The home-life of a golden eagle / photographed and described by H.B. MacPherson.

  • MacPherson, H. B.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The home-life of a golden eagle / photographed and described by H.B. MacPherson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    up into the air. The young one was now expecting to be fed, but she suddenly changed her mind, and flew away once more. In the evening, about 6 o’clock, the Eagle returned once more to feed her young (Plate 9), and I secured a picture of her in a characteristic attitude. The light was now failing and dark clouds rolled up from the west, putting an end to all possibility of instantaneous work. The scene which followed was, however, well worth a long day’s patience, for the Eagle picked out the pre- pared grouse again and carried it to the far side of the eyrie in her beak. Here, beyond reach of the young one, she gorged herself upon the entrails, coming forward at intervals to the Eaglet with a titbit of liver or other dainty morsel, which he greedily pecked from her beak. When she herself was satisfied she brought the prey nearer and proceeded to gorge the youngster till he settled down contented in the nest. She then seized the remains of the carcase in her beak and bore it away out of my sight. A moment later, having disposed of the refuse, she returned and again settled herself down beside the Eaglet to shelter him for the night. As this position had been already photographed, I slipped quietly away without disturbing her, having placed caps over the lenses to shield them from the rain. The most extraordinary feature of the day was the behaviour of the cock in splitting open a grouse for the convenience of the female and the young, and I have often wondered whether this is an exceptional occurrence, or whether it is common during the earlier stages. It was certainly never repeated during my observations, and neither on this nor on any other occasion did I see the cock himself feed at the nest, though he sometimes gave the young one a titbit if one was handy. On June 4th, leaving home at 4 a.m., I found the mist rising from the tops when I reached the eyrie a few minutes before 7 o’clock, The sun was breaking
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