(211)
NOTES.
CARRION-CROW DISTRACTING AND ATTACKING
SQUIRREL.
ON April 15th, 1948, a Carrion-Crow (Corvus corone) was seen to
attack and drive off a Heron (Ardea cinerea) when it flew towards the
former's nest in a tall poplar overhanging Crichel Lake, Dorset.
Shortly afterwards, I noticed the crow (presumed male) crouched in
a curious posture and hopping from branch to branch a little way
below the nest, while its mate perched motionless near the top of
the tree. The cause of this display became apparent when a Grey
Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) was seen descending the trunk from
near the nest. At this moment the crow was below and partly turned
away from the squirrel, giving the definite impression that its behaviour was a form of distraction display, in function at least.
Certainly, with its feathers puffed out to form a sort of ruff and with
wings partly spread, it looked most abnormal both in posture and
movement, an object likely to attract the attention of man or rodent.
"When the squirrel reached an unprotected part of the trunk, it
was sent scuttling to the shelter of some lower branches by a vicious
diving attack launched on it by the displaying crow; whereupon the
crow, now again below the squirrel, resumed its display until the
latter had descended far enough once more to expose itself to attack.
This process continued for several minutes during which the crow
alternately drove and apparently decoyed the squirrel down the
nest-tree and across several others which led to a small wood, into
which it was driven by a final diving attack. The presumed female
crow flew quietly away when the squirrel was about half-way down,
but had by now returned to the top of the tree, while its mate took
up a vantage-point below the nest, watching intently in the direction
in which the squirrel bad disappeared. Soon afterwards the
presumed hen slipped quickly on to the nest to brood, leaving her
mate still on guard.
Subsequent reflection suggests that there may have been a transition phase of true aggressive posturing between the "distraction
display" and active attacks, though I did not clearly distinguish it.
It seems probable that the posturing was aggressive in origin and
pattern, an alternative to actual attack, even when performed out
of context, ahead of and away from the squirrel, when it functioned
so effectively as a distraction display. If one may attempt an
interpretation, admittedly speculative, the crow, already roused
by the Heron, expressed his intense anger at the intrusion of the
squirrel in typically male fashion by direct attack whenever possible.
When outlet of emotion in attack was suppressed by force of circumstances, it was expressed in abnormal posture and movement
effective either in "distracting" or frightening the squirrel, depending
on the relative positions of the two and the direction in which the
212
BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XLII.
crow faced. What was so remarkable was the expression of thwarted aggression as a functional distraction display of obvious survival
value, yet allowing for reversion to actual attack whenever convenient. These observations may prove relevant to the problem
of derivation of some more highly developed distraction displays
in other species.
K. B. ROOKE.
AUTUMN DISPLAY OF STARLING.
ON October 3rd, 1948, at Highclere, N. Hampshire, two Starlings
(Sturnus vulgaris) were seen perched on the apex of a roof. They
were fairly close together, facing one another, and both were
calling typical whistles and clicks. First both birds raised their
wings slightly and jerked them over their backs, one bird advancing
towards the other, which retreated along the roof; this was continued
for some minutes, after which the birds changed roles. Then one
of the birds took up a peculiar erect posture and rapidly flicked its
wings, (not vibrated as is common in passerine display), meanwhile
shuffling towards the other bird, which pecked at the roof. The
display lasted for about five minutes during which time the birds
remained about six to twelve inches apart. No reference is given to
autumn display of the species in The Handbook and this form of
display is not recorded, though it is somewhat similar to that given
in the Additions and Corrections.
D. & M. SUMMERS-SMITH.
GREENFINCH TAKING SEEDS FROM PINE CONES.
WITH reference to Mr. Boase's note (antea, Vol. xli, p. 342) on Greenfinches (Chloris Moris) feeding on Larch cones, I have watched
single Greenfinches, in my garden, feeding voraciously on the seeds
of large, ripe cones of Insignis Pines fallen to the ground. I have
not observed these seeds extracted from cones standing on the trees.
Chaffinches (Fringilla ccelebs) also are very partial to the seeds of
Insignis cones, which they frequently catch in the air as they flutter
to the ground from the trees.
B. H. RYVES.
ALTERNATIVE CALL OF CHAFFINCH.
A FURTHER note on the alternative call of the Chaffinch {Fringilla
calebs) may be of interest {vide antea, p. 55 and Vol. xl, p. 248, and
Vol. xli, p. 273). Before living in Ruislip I had never heard this call,
but for 13 years have heard it commonly each spring in Park Wood,
Ruislip, Middlesex. Others have remarked on the call there; it is
an important component of the bird-sound in April, especially in
early morning (between 6.0 and 7.0 a.m.). This wood is composed
of oak and birch with hornbeam and bracken below. Conifers are
quite absent. I have heard the note rarely elsewhere, but can find
notes only for the New Forest, ten years ago.
W. R. PHILIPSON.
VOL. XLII.]
NOTES.
213
SNOW-BUNTING IN STAFFORDSHIRE.
ON December n t h , 1948,1 identified an adult female Snow-Bunting
(Plectrophenax nivalis) at Cannock Chase reservoir, Staffs. The
bird was very tame and allowed me to approach within 3-4 yards
and I was able to take notes on its plumage, with x 8 binoculars,
at this range. I considered it worth reporting as its presence in an
inland county and at the above date seems exceptional.
J. SPALDING.
DISPLAY OF TREE SPARROW.
IN "Notes on the Tree-Sparrow" {Passer montanus) (antea, Vol. xxv,
p. 279) I referred to the only instance of the display of the bird I had
then observed : a pair, one of which bowed repeatedly, ran along a
bough with tail erect and bills pointed straight out as if to show the
throat. The Handbook quotes a note from Miss E. L. Turner
who saw a similar display of a bird, which also expanded and vibrated its wings, raised and depressed its cap-feathers and distended
those of cheek and neck.
In Sweden, on June 23rd, 1936, at Vadstena, I watched a pair on
a birch-bough within a few feet of me; one stood with outspread
shivering wings and sang a sustained measured warbling song, a
song sweeter than, and quite different from, any I had ever heard in
England, and then chased the other gently round the bough. On
the following day at Alvastra I saw a pair, again only a few feet
away, and once more heard the warbling song; the two birds were
chasing one another on ploughed ground and the singing bird's
wings were expanded and shivering as on the day before. These
displays, so much more vehement than what I had seen in England,
and apparently not unlike that witnessed by Miss Turner, were the
more easily observed because of the birds' tameness. In a teagarden at Goteborg in 1937 one actually picked up crumbs that were
lying on the ground between my feet.
In Cheshire, where for many years I had 24 or more pairs under
close observation, they are timid and observation is far less easy,
but from 1942 to 1944 I paid special attention to the colony in my
own field, observations which came to an end only because of the
virtual extinction of the colony; weasels discovered the nest-boxes,
entered by the holes (which are too small for a House-Sparrow) and
killed adults and nestlings, and Little Owls took their share. I
never saw anything quite so extreme as the excited behaviour of
the two Swedish birds, but noted several forms of display. In the
most frequent one, which I saw in February, March, April, May,
1942 and in April, 1943, the birds (sometimes one of three, but more
often one or both of a pair) lengthened their necks, making them
appear thinner than normal, and pointed their bills to the sky,
emphasizing in this way their black throats, and sometimes flirted
their wings after the manner of a Hedge-Sparrow, chased one
another and chattered volubly. On February 15th, the earliest
214
BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XLII.
date on which I have observed it, one of three engaged in this display
ended by flying to a nest-box and standing for some time with its
head in the entrance-hole. Another form of display was watched on
three occasions when a pair squatted side by side, actually touching,
on the top of a nest-box (conveniently near a window) and caressed
one another's head and face with their bills, or rubbed against one
another. Once I saw one hover over its mate on a bough, but it was
a windy day and the hovering may have been caused by difficulty
in settling, for I never saw a similar action again.
Threat display took two forms. Once a third Tree-Sparrow joined
a pair on a box and one of the pair immediately pointed its bill
upwards as in the usual display. A more spectacular form of threat
was seen when a House-Sparrow (Passer domesticus) tried to enter
the box. The pair squatted side by side, pressing close together,
and stared full face at the intruder. The effect was quite remarkable ;
their faces made a strange black and white pattern, strikingly
different from their normal appearance, an example of what J. S.
Huxley, who cited the Tree-Sparrow itself as a case in point, calls
"threat coloration." (Proceedings of the 8th International Ornith.
Congress, p. 435.) Nine days later, when the urge to protect their
nest was presumably stronger, first one and then both of the pair,
which previously had hardly moved towards the House-Sparrow,
flew at it. In August, however, when both species were dust-bathing in hollows in a dry flower-bed, the smaller bird always got out
of the way of any of the dominant House-Sparrows whenever they
came to wallow close to it.
At the nest the young, when nearly fledged, are fed from outside
and come to the entrance hole to their parents. A dropping which
one ejected through the hole was carried away by both adults.
A. W. BOYD.
[In April, 1942, at Kweiyang, Kweichow, China, I observed a party of four
Tree-Sparrows indulging in a noisy display closely resembling the familiar
performance of the House-Sparrow as described in The Handbook, Vol. i,
p. 157. This appears to be a case of a species behaving differently in different
parts of its range. Readers who have had opportunities of observing TreeSparrows in other parts of the Far East may be able to confirm this difference
in behaviour.—J.D.W.]
DISPLAY OF FEMALE PIED WAGTAIL IN NOVEMBER.
ON November 4th, 1948, at the Guildford Sewage Farm, I observed
a female Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) display to a male of
the same species. Both were adult birds. Two birds that had been
chasing each other with excited calls pitched on the road-way about
ten yards in front of me. I then observed the following: the
female stood in front of the male about two feet away, her head
thrown back and tail raised perpendicularly over her back. She
quivered her wings violently and called continuously; the call was
only just audible. She then picked something off the ground,
presumably a piece of grit, but soon reverted to her old posture.
VOL. XLII.]
NOTES.
215
All this time the male stood by with shuffling wings. Unfortunately
they were disturbed and flew off after about a minute.
In The Handbook, Vol. i, p. 227, the female is described as being
"Usually passive," and no such display is noted. The weather on
this date was bright and fairly cold with a moderate south-westerly
breeze.
C. R. BIRD.
PLUMAGE VARIATION IN COAL-TIT.
ON November 25th, 1948, at Guildford, Surrey, I saw a Coal-Tit
(Parus ater) which displayed an unusual plumage variation: the
flanks were very dark, appearing black in good light; the dark colour
extended to the lower-breast leaving only a thin whitish line in between each side. The rest of the plumage was normal, except that there
was no black on the upper-breast or throat, and the under-parts
were whiter. The bird was seen in good light and the white nuchal
patch was clearly seen.
C. R. BIRD.
RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER IN IRELAND.
ON October 26th, 1948, a Red-breasted Flycatcher {Muscicapa
parva) was obtained at Tory Island Lighthouse, off Co. Donegal.
The specimen, which was in first winter plumage, forms the sixth
obtained in Ireland and the second from Tory Island. It has been
placed in the National Museum, Dublin.
ROBERT F. RUTTLEDGE.
FIRST RECORD OF BONELLI'S WARBLER IN THE
BRITISH ISLES
AT 19.30 B.S.T. on August 31st, 1948, a warbler, was caught in the
Garden trap on Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire. After a long examination that evening and again on the following morning it was decided
to kill the bird. The specimen was sent to Mr. R. Wagstaffe, Director
of the Yorkshire Museum, who identified it as a female Bonelli's
Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli). Very little was seen of the bird in the
field before it was caught, but J. K. records that the rump and tail
were noticeably yellowish green, and that the white under-parts, grey
head, and pale legs were also striking when seen from about two or
three yards. It called "hooeet" once or twice when flying into the
trap. This is the first record of this species in Great Britain.
Mr. Wagstaffe, in his report to the List Committee of the British
Ornithologists' Union on December 15th, 1948, says that, after having
examined a large series oiPh. b. bonelli Vieillot, and PA. b. orientalis
Brehm, he came to the conclusion that the specimen matched more
closely the majority of specimens of orientalis in colouration, but that
the wing measurement 60.5 mm., with the primaries straightened—
the method used by Ticehurst—was smaller than the average wing
measurement recorded by that authority in his Genus Phylloscopus.
Moreover, the 2nd primary fell between the 6th and 7th primaries.
This is an almost 80 per cent characteristic of bonelli, as against a
216
BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XLII.
2 per cent characteristic of orientalis. "Nevertheless, it could be
argued, on the basis of pure taxonomies", said Mr Wagstaffe, "that
the bird is still assignable to orientalis, but as I have been unable to
find an undoubted specimen of orientalis with wing as small as 60.5
mm., and of wing formula 2 = 6/7, I am prepared to believe, for the
time being at least, that the bird is probably, but by no means
certainly, a specimen of bonelli bonelli." In this belief he was partly
influenced by the geographical distributions of the two forms and by
the fact that some examples of the typical race are much greyer than
others.
At the previous meeting of the Committee it had been suggested
that the first example of any addition to the British List should be
treated binomially until such time as subspecific assessment could
be based on more than one specimen. This was agreed to in the
present case.
P. J. CONDER, JOAN KEIGHLEY.
TRAPPED BLACKBIRD " FEIGNING DEATH".
ON September 10th, 1948, I caught a cock Blackbird (Turdus
merula) in a pull-trap, size 18" x 18" x 24", the bird being well clear
of the door when I pulled the cord. I went immediately to ring it.
As I approached the trap the bird started fluttering around looking
for an exit, but did not dash at the sides of the cage as sometimes
happens. I opened the door in a matter of seconds, but failed to
catch the bird at the first attempt. As I was about to try again
the bird suddenly dropped on to the ground, where it lay flat on its
breast. This seemed so unusual to me that I did not attempt
there and then to pick the bird up, thinking that possibly it might be
hurt, though I could see that it was not stunned as its eyes were wide
open. The bird lay there for quite a few seconds with no perceptible
signs of movement. To see what its reactions would be I prodded
it gently with my finger, but even this had no effect. At that I
picked the bird up and held it quite loosely in my hand, where I
examined it more closely, but could not detect any signs of injury.
After lying in my hand for fully a minute it suddenly came to life
and made a vain attempt to escape. I ringed it immediately and
released it, upon which it flew away strongly, squawking loudly.
It would be interesting to hear whether any other ringers
have had similar experiences.
A. E. MALE.
[The assumption of a kind of cataleptic state under the influence
of fright and especially when handled, known for want of a better
term as "feigning death", is well-known in some birds such as the
Wryneck {Jynx torquilla) and has been noted exceptionally in
others. A somewhat analogous experience with a Hedge-Sparrow
{Prunella modularis) is described by G. R. Mountfort in Brit. Birds,
Vol. xxxviii, p. 368, though curiously enough the bird concerned was
one which had been trapped frequently and must have been more
or less accustomed to the experience.—EDS.]
VOL. XLIL]
NOTES.
217
ROBIN FEEDING NESTLINGS OF WILLOW-WARBLER.
7
FROM June 19th to 21st, 1947, I watched a single Willow-W arbler
(Phylloscopus trochilus) feeding its five nestlings in a nest built under
grdund-ivy in a herbaceous border in Inverleith Park, Edinburgh.
As I never saw more than one Willow-Warbler at or near the nest, I
presumed that the present bird had lost its mate, but I was surprised
to see a Robin (Erithacus rubecula) on about fifteen occasions take
food, in the form of quarter-inch long green caterpillars, to the nest.
Whereas the warbler brought insects in its bill, and alighted on a
flower stem above the nest before creeping down to it, the Robin
alighted on the ground some feet away, and proceeded to the nest
under the ivy. When, as happened occasionally, they arrived at
the nest almost simultaneously, the Robin would vigorously chase
off the parent warbler, after both had disposed of their food.
On June 23rd the young had left the nest and were being fed by
the parent warbler alone in the undergrowth in the vicinity of the
disused nest. Two Robins, one of which was singing, were sitting
in a tree near by and it is probable that one of them was the bird
which I had watched feeding the young warblers previously.
IAN H. DRUMMOND.
[Reference to several other cases of Robins feeding young of other
birds will be found in D. Lack's Life of the Robin, ed. 2, pp. 87-8.—
EDS.]
DISPLAY OF SAND-MARTIN IN AUTUMN.
DURING the afternoon of September 6th, 1948, at Camber Sands,
near Rye, Sussex, numbers of Swallows (Hirundo rustica) and
Sand-Martins (Riparia riparia) were observed flying in a westerly
direction, the majority keeping over or near the beach.
A number of Sand-Martins, perhaps 2,000 in all, were on the sandy
beach in several scattered groups.
Through binoculars it appeared that the birds were in pairs, and
some were noticed to crouch down on their breasts with wings
extended. There was ceaseless movement in the groups and birds
were constantly taking short flights to alight again a few yards
away. In a single instance one bird was seen to mount another
on the ground.
It seems unlikely that the display can have had any connexion
with feeding as the area concerned had been covered by the sea
about two hours earlier.
It is possible that these birds, carried out a migratory movement
within a short time, as an abundance of Swallows and Sand-Martins
was noticed in coastal areas on September 6th, and far smaller
numbers on succeeding days.
L. P. ALDER, JEFFERY H. BOSWALL AND C. M. JAMES.
[The behaviour described is rather closely similar to that reported
by Mr. A. S. Thorn as observed on July 4th, 1946 and September
13th, 1945, at Cambridge (antea, Vol. xl, p. 20).—EDS.]
218
BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XLII.
GREEN WOODPECKER FEEDING ON ELDER BERRIES.
ON October 24th, 1948, in the neighbourhood of Dulverton, Somerset
I watched a Green Woodpecker {Picus viridis) feeding on elder
berries.
The bird experienced great difficulty in maintaining balance on
the thin twigs and after about five minutes, lost hold altogether,
failed to regain it on the next twig, and descended to the ground
where it began to work an ant-hill.
While feeding on the berries, the bird constantly wiped its beak.
Watched at close range for a further 20 minutes, it did not return
again to the elder bush.
M. G. NEWMAN.
GARGANEY IN IRELAND—A CORRECTION.
I HAVE recently examined the specimen obtained at Wexford on
August 16th, 1930, which was originally recorded {Irish Naturalist
Journal, Vol. iii, page 111) as a Garganey {Anas querquedula) and
subsequently {ibid, Vol. iii, p. 133 and Brit. Birds, Vol. xxiv, p. 195)
as a Blue-winged Teal {Anas discors).
The bird is without doubt a Garganey (a bird with which I was
very familiar in India) and appears to be a male in eclipse plumage,
as it was originally stated to be.
Apart from subsidiary plumage differences, the fore-wing is of the
typical blue-grey colour; the demarcation of the brown breast from
the whitish belly is striking and the shafts of the primaries are white.
In comparison with skins of the Blue-winged Teal the differences
are striking.
There is no reason whatever to suspect any substitution of
specimens. The registered number of the specimen in the National
Museum is 88/1930.
The above details are given in order to avoid further confusion
over this specimen.
ROBERT F. RUTTLEDGE.
CORY'S SHEARWATER OFF SUSSEX.
ON October 15th, 1948, I saw a large shearwater off Langney Point,
Sussex. The bird passed at • a distance of a few hundred yards
and I was able to get a good view through binoculars and telescope.
It was obviously larger and more strongly built than a Manx Shearwater {Puffinus puffinus), a species with which I am familiar. Also its
upper-parts were lighter and browner in colour than those of a Manx.
The under-parts appeared white except for the margins of the wings,
which were brownish. Despite careful examination through a
telescope set at x 35 I could see no white patch above the tail.
There was no sign of any " capped " appearance, the sides of the
head and throat appearing to have the same greyish-brown coloration as the upper-parts, this merging into the white below without
any sharp dividing line. It would seem, therefore, that the bird
must have been a Cory's Shearwater {Puffinus diomedea).
VOL. XLII.]
NOTES.
219
A strong south-westerly wind was blowing at the time and Gannets
(Sula bassana) were passing in larger numbers and much closer
inshore than is usual in this locality.
D. D. HARBER.
WOOD-PIGEON NESTING IN A HOLLOW TREE.
As I can find no reference in The Handbook to Wood-Pigeons (Columba palumbus) nesting inside a hollow tree, the following note
may be of interest.
On September 19th, 1948, I was shown a Wood-Pigeon's nest
inside a hollow tree, at Upminster, Essex, which contained a pair of
young birds. No attempt had been made to use nesting material.
On my approaching, the adult bird would fly from the tree, so
that I was able to make certain that the bird was a Wood-Pigeon,
and not a Stock-Dove (Columba anas). The nest was some 20 feet
from the ground.
M. J. ARDLEY.
AUTUMN DISPLAY OF WOOD-PIGEON.
ON October 23rd, 1948, at Studley, near Oxford, I observed three
Wood-Pigeons (Columba palumbus) perched on a bough of an oak
tree. Two of the birds were sitting very close to each other with
their necks stretched upwards, and were uttering a rather strange
whistling note. When I retraced my steps I saw that all three were
sitting together with their necks held up in the air. On seeing me
they flew away, although rather reluctantly, two of them alighting
in another tree, where, however, I was not able to see if any more
display took place.
The Handbook does not record any autumn display for this species.
JOHN REYNOLDS.
[We have no records of autumn display—nor of a display at any
time quite like that recorded—but it should not be overlooked that
breeding has been recorded in every month of the year and occurs
with some regularity as late as September.—EDS.]
WOOD-PIGEON " C O O I N G " ON THE GROUND.
A NOTE has been published (antea, Vol. xl, p. 254) about WoodPigeons (Columba palumbus) " cooing " while on the ground. Over
the past five years I have observed this several times in Shropshire
and Montgomeryshire, though the " coo " uttered has nearly always
been the courting note and not the song. Occasionally, as on July
n t h and August 2nd, 1943, the note has been neither of these two,
but, to my mind, an intermediate note lacking the intensity of the
song and the " purr " of the courting note. In my experience
" cooing " on the ground is almost invariably heard late in the
afternoon. I have also found that it is most likely to be heard when
the birds are feeding on " laid " grain and have not been disturbed,
or when they are feeding on newly mown hay, though I have heard
the courting note from birds feeding in open, bare meadows.
J. H. OWEN.
220
BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XLII.
TEMMINCK'S STINT IN SUSSEX.
ON September ist, 1948, we saw a Temminck's Stint (Calidris
temminckii) at the Midrips, Sussex. The bird was first observed
feeding amongst low vegetation on the marshy edge of a small pool
together with Ringed Plovers (Charadrius hiaticula) and Dunlins
(Calidris alpina). It was readily picked out from among these by
its diminutive size and the uniform grey appearance of its upperparts. Examination through the telescope showed a brownish
mottling on the back not at first visible. The breast was grey and
the rest of the under-parts white. On being put up the bird
" towered " and uttered its trilling call. In the air at close range
the white outer tail-feathers were clearly visible through binoculars.
The bird was again seen by Mr. D. H. Brown and C. St. C. S. on
September 4th, but was not seen subsequently.
There are less than a dozen published records of Temminck's
Stint for Sussex since the beginning of the present century.
D. D. HARBER AND C. ST. C. SIMMONS.
FEEDING HABITS OF REDSHANK.
THE Handbook does not make any mention of a feeding habit of the
Redshank (Tringa totanus) which I observed on August 27th, 1948,
and on subsequent dates, at Pagham Harbour, Sussex. The birds
in question were probably in pursuit of small fish and their method
of feeding corresponded exactly with that described for the Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)—i.e., " by succession of rapid dashes
through water with neck extended and bill submerged."
JOHN REYNOLDS.
KENTISH PLOVERS IN HAMPSHIRE.
ON October 10th, 1948, whilst watching a flock of small waders,
consisting mainly of Ringed Plovers (Charadrius hiaticula) on Stanpit
Marsh, Christchurch, my attention was attracted to two birds which
appeared distinctly different from the others.
They were slightly smaller than the Ringed Plovers. The back
and head were greyish-brown, under-parts white and the legs were
dark, not yellow as in the Ringed Plovers. A distinct feature was
the presence of small dark patches on the sides of the breast, projecting forwards from the closed wing. Comparison with juvenile
Ringed Plovers showed that these latter had an almost unbroken
pectoral band, whereas in the birds in question the dark patches
stopped abruptly, leaving a clear white breast. The neck was completely encircled by a narrow white ring. No clearly defined head
markings were noticed. The birds were not seen to fly.
The light was good, with the sun behind, and the birds were seen
at about 25 yards distance with a x 40 telescope. I feel confident
that the leg colour was not due to mud, as the birds were feeding on
fairly clean sand and none of the Ringed Plovers showed any sign
VOL. XLII.]
NOTES.
221
of muddy discoloration of the legs, and that the birds were female
or immature Kentish Plovers (Leucopolius alexandrinus).
T. F. SHAXSON.
PIPING DISPLAY BY JUVENILE OYSTER-CATCHERS IN
CAPTIVITY.
MAKKINK, in his paper on the Oyster-catcher (Hcematopus ostralegus)
(Ardea, Vol. xxxi, 1942, pp. 23-75), states that young birds of this
species are not known to form " piping parties " without the presence
of an adult.
Among a consignment of mixed wading birds which arrived at the
London Zoo from a Copenhagen dealer in September, 1948, were
four juvenile Oyster-catchers which were seen on one occasion to
indulge in a "piping ceremony " lasting for at least half a minute.
An adult Oyster-catcher, silent and out of sight in an adjacent
aviary, was later introduced to the juveniles, but the display was not
observed again.
R. A. RICHARDSON.
PRATINCOLE IN SURREY.
ON September 8th, 1948, at about 2 p.m., one of us (R.S.B.) saw a
bird which appeared to be a Pratincole at Barn Elms Reservoir,
Barnes. During the afternoon of September n t h the other two of
us together watched what was probably the same bird at the same
place for about an hour. We made (with glasses) as careful a study
as possible of its appearance and behaviour at the time, and all of
us have since examined the series of skins of Glareola pratincola and
G. nordmanni in the Bird-room at the British Museum (Natural
History). We are satisfied that it was a bird of one or other of these
species that we saw, but believe that it was a bird of the year, and
we are unable to state whether or not the chestnut-coloured axillary
patches characteristic of G. pratincola were present. Captain C. H. B.
Grant, who knows both species well, tells us that they are very
difficult to distinguish on the wing.
For the whole of the time it was under observation, the bird was
actively hawking to and fro, mainly low over the water. Once, when
chased by a wagtail, it rose to some height. Its flight was reminiscent of that of a swallow. The following field notes were written
by one of us (H.A.B.) :—" Head, nape, back and wings sootybrown. Rump white. Tail forked ; appeared black. Belly white.
Underside of wings appeared blackish. Chin and throat dark ; at
times appeared huffish-brown. Flight swift-like, very restless,
flapping most of the time, but occasionally a short glide. Hawking
most of the time low over water. Shape of wings swallow-like
rather than swift-like."
H. A. BAYLIS, A. WILLIAMS AND ROSEMARY S. BROWN.
[A field sketch by Mrs. Brown has also been submitted to us. It
shows the blunt head, swallow-like wings, white rump and belly, and
black, forked tail and confirms the identification.—EDS.]
222
BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XLII.
NOTE OF LITTLE GULL.
watching a Little Gull (Larus minutus) in second winter
plumage feeding in flight at Arnside, Westmorland, on August 14th
and September 12th, 1948, we heard it utter only a number of
monosyllabic squeaks of variable pitch. There was no note uttered,
as far as we could tell, which resembled those listed in The Handbook.
WHILST
J. A. G. BARNES, J. C. S. ELLIS
[It seems likely that this is a persistent juvenile or " immature "
note.—EDS.]
STRANGE FLIGHT BEHAVIOUR OF BLACK-HEADED
GULLS.
ON November 17th, 1948, at Staines, Middlesex, a flock of Blackheaded Gulls {Larus ridibundus) was circling slowly around. They
were apparently feeding on insects as they would continually
"stand" with fast beating wings and take something out of the air
with their beaks. One of the birds kept calling loudly and rapidly
and at intervals would flap its wings very fast and then roll (not
loop) over on its back and glide in this position for a few yards without appreciably losing height. It performed this feat at least six
times. The maximum time on the back was about four seconds and
in that time it glided at least ten yards.
I have never seen gulls (or any other bird for that matter) do this
before, but an acquaintance told me that he saw a gull (of undetermined species) glide several times on its back for distances of about
ten yards at Ilfracombe, Devon.
J. O. OWENS.
COMMON GULL DIVING FOR FOOD.
ON December 4th, 1948, at Frensham Great Pond, Surrey, we
observed an immature Common Gull {Larus canus) in its second
winter diving for food. The bird flew over the water at a height of
two or three feet, and dived in at an angle of about 8o°; on one
occasion it was seen to bring some vegetable matter (probably reed)
to the surface. This was repeated about five times, although food
was seen only once. After each dive the bird rested on the water,
but soon resumed its flight. In each dive the body was wholly
submerged, but the wing-tips remained above the surface ; submersion lasted only about two seconds.
In the "Supplementary Additions and Corrections" section of
The Handbook, diving for fish at sea is noted as being frequent, but
no mention is made of diving for vegetable food inland.
C. R. BIRD AND D. G. HARPER.
HERRING-GULL " P A D D L I N G " ON GRASS FIELD.
ON September 22nd, 1948, an adult Herring-Gull {Larus argentatus)
was seen with several immature birds of the same species and several
Black-headed Gulls (L. ridibundus) in a grass field behind my house
VOL. XLII.]
NOTES.
223
near Whitby, Yorkshire. Through glasses it was seen to be "paddling " with its feet. The body remained remarkably still, but the
feet and tarsi moved up and down quite quickly—at a guess I should
say four beats per second. The head was moved rhythmically from
side to side as if the bird was watching for something which might
appear on the ground. Nothing, however, was picked up while the
bird was being watched. None of the other gulls in the field appeared
to be " paddling."
ARNOLD B. WALKER.
[We publish this note because the habit of "paddling" on grass
seems to have been seldom remarked on, and so seems worth drawing
attention to, rather than because we have any reason to think it
uncommon. The habit, of course, is well known on the shore, where
it appears to be effective in bringing worms to the surface, and has
been recorded as regular on grass in the case of the Black-headed
Gull (antea, Vol. xvi, p. 228).—EDS.]
GREAT SKUA'S METHOD OF KILLING LARGE BIRDS.
WHILE staying in Orkney in 1948 I watched, together with three
friends, a Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) attack and kill a fully
grown Sheld-Duck {Tadorna tadorna). This occurred on Loch
Stenness on August 22nd, 1948. Unfortunately, being without
binoculars, we were only able to observe the first phase of the
encounter. With its vastly superior speed the skua quickly overtook, and came into contact with, its victim. Although we were
too far away to see exactly what happened, the skua must have struck
the duck a violent blow in mid-air, for immediately following the
impact the pursued bird dropped like a stone into the water. As
it is inconceivable that the attacker could have killed its prey in
flight, one can only assume that it did so by subsequently drowning
it—a method said to be now frequently practised by these skuas.
This supposition was supported by our finding no injury on the body
of the Sheld-Duck that would have accounted for its instantaneous
death when the carcase was recovered and examined shortly afterwards. A large portion of the breast muscles had been eaten by
the skua, but the head was uninjured.
It would seem that the killing of such a large duck—probably
heavier than the skua itself—is a somewhat unusual event, for Mr.
G. T. Arthur (who has an intimate knowledge of Orcadian bird-life)
informs me that he has neither witnessed nor heard of a similar
incident. That gentleman has, however, observed one of these
skuas kill an even more powerful bird—namely a Great Blackbacked Gull (Larus marinus) by keeping its head submerged until it
was drowned. Another instance of a gull (species not mentioned)
being killed in this way is described in detail by Mr. J. G. Marwick
in the Kirkwall paper Orcadian, dated July 22nd, 1948.
COLLINGWOOD INGRAM.
224
BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XLII.
[We know of no other cases of Great Skuas killing such large birds
as Sheld-Ducks or Great Black-backs, though the killing of Kittiwakes is now well known to be a regular habit of this species. We
asked Mr. Kay, the well-known ornithologist of Lerwick, Shetland,
for his experience in the matter, and his reply is printed below—EDS.]
Apart from my knowledge of its taking nestling gulls, Eiders,
Arctic Skuas, etc., my personal experience of the Great Skua as a
killer of the larger birds is confined to adult and immature Kittiwakes (Rissa tridadyla) and immature Herring-Gulls (Larus
argentatus). His method is to overtake on the wing and grab tail
or wing-tip, when both tumble to the sea, where the Bonxie gives
his victim a nip about the head and then deliberately drowns it by
standing on top, balancing itself the while with wings up. The
breast is then torn out and eaten. I have an idea that there is not
so much killing done in the neighbourhood of a Gannet colony, where
a meal can be had more easily by harrying.
I have no knowledge of Bonxies killing ducks of any kind here,
possibly because of the wealth of sea-bird life. In Orkney things
may be different and I suppose there is no good reason why a hungry
Bonxie should not kill a Sheld-Duck. There are fantastic tales of
Bonxies killing sheep and lambs, which of course are nonsense.
James Jamieson, the old shepherd of Noss, who probably knew
Bonxies as well as anyone, told me that he welcomed the Bonxie
as it kept away the Raven. During his half a lifetime at Noss, he
had never lost a lamb, hen or chicken, by a Bonxie; here there is a
wealth of sea-birds, of course.
G. T. KAY.
GREY WAGTAIL AS PREY OF KESTREL.—Mr. A. R.
Longhurst
informs us that on October 17th, 1947, when on a southbound ship
in the Gulf of Suez, he saw a Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) catch in
flight, and subsequently eat, a Grey Wagtail [Motacilla cinerea). The
Handbook does not record this species as food of the Kestrel.
EARLY NESTING OF REDSTART.— Messrs. M. Larkin and L. Salmon
report that they found a pair of Redstarts (Phasnicurus phaenicurus)
at Enville, Staffs., which had practically completed a nest on April
24th, 1948. On May 1st there were at least four eggs in the nest,
which was robbed shortly afterwards. The breeding season for this
species is recorded in The Handbook as "occasionally in early May, but
usually mid-May onwards".
WHIMBREL WINTERING IN JERSEY.—Mr. W. M. Condry informs us
that he regularly saw one and often two Whimbrels (Numenius
phcBOpus) between October 7th, 1947, and February 29th, 1948, at
Fliquet Bay, Jersey. This locality is not far from Gorey where Mr
W. R. Philipson recorded two Whimbrels on February 9th (antea,
vol. xli, p. 315). Mr. Condry saw one and sometimes two birds almost
daily during the period mentioned, except for the last week in January
and the first two weeks of February.