The Glen of the Herons 



I do not think a better situation for observing the home 

 life of the herons could possibly be imagined, for when 

 standing on the heather above the waterfall I was actually 

 above the tree, and could look down upon all the nests at 

 a distance of not more than a dozen feet from them. 



When freshly laid the eggs of the heron are things of 

 considerable beauty. Of a pale sky-blue colour, and un- 

 spotted, they are in striking contrast to the bare brown 

 branches of the tree and the hill grasses, bleached and 

 browned by many a winter's storm. 



On this day the mist was swirling past the higher reaches 

 of the glen, and it was only occasionally that glimpses of 

 the snow wreaths lying near the source of the burn, could 

 be seen. This year the herons had eggs slightly earlier 

 than the ravens that nested on the hillside opposite, for 

 it was not until March 18, or rather later, that the latter 

 birds produced their first hostage to fortune. By then, 

 the mild weather had gone, and there was snow and 

 frost on the hills, so that from the rocks above the raven's 

 nest great icicles hung, and the nesting ledge was white 

 with snow. 



During another season, on March 21, two of the herons' 

 nests each had three eggs, the remainder none as yet. This, 

 I think, shows that in their time of nesting the birds are 

 very punctual and do not depend on the weather to any great 

 extent. That same year, on April 13, one of these nests 

 had young which seemed about forty-eight hours old, the 

 other still contained eggs. 



By the 22nd of the month four of the nests had young, 

 and the earliest comers were already developing into lusty 

 young birds, which called incessantly in a very husky and 

 feeble imitation of their parents' cry. During this day a 

 companion and I fixed up a "hide" on the top of the rock 

 in the hopes of obtaining some photographs of the parent 

 herons at their nests. The weather was very fine and sunny, 

 the snow-covered hills standing out in dazzling whiteness 



73 



