Bird Notes and News 



43 



and a Pintail Duck who evidently had 



young. At ^ve saw several Pintails with 



broods, one of seven ; the old duck took 

 hardly any notice of us, but just swam 

 quietly away. An old Pintail drake in 

 complete eclipse plumage (Jime 10th) and 

 totally unable to fly, was running in the 

 grass right away from the water and promptly 

 went to ground in a rabbit burrow. . . . 

 We also saw two Shoveler ducks and one 

 drake, two pairs of Phalaropes, and an 

 Oyster-catcher's nest with four eggs (very 

 unHSual). The Watcher has done his work 

 well. He is a poor man, and has had 

 much trouble with his neighbours over 

 the j)rotection, but it is quieting down 

 now." 



" A Red-throated Diver was very tame on 

 her eggs ; we walked past her at twenty 

 yards. When she rose from her eggs, which 

 she did like a Wild Duck, she flew right 

 away but returned almost at once, jumped 

 on to the bank and walked like a Penguin 

 on to her eggs." 



'' The keeper at told us there were 



plenty of Short-eared Owls, but only one 

 pair of Hen -Harriers here and two on the 

 hills above. The eggs, he said, were regu- 

 larly taken each year, and unless watched 

 night and day it would be impossible to 

 preserve them. He did not know of more 

 than one young one having been reared for 

 twenty years, and that was last year. They 

 are taken by the crofters for a trading col- 

 lector, who probably gives them next to 

 nothing. The preservation of these Harriers 

 is a problem," 



" Boats round about the island are most 

 difficult to deal with. On the 4th and again 

 on the 7th May, a boat was going along the 

 shore and its occupants shooting the birds. 

 A great number must have been killed and 

 wounded. We saw where the boat went 

 to and informed the police. Last year we 

 informed the Superiutendent of Police about 

 the same thing, but he took no action. I 

 hope we shall be able to put down this 

 horrible practice of shooting during the 

 breeding season." 



" I have had the ' Dreadnought ' notice 



boards erected at and . . . The 



alleged destruction of geese by Bonxies 

 was before the County Council at their last 

 meeting, but those best qualified to know 

 do not believe there is any truth in the 



charge. No person has ever seen geese 

 attacked by Bonxies." 



" The Buzzards at the top end of the 

 lake have two young this year ; the Buz- 

 zards at the bottom end have young, but 

 I cannot see into the nest without ropes, 

 I frequently see and hear the Ravens ; also 

 quite a few Herons got safely away, but I 

 don't think there are so many young this 

 year, on account of the wet weather. I saw 

 the Peregrine fly off its nest on the 16th 

 June. I hope to obtain more authority 

 from lando^vners and tenant-farmers as 

 opportunity for talking to them occurs." 



" While I was on the island a yacht headed 

 for it. The men and boys of the party 

 came ashore, and began immediately to 

 search for eggs and picked up about twenty- 

 five. I hurried over to them, and insisted 

 upon every egg being restored to its nest. 

 . , . The protection of the island is becom- 

 ing more widely recognised, and many parties 

 of visitors afford the eggs and young every 

 consideration. It is encouraging to have 

 such large numbers of nests (Arctic, Common, 

 Sandwich, and Lesser Tern, and Sheld-drake 

 and Eider Duck), and to know that the 

 notice-boards are having such a powerful 

 effect." 



" The Watcher gave a good account of 

 the birds. His chief news was that two 

 Buzzards had this year a nest of full-grown 

 yoimg ones less than 400 yards from the 



hotel at , A\ithin a golf-club drive of a 



new golf-course . . . The landlord of the 

 hotel agreed that it was an unusual attrac- 

 tion to an hotel that during breakfast there 

 should be Buzzards in the air within sight 

 of the coffee-room windows. The nest last 

 year was close to a gull-covered rock, and 

 the old birds were perpetually mobbed by an 

 increasing crowd of Herring-Gulls, This 

 must have made them prefer the dangerous 



company of human beings . . . At there 



are rugged black cliffs with green slopes, 

 so wild and on so large a scale, and the 

 Peregrine's nest on it so safely out of reach, 

 that the old Peregrines took little notice 

 of us. But a Buzzard floating up the 

 face of the chff was at once flown at by 

 a Peregrine, which seemed to come out of 

 space and vanish again as the Buzzard 

 sailed away." 



" The increase in Choughs at is con- 

 firmed by a gentleman staying there, wha 



