FROM RAIN.
woke to life and the young began to move about. First one and then another lurches unsteadily across the eyrie. ”