Francis Heatherley

Name: The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie — Life in the Eyre
Author: Francis Heatherley

The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

Summary

“The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie — Life in the Eyre”, published in 1913, is a work by Francis Heatherley. It explores elements such as Tiercel, eyrie and Falcon.

Quotes from The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (Francis Heatherley)

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ The Falcon flew off as we approached the eyrie, and immediately started calling the alarm as she circled overhead. Her harsh cry seemed to me to be more like "aitch, aitch, aitch" than the "kek, kek, kek" of the books. I never could tell them apart when flying, but when together it is plain that the Tiercel is smaller and his alarm note different and rather higher in pitch. Their flight consisted of a series of rather laboured beats followed by glides on outspread wings. The young formed a round heap like a pancake raised in the middle. Before we disturbed them there was only one head visible. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ The general appearance of the young gives a curious suggestion of extreme old age. We found a dried turtle-dove's head in the eyrie and a corncrake's as well as the remains of a small bird whose few remaining features suggested a ringed plover but that the legs were black. We erected the shed on its trestles, lashing it to the rocks above by ropes fastened to a ring-bolt at each corner of the shed, keeping the young well covered up during our proceedings, which were long, toilsome and so thirst-producing that we collared most of the boatman's private stock of beer. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ He gave several startling "yapps" towards the end of the meal, which I knew of old meant that the young were getting slow in taking their bits; one young female struggled some time with a leg she tried to swallow. She tried hard, but the claws remained an inch outside her beak. The Tiercel rapidly swallowed the remnants and proceeded to brood the young. As he sat quite still I put the focal-plane shutter out of action, and, taking the back of the camera out, fixed the silent studio shutter behind the lens and took two of him with it. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ The next day, at a meal one young bird in trying to swallow a leg could not get the foot down, and hit it off just above the claws, showing the power of the beak even at this early age.
Nothing particularly fresh occurred during the short watch kept by F. H. Edmondson, from 12.55 to 5.25 p.m, on May 23rd, except that after the Falcon had started the alarm after the relief party had landed, the Tiercel showed his daring by bringing a thrush, with which he fed the young hurriedly until within a few moments of the party's arrival. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ At 3.5 p.m, the Falcon called the alarm, and the Tiercel flew off; the alarm soon ceased, and the Falcon came down on to A and stood there a short time. She is not nearly so yellow about the breast as he is. His is quite creamy, whereas hers is an ashen white. The Tiercel kept calling to her, but she soon flew away, and he returned to resume his brooding till 3.30, when she again called the alarm, and he, flying off, joined her in calling it, and a few minutes' later the arrival of my friends brought my watch to an end. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ The Tiercel again swallowed the remnants, including the other leg, and then covered the young, without paying any attention to the young female with the protruding claw. He dozed at intervals, and in closing his eyes I noticed that the lower lid, yellow in colour, rose slowly and covered the eye. He never dozed for more than a few seconds at a time, even when not disturbed by the youngsters moving under him. This often happened, the chief offender being the female with the claws. She on several occasions wriggled her head out from under his breast. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ My subsequent experience made me sorry that I had not used this shutter on the Falcon. Shortly after my last exposure the light grew very bad and heavy showers fell. About 6.30 p.m. he began whimpering and looking up skywards. Again, shortly before 7 p.m., when the clouds broke and the setting sun began to stream in through the front of the shed, he looked up and yelped impatiently at the Falcon soaring overhead. He waited a few minutes and then got off the young carefully and flew away. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ They lay with their heads towards the middle and their eyes closed. When separated they opened their weak-looking eyes languidly; but one of them snapped and bit at our fingers. Already it was possible to distinguish two males by their smaller size ”

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Source: Wikisource

Francis Heatherley, The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (1913)

“ Expression.
beak. The same kind of thing happened later on with a wing; in this case he removed the feathered end with one stroke of his talons. King was interested to see what enormous lumps the youngsters managed to swallow, and how when one had too large a piece another tried to take it from him, when a tussle ensued. ”

Francis Heatherley

Summary

Quotes from The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie… (Francis Heatherley)

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