. Field observations on British birds . e hill,getting ever nearer and nearer to me, sometimes both Redshanksleading and calling, sometimes one flying or running back, andapparently acting as a parental whipper-in. They were, perhaps, aquarter of an hour before they reached me, and were then withina hundred yards of the water for which they were making. I had hoped to see them finish their journey from my hiding-place, but, unfortunately, I was less well hidden from below thanfrom above, and as the leading parent passed below my butt, shecaught a glint from the barrel of my telescope. In a mom
. Field observations on British birds . e hill,getting ever nearer and nearer to me, sometimes both Redshanksleading and calling, sometimes one flying or running back, andapparently acting as a parental whipper-in. They were, perhaps, aquarter of an hour before they reached me, and were then withina hundred yards of the water for which they were making. I had hoped to see them finish their journey from my hiding-place, but, unfortunately, I was less well hidden from below thanfrom above, and as the leading parent passed below my butt, shecaught a glint from the barrel of my telescope. In a moment thescene was changed ; both the old birds rose with loud cries of alarm, * By the bye, a telescope is a far more satisfactory instrument than field glasses, whereyou can use it ; you cant pick up flying birds very easily with it, but for examining a large areaof ground, it is invaluable. I always carry both, but I imagine that I use a telescope five timesas often as the field glasses. • ilAvoKi IM&HAM IHORPE avin Hoojit Haven. The Sluice MoRTH ,Sea. SketcK-Tncxp oj Thorpe TI^ere. :Aldebur&h IFour /i MAP A. Thorpe Mere ^^ and the nestlings squatted flat on the grass within a foot or two ofmy butt. I waited for a few moments to see what would parents disappeared in the rushes of the mere, and flutteredout on the edge, evidently with the hope of luring me after the while they kept crying lustilv, and the nestlings near meremained squatted and motionless. I then stepped out, and picked up one of the nestlings in mjhand—a little, soft ball of down, with thick but very weak knock-kneed legs, apparently hardly able to carry the weight of its body,much less to take the long excursion I had been watching. Iestimated its age to be four or five days. This action on my part brought both the parents out of therushes, flying close round my head and uttering the most piteousappeals. I put the nestling down again on the spot from which Ihad taken him up, picked up m
Size: 1356px × 1842px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirdsgr, bookyear1920
