Part 30

The male, usually known in hawking parlance as the "tiercel," is much smaller than his mate, and has the upper parts slate grey; the under parts buffish white, barred with black. The crown and cheeks are also black. The female is browner and more thickly barred on the under parts. The young have buff margins to the feathers of the back and are striped instead of being barred below. Length of male 15 in.; wing 12·5 in. The female is larger.

THE HOBBY Falco subbuteo, Linnæus

This species is very like a small Peregrine and comes to us yearly to rear its young. Although occurring throughout our islands, it is very local, being commonest in our southern and eastern counties. It very seldom nests north of Yorkshire, where it becomes rare. In the west of England and in Ireland it is almost unknown.

In flight and habits it closely resembles the Peregrine, its food consisting chiefly of small birds and insects.

An old Crow's or Magpie's nest is appropriated, and the eggs, usually three in number, closely resemble those of the Kestrel but are slightly smaller. Old and young leave us again in September.

The sexes are alike, and very dark slate grey on the back; chin white; under parts buffish, striped with black; thighs and vent red. Length about 13 in.; wing 10·5 in.

THE MERLIN Falco æsalon, Tunstall

On moorlands and cliffs by the sea-shore, the Merlin is tolerably abundant from Wales northwards, but in the south of England it is rarely seen. The nest is a mere "scrape" among the heather, or when near the sea-coast a former Crow's nest on a cliff is frequently appropriated, and it has been known to lay its eggs in old nests on trees. The eggs are very like those of the Hobby and Kestrel, from which they can with difficulty be distinguished.

The Merlin preys almost entirely on small birds; its flight is very swift and powerful and it is very bold, attacking birds as large as itself. Larks and Thrushes are its favourite prey, and on the sea-shore it is very fond of Dunlins and other kinds of Sandpipers.

Resident with us throughout the year, it nevertheless wanders about a good deal during the winter and becomes generally distributed, but the adults for the most part remain near their breeding haunts.

The adult male is slate grey on the back, throat white, under parts buffish, striped with dark brown. Length 11 in.; wing 7·8 in.

The female is browner above and with pale under parts. She is also rather larger than the male. The young resemble the female but they are more rufous in tint.

THE RED-FOOTED FALCON Falco vespertinus, Linnæus

This species is commonest in Eastern Europe, and is gradually extending its range northwards; it migrates to Africa in winter. Some thirty examples have at long intervals occurred in this country, chiefly in the east and south.

The adult male has the head, throat, breast, and upper parts very dark lead grey; thighs and vent chestnut. The female has the head and nape chestnut; upper parts slate grey, with darker bars; under parts pale chestnut. Length 11·5 in.; wing 9·7 in.

KESTREL Falco tinnunculus, Linnæus

The Kestrel, or as it is sometimes called, "the Windhover," is one of the most graceful and harmless of our small Hawks. Year in, year out, he is with us, and his beautiful flight may be observed throughout these islands. He may be seen on any fine day high up in the air, remaining apparently motionless, but ever and anon keeping his position by a few rapid and quivering wing-beats, he will then turn slowly sideways and, revealing as he does so a red back and dark quills, he will describe a wide curve and again hang motionless in the wind. He is at last beginning to be recognised as one of the farmer's most useful friends, and as a perfectly harmless adjunct to the Pheasant covert, and thus he is yearly becoming more abundant. He feeds entirely on mice and small rodents, and only occasionally on small birds such as Larks.

Towards the end of April the Kestrel repairs with his mate to his former abode or to some convenient spot near by. He does not build a nest for himself, but occupies the deserted home of a Crow or Magpie, a hole in a tree, if possible one which is open at the top, or the ledge of the cliff near the sea-shore. There, with little or no addition of material, the six eggs, of a beautiful rich red colour, are laid, but occasionally they have a paler ground colour and are blotched with deep red.

In about three weeks the young are hatched, and, as in the case of all birds of prey, are thickly covered with pale greyish down. At first their parents on bringing the food tear it up for them and allow the young to peck it from their beaks, but as they grow and their appetite increases (for their voracity at this age is enormous), the food is merely brought to the nest and the young tear it to pieces and eat it without further aid. Like several other birds, the Kestrel at such a time does not hunt in the immediate vicinity of his nest, and, except that he may occasionally be seen flying over, he is seldom "at home" to reveal the presence of his young. At the age of five or six weeks the young leave the nest; at first they do not fly much but remain perched near the nest and are still carefully watched and tended by the parents, while they gradually learn to catch and capture their own food.

At this time the family is always to be found near the nest, and that locality having been to a certain extent untouched, there is presumably abundant food for the young birds without their having to wander far afield. In this manner the summer passes, and as the days draw in and food becomes scarcer, the old birds become weary of their offspring and may frequently be seen fighting and driving them away. The young birds then take the hint, and leave the old folks at home, to wander forth all over the country and earn their living; many come down to the shore and emigrate, while others wander about till they find a suitable hunting ground in which to pass the winter.

With the advent of spring they have in their turn to seek a permanent home; perhaps they will meet with an older bird who has lost his mate during the winter and has a home ready, or perhaps they will inadvertently try to settle near an old eyrie and be driven away, but eventually a place will be found, and the inhabitants of a new district will be delighted, if they have eyes for Nature, by the charming ways and flight of their new visitors.

The adult male on the upper parts is of a deep chestnut, spotted or barred with black; under parts pale buff, striped with black. The head and nape are bluish grey, as is also the tail, which has a broad subterminal black band and is tipped with white. The female is more barred on the back and has the head brown, striped with darker. The tail is rufous, barred with black and slightly tinged with grey. The young resemble the female. Length 14 in.; wing 9·5 in.

THE LESSER KESTREL Falco cenchris, Naumann

Very few examples of this small Hawk have been taken in this country. It is a summer visitor to Southern Europe, but towards the east it breeds in higher latitudes.

It may be distinguished from the Common Kestrel by its smaller size and white claws. Length 12·26 in.; wing 9·2 in.

THE OSPREY Pandion haliaëtus (Linnæus)

This species may occasionally be seen on our shallow bays and estuaries or on inland lakes during the autumn migration, but its large size and conspicuous flight soon call forth a gunner and it is either shot or frightened away. It was never common in England, but in the eighteenth century it used to nest in a few localities. Nowadays only one or two eyries are known in the British Isles, and these are situated in remote parts of the Highlands of Scotland and zealously protected. Its food consists entirely of surface-swimming fish, on which it plunges from a considerable height.

The male has the head white, streaked with brown, rest of the upper parts brown; under parts white slightly spotted with brown on the breast. Legs greenish blue.