THE BIRDS OF VISCOUNT GREY.

Forest and Bird, Issue 32, 1 April 1934, Page 8

THE BIRDS OF VISCOUNT GREY.

ON HIS FALLODON SANCTUARY.

Seton Gordon, in the September issue of the “Strand” Magazine last year, gave some very pleasant impressions of the late Viscount Grey’s sanctuary for birds at Fallodon. Many New Zealanders will be warmly interested in the following extracts “On the Northumbrian coast, sheltered by old woods from the sea wind, is the small estate of Fallodon. The owner of the estate —Viscount Grey of Fallodon—is perhaps better known to the world as Sir Edward Grey, who was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs during the memorable days which saw the outbreak of the Great War. “Viscount Grey is a lover of birds and beasts. More than any man I know, he has the gift of patience and understanding for his feathered and furred friends, and at Fallodon to-day are seen the marvellous fruits of his love and care for the wild creatures which surround him and cheer his days. Even in his retirement, and handicapped as he is with failing sight, Lord Grey is a busy man, and has, of necessity, to undertake frequent journeys to London and elsewhere. From these journeys he returns to his birds as to old friends, and like old friends his birds greet him.

“Almost as tame as the robins are the Fallodon tits. They fly fearlessly into the house, and have recently become quite a nuisance, for they peck the tops of the lamp shades, apparently finding the glue to their liking. The lamp shades have had to be treated specially to prevent further damage being done to them. “ The evening feed at Fallodon is a remarkable experience for a lover of birds. Many of the ducks are on the lawn, and when they see Lord Grey leave the house they hurry eagerly to him, and follow him down the path to the feeding place below the larch at the lower of the two ponds. The evening feed consists of grain and bread. It is remarkable to see a flight of tufted duck fly at great speed, alight with a splash on the water, hurry out of it on to the land, and come up to Lord Grey’s feet, to take bread from his kindly hand. Should he withhold the food the ducks pull his shoe-laces or his stockings, and are aggrieved if they are not attended to promptly. “ The widgeon, flying whistling overhead, are equally tame, and many of them feed from the hand also. But perhaps the tamest of all are the mandarins. The mandarin drake is an extraordinarily handsome bird, and not only feeds from the hand, but actually flies up and perches on one’s head. One night I had two mandarins on my head at the same moment! “ Birds and man are here in perfect harmony, but a thing which happened the other evening showed me that the vigilance of the waterfowl was by no means lessened from their close con 1 tact with man. Lord Grey and I were sitting together on the seat at an evening feed. The waterfowl were all around us, many of them feeding from the hand. Suddenly a blackbird flew overhead and uttered his warning chuckle. On the instant every duck took wing, and flew into the water in alarm. Again, during the hard frost at the early part of this year I was feeding the ducks. A sudden alarm seized them, and they flew over the ice and settled on the circular zone of water which they had kept free of ice by dint of much hard work. I had not moved, and so I knew that I was not the cause of their alarm. I looked up, and saw an old heron planing down towards the pond. When he saw me he swerved off, but the birds had noticed his approach, and perhaps they had mistaken him for a large hawk, hence their alarm. “ T was the witness of a scene at Fallodon which will remain long in my memory. It was a fine spring morning of sunshine, and Lord Grey had seated himself on the white seat beside the upper pond, and had begun to feed the ducks. I saw a mandarin drake a little distance away watching him intently and even as I looked, measuring his distance carefully, flew up and

alighted upon Lord Grey’s hat. There he stood happily. A minute or two later two other mandarins also flew up and settled on the back of the seat, one on either side of the statesman, and perhaps a couple of feet from him. The picture they made was a very remarkable one; they appeared to be acting as a bodyguard, and the bright sunshine heightened their beauty. After a time one of the three mandarins actually went to sleep. “ Two instances of the remarkable confidence which exists at Fallodon between man and birds may be mentioned. It is well known how reluctant birds are to disclose their nesting place to human eyes. A tufted duck here actually rose from her eggs, covered them with the down of the nest, and then came up to be fed, all while the human observer was standing close beside her. The second occurrence is even more remarkable. One day the gardener saw a mandarin duck very perturbed. She came up to him, plainly imploring his aid, and led him, as a dog might have done, for some distance along the side of one of the ponds, now and again looking back at him encouragingly. After a time she stopped, and the gardener saw that one of her ducklings was entangled in some wire. While he was liberating the duckling the mother stood beside him, showing marked approval, and when the good work had been successfully completed she thanked him as plainly as it is possible for a duck to thank a human being. This action shows, I think, the intelligence of the mandarin duck, and is a tribute to the family atmosphere of the Fallodon sanctuary.” Some New Zealanders, by similar kindness to wild birds, have also won their confidence. The way is open for anybody to build a firm friendship with charming birds.