. Wild wings; adventures of a camera-hunter among the larger wild birds of North America on sea and land . spottedeggs — not four, as do most shore-birds, but only two, likethe buzzards that wheel overhead, or the Red-tailed Hawkthat nests back in the forest. SHORE-BIRD LOITERERS 241 We anchor the yacht well off and go ashore in the flat-bottomed tender. No sooner do we land than we see two orfour of the Oyster-catchers pattering along ahead of us. Thena pair take to wing and dash by us, at some distance, acrossthe sand and out over the water, uttering piercing cries thatcall up floods of shor
. Wild wings; adventures of a camera-hunter among the larger wild birds of North America on sea and land . spottedeggs — not four, as do most shore-birds, but only two, likethe buzzards that wheel overhead, or the Red-tailed Hawkthat nests back in the forest. SHORE-BIRD LOITERERS 241 We anchor the yacht well off and go ashore in the flat-bottomed tender. No sooner do we land than we see two orfour of the Oyster-catchers pattering along ahead of us. Thena pair take to wing and dash by us, at some distance, acrossthe sand and out over the water, uttering piercing cries thatcall up floods of shore-bird memories. Everywhere we go weshall have oyster-catcher company, until we leave the eggs are lying exposed to view on the open sand, hatchedlargely in the daytime by the warm southern solar rays. Theyare not hard to find, if only one tra\erse the sand-bar faith-fully and keep his eyes always alert. Except in the breeding-season, the Oyster-catcher is a mostwary bird, and even at that time it is shy enough. To photo-graph it is a matter of extreme difficulty. It will not allow viy^^^. •-■\*->ir? NEST AND EGGS OF OYSTER-CATCHER 242 WILD WINGS one to approach it, and as for placing a camera at its nest, itwill seldom go near the nest in the daytime. At times I haveset the camera and waited for hours for the forlorn , however, I was successful, and I shall narrate the man-ner thereof. On one of these island sand-bars I had discovered the twoeggs of an Oyster-catcher in a hollow of the sand. We wereto anchor there overnight, and I was ardent to achieve aphotographic feat which I believed had never been accom-plished. The only thing to be done that night was to placea small pile of driftweed close to the nest, to accustom the birdsto it. Morning came, clear and hot. First I removed the pile,placed the camera there upon the carrying-case, and carefullyfocused it on the eggs. Then I covered it up with the clothand with the debris, trying to make everyt
Size: 1899px × 1316px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorjobh, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds
