Glen & Kris

Scotland 2010, Part 2

<h3>Dundrennan Abbey</h3>Dundrennan Abbey was built by Cistercian monks with the sponsorship of King David I in 1142. <h3>Dundrennan Abbey</h3>The abbey provided food, education and employment to the local population. King David intended this to be an attractive alternative to robbing travelers. <h3>Dundrennan Abbey</h3>Mary Queen of Scots spent her last night in Scotland here in 1568. The abbey was in continuous use until the 1600's. After that, it was raided for building materials. <h3>Dundrennan Abbey</h3>Even unoccupied, the abbey continued to be used as a cemetery. Here is an interesting chain that guards the front of a mausoleum. <h3>Dundrennan Abbey</h3>This stone marks the grave of a Cistercian monk. <h3>Dundrennan Abbey</h3>This intricately carved stone marks the grave of Stuart Cairns Maitland, died 1900. <h3>Edinburgh Castle</h3>Edinburgh Castle is a collection of buildings built on the remnants of an ancient volcano. <h3>Edinburgh Castle</h3>The oldest buildings date to the early 12th century. <h3>Edinburgh Castle</h3>In 1296, Edward I of England captured the castle after a three–day siege. Then in 1314, Robert the Bruce recaptured the castle for the Scots. Twenty years later, the English retook the castle, only to lose it to the Scots again in 1341. <h3>Edinburgh Castle</h3>In 1566, Mary Queen of Scots gave birth in the castle to her only child, the future King James VI of Scotland and King James I of England. <h3>Edinburgh Castle</h3>After the Treaty of Union in 1707 dissolved Scottish Parliament, the Scottish crown jewels were hidden away in Edinburgh Castle. In 1818, Sir Walter Scott obtained permission to search for the crown, sceptre and sword of state. He found them in an old oak chest and they are now on display in the castle. <h3>Edinburgh Castle</h3>This cannon overlooks present-day Edinburgh and sits on an addition to the castle called the "Half Moon Battery" built in 1578. The castle withstood its last siege in 1745 when Bonny Prince Charlie was defeated by the castle's defenses. Many prisoners of war were held in the castle, including those from the Seven Years War, the War of American Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. <h3>Falconry</h3>A Harris' Hawk sits on his perch. This bird weighs about 2½ pounds. <h3>Falconry</h3>This is Shiloh, a Siberian/Turkmenian hybrid owl. She weighs about 5 pounds. <h3>Falconry</h3>Here is Kris holding Roger, a Harris' Hawk. The Harris' Hawk is not native to the UK, but comes from South America and the southern United States. John Audubon discovered the hawks in Arizona in the 1860's and named them after his friend and companion Colonel Edward Harris. <h3>Falconry</h3>Shiloh is about to get a piece of meat from Kris' gloved hand. <h3>Falconry</h3>Shiloh can see objects a mile away clearly, but her close vision is very poor. <h3>Falconry</h3>Shiloh is about 20 inches tall. <h3>Falconry</h3>The next four pictures show how Shiloh approaches Kris' hand. Here she is just a few inches above the ground. <h3>Falconry</h3>As Shiloh approaches the food, she makes a clicking sound designed to startle prey into staying still for fear of being discovered. <h3>Falconry</h3>Shiloh approaches her perch from below — she will land very softly on Kris' gloved hand. <h3>Falconry</h3>With her wings spread to their maximum extent, Shiloh slows to a perfect landing. <h3>Falconry</h3>Jake enjoys his morning coffee. He knows a number of commands and has appeared in several movies. Ravens are not found in the wild in the UK. <span class='myGreyFont'>[End of Scotland 2010, Part 2. Go to <a href='scotland-3.html'>Part 3</a> or <a href='../index.html'>return</a> to the Photos page.]</span>