S. Porter—Choughs



159



Now all is changed, the little Square of the near-by village is,

during the summer months, thronged with cars and cycles, and the

farmers are now able to buy the luxuries of a modern age by letting

“ desirable sites ” to the campers and motorists who like to bring

their labour troubles with them in the shape of a tent or caravan.


On the top of the rugged walls of rock is one of Nature’s loveliest

gardens, where during the summer months the ground is like a many-

hued carpet, with a thousand and one flowering plants which have been

dwarfed by the bitter winds which drive up from the sea during the

winter time.


Many were the halcyon days spent in this haunt of the “ Kusset-

pated Choughs Lying on a carpet of cliffland flowers with the air

thick with swarms of butterflies, delicate Blues, coppery Fritillaries,

gorgeous “ Peacocks ”, many-hued “ Tortoiseshells ” and others too

numerous to mention, one could watch many phases in the domestic

economy of these birds. They weren’t at all frightened at our intrusion

and sometimes one would surprise a bird only a few feet away from

the top of the cliffs. The Chough would certainly eye one with a

mixture of surprise and curiosity and linger perhaps for a few minutes

before flying off to the opposite face of rock where he no doubt felt a

little more secure. Here in the bright sunlight on the cliff face their

scarlet beak and legs glowed in contrast to their glossy black plumage.


Choughs are great diggers and seem to obtain most of their food

in this manner. They dig with great gusto in the dry turfy soil on the

ledges of the cliff face. I think they must unearth the ants’ nests

which abound in the soil on the cliffs. Sometimes a bird would unearth

something, and he and his companions would have a real good feed.

At other times one would see a bird with quite a large white grub

in his beak which would be battered about for quite an appreciable

time before it was finally eaten.


Sometimes, on a large patch of dry earth, the bird would be in the

centre of a cloud of dust caused by its digging operations, or at other

times there would be quite a miniature avalanche of earth and stones

as the bird dug on the steep cliff sides.


I never saw the Choughs away from the face of the cliffs, and

I believe that only when they are very hard pressed for food do they



