﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  build 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  wood. 
  The 
  birds 
  are 
  seen 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  area 
  to 
  

   Upper 
  Cabrach, 
  and 
  singly 
  in 
  large 
  pine 
  woods 
  in 
  August. 
  Large 
  

   rookeries 
  exist 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  Crow-wood 
  near 
  Huntly, 
  and 
  at 
  Mayen, 
  

   and 
  again 
  behind 
  Huntly 
  Lodge, 
  and 
  smaller 
  ones 
  at 
  Lessendrum, 
  

   Cobairdy, 
  etc. 
  To 
  these 
  smaller 
  rookeries 
  the 
  birds 
  pay 
  almost 
  

   daily 
  visits 
  in 
  winter, 
  but 
  only 
  take 
  up 
  sleeping 
  quarters 
  at 
  the 
  

   larger 
  rookery 
  at 
  Huntly 
  Lodge 
  (Dr. 
  J. 
  O. 
  Wilson). 
  

  

  Farther 
  west, 
  there 
  are 
  rookeries 
  at 
  Aberlour, 
  about 
  eleven 
  

   years 
  old 
  (1888), 
  300 
  nests, 
  and 
  still 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  increasing, 
  but 
  

   the 
  birds 
  do 
  not 
  often 
  roost 
  here 
  in 
  winter. 
  In 
  Glen 
  Fiddich 
  there 
  

   is 
  a 
  rookery 
  at 
  Kininvie, 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  as 
  the 
  last 
  mentioned. 
  

   In 
  the 
  low 
  lands 
  of 
  Speyside 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  rookeries, 
  amongst 
  

   which 
  we 
  may 
  mention 
  that 
  at 
  Gordon 
  Castle 
  as 
  being 
  of 
  somewhat 
  

   special 
  interest. 
  About 
  forty 
  years 
  previous 
  to 
  1885 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  

   extensive 
  rookery 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  castle, 
  besides 
  others 
  within 
  the 
  

   policies. 
  About 
  that 
  time, 
  owing 
  to 
  harassments 
  and 
  harrying, 
  

   they 
  left, 
  and 
  for 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  there 
  were 
  none. 
  They 
  came 
  

   back 
  about 
  1872, 
  and 
  have 
  increased 
  to 
  some 
  600 
  nests, 
  there 
  

   being 
  over 
  thirty 
  in 
  one 
  tree. 
  During 
  1882-83-84 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  

   were 
  shot— 
  in 
  1884, 
  2000 
  shot; 
  in 
  1885, 
  1200. 
  The 
  rookery 
  

   covers 
  an 
  area 
  extending 
  from 
  near 
  the 
  Castle 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  

   village 
  of 
  Fochabers, 
  a 
  few 
  nests 
  being 
  also 
  scattered 
  in 
  trees 
  by 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Spey. 
  The 
  nests 
  are 
  in 
  mixed 
  hardwoods 
  — 
  

   ash, 
  beech, 
  plane, 
  elm, 
  oak 
  and 
  alder, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  in 
  larch-trees. 
  

   The 
  birds 
  leave 
  the 
  rookeries 
  in 
  November 
  and 
  return 
  in 
  February. 
  

   There 
  are 
  at 
  present 
  no 
  nests 
  in 
  the 
  extensive 
  pine 
  woods 
  on 
  the 
  

   east, 
  south, 
  or 
  west. 
  

  

  These 
  Gordon 
  Castle 
  Eooks 
  appear 
  to 
  prefer 
  the 
  trees 
  for 
  

   breeding 
  purposes 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  order 
  : 
  beech, 
  ash, 
  plane, 
  elm, 
  

   oak, 
  larch, 
  alder. 
  

  

  About 
  four 
  miles 
  from 
  Gordon 
  Castle, 
  in 
  the 
  fir 
  woods 
  of 
  

   Enzie, 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Tulloch 
  and 
  Wellheads, 
  a 
  large 
  rookery 
  has 
  

   been 
  formed 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  fourteen 
  years, 
  covering 
  an 
  extent 
  of 
  

   about 
  four 
  acres, 
  with 
  some 
  600 
  nests. 
  This 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  lowest- 
  

   lying 
  ground, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  residential 
  rookery, 
  where 
  the 
  birds 
  roost 
  

   in 
  winter 
  also. 
  In 
  the 
  Covesea 
  district 
  and 
  Laigh 
  of 
  Moray 
  there 
  

   are 
  many 
  colonies 
  of 
  500 
  nests, 
  amongst 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  one 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  pine 
  wood 
  by 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  sandhills 
  

   near 
  Burghead, 
  where 
  over 
  1000 
  roost 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  another 
  

  

  