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British Birds

Editorial Board
R. J. Chandler
R. A. Hume
M. A. Ogilvie
R. J. Prytherch
J. T. R. Sharrock

Photographic Researcher
Robin Chittenden

Art Considtants

Robert Gillmor and Alan Harris

Volume 89
1996

British Birds Ltd

ISSN 0007-0335

Editorial Staff

Dr J. T. R. Sharrock (Managing Editor), David A. Christie (Assistant Editor),

Mrs Sheila D. Cobban (Personal Assistant to Dr Sharrock) & Mrs Alison Gathercole

Circulation Staff

Mrs Erika Sharrock (Circulation Manager)

Rarities Committee

R. A. Hume (Chairman), Dr Colin Bradshaw, Peter Clement, Pete Ellis, C. D. R. Heard (to
30th March), John McLoughlin (from 1st April), Doug Page, K. D. Shaw, Andy Stoddart,

Reg Thorpe & Grahame Walbridge; Peter Colston (Museum Consultant; Archivist to 30th
March); John Marchant (Archivist from 1st April); Peter Fraser & Dr John Ryan (Statisticians);
Michael J. Rogers (Honorary' Secretary)

Behaviour Notes Panel

Dr C. J. Bibby, Ian Dawson, Dr J. J. M. Flegg, Derek Goodwin, Dr I. Newton FRS,

Dr M. A. Ogilvie, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock & Dr K. E. L. Simmons

Identification Notes Panel

Dr Colin Bradshaw, Dr R. J. Chandler, R. A. Hume, T. P. Inskipp, P. G. Lansdown,

S. C. Madge, I. S. Robertson & K. E. Vinicombe

British Birds

Volume 89 (1996) Main contents

JANUARY

1 Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes: taxonomy, identification and the British and Irish
records Dr Alan Knox

10 Long-toed Stint in Cornwall: the first record for the Western Palearctic Philip D. Round
25 European news

FEBRUARY

5 1 Minutes of 3rd Conference of European Rarities Committees Tom Conzemius
54 Field identification of Little and BaiUon’s Crakes David A. Christie, Hadoram Shirihai &
Alan Harris

61 Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 1993 Dr Malcolm Ogilvie Gf the RBBP
MARCH

103 Eastern Phoebe in Devon: new to the Western Palearctic Colin McShane

110 Obimary: G. K. Yeates MA FRPS (1910-1994) Trevor Gunton

112 Professor George Mackenzie Dunnet DSc CBE (1928-1995) Dr W. R. P. Bourne

114 Identification of Hippolais warblers Hadoram Shirihai, David A. Christie & Alan Harris

APRIL

157 Mourning Dove in the Isle of Man: new to the Western Palearctic Aron Sapsford
163 Double-crested Cormorant in Cleveland: new to the Western Palearctic T. J. Williams
171 Owls of the Moscow Region V. V Kontorshikov, O. S. Greenchenko, A. V. Ivanov, A. P.

Petrisheva, A. V. Sevrugin & N. G. Chelintsev
177 Palearctic waders in Western Australia Dr C. D. T Minton & Dr R. J. Chandler

MAY

203 The Dartford Warbler in the United Kingdom in 1994 Dr David W. Gibbons & Simon Wotton
214 The Best Annual Bird Report Awards Dr J. T R. Sharrock et al.

219 The United Arab Emirates Colin Richardson

232 White-winged Lark in Norfolk Dr John Lines & John A. W. Moyes
JUNE

247 European news

267 Response of Booted Eagles to human disturbance Jacques Carlon
JULY

291 Population trends of breeding birds in the United Kingdom since 1800 Dr David W.

Gibbons, Dr Mark I. Avery & Dr Andrew F. Brown
306 Breeding success of raft-nesting divers in Scotland T. D. H. Menie
310 Bird Photograph of the Year Don Smith et al.

AUGUST

335 Bearded Tits in Britain and Ireland Dr Lennox Campbell, Dr John Cayford & Dr David Pearson
347 Northern Mockingbirds in Britain P. R. Cobb, Philip Rawnsley, Harold E. Grenfell, E.
Griffiths & Dr Simon Gox

357 ‘Bird Illustrator of the Year’ and ‘The Richard Richardson Award’ Robert Gillmor et al.
SEPTEMBER

379 Status and behaviour of the Tenerife Kinglet Dr Hans Ldhrl, Dr Ellen Thaler Of David A.
Christie

387 Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 1994 Dr Malcolm Ogilvie & the RBBP
OCTOBER

429 Unequal sex-ratio, mortality causes and pollutant residues in Long-eared Owls in Britain I.

Wyllie, Miss L. Dale & Prof. I. Newton
437 Identification of Chesmut Bunting Steve Votier & Dr Colin Bradshaw

NOVEMBER

48 1 Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 1 995 Michael J. Rogers & the BBRC
DECEMBER

539 Young Ornithologists of the Year Dr J. T. R. Sharrock et al.

544 Obituary: Roger Tory Peterson (1908-1996) Guy Mountfort

549 Smdies of West Palearctic birds 1 96 Common Starling Prof Chris Eeare

575 The ornithological year 1995 Party Nightingale & Keith Allsopp

wiNNiiR, BIRO II.I.USTRA'IOR oi-' 'mi- Yi-AR 1995 (sce pages 357-360); Sanderlings Culidris ulha.,
Porthloo, St Man'’s, Isles of Scilly (Dan Pcnvelt)

ISSN 0007-0335

British Birds

Volume

89 Number 1 January 1996

THE NATURAL
HISTORY MUSEUM

25 JAN 1996

PRESENTED
TRING LIBRARY

Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes
Long-toed Stint: first West Palearctic record
European news

iniMliniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilluilllllllllHlll^

•imuilMliiimiilllliiiiiliiiiiK"-

fflHffliinnffnniniitiiimiiiiiii

British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist’, established 1843

Managing Editor Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Personal Assistant Sheila D. Cobban
Assistant Editor David A. Christie
Editorial Board Dr R. J. Chandler,

R. A. Hume, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

R. J. Prytherch, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Design Deborah Felts

Photographic Researcher Robin Chittenden
Art Consultants Robert Gillmor, Alan Harris
Circulation Manager & Advertising
Manager Erika Sharrock

Rarities Committee R. A. Hume
(Chairman), Dr Colin Bradshaw,

Peter Clement, Pete Ellis, C. D. R. Heard,
Doug Page (co-opted), K. D. Shaw, And\'
Stoddart, Reg Thorpe, Grahame Walbridge;
Peter Colston (museum consultant and
archivist); Peter Fraser & Dr John Ryan
(statisticians); Alichael J. Rogers (Hon.
Secretary)

Behaviour Notes Panel Dr C. J. Bibby,

Ian Daw’son, Dr J. J. M. Hegg, Derek Goodv\in,
Dr I. Newton FRS, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

Dr J. T. R. Shamock, Dr K. E. L. Simmons
Identification Notes Panel Dr Colin
Bradshaw, Dr R. J. Chandler, R. A. Hume,

T. P. Inskipp, P. G. Lansdowti, S. C. Madge,
I. S. Robertson, K. E. Vinicombe

i\nnual subscriptions

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The journal ‘British Birds’ is published by
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© British Birds Ltd 1996

Copyright of photographs remains witli

photographers.

British Birds is published monthly by British
Birds Ltd, 93 High Street, Biggleswade,
Bedfordshire.

ISSN 0007-0335. Printed in England by
Newmorth Print Ltd, Kempston, Bedford.

British Birds publishes material dealing w'ith original obscivations on the birds of the West Palearctic.
Except for records of rarities, papers and notes are normally accepted only on condition that material
is not being offered in whole or in part to any other journal or magazine. Photographs and drawings
are welcomed. Papers should he typewritten with double spacing, and wide margins, and on one side
of the sheet only. Authors should carefully consult tliis issue for sU'le of presentation, especially of
references and tables. English and scientific names and sequence of birds follow The 'British Birds' List
of linghsh Names of Western Palearctic Birds (1993); or, for non-West-Palearctic species, Monroe &
Sibley (1993, A World Checklist of Birds); names of plants follow Dony ei al. (1986, Lnglish Names of
Wild L’lmucrs); names of mammals follow Nowak & Paradiso (1983, Walker's Mammals of the World,
4fh edn). Topographical (plumage and structure) and ageing terminology should follow editorial
recommendations {Brit. Birds 74: 239-242; 78: 419-427; 80: 502). Eigurcs should be in Indian ink on
good-quality tracing paper, drawing paper, or light bliie/palc grey graph paper; lettering should be
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20x (WW/B) eyepiece 135

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TSN-3 (45°) or -4 body 699

25x or 40x eyepiece 80

20x (WA) eyepiece 127

30x (WA) eyepiece 162

60x eyepiece 138

77x eyepiece 125

20-60X zoom eyepiece 196

Camera adaptor 800mm 150

Camera adaptor 1200mm 231

Stay-on case 45

27x (WA) Screw-in-eyepiece 74

TS-61 1 body (45°) 249

TS-612 body 229

TS-61 3 Fluorite body (45°) 519

TS-61 4 Fluorite body 469

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27x (WA) eyepiece 109

20-60X zoom eyepiece 127

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TBS 80 body 530

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Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s
Thrushes: taxonomy, identification
and the British and Irish records

Alan Knox

ABSTRACT The BOU Records Committee has recently accepted
the taxonomic split of the mainly Nearctic Grey-cheeked Thrush
Catharus minimus into two species: a restricted Grey-cheeked
Thrush comprising the races minimus and aliciae and the
monotypic Bicknell’s Thrush C. bicknelli. Identification and
ageing of the three forms is discussed.

The races aliciae and minimus are both larger than bicknelli, but
measurements overlap. The plumage of aliciae is colder and
greyer than the generally warmer and more rufous minimus. In
this respect, minimus approaches bicknelli. Despite further
differences in biometrics, vocalisations and bare-part colours
between Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes, the field
identification of most migrants is not recommended at this stage.

The British records of ‘Grey-cheeked Thrush’ (in the wide
sense) are reviewed. The single previously accepted record of
bicknelli is no longer considered to be acceptable, and the form
has been deleted from the British & Irish List.

This paper is an official publication of
the British Ornithologists’ Union.

[Brit. Birds 89: 1-9, Januan' 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

1

2

Knox: Grcv-chccked and Bickncll’s 'I’hrushcs

The Grey-cheeked Thrush Cathams minimus (as it is currently known) breeds in
the boreal coniferous forests of North America and northeastern Siberia. The
Nearctic distribution covers Alaska and northern Canada from the Yukon to
Newfoundland and northern Nova Scotia and, in the mountains, south through
New England.

Taxonomy and geographic variation

The species is usually divided into three races (Godfrey 1986; Ouellet 1993):
bicknelli has a restricted distribution and breeds on the mountains of eastern New
York State, New England, southern Quebec and the Canadian Maritime
Provinces;

minimus also has a restricted distribution, breeding only in Newfoundland,
southern Labrador and extreme eastern Quebec;

aliciae nests over the remainder of the species’ range, from Labrador to eastern
Siberia.

Cramp (1988) followed the AOU (1957) in regarding aliciae as
indistinguishable from minimus. Todd (1963) had, howe\^er, shown tliat aliciae is
recognisable, a view shared by most subsequent authors (e.g. Godfrey 1986).

The three forms are rather similar in appearance. Nominate minimus and aliciae
tend to be larger than bicknelli (table 1), but measurements overlap. The
upperparts are dark olive-grey on aliciae, and browner on minimus. In bicknelli,
the upperparts tend to be richer brown than those of minimus, especially on the
tail. The plumage of all three forms is, however, quite variable (Wallace 1939;
OueUet 1993).

It has recently been suggested by Dr Henri Ouellet that the southern. New
England and Maritime Province race should be treated as a separate species C.
bicknelli, Bicknell’s Thrush, with nominate minimus and aliciae remaining together
as the Grey-cheeked Thrush C. minimus (Ouellet 1993). Ouellet showed that
BickneU’s and Grey-cheeked Thrushes differ in several respects: size and, to a
certain extent, plumage and bare-part colour; the breeding and wintering ranges
of the two species do not overlap; they have different songs (and nocturnal flight-
calls: Evans 1994), and playback experiments on the breeding grounds have
shown that Bicknell’s Thrushes do not respond to recordings of minimus or
aliciae, there are differences in the breeding habitats of Bicknell’s and Grey-
cheeked Thrushes; there is no known hybridisation or intergradation; and analysis
of mitochondrial DNA from Bicknell’s and Grey-cheeked Thrushes has revealed
sequence divergence (1.7%) which is greater than that of many avian sibling
species (Ouellet 1993).

Following the American Ornithologists’ Union (in press), the British
Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (in press) has recently accepted tliat
Bicknell’s and Grey-cheeked Thrushes should be treated as separate species.

Field identification

Separation of migrant Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes is complicated by
the geographic variation within the former. Nominate minimus is noticeably
browner and richer than aliciae. If individuals of muiimus and aliciae were seen
alongside one another, the former might be mistaken for bicknelli. Indeed, tliere

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January’ 1996 3

is a closer resemblance between some minimus and bicknelh than between minimus
and the greyer and more olive aliciae.

There are several drawers containing skins of Grey-cheeked Thrushes at the
Natural History Museum at Tring, but these include only a few breeding birds,
hardly any correctly identified autumn bicknelli, and most of the non-breeding
minimus and aliciae specimens are difficult to separate. To supplement the Tring
material, I borrowed a short series of each of aliciae, minimus and bicknelli from
the American Museum of Natural History. Using these together with the Tring
specimens, I was able to confirm the essentials of the assessment of aliciae by
Todd (1963).

UPPERPARTS, INCLUDING TAIL Nominate minimus is a Lighter, warmer brown than
the colder, darker, olive-brown or greyish-olive of aliciae. The edges to the
primary coverts, greater coverts and primaries on the folded wmg tend to be
warmer and lighter on minimus, and contrast more with the rest of the upperparts
and the dark tips to the primary coverts in particular.

UNDERPARTS On minimus, the spots on the breast tend to be lighter and less
contrasting and, although there is much variation, the ground colour is often
warmer. The flanks are also richer than the cooler grey of aliciae.

BARE PARTS Todd (1963) noticed that the pale area at the base of the lower
mandible was larger on minimus than on aliciae, and, although there was much
variation, this was also generally the case in the series available to me.

All these differences are best seen in series of birds rather than on individuals.
Differences between Grey-cheeked and BicknelVs Thrushes

Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes are very alike. The greatest difference is
in size, but measurements overlap, and size is unlikely to be helpful in separating
the species m the field (table 1). In all other characters, there is considerable
variation, and the differences between the species are not great. The tail is often
more rufous on Bicknell’s in breeding plumage, but this is less obvious in the
autumn when the feathers are fresh (Ouellet in litt.). There are minor differences
in bare-part colours. On Bicknell’s Thrushes, the base of the lower mandible is
bright, pale yellow. On Grey-cheeked Thrushes, the pale area at the base of the
lower mandible tends to be less extensive and more typically flesh-coloured or
yellowish-flesh, although some have uniformly horn-coloured bills. The legs of
Bicknell’s Thrush tend to have a purplish wash rather than the browner (horn)
colour of Grey-cheeked Thrush, but this would be difficult to see in the field or
to judge on lone birds. Similarly, the brighter yellow soles to the feet of BickneU’s
Thrush are unlikely to help unless birds are trapped. Even so, comparison with
known colours would be desirable.

Although there are differences in the song and the calls of Grey-cheeked and
BickneU’s Thrushes, these are of no use with non-vocal autumn migrants. Within
each of the two species, there is sufficient variation in plumage and bare-part
colours to make it difficult or inadvisable, with present knowledge, to identify
single autumn migrants in the field. The exception to this might be that very grey
birds with restricted, flesh-coloured bases to the lower mandibles are almost
certainly Grey-cheeked Thrushes of the race aliciae.

4

Knox: Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes

Table 1. Wing-lengths (in mm) of Grey-cheeked Cathams minimus and Bicknell’s
Thrushes C. bicknelli from various sources. M = mean. SD = standard deviation. (N) =
number in sample. R = range

a. Chord of unflattened wing (from Ouellet 1993)

Newfoundland Northern Quebec

minimus aliciae bicknelli

Sex

M

SD

(N) R

M SD

(N)

R

M SD

(N)

R

Male

102

±2.9

(59) 95-107

103 ±2.8

(31)

94-108

93 ±2.7

(74)

85-99

Female

98

±2.2

(26) 93-103

99 ±2.6

(15)

95-103

88 ±3.9

(19)

82-95

b. Chord of unflattened wing (from Pyle et al. 1987)

minimus & aliciae

bicknelli

Sex

(N)

R

(N)

R

Male

(30)

100-109

(30)

88-98

Female

(30)

97-106

(22)

85-93

c. Presumed flattened wing (from Vaurie, in Williamson 1954; see Vaurie 1959: viii for Vaurie’s
measuring technique in latter work)

minimus & aliciae bicknelli

Sex R R

Male 103-112 89-101

Female 100-107 90-96

d. Chord of unflattened wing (from Wallace 1939)

minimus aliciae bicknelli

Sex M (N) R M (N) R M (N) R

Male 103 (25) 98-108 103 (27) 98-108 93 (31) 89-97

Female 98 (17) 95-101 99 (18) 95-104 88 (16) 81-95

The identification of Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes was recently
discussed in detail by Curson (1994). Unfortunately, in presenting Ouellet’s data,
Curson did not mention that Ouellet’s study was carried out mainly on breeding
birds. Worn summer specimens are substantially different in appearance from
autumn birds in fresh plumage. Furthermore, Curson did not discuss (or even
mention) aliciae, and this seriously undermines the usefulness of the article,
where almost every reference to differences between Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s
Thrushes applies similarly to differences between aliciae and minimus.

The difficulties of interpreting subtle colours in photographs continue to be
underestimated (Knox 1993, page 365). Photographs used by Curson (1994) to
illustrate differences between Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s Thrushes actually
provide examples of such photographic effects (e.g. plates 1-3 are of the same
individual by the same photographer; in plate 2, the breast and upperparts are a
warm brown shade, whereas in plate 3 they are cold olive; similarly, plates 4 & 5
are of another individual and again the colours are noticeably different in the two
photographs; plates 6, 8 & 9 are of a claimed Bicknell’s Thrush: plate 6 shows a
bird with a warm hue to its plumage, in stark contrast to tlte colder, greyer
plumage in plate 8; the colour of the bird in plate 10 is unlike any Grey-cheeked
Thrush, yet colours are discussed in detail). I'he captions to these photographs
and the editorial following the article fail to address these problems realistically.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

5

For further examples of differences between photographs of an individual
Grey-cheeked Thrush, see Biit. Birds 85; 542-543, 568, plates 236, 239, 251 &
252.

Ageing

First-years often have conspicuous pale tips to the greater coverts, but not aU
those birds with uniform coverts are adults. Several specimens of aU three forms
which I aged as first-winters on the basis of the pointed shape of their tail feathers
had uniform coverts. Pyle et al. (1987) noted that about 15% of first-years had
plain greater coverts. Whereas individuals with clear spots on the coverts may
safely be aged as first-years, those with plain coverts are more reliably aged by the
shape of the tail feathers (see Pyle et al. 1987, McMinn 1995). According to
Wallace (1939), first-years tend to have browner wing-panels.

Vagrancy potential

With its large range and northerly distribution as far east as Labrador, aliciae is a
likely vagrant to Britain and Ireland. Nominate minimus^ breeding as it does in
Newfoundland, starts its migration with a flight over open sea and is also a
candidate for storm-diverted or ship-assisted passage. Given the more southerly
range of bicknelli and its status as ‘potentially endangered’ (Faccio 1995),
Bicknell’s Thrush may be less likely than either of the other two forms to occur
as a vagrant in Europe, although it has occurred in Bermuda (OueUet in litt.).

British and Irish records

The first British Grey-cheeked Thrushes were trapped on Fair Isle, Shetland, on
5th October 1953 (Williamson 1954) and 29th October 1958 (Davis 1959). In
aU, there has been a total of 43 Grey-cheeked Thrushes in Britain and Ireland to
the end of 1994 (Fitzharris 1983; Rogers et al. 1995; Smiddy & O’SuUivan 1994).
Of these, no fewer than 17 have been trapped, were found dead or died later
(table 2).

Present location of the dead birds

3. BARDSEY, 1961 It was particularly important to find this specimen as it is the
only one said to have been identified as bicknelli (by Charles Vaurie, in Clafton
1963). This bird was skinned on the island and later sent to Vaurie at the
American Museum of Namral History. It was returned and apparently travelled
around before being given to a museum (Frank Clafton verbally). After several
months of searching, I was unable to locate the specimen and it may now be lost.
It is apparently not at the National Museum of Wales at Cardiff, the University
College of North Wales at Bangor, nor at Liverpool, Manchester or Bolton
Museums nor at the Natural History Museum at Tring.

4. ST KILDA, 1965 Now at the Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, no.
NMSZ 1965.59.

5. LOSSIEMOUTH, 1965 Now at the Harxison Zoological Museum, Sevenoaks, no.
HZM 1.4878.

6

Knox: Grev-checkcd and Bickncll’s 'Bhrushes

Table 2. Details, including wing-lengths, of Grey-cheeked Thrushes Cathams mimmtis
trapped or found moribund or dead in Britain & Ireland up to 1994. Existing specimens
are indicated in bold npe.

No. Place Date Details Wing-length (mm)

1

Fair Isle, Shetland

5th Oct. 1953

trapped (Williamson 1954)

(chord) 99

2

Fair Isle

29th Oct. 1958

trapped (Davis 1959)

(maximum) 99

3

Bardsey, Gwynedd

10th Oct. 1961

Isfw. ? trapped, died later

100

(Clafton 1963)

4

St Kilda, Western

29th Oct. 1965

trapped, died later

Isles

(Grubb 1966)

103

5

Lossiemouth,

26th Nov. 1965

Ist-w. 6 found moribund

Grampian

(Flarrison 1967)

111

6

Florden, Co. Durham

17th Oct. 1968

dead

102.5

7

Bardsey

31st Oct. 1968

trapped

left, 98; right, 97.5

8

Bardsey

20th Oct. 1971

dead

101

9

Cape Clear Island,

Co. Cork

19th Oct. 1982

trapped (Fitzharris 1983)

(longest chord) 106

10

Lundy Devon

11th-12th Oct. 1985

trapped

116

11

St Mary's, Scilly

20th-21st Oct. 1986

killed by cat

12

St Mary's

22nd Oct. 1986

drowned on shore

108

13

Lundy

27th Oct. 1986

dead

107

14

Benbecula, Western Isles

29th Oct. 1989

trapped

103

15

Slimbridge,

Gloucestershire

Nth Oct. 1990

trapped, died later

left, 103; right, 102

16

St Agnes, Scilly

22nd-26th Sept. 1991

trapped

101

17

Loop Flead, Co. Clare

12th Oct. 1991

trapped (Smiddy & O’Sullivan 1994)

Table 3. Specimens of Grey-cheeked Thrushes Cathams minimus listed in table 2 which
have been remeasured by the author.

Wing lengths (mm)

MEASURED BYAGK

No. Place

Date

PUBLISHED

Maximum

Chord

4 St Kilda, Western Isles

29th Oct. 1965

103

104

102

5 Lossiemouth, Grampian

26th Nov. 1965

111

102

100

8 Bardsey, Gwynedd

20th Oct. 1971

101

103

100

12 St Mary's, Scilly

22nd Oct. 1986

108

107

105

6. HORDEN, 1968 This one was said to be at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle
(Brit. Birds 62: 476-477). The museum, however, has no record of the bird.
It later emerged that the corpse had been given to the museum and prepared
as a freeze-dried specimen, which was subsequently eaten by a rat (Eric Meek
verbally).

8. HARDSHY, 1971 Said to have been going to the National Museum of Wales
(BBRC submission), this bird was eventually traced to an outbuilding in Dyfed.
It has now been deposited at the NMW, Cardiff, no. NMW Z. 1995.0 14.

11. S'f MARY’S, 1986 This bird attracted the attention of a cat. I am not aware of
the existence of either measurements or identifiable surviving parts.

12. s r MARY’S, 1986 Mounted specimen in the possession of Chris R. Janman.

13. LUNDY, 1986 Remains of dead bird found, but apparently not retained.

15. SLIMHRIDGP:, 1990 The skin was said to have been retained by the Wildfowl &

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

7

Wetlands Trust {Bnt. Birds 84: 485). On investigation, it was discovered that the
specimen rotted during a freezer failure and was lost prior to skinning (M. Brown
verbally) .

Having struggled to get across the Atlantic, at least nine of the 43 Grey-
cheeked Thrushes died shortly after arrival. In general, we appear to have been
poor custodians of their earthly remains. Observers finding the bodies (or parts,
even single feathers) of rare birds are strongly urged to deposit them as soon as
possible for safe keeping in the national collections at Tring, Cardiff, Liverpool
or Edinburgh.

Identification of the existing specimens

The thrushes which were traced were compared with skins at Tring and the
specimens on loan from the AMNH. AH four British birds are Grey-cheeked
Thrushes rather than Bicknell’s. Based on the limited material available, the birds
from Lossiemouth (no. 5), St Mary’s (no. 12) and probably St KQda (no. 4)
seem closest to aliciae and the Bardsey specimen (no. 8) may be closer to
minimus. The originally published wing-length of the Lossiemouth bird was
presumably a typographic or transcription error (see table 3).

Identification of the other trapped or dead birds

Of the 1961 Bardsey specimen (no. 3), Charles Vaurie wrote:

‘ . . . there seems Little doubt that [the] specimen is bicknelli because it matches
the measurements of this race and also has the same bill and coloration’ (Clafton
1963).

This bird fits quite well as bicknelli using Vaurie’s measurements of Grey-
cheeked Thrushes as given in Williamson (1954). Vaurie’s measurements seem,
however, to be large compared with those of other authors (table 1) and he
tended to measure only very small samples (as in, e.g., Vaurie 1959). For these
reasons, the other data-sets in table 1 would seem to be more reliable. At 100
mm, the published wing-length of this bird is at or beyond the upper limit for
bicknelli (table 1). Even deducting 2 mm for the estimated difference between the
maximum wing-length (usual technique in Britain) and the chord (usual
technique in North America; table 3, see also Svensson 1992: 21), this bird is still
uncomfortably large for bicknelli.

The published description of the 1961 Bardsey bird does not mention the
warm brown or rufous colour now associated with bicknelli. The colour of the
base of the lower mandible of the live bird was noted as ‘horn’, which is not a
feature of bicknelli. On the basis of the existing documentation, identification as
bicknelli cannot be supported.

The biometrics (only wmg-length given here) of three of the remammg birds
(nos. 1, 2 & 7) fall in the overlap zone between minimus! aliciae and bicknelli. The
descriptions of the three birds do not suggest bicknelli. The larger individuals (nos.
6, 9, 10, & 12-16) are clearly minimus or aliciae. None of the trapped or dead
birds can therefore be identified as Bicknell’s Thrush. (A description of the 1991
bird trapped in Ireland was not available during this review.)

8

Knox: Grey-chcckcd and Bickncll’s 1 brushes

Sight records

We can be fairly confident that most, if not all, ‘Grey-cheeked Thrushes’ (in the
wide sense) which have occurred in Britain and Ireland are Grey-cheeked
Thrushes (in the narrow sense) of the races aliciae and/or minimus. This is
particularly so for the majority of those which have been described as having grey
upperparts. The plumage of occasional individuals has been noted as being more
rufous (e.g. one at Abbey Farm, Tresco, Isles of Scilly, on 20th October 1986;
Curson 1994, plates 6, 8 & 9). This bird could have been bicknelli, but nominate
minimus cannot be eliminated at this stage. The latter is perhaps more likely, if
only because of the breeding range and likely population size. The claims of such
individuals will be reassessed when further information becomes available.

Using existing criteria, it is not advisable to identify to species any sight-only
records of the more richly coloured vagrant Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s
Thrushes (McLaren 1995; Parkes 1995; and this study), contra Curson (1994).
For a good discussion of identification, see McLaren 1995.

Conclusion

There is no evidence to admit bicktielli to the British List on the basis of any record
so far. From recent Internet/Birdchat discussions, it is clear that many North
American birders are actively working to establish field-identification feamres for
the newly separated species. Furthermore, Dr Ouellet is currently studying the
geographic variation of Grey-cheeked Thrush. Until clear and unambiguous
criteria emerge, it is unlikely that any claim of bicknelli (particularly the first for
Britain) will be accepted unless firmly established by biometrics and an in-the-hand
description. Given the example of the Lossiemouth Grey-cheeked Thrush (see
above), measurements of any rare birds should be replicated independently.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Dr David Harrison (Harrison Zoological Museum), Bob McGowan (Royal
Museums of Scotland), Peter Davis and Chris Janman for the loan of the British specimens.
Martin Brown (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust), Prof. Peter Morgan and Peter Howlett (National
Museum of Wales), Alec Coles and Eric Morton (Hancock Museum), Will Wagstaff, Susan
Cowdy, Eric Meek, Michael J. Rogers, the late Frank Clafton, Dr Richard Arnold (Uniwrsity
College of North Wales at Bangor), Dr Malcolm Largen (Liverpool Museum), Dr Mike
Hounsome (Manchester Museum), Steve Garland and Ms K. Beny (Bolton Museum) all helped
(in vain) to track down the missing birds. Michael J. Rogers supplied information from the
BBRC files. Manny Levine and Christine Blake kindly loaned the specimens from the American
Museum of Natural Histor\-. I am grateful to Dr Richard Banks, Dr Joe Marshall, Dr Henri
Ouellet and Claudia Wilds for useful information. Paul Lehman, editor of Birding, sent me a
copy of Ian McLaren’s paper prior to publication: I am grateful to both author and editor. Once
again, I am especially indebted to the staff at the Natural Histor\- Museum, 'Pring, for access to
the collections and libran,-. Rob Hume, Tim Inskipp, Ian McLaren, John Marchant, Dr Henri
Ouellet, Dr David Parkin and Keith Vinicombe all commented on the typescript of this paper.

References

Ami ;kican ORNrmoi.CKJi.s i s’ Union (AOU). 1957. Chcck-liu of North Amcricmi Birds. 5th edn.
American Ornithologists’ Union.

In press. Fortieth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Uniiin Cdicck-list of North

Amencaii Birds. Auk.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

9

British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU). In press. Records Committee: twentv-third report.
Ibn.

CiAFTON, F. R. 1963. Gray-cheeked Thrush on Bardsey. Brit. Birds 56: 192-193.

Cramp, S. (ed.) 1988. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. vol. 5. Oxford.

CuRSON, J. 1994: Identification forum: separation of Bicknell’s and Grey-cheeked Thrushes.
Birding World 7: 359-365.

Davis, P. 1959. A second Gray-cheeked Thrush at Fair Isle. Brit. Birds 52: 316.

Evans, W. R. 1994. Nocturnal flight caU of BickneU’s Thrush. Wilson Bidl. 106: 55-61.
Faccio, S. 1995. Cutting through the fog. Living Bird 14: 20-25.

FlTZHARRis, J. E. 1983. Grey-cheeked Thrush in Co. Cork — new to Ireland. Irish Birds 2: 352-
355.

Godfrey, W. E. 1986. The Birds of Canada. Revised edn. Ottawa.

Grubb, P. 1966. Grey-cheeked Thmshes on St Kilda and in Morayshire. Scot. Birds 4: 310-312.
Harrison, J. G. 1967. Grey-cheeked Thrush in Morayshire. Brit. Birds 60: 55-57.

Knox, A. G. 1993. Daurian Redstart in Scotland: captive origin and the British List. Brit. Birds
86: 359-366.

McLaren, I. A. 1995. Field identification and taxonomy of Bicknell’s Thrush. Birding 27: 358-
366.

McMinn, S. 1995. Ageing Cathanis thrushes. Birding World 8: 317.

OuELLET, H. 1993. Bicknell’s Thrush: taxonomic status and distribution. Wilson Bull. 105: 545-
572.

Parkes, K. 1995. Identification of Bicknell’s Thrush. Birding World 8: 316-317.

Pyle, P., Howell, S. N. G., Yunick, R. P., & DeSante, D. F. 1987. Identification Guide to
North American Passerines. Bolinas, California.

Rogers, M. J., & the Rarities Committee. 1995. Report on rare birds in Great Britain in
1994. Brit. Birds 86: 493-558.

Smiddy, P., & O’Sullivan, O. 1994. Forty-first Irish Bird Report, 1993. Irish Birds 5: 209-230.
Svensson, L. 1992. Identification Guide to European Passerines. 4th edn. Stockholm.

Todd, W. E. C. 1963. Birds of the Labrador Peninsula and Adjacent Areas. Toronto.

Vaurie, C. 1959. The Birds of the Palearctic Fauna. Passeriformes. London.

Wallace, G. J. 1939. Bicknell’s Thrush, its taxonomy, distribution, and life history. Proc. Boston
Soc. Nat. Hist. 41: 211-402.

WnxiAMSON, K. 1954. Gray-cheeked Thrush at Fair Isle: a new British bird. Brit. Birds 47: 266-
267.

Dr Alan Knox, Buckinghamshire County Museum, Tring Road, Halton,
Buckinghamshire HP22 SPJ

RARITIES COMMITTEE NEWS AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rarities statistics

For the past 19 years, the British Birds Rarities Committee has,
for each rare species recorded during the year, shown (a) the total
number of individuals recorded up to the year 1957, (b) the total
number of individuals recorded during the period from 1958 (the
first year covered by the Rarities Committee) up to and including
the previous year, and (c) the number of individuals recorded in the cun'ent year
covered by the Report. Thus, to take Desert Wheatear Oenanlhe deserti, for
example, the figures are shown as: ‘(11, 33, 5)’ in the latest Report (Brit. Birds
88: 534), meaning 11 individuals up to 1957, 33 during 1958-93 and five in
1994. This system was devised by D. J. Britton (Brit. Birds 70: 405), who
calculated the totals each year during 1976-88; this task is now performed
annually by Pete Fraser and John Ryan on behalf of the BBRC.

The Association of European Rarities Committees, at its meeting on
Heligoland, Germany, in October 1993 (Brit. Birds 87: 355-359), recommended
that the number of records and the number of individuals should be indicated in
such cases, whenever these are different. Calculation of these figures would be
very simple for some species, such as Desert Wheatear, for the number of
individuals is almost always the same as the number of records. There are,
however, enormous calculation problems in cases where the same bird is thought
to occur in several successive years or several successive seasons or at a number
of different localities in the same year, for then there may be five or ten records
but only one individual. Similarly, there can be problems when there is a series
of records of small flocks. For European Bee-eater Merops apiaster, for instance,
with records of five at one locality, five at another locality and then four at a third
locality, this might be five individuals or nine individuals or ten individuals or 14
individuals involved in the three records. Thus, without going into even more
detail, the calculations can be quite tricky (and open to discussion in many cases)
even with the set of records for one year. Recalculating all the figures for not only
the 37 years during which the British Birds Rarities Committee has been in
operation, but also for all the records for the period up to 1957 is a very daunting
task and one which has not yet been started.

We give this explanation since the BBRC is a founder member of the AERC,
recognises the usefulness of the AERC’s guidelines and, in principle, would wish
to follow them. Many of the published annual reports on rare birds from other
countries in Europe have already adopted this system. The purpose of this
communication is to explain why that has, so far, been impractical for the BBRC.
R. A. Humh and J. T. R. Sn/iRROCK
do Fountains, Park Lane, Blnnham, Bedford mk44 snj

ZEISS

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Carl Zeiss Lid, sponsor of the British Birds Rarities Committee, subsidises the inelusion
in colour of many of the photographs in Bntish Birds each month.

10

[Brit. Birds 89: 10, January 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

MONTHLY MARATHON

,/ ^ The answers sent in for the first three hurdles can now be revealed.

/ September’s dozing wader {Brit. Birds 88: plate 126) was named

I / ss White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis (36%), Western

Sandpiper C. mauri (24%), Little Stint C. minuta (23%),
Semipalmated Sandpiper C. pusilla (9%) and three other waders.

October’s rock-frequenting passerine (88: plate 140) was named as Berthelot’s
Pipit Anthus berthelotii (58%), Water A. spinoletta (16%), Tawny A. campestris
(15%) and five other pipits.

November’s paddling wader (88: plate 198) was named as Sanderling Calidris
alba (76%), Red-necked Stint C. ruficollis (10%), Semipalmated Sandpiper (7%)
and three other waders.

The most-named species was the right answer each time. The White-rumped
Sandpiper was the adult at Lisagriffin, Co. Cork, in July 1984 (Brit. Birds 79:
546), photographed by Richard T. Mills; the Berthelot’s Pipit was photographed
by Rudi Jelinek on Tenerife in October 1986; and the juvenile Sanderling was
photographed in Russia by Yuri Shibnev.

After the first three hurdles, a total of 42 competitors have achieved three-in-
a-row sequences of correct identifications and a further 66 got both of the latest
two right. The identities of the two birds providing the fourth hurdle (December’s
plate 221) will be revealed in the March issue.

The next hurdle appears below (plate 1).

For a free Sunbird brochure, write to PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 iDF; or telephone
Sandy (01767) 682969.

Plate 1. ‘Monthly marathon’. Photo no. 115; fifth stage in eightli ‘Marathon’. Identify tlie
species. Read the ndes (see page 24), dien send in your answer on a postcard to Monthly
Marathon, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford mk44 3NJ, to arrive by 15tli March 1996.

[Brit. Birds 89: 11, January 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

11

Long-toed Stint in Cornwall: the
first record for the Western
Palearctic

Philip D. Round

ABSTRACT A wader at Marazion Marsh, Cornwall, on 7th and
8th June 1970, originally identified as a Least Sandpiper Calidiis
minutilla, has now been accepted as a Long-toed Stint C.
subrnimita, the first record of this species in the Western
Palearctic. The long process of reidentification is described in
detail.

The weekend of 5th-7th June 1970 was extraordinary by the standards of the
time, and especially exciting for me. I was still at school and in the midst of sitting
my GCE A-level examinations. On the evening of Friday 5th June, I thought that,
by way of a break from my studies, I would have a look at my ‘home patch’,
Marazion Marsh, Cornwall. I expected it to be fairly quiet as the weather was
clear and settled, and, moreover, the marsh was, at that time, fairly dry' with
exposed wet mud and surface water restricted to little more than a small puddle
at the eastern end. To my great surprise, however, I found a Temminck’s Stint
Calidns lemminckii, only the fourth twentieth-century record for the county
(Penhallurick 1969). Furthermore, other obser\'ers (while looking for tlie
Temminck’s) found a Little Stint C. minuta at Marazion on the following day,
and two more on the Hayle Fstuary that same weekend. There were only four
previous spring records of Little Stint for the Cornish mainland.

When I revisited Marazion Marsh on the late afternoon of Sunday 7th June,
the original Temminck’s Stint had gone, but another, small, yellow-legged stint
was present togetlier with a Yellow Wagtail Motacilla jluva showing the
characteristics of the ashy-headed race cincreocapilla. J. H. Johns arrived at the
site shortly after, and botli he and I spent about two hours watching the new
stint that evening. It was much brighter and more strongly scaled on the

12

[Brit. Birds 89; 1 2-24, January 1996] t Hriiisli Birds Ltd 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, Januarv’ 1996

13

upperparts than the Temniinck’s, lacked the clear white outer tad feathers of that
species, and differed in shape, proportions and call.

On the following day, we both spent several more hours observing the stint,
which was tame and could be approached down to about 6 m. During this period,
JHJ obtamed an excellent series of photographs, both monochrome and colour
(see plates 2-5, 8-11 & 14-17). The bird was last observed on the evening of 8th
June. During its stay, it was seen by at least seven other observers, including the
late J. E. Beckerlegge, E. Griffiths, the late R. G. Hadden, P. R. G. Marriott, the
late A. G. Parsons, B. Pattenden and L. P. Williams.

JPIJ and I both reached the conclusion that the bird was a Least Sandpiper C.
rninutilla, although at that time neither of us had any experience of any of the
rarer stints. Details of the sighting were sent to the British Birds Rarities
Committee by JEB, JHJ, PRGM and PDR, and the record was subsequently
accepted as the first spring record of Least Sandpiper for Britain (Brit. Birds 64:
351).

The possibility that the bird might have been the similar Palearctic species.
Long-toed Stint C. subminuta, was not then considered. At that time I was
unaware of the existence of Long-toed Stint, and none of the three other
observers’ submissions to BBRC made any mention of that species. Ironically,
though, JPTJ’s and my descriptions both drew attention to the unusually long toes
shown by the bird. Further, within only a week or two of the sighting, I met
D . J. Britton at Marazion Marsh and he asked me whether I or any other observer
had satisfactorily excluded the possibility of Long-toed Stint. My doubts did not
really begin to accumulate, however, until 1974, when I read D. I. M. Wallace’s
ground-breakiug paper on stint identification (Brit. Birds 67: 1-16).

In aummn 1975, I discussed my misgivmgs with JEB and JHJ, and JHJ made
his transparencies, monochrome negatives and prints available for renewed
scrutiny. Comparison of these photographs with skins in the British Museum,
consultation with other ornithologists and, finally, experience of Long-toed Stints
wintering in Thailand in January 1979 led me to believe that the Marazion bird
had indeed been a Long-toed Stint in breeding plumage. I summarised my views
(in litt. to BBRC, 27th March 1979): ‘Of all the feamres examined here, there is
none which unequivocally points to the original identification of Least Sandpiper
as being correct. The size, length of legs and toes, and call all strongly indicate
that the bird was probably a Long-toed Stint C. subminuta, while many of the
plumage characters lend some support to this hypothesis. A re-examination of the
record by the Rarities Committee would seem appropriate.’

Description

This description is synthesised from the original notes submitted to the BBRC
and from those features evident in the photographic records.

Small Calidm, appearing sUghtly larger and
longer-legged than either Little or
Temminck’s Stints. Folded wings did not
project beyond tail, and tips of primaries
cloaked by tertials. Bill very sUghtiy shorter
than head, tapering towards tip and slightly
decurved. Toes appeared exceptionally long

in relation to length of tarsus, though middle
toe not disproportionately long in relation to
outer toes.

Entire crown, from nape to base of bill,
golden-brown, streaked black. Black streaking
heavier and more profuse in centre of crown,
so that predominantly blackish central crown

Plates 2-5. Above, Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta, Cornwall, 8th June 1970 (J. H. Johns)
Plates 6 & 7. Below, Least Sandpipers Calidris minutilla, USA (R. J. Chandler). Left, Texas, 23rd
April 1994; right, California, 15th April 1992.

|i_ Plates 8-11. Above, Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta, Cornwall, 8th June 1970 (J. H. Johns)

16

Round; Long-toed Stint: first West Palcarctic record

Plates 14 & 15. Long-toed Stint Calidris si<bnniiiiia, Marazion Marsh, Cornwall, 8th June
1970 (J. H. Johns)

and forehead contrasted with golden-brown
lateral crown. Broad, off-white supercilium
which extended from almost base of bill to
rear of head, though most prominent above
and immediately behind eye. (Pale sides to
crown tend to give impression of split
supercilium in some photographs.) Loral
streak blackish-brown; ear-coverts brownish
with blurred, dark streaks. Upperparts strongly
and brightly scaled; feathers of upper and
lower scapulars and greater coverts blackish,
broadly edged with rich, deep golden-brown,
and tipped whitish. Mantle finely vermiculated
black and brow'n and edged by thin, whitish V-
marking, the arms of the ‘V’ not quite meeting.

Broad whitish line along outside edge of
scapulars, formed by the white-dpped feathers.
Tertials black, broadly edged deep rufous.

Very distinct, unbroken pectoral band
extending across upper breast: ground colour
pale sandy-brown, becoming more whitish in
centre of breast; streaked blackish, with boldest
streaks at sides of breast and extending down
flanks, and streaking slightly reduced and less
distinct in centre of breast. In flight, tail
showed black down centre, with grey-brown
outer feathers. Lateral uppertail-coverts white.
Wingbar extremely fine and indistinct, whitish.
Bill blackish; no pale base evident. Legs dull
ochreous yellow.

Pi

oneerina

Li rcl t oil

ri

oil can

a^^ orJ to

mi Si.

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British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

17

Plates 16 & 17. Long-toed Stint Calidris submmuta, Marazion Marsh, Cornwall, 8th June
1970 (J. H. Johns). Note strategically extended left foot, enabling toe lengths to be examined.

Call and behaviour

The call, uttered in flight, was variously described by the three observers who
submitted details of the voice as ‘a dullish “prrp” ’, ‘a low-pitched “trrpp” and
“chrupp”, not unlike the note of a Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotos', and ‘a trilling
“preet-preet” or a monosyllabic “prritt”

When flushed, the bird on occasions flew up high and towered in a manner
reminiscent of a Ternrninck’s Stint. More usually, however, it flew low over the
ground with shallow, flickering wingbeats somewhat recalling Common
Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos. The bird fed around the edges of shallow, muddy
puddles, usually employing a rapid ‘drilling’ bill action.

18

Round: Long-toed Stint: first West Palearctic record

Identification

One of JHJ’s monochrome photographs showed the bird side-on with its foot
raised (plate 17), suggesting the possibility of measuring the ratios of middle toe
to bunched toes and middle toe to tarsus for identification purposes.
Measurements of British Museum specimens of Long-toed Stint and Least
Sandpiper, however, which I made for comparison, showed such minor
differences in these ratios (slightly greater for Long-toed than for Least) that
measurements from the photograph were of doubtful use. More significant,
however, was the breadth of the rufous edging on the tertials, which was greater
on the Marazion bird than on breeding-plumaged Least Sandpiper, but typical
for Long-toed Stint. Suggestions that the bird was too heavily streaked on the
breast for a Long-toed Stint have been shown to be unreliable: the range of
variation of both species encompassed that of the Marazion bird.

The bird’s identification as Long-toed Stint was not finally accepted by the
BBRC until 1994, and this was endorsed by the BOU Records Committee in
1995. In the interim, however, three other Long-toed Stints were recorded in the
Western Palearctic; at Ottenby, Sweden, in October-November 1977 (Pettersson
et al. 1978), in Cleveland in August-September 1982 (Dunnett 1992) and at
Eilat, Israel, in August 1991 {Biit. Birds 85: 8, plate 2). Considering the
exceptionally good photographic record of the Marazion stint, it seems
remarkable, with hindsight, that it should have taken the Committee so long
(almost 1 5 years since resubmission) to reach a conclusion over what should not
have posed a taxing problem, gi\'en recent advances in field identification (e.g.
Kitson 1978; Jonsson & Grant 1984; Veit & Jonsson 1987; Alstrbm & Olsson
1989). Yet, to put the process in perspective, even as recently as 1982, one
acknowledged stint expert, the late P. J. Grant {in lilt, to PDR, 19th November
1982), stated: ‘My personal view is that it was a Least Sandpiper.’

Although the deliberations of the British Birds Rarities Committee have not
been made available to the author, it seems likely that the decision to accept the
Marazion bird as the first British and Western Palearctic record of Long-toed
Stint was made on the following characters, elucidated in Veit & Jonsson (1987)
and Lewington et al. (1991):

1 . Dark forehead (usually a narrow pale area is evident above the base of the bill
on adult breeding Least).

2. Fairly prominenl,, split supercilium (less pronounced on Least).

3. Loral streak of unexceptional boldness or thickness (usually more prominent
on Least).

4. Prominent broad rufous edges to the tertials, coverts and scapulars (edges
usually duller and narrower on Least).

5. Call, likened to that of Pectoral Sandpiper (thinner and higher-pitched in tlie
case of Least Sandpiper) .

6. Size, and length of the legs and toes.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the many people who, over the years, responded to my identification queries,
or provided useful discussion, support and encouragement, including Jon Dunn, John

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January’ 1996

19

Marchant, Roger Tory Peterson, Tony Prater, Will RusseU, Derek Scon, Tim Sharrock,
Grahame Walbridge, Ian Wallace and Claudia Wilds. I particularly wish to thank John Johns for
generously and unconditionally granting me the use of all his photographs of the Marazion Long-
toed Stint.

References

Alstrom, P., & Olsson, U. 1989. The identification of juvenile Red-necked and Long-toed
Stints. Brit. Birds 82: 360-372.

Dunnett, J. B. 1992. Long-toed Stint: new to Britain and Ireland. Brit. Birds 85: 429-436.

JONSSON, L., & Grant, P. J. 1984. Identification of stints and peeps. Brit. Birds 77: 293-315.

Kitson, a. R. 1978. Identification of Long-toed Stint, Pintail Snipe and Asiatic Dowitcher Brit
Birds 71: 558-562.

Lewington, L, Ai^strom, P., & Colston, P. 1991. ^4 Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain
and Europe. London.

Penhai.lurick, R. D. 1969. Birds of the Cornish Coast. Truro.

Pet 1 ersson, J., Osterberg, J., & Kjellen, N. 1978. Langtasnappa Calidiis subminuta funnen
vid Ottenby — en ny art for Europa. Vdr Fdgelvdiid 37: 333-338.

Smith, F. R., & t he Rarities Commitfee. 1971. Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 1970
Brit. Birds 64: 339-371.

Veit, R. R., & Jonsson, L. 1987. Field identification of smaller sandpipers within the genus
Calidris. American Birds 41 (2): 213-236.

Wai-LACE, D. I. M. 1974. Field identification of small species in the genus Calidris. Brit. Birds
67: 1-16.

Philip Round, Center for Conservation Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol
University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

EDITORIAL COMMENT Rob Hume, Chairman of the BBRC, has commented: ‘The
file began BBRC circulation in July 1970 and completed its rounds at the
beginning of August with unanimous acceptance as Britain & Ireland’s sixteenth
(and first spring) Least Sandpiper. There was praise for the documentation, a
suggestion that, as only one member of the Committee at that time had seen the
species, it might be wise to send the details to someone who knew it well, but no
further comment.

‘The record was published as Least Sandpiper (Brit. Birds 64; 351). In March
1979, PDR sent a small file of information to M. J. Rogers, BBRC secretary, with
a request that the record be reviewed in the light of increased knowledge of the
identification of small Calidris species. His own view, formed as long before as
1972, was that the individual might prove to have been a Long-toed Stint. Many
observers had barely heard of, let alone considered, that species in 1970, but PDR
himself had since seen Long-toed Stints in Thailand, in the winter of 1978/79.
With the benefit of JHJ’s photographs, he had pursued an investigation that
foreshadowed a long period of detailed correspondence and discussion that finally
resulted in the acceptance of the Marazion individual as Long-toed Stint near the
end of 1994.

‘It is an extraordinary and salutary tale, with lessons about the value of good
observation and description-writing and, crucially, the availability of clear
photographs. The patience to pursue developing identification criteria and to
review decisions in the light of new knowledge proved vital. It reminds us, too,
that identification of variable species with overlapping characteristics can never be

20

Round: Long-toed Stint: first West Palearctic record

easy: perhaps we should be more ready to accept that certain individuals of
difficult species may still not be identifiable with 100% certainty in the field.

‘It also allows a fascinating comparison betu^een the “rarity scene” in 1970 and
now, as well as examination of the level of research carried out by BBRC
members and others. The members included first-rate field men and careful
scrutineers in 1970, but such a record in recent years would have evoked several
pages of comment and discussion, even given a unanimous vote (and more had
there been disagreement). Eventually it did, indeed, provoke many pages of
tightly written discussion, with several BBRC members undertaking detailed
analysis of Long- toed versus Least characters. Rather than a small group of
interested observ^ers, the bird itself would have attracted hundreds of people.

‘A recirculation in 1979-81, interrupted by the arrival of further information on
identification criteria, resulted in much debate. PDR had submitted his own
discussion, together with letters from Will Russell (inconclusive) and Derek Scott
(favouring Least). There were seven votes for acceptance as Least, one vote to
pend until further criteria became known, one suggestion that it was unacceptable
as Least and that the Long-toed proposition should be pursued with further
research, and one firm acceptance as Long-toed.

‘A further recirculation around the, by now much-changed, BBRC, which
began in 1984, resulted in five acceptances as Least, four “pends” and my own
suggestion that, as neither solution seemed likely to be acceptable to all, the record
should be relegated to “Least or Long-toed” with a published explanation and
discussion of available information.

‘Finally, the record was recirculated once more around the BBRC, with
unanimous acceptance as Long-toed Stint, before consideration by the BOURC
as the “new” first record for Britain (predating the individual in Cleveland on
28th August 1982).

‘PDR examined museum skins at Tring and saw Long-toed Stints in 1978-79.
He felt, then, that the size alone of the Marazion individual ruled out Least: two
of four descriptions stated that the bird was larger and longer-legged than a Litde
Stint and both mentioned the long toes. He felt that it was not, however, possible
to measure the ratio of middle toe to tarsus length from the photographs, but, in
any case, there was only marginal difference between the two species. The call
appeared to rule out Least, which gives, according to WR’s letter, a very high
“treet”, often doubled or trebled. Thailand Long-toeds made a throaty “trreep”,
deeper than Temminck’s (PDR), and DS likened Long-toed calls to those of
Pectoral Sandpiper — the comparison made with respect to the Marazion
individual.

‘PDR thought that the plumage of the Marazion stint — extremely rich on the
upperparts — matched Long-toed skins best (these being the more strongly
\'ariegated, with brighter and broader feather edgings than those of Least) . Alan
Kitson {Blit. Birds 78: 558-562) mentioned that Long-toed had fine yellow-buff
lines bordering the mantle (while skins showed no pale V on either species) and
a conspicuous band above the folded wing created by white scapular tips, a
feature noted on the Marazion individual. WR wrote that, while it looked
unusually bright, he could not be sure that it was too bright for a Least. PDR
argued that the breast band, previously tliought to be good for Least (and,
according to WR, “strikingly like a Least”), was, in photographs not shown to

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

21

WR, actually paler and markedly less distinct in the centre and that this fitted well
with some Thailand Long-toeds, some of which also showed streaking extending
onto the flanks, as did the A/larazion individual. D. I. M.. W^allace (JBvit. Bivds 67:
1-16) suggested that the wingbar was less distinct on Long-toed than on Least:
the original descriptions from Marazion stressed the extreme fainmess and
thinness of the wingbar (although this was not so extreme on Thailand
individuals) .

‘PDR, therefore, argued that no feature unequivocally pointed towards Least,
while size, leg and toe length, call and some plumage features pointed towards
Long-toed.

‘The first recirculation resulted in much discussion, centred upon the apparent
inability to exclude a bright Least on plumage, on size (with no other stint for
direct comparison), or on toe or claw length when Least also has “long toes”, and
given the photographic evidence that the outer claws were distinctly shorter than
the middle-toe claw (held to be a good Least feature).

‘During this circulation, however, information from P. J. Hayman, by then
engaged on research for Shorebirds: an identification guide to the waders of the World
(Hayman, Marchant & Prater 1986), came to hand: PJH being in favour of
identification as Long-toed. D. J. Britton decided that it was “100% Long-toed
Stint” based on size, Temminck’s-like behaviour over many hours (without any
tendency to make short runs), Ternminck’s-like towering in flight, brighmess of
upperparts (matching descriptions by Wallace and Kitson), strong white
supercilium (summer Least having a diffuse one), neck-stretching (perhaps
irrelevant, but, if not, in favour of Long-toed), very long toes (longest toe and
claw apparently matching tarsus length, and very long hind toe), call and general
“feel” (while admitting that claimed differences in claw lengths, bill and breast
markings seemed inconclusive or difficult to interpret from the photographs).

‘Dr R. J. Raines had recently looked at Long-toed Stints m Australia and
commented that size judgments for a lone bird were inadmissible, that Long-
toed was actually dark in winter and spring, that the brighmess was not a good
point, and that the Marazion photographs showed a typical Least posture, not
the upright stance of Long-toed. P. J. Grant, using PJH’s measured drawings as
a guide, argued that the photographs did not show sufficiently long toes, that the
plumage was within the range of summer Least, that the strong pectoral band
matched Least, and that tentative features — claw lengths and lack of pale bill
base — also supported Least: he did, however, undertake to pursue another
feature, the relative length of tertial and primary tips. If that was a valid
distinction, as seemed to be the case from DIMW’s and PJH’s drawings (greater
projection of primaries on Long-toed), it also supported identification as Least.

‘In February 1984, DIMW and PJG spent time discussing various stmts,
including the Marazion individual which DIMW had consistently supported as
Long-toed. Armed with Hayman drawings, he persuaded PJG that the hind toe
of the Marazion stint was so long that it could belong only to Long-toed. PJG
subsequently sent all the material to Lars Jonsson — who threw his not
inconsiderable weight behind the Least Sandpiper supporters. Confusion
reigned!

‘In July 1984, PJG published an important paper, illustrated by LJ, on the
identification of stints and peeps {Bnt. Birds 77: 293-315), and in August 1992

22

Round: Long-toed Stint: first V('est Palcarctic record

came the publication of “Long-toed Stint: new to Britain and Ireland” by John
B. Dunnett {Bnt. Birds 85: 429-436), which included a series of instructive
photographs. Other useful photographs had also been published, for example in
Dutch Birding and Birding World.

‘Graham P. Catley took on the task of researching the matter further and began
valuable correspondence, which enlightened the Committee but held back this
long-lived file still further as he awaited long-delayed replies and comments from
busy people.

‘Jon L. Dunn wrote to GPC in April 1992, supporting identification as Long-
toed Stint. He had shown photographs of the Marazion mystery bird at the
International Identification Meeting in Eilat in 1986 and there was a broad
consensus even then: he cited the dark “J”-shape on the lores as diagnostic of
juvenile Long-toeds and very indicative of adults, too, and the underlying tawny-
buff colour of the lower “face” and breast. Least has none of this colour other
than perhaps a little, of a duller hue, on the face. The greater-covert edges are
narrower, duller and somewhat uneven on Least, while the contrasting white tips
to the lower scapulars were right for Long-toed but not for Least. He felt that
Least would probably prove to have arrow-shaped spots on the breast sides, while
on Long- toed they would be rounded and more aligned. Also, he thought that
some pale greenish colour was visible at the base of the bill of the Marazion stint,
diagnostic for Long-toed (although its apparent absence had earlier been used to
identify this troublesome stint as Least).

‘In February' 1993, Lars Jonsson expressed the view that he was now sure that
this was a Long-toed Stint and must not be recorded as Least. His reasons,
summarised in a rather hurried letter, included: (1) rather low, sloping forehead
(Least has steeper forehead to higher, flat crown); (2) a lighter central gap in the
pectoral band, with streaks absent from the centre, but more-organised, rather
aligned streaks on the rear breast sides/foreflanks (on Least, streaks go right across
and are more broken and spotted at the sides); (3) a diagnostic forehead/loral
pattern, with a rusty cap reaching the bill above a rather white supercilium, and
a dark mark down from the forehead close to the bill curving back to the eye (the
“J”-shape, whereas Least has a simpler dark loral stripe); (4) the pattern of the
greater coverts, showing a rather smooth-sided black centre, an evenly tapered
rusty-orange border and a white tip (whereas Least has a narrower, duller edge
and rusty tip and the black centre has a waisted, or hour-glass, shape, thus being
slightly scalloped rather than straight-sided).

‘Despite the unfortunate delays, GPC’s researches were bearing fruit, and
Long-toed was heavily supported. By the time of the fmal BBRC circulation, all
this published information and correspondence was available, and by now nine of
the ten members of the BBRC had seen Long-toed Stint, eight of them
extensively, quite unlike the situation in 1970. Unanimous acceptance as Long-
toed Stint rested on a number of factors in combination:

1 . Dark forehead reaching the bill.

2. A bulge (“J”-shape) on the loral stripe.

3. Forked supercilium.

4. Apparently pale bill base.

5. Greater-covert pattern (lacking scalloped centres).

6. Somewhat broken breast band.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

23

7. Tawny background to the breast band.

8. Neat, aligned streaking on breast sides, with pale lines as broad as, or broader
than, the dark streaks.

9. Rather fine and short bill.

10. Low, sloping forehead.

1 1 . Long tibia.

12. Very long hind toe.

13. Lack of wingbar.

14. Relatively deep call, like that of Pectoral or Curlew Sandpiper C. ferruginea.

‘How clear it all seems! No-one, however, knew much of any of this in the early

debate (although D. J. Britton, P. J. Hayman and D. I. M. WaUace deserve credit
for sticking their necks out aU along). It is only in the past five or six years that
many people have seen Long-toed Stints in numbers in spring (most earlier trips
to China, for example, were in winter).

At the same time, it must be stressed that no encouragement towards
overconfidence is intended, even now. J. H. Marchant expressed the view, in the
final BOURC circulation of this file, that such a route was dangerous. He
particularly noted the overlap in breeding plumages shown by Long-toed and
Least, as explained by Alstrom & Olsson (Brit. Birds 82: 360-372), which makes
adults much less easy to identify than are juveniles and which must not be
overlooked. Alstrom & Olsson revealed that some summer adult Long-toeds can
look dull, while some Leasts may be unusually bright, rarely with particularly
broad edges to scapulars, tertials and some coverts. The supercilium of Long-toed
can be poorly marked, sometimes as dull as that of Least (which can also have a
slightly “split” effect), while the forehead of Long-toed may appear, at least, to
be pale from the side, with the dark crown not always connecting with the loral
stripe. Further, the dark loral line of Long-toed is less bulging and narrow-centred
on adults than on juveniles and may sometimes be much less distinct from the
usually simpler, broader Une on Least. The scalloped tertial and greater-covert
edges, so promising a feature, are not invariably present on Least and there is also
much overlap in their breast-band characteristics.

‘Keith Vinicombe also stressed that the greater-covert pattern — coming close to
being considered diagnostic — must be tested more widely. Several photographs of
Least show greater-covert centres that are “hardly scalloped” and too much
reliance on one character which may vary is undoubtedly unwise. It is not,
perhaps, so clear after all.

‘The Marazion record can, however, now be accepted as Britain’s first Long-
toed Stint; still one of the most highly prized small waders in western Europe.’

Dr David T. Parkin, Chairman of the BOU Records Committee, has
commented: ‘This record might seem to have had an unreasonable gestation
period. As Rob Hume has explained, however, it is entirely due to the
complexity of the identification problems posed by this species only 20 years
ago. It is remarkable that, in the early 1970s, very few British birders had seen
Long-toed Stint in summer plumage, and information relating to its field
identification was almost non-existent. Totally contradictory opinions from
leading figures of the day added to the confusion, so that the BBRC file consists
of dozens of letters from all around the World. Rob Hume’s efforts in piecing
these together give an insight into the history and evolution of this particular

24

Round: Long-toed Stint: first West Palearctic record

facet of stint identification. As a result, by the time that the file reached the
Secretary of the BOURC, in spring 1 994, most of the hard work had been done.

‘The breeding area of Long-toed Stint is still little known, but extends from
Kamchatka west into central Siberia. Wintering from the Philippines to
Australia, it is clearly a very long-distance migrant, and vagrants have reached
Sweden, Ethiopia, Kenya, Alaska and Oregon. It is very rare in captivity,
although it has been reported. Thus, the likelihood of natural vagrancy is much
greater than that of escape. The record was accepted by the BOURC on a single
circulation, and published as the first British & Irish record (Ibis 137: 512; Brit.
Birds 88: 512), preceding the Teesmouth bird {Ibis 128: 601; Bnt. Birds 85:
429-436) by 12 years.’

^ MONTHLY MARATHON

This month’s ‘Marathon’ text and photograph are on page 1 1 .

RUI.ES

1 . Only current individual subscribers to British Birds arc eligible to take part. Entrants should
give their name, address and BB reference number on their entr>'. Only one entry is

^ permitted per person each month.

2. Entries must be sent by post, each one on a separate postcard, and be received at the
British Birds Editorial Office (Monthly Marathon, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham,

Bedford MK44 .tNj) by the stated closing date. Every care will be taken, but, even if negligence is involved,
no responsibilitv' can be accepted for non-delivery', non-receipt or accidental loss of entries.

All BB subscribers are eligible, except members of the Editorial Board and staff of British Birds, Directors
and members of stafl of sunbiriVwtncs Holidays, and Directors and members of staff of our printers,
Nevvnorth Print Ltd. (Members of BB Notes Panels, the Rarities Committee, and other voluntary
contributors — including bird-photographers, even if one of their photographs is used in the competition —
are eligible unless proscribed above.)

4. To win, a British Birds subscriber must correctly identify the species shown in ten consecutive photographs
included in this competition. The ‘Monthly marathon’ will continue until the prize has been won.

5. In the event of two or more BB subscribers achieving the ten-in-a-rovv simultaneously, the competition will
continue each month until one of them (or someone else!) achieves a longer run of correct entries than any
other contestant.

6. In the event of any dispute, including controversy over the identity of any of the birds in the photographs,
the decision of the Managing Editor of British Birds is final and binding on all parties.

7. No correspondenee can be entered into concerning this competition.

8. The name and address of the winner will be announced in British Birds.

LOOKING BACK

Twent\'-five years ago, January 1971 was generally mild after the first week. Numbers of Tundra
(Bewick’s) Swans Cygntis colitmbiatim topped the 1,000 mark for the first time on the Ouse
Washes. ‘About 60 Glaucous Gulls Lartts hyperboretts, but barely a dozen Iceland Gulls L
gLiucoides, were reported; about half the Glaucous were in Shetland and only two Iceland and
four of the Glaucous at inland localities in England, another consequence of the mild conditions
. . . a poor winter for Shore Larks [Horned I.arks] ErcmophiLi alpsesiris, with no inland reports
and none west of the Sussex coast; the largest flock was 63 at Donna Nook (Lincolnshire) on
4th January'.’ (Brit. Birds 64: 238-240)

EUROPEAN NEWS

All records have been accepted by the relevant national rarities committee, unless
marked by an asterisk(*).

Records are included only if they have been sent by the official national
representative, each of whom is listed at the end of this report, or have been
published in the relevant national journal (these sources are always
acknowledged) .

As well as covering the whole of Europe, records notified by the national
representatives for adjacent countries within the Western Palearctic are also included.

This thirty-eighth six-monthly report includes officially notified records from
37 countries.

These summaries aim to include a// records of (1) significant breeding-range
expansions or contractions; (2) major irruptions of erupting species; (3) Asiatic
vagrants; (4) Nearctic species (excluding ducks, waders and gulls in Great Britain
and Ireland, where they are regular); (5) other extralimital vagrants; and (6) major
national rarities, including the first five national records even if the species is
common elsewhere in Europe.

Unless otherwise stated, aU records refer to nationally accepted records
of single individuals.

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata
DENMARK Highest-ever count: 2,500 passing
Skagen, N-Jutland, on 2nd May 1995.

White-billed Diver Gavia adamsii

SPAIN Second record: Inin, Guipiizcoa, 20th

February 1994*.

Pied-biUed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
FRANCE First record: La Belle-Henriette,
Vendee, on 18th October 1985 (recently
accepted) .

GREAT BRITAIN Hybrid pair bred: one paired
with Little Grebe Tacky baptus I'nficollis in
Cornwall hatched three young in July 1994,
two survived to October and one to 1995; also
one returning individual from 1992 present in
Northumberland untU March 1994; one
vagrant in ScUly in November 1994 to 1995
{Brit. Birds 88: 497, plate 147).

Little Grebe Tachybaptus nificollis
FINLAND First confirmed breeding: summer
1995 {Alula 1: 94).

NORWAY Unusually frequent in 1993 {Vdr
Fuglefauna 17(5): 282).

Soft-plumaged Petrel superspecies

Pterodronia mollis! madeiralfeae

IRELAND First multiple record: two, Mizen

Head, Co. Cork, on 24th August 1994.

Cape Verde Petrel Pterodroma feae
AZORES Vagrant or possible breeder: single

with partly refeathered brood patch trapped
on 26th September 1993 and retrapped in
August 1994 {Bidl. BOG 115: 9-14).

Mediterranean Shearwater PuffiniAs
yelkouan

POLAND First record: 20th August 1993 {Not.
Om. 35: 332).

European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus
ICELAND New breeding site: small colony on
island of SkniAir off East Iceland discovered
in 1994 (only two localities known previously:
a few colonies on Westmann Islands and one
colony on Cape IngolfshofSi) .

Leach’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa
ICELAND Census: 40,000-50,000 breeding
pairs on EUiSaey, Westmann Islands, in 1991
(biggest colony in Europe); total breeding
population in Iceland estimated to be 80,000-
150,000 pairs.

Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel Oceamdmtna monorhis
SPAIN First record: Isla de Benidorm, Alicante,
on 13th July 1994 {La Garcilla 92: 20-21).

Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus
AZORES First breeding record: single

incubating one egg (and a damaged egg
nearby) at edge of colony of Yellow-legged
Gulls Lams cachinnans on small islet in
September 1993 {Bull. BOG 115: 6-8).
CANARY ISLANDS Vagrant: at sea between

[Brit. Birds 89: 25-45, January 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

25

26

European news

Tenerife and Gomera in July 1993 (Ardeola
42: 100).

Northern Gannet Moms bassanus
GREAT BRITAIN Census: total of 60,428 nests
counted from aerial photographs of St Kilda,
the World’s largest colony, in May 1994 {BTO
Nezvs 197: 12),

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
DENMARK Huge increase: none breeding 1877-
1937, then from 14 nests in 1938 increasing to
100 in 1943, over 1,000 in 1976, over 2,000
in 1980, over 3,000 in 1982, over 10,000 in
1987, over 20,000 in 1990 and 37,748 by
1994 (for annual totals eveiy year during
1938-94, see DOFT S9: 119-lk).

I TAI.Y First breeding in reeds: Campotto \'alley
in May 1994 {Riv. Iial. Oni. 64: 168-170);
largest colony: about 273 pairs in trees in

1994.

Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeiis
BULGARIA Largest wintering concentration:
500-1,000 roosting at Maritza River near
Dimitrovgrad, during December 1994 to
February 1995 (Neophron (1995, no. 1): 20).
ISRAEL Increased wintering: evidence of
expansion of wintering range in wetlands of
northern valleys: tens wintered 1994/95 in
Hula Valley, tens in Zevmlon Valley and tens
in the complex of Sea of Galilee/Jordan
Valley/Bet Shean Valley; breeding also
probably increasing, as some post-breeding
concentrations (juveniles plus adults) noted in
north Israel (Bet Shean Valley, Sea of Galilee
and Hula Valley) during August-September

1995, totalling about 80 individuals (until early
1980s, considered to be a veiy rare winter
visitor, following extinction as breeder and
winterer in the 1950s).

POLAND First and second twcntieth-centur\'
records: 7th June 1992 (Not. Om. 35: 158)
and adult at Rzeszow on 23rd April 1995.

White Pelican Pelecanus omcrotalus
MOROCCO Third record: Oued Massa estuar>-
on 31st May 1992*.

SLOVENIA First record for 50 years: Medvedee
from 29th April to 2nd May 1995.

DiUmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispiis
BULGARIA Successful restoration of colony in
Srebarna Lake afer the disaster in 1994 (Bnt.
Birds 88: 264): 12 pairs on nests on 24th May
1995.

Night Heron Nyciicorax nycticorax
ICI-LAND Vagrants: three records in April-
June 1993 (four previous records; Bliki 15:
25-26).

Western Reef Egret Egret t a gu laris

SPAIN Vagrant: white morph, possibly juvenile,

on 16th August 1993 (Ardeola 42: 100-101).

Little Egret Egreita garzetia

DENMARK First winter record: Abyhoj, E-

Jutland, December 1994.

P'AROE ISLANDS Third record: on a ship
southwest of the Islands on 5th May 1995*.

Great White Egret Egretla alba
BELARUS Highest concentration: 100-200 in
area abandoned after Chernobyl accident
south of Khoiniki, Gomel region, in mid June
1995.

GERMANY High numbers: 60 records in 1993
compared with 102 during 1977-92 (Limicola
9: 82-84).

netherijXNDS Breeding records: five pairs
produced young at Oostvaardersplassen,
Flevoland, in 1995.

SWITZERLAND Highest-ever numbers: 115

reports from 18 sites in winter 1994/95,
including flocks of nine at Rhine delta on 3 1 st
December and at Greifensee on 8th January'.

Hamerkop Scopus nmbreita
GERMANY Presumed escape: Niedersachsen on
21st September to 4th Nov'ember 1993
(LimicoLi 9: 106).

Black Stork Ciconia nigra

CHANNlil, isiAiNDS First record for Jersey: 25th

and 26th July 1995.

LUXEMBOURG Breeding: pair reared four
young in 1995.

White Stork Ciconia ciconia
lAk i'ViA Breeding increase: up to about 8,500
pairs in 1994, compared with 6,000-7,000
pairs in 1985.

SWITZERLAND Poor breeding season: only
about 80 young reared in 1995 (usually 200-
300 reared).

Marabou Stork Leptoptilos cnimenifems
SPAIN Escapes/vagrants: 23rd Februaiy to 10th
March 1993, and 25th September 1993
(Ardeola 42: 101).

Glossy n-)is Plcgadis falcincllns
ISRAEL Recent breeding expansion: new

colonies along coastal plain (probably tens of
pairs: c.g. Hadcra area and farther south to
Shifdan, near Tel A\iv, where se\ en pairs in
1994).

Bald Ibis Gerontiens cremita
ISRAI-I. First record since 1984: three adults on
northward passage along Arava Valley, in
Hazeva area, on 8th April 1995.

MOROGCO Census: provisional total of 223

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, Januar\' 1996

27

individuals, with at least 74 breeding pairs, in
last two coastal colonies of southwest Morocco
in which species survives, in spring 1995
(possibly suggesting slight increase over past
few years).

Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aelhiopicus
POLAND First record (presumed escape): adult
at Przygodzice on 17th October 1993 (Not.
Orn. 35; 344).

SPAIN Escape/vagrant: Castrejon reservoir,
Toledo, 27th February to at least 17th Tune
1995*.

Eurasian Spoonbill Plalalea leucorodia
IRELAND Vagrant: Howe’s Strand, Kilbrittain,
Co. Cork, on 11th August 1994 (species has
become very rare over last ten years; formerly
it was much more regular than Little Egret
Egretta garzetta, see Brit. Birds 88: 27).

Greater Flamingo Phoenicoptenis mber
ITALY First winter record: Comacchio valley
on 21st January 1994 (Riv. Ital. Orn. 64: 174-
175).

Lesser Flamingo Phoenicoptenis minor
SPAIN Escape/vagrant: at least 5th September
and 6th October 1993 (Ardeola 42: 101).

Mute Swan Cygniis olor

ICELAND Second record: 10th May to 20th

June 1993 (Bliki 15: 27-28).

Tundra Swan Cygnus colnmbiamis
ESTONIA Summer records increasing; after first
summer record at Noarootsi on 11th July
1993, at least six on Matsalu Bay on 3rd
August 1995*. Second record of race
coliimbianus'. adult at Haeska, Matsalu Namre
Reserve, Laiine District, on 16th April 1995*
(first was on 10th October 1992, Brit. Birds
87: 313).

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
ESTONIA Summer records increasing: at least
20 on Matsalu Bay, Laane District, on 3rd
August 1995* (cf. increase of breeding
records, Brit. Birds 87: 3).

Bean Goose Anser fabalis

FRANCE Winter census: 2,406 or more in

January 1994 (Ornithos 2: 60-62).

MOROCCO Fourth record; 40 at Merja Zerga
on 27th December 1994*.

White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
FRANCE Winter census: 269 in January 1994
(Ornithos 2: 60-62).

Greylag Goose Anser anser

FRANCE Winter census; 3,483 or more in

January' 1994 (Ornithos 2: 60-62).

SPAIN Winter population: about 150,000
during winters 1989/90 and 1990/91 (Quercus
109: 19-22).

Brent Goose Branta bemicla

FRANCE Winter census: 106,000 in January'

1994 (Ornithos 2: 60-62).

ICELAND Third record of race nigricans'. 9th-
23rd May 1993 (Bliki 15: 28).

SLOVENIA First record for 50 years: Ledavsko
jezero on 16th April 1994.

Red-breasted Goose Branta nificollis
NORWAY Fifth and sixth records: 5th- 17th
May 1992 and 9th- 17th May 1992 (Vdr
Fuglefauna 17(5); 264).

SWEDEN Largest-ever total: 16 in 1994.

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus
MOROCCO First record: three at Merzouga on
15th May 1995*.

SPAIN Escape/vagrant: 1st September 1993
(Ardeola 42: 102).

Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferniginea
SWEDEN Irruption in 1994: influx started on
13th July, maximum numbers reached on 29th
July with at least 29 individuals; numbers
decreased quickly during early August, held
steady until 20th August, followed by a rapid
decline until last report on 1st September;
estimated total of not less than 50.

Common Shelduck Tadoma tadoma
FRANCE Winter census: 46,188 in January
1994 (Ornithos 2: 49-59).

ICELAND Third breeding record: pair bred in

1993 (BUki 15: 28).

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope

FRANCE Winter census: 41,282 in January

1994 (Ornithos 2: 49-59).

American Wigeon Anas americana
DENMARK Third record: Geddal Enge, W-
Jutland, from 27th March to 23rd April
1995*.

ICELAND Vagrants: three records in 1993 (75
previous records; Bliki 15: 28).

NETHERLANDS Vagrant: male on 30th October
1993 (Dutch Birding 17: 90).

Chiloe Wigeon Anas sibilatrix
CZECH REPUBLIC Presumed escape: adult male
in Byko\ice, Central Bohemia, from 29th
April to 17th May 1994.

Falcated Duck Anas falcata
GREAT BRITAIN Vagrant/escape: Essex in
January -April 1994 (Brit. Birds 88: 555).
POLAND Vagrant/escape: adult male on 18th-
20th March 1992 (Not. Orn. 35: 167).

28

European news

Gadwall Ams strepera

FRANCE Winter census; 18,690 in January'
1994 (Omiihos 2: 49-59).

Baikal Teal Anas formosa
BELGIUM Presumed escape: adult male during
1st November to 24th December 1993
(Orioliis 61: 36).

DENMARK First record (escape) : ringed male at
Vejlerne, N-Jutland, on 10th- 11th April
1995*.

FINLAND Presumed escape: Ilmajoki on 26th-
27th April 1994.

GERMANY Presumed escape: 3rd- 13th

Februar>' 1993 {Limicola 9: 106).

GREAT BRITAIN Vagrant/escape: male in Essex
in May-June 1994 {Brit. Birds 88: 555).

Common Teal Atias crecca
DENMARK Vagrant of Nearctic race

carolinensis: adult male at Hov Vig, Zealand,
on 15th-18th April 1995* (eighth record).
FRANCE Winter census: 75,392 in January
1994 (Omithos 2: 49-59).

ICELAND Vagrants of Nearctic race carolinensis:
male on 8th June and male on 19th June 1993
(41 previous records; Bliki 15: 29).

NORWAY Vagrants of Nearctic race carolinensis:
23rd June 1981, 1 6th April to early May 1 990,
25th-26th April 1992, 29th April to 7th May
1992 and 23rd May 1992 (eight previous
records; Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 264).

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

FRANCE Winter census: commonest duck,

170,533 in January’ 1994 {Omithos 2: 49-59).

American Black Duck Atias mbripes
ICELAND Vagrants: three records in 1993 (23
previous records; Bliki 15: 29).

IRELAND Vagrants: Ballycotton and

Loughaderry, Co. Cork, from 26th January to
9th February 1993, and Lissagriffm, Co. Cork,
from 3rd September to at least mid October
1994 (five previous records).

Northem Pintail Anas acuta

FRANCE Winter census: 11,970 in January'

1994 {Omithos 2: 49-59).

Blue-winged Teal Anas discors
DENMARK Vagrant: male at Trillen, Als, E-
Jutland, on 6th-7th May 1995* (eighth
record) .

GERMANY Vagrants: two in 1993 {Limicola 9:
85).

MOROCCO Vagrants: Sidi-Bou-Rhaba in early
January 1994* and Oued Massa estuary in
early January 1995* (nine previous records).
BOLAND Second record; male at Zagorow in
Warta River valley on 15th May 1995.

SPAIN First record on Balearic Islands; male,
joined by a possible female, on Mallorca on
3rd May 1969 {Ardeola 42: 103).

SWEDEN Vagrant: Lake Tysslingen, Narke, on
22nd-26th July 1995* (12 previous records).

Northem Shoveler Anas clypeata
CHANNEL ISLANDS Fourth record for Alderney:
two males and one female on Longis Pond on
2nd- 12th April 1995 (previous records were in
October 1970, March 1973 and March 1986).
FRANCE Winter census: 16,828 in January'
1994 {Omithos 2: 49-59).

NORWA^' Breeding numbers unusually high in

1993 {Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 284).

Marbled Duck MaiTnaronetta angustirostiis
GREA'B BRITAIN Vagrants/escapes: Leicester-
shire and Warwickshire in June-August 1990,
South Yorkshire in September 1990, Greater
London in August 1991, Mid Glamorgan on
7th June 1994 and Somerset on 23rd June

1994 {Brit. Birds 88: 555).

Red-crested Pochard Netta mfina
FRANCE Winter census: 2,187 in January' 1994
{Omithos 2: 49-59).

Common Pochard Aythya ferina

FRANCE Winter census: 70,881 in January'

1994 {Omithos 2: 49-59).

Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
DENMARK Fifth record: 26th September and
8th October 1993 {DOFT S9: 103).

GERMANY Vagrant: one in 1993 {Umicola 9:
85).

ICELAND Vagrants: five records in 1993 (21
previous records; Bliki 15: 30).

NEPHERI-ANDS Vagrant: male on 13th-19th
November 1993 (13 previous records; Dutch
Birding 17: 90). Adult male Ring-necked X
Tufted Duck A. fuligula hybrid (s) in Febmary

1993 and March-April 1993 {Dutch Birding
17: 90).

POLAND First record: adult male at Brzeg,
Silesia, on 5th-27th April 1995.

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
FRANCE Winter census: sLx in January 1994
{Omithos 2: 49-59).

Tufted Duck Aythya fuliguLi

FRANCE Winter census: 51,880 in JanuaiA’

1994 {Omithos 2: 49-59).

Greater Scaup Aythya inarih
CANARY ISLANDS First, third and fourth
records; female on Fuerteventura from
December 1 989 to March 1 990, three females
on Tenerife in November-December 1990,
and female on Fuerteventirra in November

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

29

1990 (female on Tenerife in February-March
1990, Brit. Birds 85: 7, becomes second
record).

FRANCE Winter census: 2,176 in January 1994
(Omithos 2: 49-59).

Lesser Scaup Aythya ajfinis
NETHERLANDS First record: male in

Walcheren, Zeeland, from 21st November
1994 to 15th January 1995, again from 26th
March to 3rd May, and then at Sas van Gent,
Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, also Zeeland, on 27th-
28th May.

SWITZERLAND Presumed escapes: males on
23rd January to 18th March 1993 {Nos
Oiseaux 43: 105) and 10th February to 20th
March 1995.

Common Eider Somateria mollissima
FRANCE Winter census: 2,186 in January 1994
{Ornithos 2: 49-59).

Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
SWITZERLAND Deletion: now deleted from
Swiss List (specimens not adequately
documented) .

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
FRANCE Winter census: 21 in January 1994
{Omithos 2: 49-59).

Common Scoter Melanitta nigra

FRANCE Winter census: 46,055 in January

1994 {Omithos 2: 49-59).

Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
DENMARK Vagrant: male at Bulbjerg, N-
Jutland, on 13th May 1995* (12 previous
records) .

FRANCE Vagrants: three in 1993 {Omithos 2:
4) and subadult male at La Tranche-sur-Mer,
Vendee, on 11th March 1995*.

ICELAND Vagrants: two adult males from 20th
June to 4th August 1993, one staying to 23rd
August 1993 (24 previous records; Bliki 15:
31).

Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca

FRANCE Winter census: 2,195 in January 1994

{Omithos 2: 49-59).

Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
DENMARK First record: female at Bognaes,
Zealand, on 18th June 1995* (probable
escape) .

Barrow’s Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
POLAND Deletion: only record, on 31st March
1957, now rejected.

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
FRANCE Winter census: 2,400 in January 1994
{Omithos 2: 49-59).

Hooded Merganser Mergus cucullatus
BELGIUM Presumed escape: female from 26th
November 1993 to 17th April 1994 {Oriolus
61: 36).

GERMANY Presumed escape: 9th July 1993
{Limicola 9: 107).

Smew Mergus albellus

FRANCE Winter census: 206 in January 1994
{Omithos 2: 49-59).

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus senator
FRANCE Winter census: 1,161 in January 1994
{Ornithos 2: 49-59).

Goosander Mergus merganser

FRANCE Winter census: 4,219 in January 1994

{Omithos 2: 49-59).

Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
ICELAND Second breeding record: pair at Lake
M>wam from May to August 1993, nest with
five eggs found in July, eggs hatched, but
young were not seen (first breeding record was
in 1990; BUM 12: 27; 15: 33).

IRELAND Population estimates: total Irish
breeding population about ten pairs and
winter population about 80 individuals in 1 994
(breeding recorded in five counties, main
population being on southeastern part of
Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland).

White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala
GREECE Largest-ever count: 850-900 at Lake
Vistonis, on 12th December 1994 {IWRB
TWRG Newsletter 7: 6-7).

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caemleus
FRANCE Range expansion: pair in Eure
departement from August 1994 {Brit. Birds
88: 267) to May 1995*, but no proof of
breeding, and single at Hirsingue, Haut-Rhin,
Alsace, on 12th April 1995*.

Black Kite Milvus migratis

CHANNEL ISLANDS First record for Guernsey:

11th- 12th May 1994.

GREAT BRITAIN Highest-ever total: 26 in 1994,
mostiy in April-May {Brit. Buds 88: 504).

Red Kite Milvus milvus
BELARUS First breeding records since 1950s:
nests near Grodno in May 1985 and 1994.
SPAIN Winter population estimate: about
60,000 individuals during winter 1993/94 {La
Garcilla 92: 42-43).

SWEDEN Increase: population in Scania still
increasing, with well over 1,500 in autumn
1994; slowly re-establishing in adjoining
province of Halland (over 15 pairs) and
Blekinge (about ten pairs).

30

European news

Plate 18. Dark-morph Booted Eagle Hieraaeliis pcimanis, Netherlands, 14th July 1995
(Anioud B. van den Berg)

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetns albieilLi
I'AROH ISI.ANDS First record since 1916:
immature in mid March 1995*.

Egyptian Vulture Neophron perenoplerns

First record: 31st May 1993 (Oriolns

61: 31).

OI'NAURK Second record: 22nd-23rd Mav

1993 (DOFT S9: 103).

Monk Vulture Aegypins inonaehns
Hl-l.GiUM Presumed escape: 21st October 1990
(Oriolns 61: 36).

Marsh Harrier Cireits aeniginosns
AUS TRiA Increase: eight to 1 1 pairs in Upper
Austria in 1993-94 where there was none in
1980; national total of 170 pairs in 1993-94
(Egret ta 38: 1-10).

icl-;i.ANl> Second to fourth records: 28th
March 1993, 12th- 13th April 1993, and 30th
November 1993 (first record was in 1944,
Bliki 15: 33).

Pallid Harrier Circus macrounis
l.uxi-MBOURG Fourth record: 20th October

1994 (Regulus 14: 36).

SPAIN Vagrant: Mallorca on 2nd April 1993
(ArdeoLi 42-. 103).

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiicr nisus
CilANNi-i, isiAiNi:>s First confirmed breeding
record on Jersey since late 1950s: 1995 (but
suspected in recent years).

Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipcs
HUNGARY Breeding records: three pairs bred
in 1994, three pairs anempted breeding in

1995 in southeast Hungary, but no young
reared due to hea\y rains.

POLAND Second record: adult female on 30th
October 1993 (Not. Orn. 35: 335).

Common Buzzard Bineo buteo
parol; islands First record: adult female
found dead at 0>Tareingir, Streymoy, on 19th
December 1994* (record on 21st-22nd May
1984, Brit. Birds 77: 587, not accepted).

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo ntfinus
GANARY ISLANDS First record: Alegranza islet
in April 1995.

GiiRMANY First since 1950: Hessen on 18th
September 1993 (LimicoLi 9: 86-87).

IIUNC3ARY Second and third breeding records:
pair bred on the Hortobagv in 1994 and in
1995.

Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaea
MOROGCO First breeding since beginning of
centuiy of race adalbcrti: pair bred in north
Morocco in spring 1995, following recent
increase of Spanish population (Quereus 113:
48).

Booted Eagle Hicraactus pennatus
Nitriii-RLANDS Second and third records: 24th
April 1993 (Dutch Birding 17: 91) and dark
morph at Bark Huge Veluwe, between
Arnhem and Otterloo, Gelderland, from 13th
to at least 21st July 1995 (plate 18, above; first
‘resident’ record, previous two flying past in
spring).

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January’ 1996

31

Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetiis fasciatiis
DENMARK Second record: second-year at
Skagen, N-Jutland, on 2nd May 1995*
(possible escape).

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus
FRANCE Highest-ever total: 183 together at
Biguglia, Haute-Corse, on 7th May 1995.
LUXEMBOURG Second record: 7th April 1994
(Regnliis 14: 37).

Hobby Falco siibbuteo

NORWAY Unusually frequent in 1993 (Vdr
Fuglefaima 17(5): 286).

Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae
POLAND Fourth record: 12th August 1992
{Not. Orn. 35: 161).

Fanner Falcon Falco biaimicus

CWRUS First record: 16th October 1994 {Ann.

Rep. Cyprus Orn. Soc. (1957) 41: 25).

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
CZECH REPUBLIC Increasing slowly: 0-2

breeding pairs in 1973-77; 0-3 in 1985-89; 6-
8 pairs in 1993; unsuccessful breeding on
tower of Prague Cathedral in 1995.

GREAT BRITAIN Census: BTO survey found
1,283 pahs on territory in United Kingdom in
1991, an increase of 167% over 1981 figure
{Bird Study 42: 1-19).

Black Grouse Tetrao tetnx
GREAT BRITAIN Census: in spring 1991,
considered to be a little over 25,000 displaying
males {Bird Study 42: 122-131), about double
the estimate in 1988-91 Atlas.

Allen’s Gallimile Potphynda alleni
CANARY ISLANDS Correction: third record was
on Tenerife and fourth was on Gran Canaria
{Blit. Birds 88: 270).

Purple Swamp-hen Porphyria porphyria
FRANCE Recolonisation: two records in

Camargue in winter 1994/95 and up to five
(two adults and three immatures) at etang du
Canet, Pyrenees-Orientales, from 19th July
1995* onwards (all probably derived from re-
establishment sites in Spain); could be a future
breeder in Southern France.

SPAIN Range expansion: breeding confirmed
for several localities in the centre, Azutan
reservoir since 1992, pond at Dosbarrios in
1994, and gravelpits at Ciempozuelos in 1995.

Common Coot Fulica atra
FRANCE Winter census: 175,368 in Januar\'
1994 (thus, commonest waterfowl species,
exceeding Mallard Anas platyrhynchos\
Omithos 2: 49-59).

Common Crane Grus grits
CHANNEL 1SI.ANDS Third record for Guernsey:
subadult on 8th- 15th May 1995 (previous
record, of about 40 individuals, was on 3rd
November 1963).

Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo
FRANCE Escapes/vagrants: 9th-20th October
1991 and 28th-29th March 1993 {Ornithos 2:
17).

GREAT BRITAIN Presumed escapes: Dorset on
29th September 1975, and Humberside,
Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Essex in
September-October 1993 {Brit. Birds 88:
558).

NETHER1.ANDS First record: 30th April 1993
(1989-92 occurrences now rejected as certain
escapes, Brit. Birds 84: 5; 86: 282; Dutch
Birding 17: 91).

Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax

GERMANY First since 1983: Hessen on 21st

March 1993 {Limicola 9: 88).

SPAIN High census figures: at least 170,000
displajting males estimated for Southern
Meseta and Extremadura regions, with much
smaller populations elsewhere {La Garcilla 92:
16-19).

Great Bustard Otis tarda
SLOVAKIA Census: 13 recorded individually or
in groups on 4th April 1995; maximum
population estimated at 30, but no nests
found.

Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis
ISRAEL First apparent breeding: male

accompanj'ing two chicks near Hadera during
August-September 1995.

Black-winged Stilt Himantopiis himantopus
BELARUS First and second records: six near
Grodno on 1 2th May 1 994, and four south of
Khoiniki on 14th June 1995.

CHANNEL ISLANDS Third record for Guernsey:
female at Marais Nord from April to 3rd May
1 995 (previous record was on 9th April 1 988) .
DENMARK Small influx: at least five in spring
1995*.

Avocet Recuvirostra avosetta
BELARUS First record: two at Sudobl Lake,
Smolevichi district, Minsk region, on 9th
September 1994.

I'FAi.Y Breeding census: 480 pairs nesting on
Margherita di Savoia salt-pans in 1994 {Riv.
Ital. Orn. 64: 183).

UKRAINE Westward range expansion: eight
pairs breeding in Lviv region in May 1995
(two in 1993, Brit. Birds 87: 5).

32

European news

Stone-curlew Biirhinus oedicnemiis
ESTONIA Fifth record: two on Is. Someri,
Laane District, on 31st May 1995*.

FRANCE Breeding census: 5,000-9,000 pairs
estimated during 1991-93 {Omithos 2: 77-
81).

Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius amor
GREECE Fourth record: Gouves Lagoon,
Crete, from 31st March to 4th April 1993.

Oriental Pratincole Glareola rnaldivantm
CYPRUS First record: 23rd April 1993 (Ann.
Rep. Cyprus Om. Soc. (1957) 41: 4).

Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni
HUNGARY Breeding: pair nested in colony of
Collared Pratincoles G. praiincola in May
1995, but nesting was not successful since
eggs washed out by rain.
lATViA First record: near Lake Babite, Riga,
on 3rd August 1995.

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius diibius
CHANNEL ISLANDS Third record for Alderney:
two at Longis Common on 4th April 1995,
and one there on 5th April 1995 (previous
records were in July 1960 and September
1980).

MAI.TA First breeding record: pair laid clutch
of three eggs at Ghadira Nature Reserve, two
hatched in late June 1995, and one young still
present in early August 1995.

Great Ringed Plover Charadrius hiatiaila
UKRAINE First breeding record: four breeding
pairs and two nests with eggs found in Pripiat
River valley, Volyn Region, on 2nd-4th May
1995.

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus
POIAND First breeding record: Gdansk in 1992
(Not. Om. 34: 376-378; 35: 162).

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus
CYPRUS No accepted records, previous claims
either having been rejected or accepted as
Greater Sand Plovers C. leschenaultii of the
Central Asian race crassirostris (Ann. Rep.
Cypms Om. Soc. (7 957) 41: 31).

FRANCE First record: adult in summer

plumage at pointe de I’Aiguillon, Vendee, on
21st-22nd July 1995*.

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschettaidtii
BELGIUM Fifth record: 14th-15th July 1993
(Oriolus 61: 31; Mergus 8: 95).

C\'PRUS First records of race crassirosttis: up to
20 in March 1994 and ten in July 1994;
shorter-billed western race columbinus is a
passage migrant and winter visitor, with 70

reports during the year (Ann. Rep. Cypms Om.
Soc. (1957) 41: 31).

FRANCE Vagrant: Camargue on 14th- 16th
May 1995*.

NETHERiAiNDS Fourth record: adult on 10th
August 1993 (Dutch Birding 17: 91).

POLAND Fifth record: adult at Rew'a, Gdansk
Bay, on 21st-24th May 1995 (previous
records were in September 1961, September
1978, October 1983 and April 1984).

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
BELGIUM First record: 16th September 1992
(Oriolus 61: 31).

CANARY ISLANDS Deletion: record in

September 1993 (Brit. Birds 87: 316) now'
considered to be unusual juvenile Grey Plover
P. squatarola (Ardeola 42: 97-113).

GERMANTV' Vagrants: 1 3th- 1 5th June 1993 and
5th July 1993 (Idmicola 9: 89).

IREIAND Vagrant: adult at Swords Estuary,
Co. Dublin, on 3rd-5th August 1993 (five
previous records).

NORWAY Fourth and fifth records: 9th- 11th
July 1991 (not 1992 as implied in Brit. Birds
88: 32) and 11th July 1992 (Var Fuglefauna
17(5): 266).

American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica
FRANCE Vagrant: individual in winter plumage
at Fillers, Pas-de-Calais, on 15th April 1995*.

Black-headed Lapwing Hoploptmcs teems
ISRAEL Second record for Israel/Jordan and for
the Western Palearctic: Eilat on 1 1 th April
1995, perched on razor-wire on IsraePfordan
border (first was seen in same area in 1869).

Sociable Lapwing Chettusia gregaria
BELGIUM Fifth record: 18th April 1993

(Oriolus 61 : 31).

FTLANCE Vagrants: 17th March 1993 (Omithos
2: 8), and adult at VigneuUes, Meurthe-et-
Moselle, on 22nd-24th March 1995* at least.
GERMANY Vagrants: 7th October 1993 and
16th-27th October 1993 (Idmicola 9: 89).
NETHERIANDS Vagrants: 8th- 18th December

1991 and 9th August 1993 (Dutch Birding 17:
91).

POLAND Fifth and sixth records: 5th April

1992 and 25th May 1992 (Not. Om. 35; 162).
SWI TZl-RlAND Vagrant: Utzenstorf on 2nd
April 1995.

White-tailed Lapwing Chettusia Icticura
CYPRUS Vagrants: 10th-31st March 1994, 7th-
20th April 1994 and 11th May 1994 (Ann.
Rep. Cyprus Orn. Soc. (1957) 41: 33).

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British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, Januar>^ 1996

33

Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidm pusilla
MOROCCO First record: single in summer
plumage at Oued Souss esmar>' on 5th May
1995*.

Western Sandpiper Calidris rnauri
FRANCE Second record: adult in summer
plumage at pointe de I’Aiguillon, Vendee, on
22nd-30th July 1995*.

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta
GREA T BRITAIN First record: Cornwall on 7th-
8th June 1970 (August-September 1982
record, Brit. Birds 78: 546; 85: 429-436,
becomes the second; Brit. Birds 88: 512; 89:
12-24, plates 2-5, 8-11 & 14-17).

White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
CANARY isi,ANDS Fifth record: Gomera in
December 1990* .

DENMARK Vagrant: 4th-9th June 1993 (eight
previous records; DOFT S9: 104).

FINLAND Correction: fourth record, on 20th-
21st July 1994 (Bnt. Birds 88: 271), was at
Siikajoki, Tauvo.

GERMANY Vagrant: 4th-8th August 1993
{Lirnicola 9: 89).

ICELAND Vagrants: seven records ki 1993 (38
previous records; Bliki 15: 35).

NETHERL/tNDS Second record: adult on 19th-
21st August 1994 {Dutch Birding 17: 148-
151).

NORWAY Vagrant: Hamningberg, Finnmark,
on 21st July 1993 (eighth record; record in
August 1994, Brit. Birds 88: 33, will become
ninth) .

Baird’s Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
CANARY ISLANDS Second record: Tenerife
during November-December 1992*.

NE THERLANDS Third record: adult on 31st July
to 1st August 1993 {Dutch Birding 17: 91).
POLAND Second record: 19th-26th October
1993 {Not. Orn. 35: 336, 338).

Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
BELGIUM Vagrants: 28th September 1991 and
llth-22nd August 1993 {Oriolus 61: 31).
DENMARK Vagrant: 24th July 1993 (17
previous records; DOFT S9: 104).

GERMANY Vagrants: 25th-27th April 1993 and
18th-24th September 1993 {Limicola 9: 89).
ICELAND Vagrant: 16th October 1993 (22
previous records; Bliki 15: 35).

NETHERLANDS Vagrants: eight in 1993 (total
now 60; Dutch Birding 17: 91).

NORWAY Vagrants: Gamvik, Finnmark, during
July 1991, first-year at Grudavamet, Klepp,
Rogaland, on 3rd August 1993 (49 previously
accepted records).

POLAND Vagrants: 23rd October 1992 and
6th-9th October 1993 (14 previous records:
Not. Orn. 35: 162, 337-338).

SPAIN Vagrants: 14th September to 1st

October 1992, 26th-28th September 1992,
23rd-30th July 1993, llth-15th September
1993, and 25th September 1993 {Ardeola 42:
105).

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata
IRELAND First record: adult at Tacumshin, Co.
Wexford, on 6th- 12th August 1994.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites
subruficollis

BELGIUM Fourth record: 9th-llth September
1993 {Oriolus 61: 31).

FINLAND Vagrant: Pori on 5th September
1995 (nine previous records).

FRANCE Vagrants: 22nd May 1989, 9th- 12th
September 1993 and 13th September 1993.
HUNGARY Second record: adult near Pely on
16th- 18th August 1995*.

NETHERLANDS Vagrant: 12th- 17th June 1993
{Dutch Birding 17: 92).

NORWAY Vagrant: 29th August 1992 (14
previous records; Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 266).
POLAND Vagrant: 20th May 1992 (nine
previous records; Not. Orn. 35: 162).

Long-billed Dowitcher Litnnodromus
scohpaceus

HUNGARY First record: adult on Hortobagy
fishponds on 30th April and 1st May 1995*.

Long-billed Dowitcher/Short-bUled Dowit-
cher Limnodromus scohpaceus! L. griseus
SPAIN Vagrants: two adults on 3rd June 1 993
{Ardeoh 42: 105-106).

Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris
GREECE Vagrant: Evros Delta, on 5th April
1995.

MOROCCO Wintering: single adults at Meija
Zerga on 27th December 1994, 5th Januarj'
1995 and 19th-23rd February 1995.

Marsh Sandpiper Tiinga stagnatilis
SWEDEN Second highest total ever: 19 in 1994
(cf 27 in 1993).

Greater Yellowlegs Tringa mehnoleuca
BELGIUM First record: first-winter from 27th
November to 2nd December 1994 {Mergus 9:
3-19).

NiriHERLANDS First record: first-winter on
15th January 1995 {Brit. Birds 88: 272) was
rediscovered on 20th April at De Braakman,
Zeeland, staying to at least 26th May (and
apparentiy might not be same individual as
that in Cumbria, England, and in Belgium, in
late 1994).

34

European news

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
BELGIUM Third record: 25th July 1993
{Aiergus 9: 20-25; Oriolus 61: 32).

FRANCE Vagrant: Camargue on 20th April
1995*.

ICELAND Vagrant: 12th-25th September 1993
(eight previous records; Bliki 15: 37).

NORVi'AY Vagrant: Kurefjord, 0stfold, on 7th
August 1993 (six previous records).

SPAIN Vagrant: 13th- 14th July 1993 (Ardeola
42: 106).

Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
ICELAND Third record: Reykjavak on 19th-
29th August 1995* (plate 19, below'; first and
second records were on 2nd August 1940 and
24th August 1969).

Spotted Sandpiper Actitis maailaria
FRANCE Vagrants: two adults in breeding
plumage in Finistere on 20th August 1993
(Omithos 2: 9).

MOROCCO Second record: Oued Souss estuary

on 5th May 1995* (first was in April 1990,
Brit. Birds 84: 230).

Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes
GREAT BRITAIN Second record: Grampian on
27th November to 27th December 1994 {Brit.
Birds 88: 517, plate 160).

Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
NORWAY First record: Vestfold from 14th
October 1992 to 1993 {Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5):
267).

Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
FRANCE Vagrants: two in 1993 {Omithos 2: 9)
and female at Marquenterre reserve, Somme,
from 25th June to 2nd July 1995*.

Great Black-headed Gull Lams ichthyaetus
DENMARK Second record: 10th October 1993
{DOFT S9: 105).

Mediterranean Gull Lams melanocephalus
DENMARK Influx: about 20 individuals (mostly
second-years) during winter-spring 1995.

ZEISS

Plate 19. Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria, Iceland, 24th August 1995 {Johann OH
Hilmarsson)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

35

FRANCE Highest-ever breeding numbers: 460
pairs in 1995.

ITALY Breeding census: 670 pairs nesting on
Margherita di Savoia salt-pans in 1994 {Riv.
Ital. Om. 64: 183).

LUXEMBOURG First record: 4th November
1993 (Regulus 14: 37).

NETEEERLANDS Increase: at least 225 breeding
pairs in 1995 in southwestern Netherlands
alone, mainly at Krammer-Volkerak.

Laughing GuU Larus atricilla
DENMARK Fourth record: adult at Langli, Ho
Bugt, SW-Jutland, on lst-18thjuly 1995*.
FRANCE Vagrants: three in 1993 {Omithos 2:
10).

ICELAND Vagrant: adult on 8th June 1987
(four previous and two subsequent records;
Bliki 15: 38).

IRELAND Vagrant: second- winter at Reedy
Rats, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh, on 25th
August 1994 (eight previous records).
MOROCCO Fourth record: adult at Oued Massa
estuary on 5th May 1995* (third was in 1994,
Brit. Birds 88: 272).

Franklin’s Gull Larus pipixcan

GERMANY Second record: 8th- 13th November

1993 (Limicola 8: 41; 9: 91).

Bonaparte’s GuU Larus Philadelphia
ICELAND Vagrant: adult on 14th November
1993 (six previous records; Bliki 15: 39).

Slender-bUled GuU Larus genei
FRANCE Best-ever breeding in Camargue: 850
pairs in 1995. Outside Southern France: adult
at Excenvex, Haute-Savoie, on 12th May
1995*.

ITALY Breeding census: 350 pairs nesting on
Margherita di Savoia salt-pans in 1994 {Riv.
Ital. Om. 64: 183).

Audouin’s GuU Larus audouinii
FRANCE Northernmost Palearctic record:
second-year at Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-
Calais, from 15th June to 28th July 1995*.

Ring-biUed GuU Lams delawarensis
CANARY ISLANDS Vagrant: second-winter on
Tenerife in November-December 1993*.
CZECH REPUBLIC First record: second-year in
Dolni Benesov, North Moravia, on 16th July
1994.

FRANCE Vagrants: four records concerning ten
individuals in 1993 {Omithos 2: 10-11).
ICELAND Vagrant: second-summer on 5th
May 1993 (39 previous records; Bliki 15: 39).
MOROCCO Vagrants: first-winter to first-
summer individual at Oued Ksob estuary,
Essaouira, from 30th January to 21st April

1995* and adult at Earache from 3rd January
to 19th March 1995* (16 previous records).
NORWAY Vagrant: fourth-calendar-year on
22nd-23rd May and 8th-22nd July 1992 (12
previous records: Var Fuglefauna 17(5): 267).
SPAIN Vagrants: 16 in winter 1992/93 {Ardeola
42: 107).

Herring GuU Lams argentatus
CYPRUS First record: one flying with Yellow-
legged GuUs L. cachinnans at Cape Elea on 5th
March 1995.

FRANCE First record of North American race
smithsonianus: first-winter on 24th January
1993 {Omithos 2: 11).

SPAIN First record for Iberia of race
smithsonianus-. first-winter on 3rd January 1991
{Ardeola 42: 108).

Iceland GuU Lams glaucoides
GREAT BRITAIN Highest-ever total of
individuals of one or other race
kumlienilthayeri-. nine in Scotland in 1994,
mostly in February-March {Brit. Birds 88:
518).

Glaucous GuU Lams hyperboreus
NORWAY Unusually frequent in 1993 {Var
Fuglefauna 17(5): 289).

POLAND Record numbers: 13 in January- April
1993, one in July 1993 and three in
November-December 1993 (about 99
previous records; Not. Om. 35: 339).

Glaucous-winged GuU Lams glaucescens
MOROCCO First record for Morocco and for
the Western Palearctic: adult at mouth of
Oued Ksob, Essaouira, on 31st January 1995*.

Ross’s GuU Rhodostethia rosea

DENMARK Eourth record: 20th October 1993

{DOFT S9-. 105).

NETHERLANDS Fourth record: adult on 16th
December 1993 {Dutch Birding 17: 94).
SWITZERLAND Vagrant: immature at Fanel/
Chablais de Cudrefin on 26th May 1995*.

Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
GERMANY Influxes: 55 records in 1993,
compared with 33 in 1977-92, notably inland
in January-February and October-November
{Limicola 9: 92-93).

POLAND Record numbers inland: 1 1 in

January-April 1993 and 18 in September-
November 1993 {Not. Om. 35: 127-138, 339-
340).

SWITZERLAND Influxes: January-February and
October-December 1993 {Nos Oiseaux 43:
100).

36

liuropcan news

Caspian Tem Sterna caspia
svniDKN Declining: breeding population well
below 500 pairs in 1994 (cf. 900 pairs in 1971,
Brit. Birds 86: 42).

Royal Tem Sterna maxima

SPAIN Vagrants: uvo on 18th July 1987

(Ardeola 42: 108).

Lesser Crested Tem Sterna betigaletisis
PRANCE Vagrant, but apparently regular in
Southern France: adult in Camargue,

Bouches-du-Rhone, on 28th-29th May 1995*.

Sandwich Tem Sterna sandvicensis
ich1j\nd Fourth record: 14th April 1993 {Bliki
15: 39).

i.uxJiMiiOURG First record: 16th September
1993 {Regiiliis 14: 38).

Bridled Tem Sterna anaethetus
GRltA i BRI TAIN Vagrant: West Yorkshire and
Cumbria on 3rd-5th June 1994 (19 previous
records; Brit. Birds 88: 522).

Little Tem Sterna albifrons

NORWAY First successful breeding: 0stfold in

June 1992 (Vdr Fnglefainia 17(5): 267).

Inca Tem Larostema inca

PRANCE Correcdon: influx from 16th July

(Blit. Birds 88: 273) was in 1994 (not 1995).

Whiskered Tem Chlidonias hybridns
lA'iA'lA Third breeding record: two at Nagli
fishponds from 24th May to 18th June 1995;
second record away from known breeding site:
two near I,ake BabTte, Riga, on 14th June
1995 (first was on 25th May 1989).

MOROCCO First breeding record since 1950s:
about 20 adults in breeding plumage, with one
feeding three fledged young, at Merja Bargha,
north of Merja Zerga, on 16th July 1995.
POLAND Population increase continuing:
largest-ever colony, with 205 nests at
Goczalkowice Reser\’oir, Upper Silesia, in
June 1995.

W’hite- winged Black Tern Chlidonias
leucoptems

i.uxi-MBOtiRG First record: 9th May 1993
(Regains 14: 39).

Oriental Turtle Dove Strcptopelia onentalis
ISRAEL Second record: Eilat on 27th April
1 995*, probably of race meena.

SPAIN First record: Tarragona, on 3rd
Fcbruaiy 1994*.

Laughing Dove Strcptopelia senegalensis
grp:a T BRI TAIN Presumed escapes: Lothian on
24th April 1 988, Humberside on 2 1 st October

1988, and Isle of Wight in Februaiy 1993
(Blit. Birds 88: 538).

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis
ISRAEL Record wintering numbers: up to 17 at
Eilat during November 1994 to Februaiy
1995 (normally rare in winter, being mainly
summer visitor).

POLAND Presumed escape: adult female on
16th August 1992 (Not. Oni. 35: 168).

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psiltacnla krarneii
GIBRALTAR Perhaps becoming established:
seven on 29th April 1989 and one at another
site on 30th April 1989; ‘small feral
population’ in 1990 (Aleetoiis 9: 43, 65).

Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandaiius
MOROCCO Fourth to sixth breeding records:
recently fledged young at Tafingoult in late
April 1994, and at Massa and Ademine in
June 1995 (all previous breeding records also
in Souss in spring 1990, Biit. Birds 84: 7, and
in spring 1992, Biit. Birds 86: 42, 285).
NORWAY Fourth record: 19th September 1992
(Vdr Fngkfauna 17(5): 267). Correction: fifth
record (Biit. Birds 87: 9; 88: 33) was on 25th
(not 24th) April 1993.

SW'I-DEN Third record: Anderslov, Skane, on
16th- 18th July 1995*.

Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus saturalus
swliDl-N First record: heard on Stora

Fjaderagg Island, Vasterbotten, on 9th June
1995*.

UKRAINE; Second record: in Crimea, near Jalta,
on 17ih August 1976.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus ameiicanus
GRI-AT BRITAIN Vagrant: Dyfed on 30th
October 1994 (Biit. Birds 88: 523).

IREIAND Ninth record and first for Northern
Ireland: moribund, Carncastle, Co. Antrim, on
31st October 1994.

SPAIN First record: juvenile died after striking
fence at Son Serv'era, Mallorca, on 28th
February’ 1994*.

Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca

PRANCE Vagrant: female on Ouessant,

Finistere, from 1st May to 19th June 1995*.

Hawk Owl Snniia nlnb

Nii'TUi-RLANDS Second record: Brunssum,
Limburg, on 2nd April 1995 (first record w'as
on 5th October 1920).

Alpine Swift Apiis melba

PDLAND Fiftli record: 1st April 1993 (not 1992

as slated Biit. Binh 87: 9; Not. Oni. 35: 341).

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January' 1996

37

Little Swift Apus ajfinis
CYPRUS Second and third records; 1st April
1995 and 22nd April 1995 (first was on 28th
April 1992, Brit. Birds 86: 43).

Pied Kingfisher Ceiyle mdis
CYPRUS Vagrants: 21st April 1994, 21st May
1994 and 16th & 24th December 1994 {Ann.
Rep. Cyprus Om. Soc. (1957) 41: 47).

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus
DENMARK Second record: 29th June 1993
(DOFTS9: 105).

GERMAm' First record: Hamburg on 1 9th June
1993 {Limicola 9: 96, 185-188).

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster
BELARUS Fourth to sixth breeding localities: 32
pairs near Yurovichi, Kalinkovichi district, at
least two pairs, both near Khoiniki and Bragin,
all Gomel region, in mid June 1995.

BE1.GIUM Third breeding record: pair nested
unsuccessfully in 1993 (Oriolus 61: 33).
CZECH REPUBLIC Increasing in southern
Moravia: total of 50 breeding pairs, with 20
and 19 breeding pairs in two largest colonies,
in 1995 (best-ever year; three to ten pairs in
1985-89, 20-30 pairs in 1993); third breeding
record in Bohemia: 1995 (previous breeding
record 25 years ago).

Hoopoe Upupa epops

NORWAY Unusually frequent in 1993 {Vdr
Fuglefauna 17(5): 291).

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos
leucotos

FINIAND Large influx in 1994, but breeding
still at low ebb, with only 15 nests with 35-40
young in 1995 (19 nests with 35-40 young in
1 992, 1 5 nests with 30-40 young in 1 993 and
11 nests with 25 young in 1994).

SWEDEN Minor irruption from east and first
breeding record in Vasterbotten since early
1970s: autumn 1994, resulting in at least one
breeding record in Vasterbotten in 1995
(species now extremely rare and severely
threatened by forestry).

Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus
SWITZERLAND First breeding in Jura: pair in
May-July 1993 {Nos Oiseaux 43: 102).

Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duponti
CYPRUS First record: 8th April 1994 {Ann.
Rep. Cyprus Orn. Soc. (1957) 41: 48).

Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra
GREAT BRITAIN Fourth record: St Kilda,
Western Isles, on 21st September 1994 {Brit.
Birds 88: 527).

Swrj’ZERl.AND Influx; seven records involving

12 individuals during 27th April to 16th May
1993 {Nos Oiseaux 43: 102-103).

White-winged Lark Melanocorypha leucoptera
POLAND Fifth record: two males on 12th May
1993 {Not. Orn. 35; 342).

Black Lark Melanocorypha yelloniensis
BULGARIA Fourth record: female near Kaliakra
Cape, on 25th May 1995.

CZECH REPUBUC First record: adult male shot
near Zakupy, North Bohemia, on 28th
November 1981.

Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla
SWITZERLAND Influx: 14 records involving 24
individuals during 25th April to 14th May
1993 {Nos Oiseaux 43: 100).

Lesser Short-toed Lark Calartdrella nifescens
GREAT BRITAIN First record: Portland, Dorset,
on 2nd May 1992 {Brit. Birds 88: 527, 593-
599).

Crested Lark Galerida cristata
SWITZERI^AND First record since 1990: 11th-
12th October 1993 {Nos Oiseaux 43: 103-
104).

Homed Lark Eremophila alpestris
IREIA.ND First since 1985: Larne, Co. Antrim,
on 19th-20th November 1994 (tenth record).

Bam Swallow Hinmdo rustica
MAI.TA Second breeding record: pair bred and
raised four young in July 1995 (first was in
1974).

House Martin Delichon urbica

ICELAND Breeding: pair bred in 1990 {Bliki 15:

41).

Richard’s Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
BELGIUM Vagrants; 27th April 1993 and 2nd
October 1993 {Oriolus 61: 34).

CYPRUS Vagrants: 17th March 1994, 14th &
19th April 1994 and 18th April 1994 {Ann.
Rep. Cyprus Orn. Soc. (1957) 4\\ 51).

FRANCE Vagrants: six in 1993 {Ornithos 2: 12).
Spring passage: De d’Yeu, Vendee, on 17th
April 1995*, singles at Grand-Fort-Philippe,
Nord, on 22nd and 29th April 1995*, and at
etang du Canet on 7th May 1995*.

GERMANY Vagrants: 13 records in 1993
{Limicola 9: 97).

IRELAND Vagrants: at least 13 individuals,
including four together at Tacumshin, Co.
Wexford, in autumn 1994.

MOROCCO Wintering: 7th Februarj' 1993 and
three on 7th December 1993 {Porphyria 6(2):
62-63), and five at Layoune in late December
1994 (25th record).

38

European news

NORWAY’ Fewer than usual: at least five in 1 993
{Vdr Fuglefauria 17(5): 291).

Blyth’s Pipit Arithtis godlezvskii
GREAT BRITAIN Second record: Suffolk on 4th-
10th November 1994 (Brit. Birds 88: 528-529;
several other earlier records are still being
assessed).

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
GREAT BRITAIN Vagrants: six in 1994, one in
January-February, the others in September-
November (Brit. Birds 88: 529).

NORWAY Vagrants: 30th September to 1st
October 1 992, 1 st-2nd October 1 992 and 4th-
5th October 1992 (17 previous records; Vdr
Fuglefauria 17(5): 269).

Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi
GREAT BRITAIN Highest-ever numbers: eight in
September-October 1994 (45 previous

records: Brit. Birds 88: 529).

Bufif-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens
ICELAND Fifth record: found dead on 24th
April 1993 (Bliki 15: 42).

ISRAEI. Overwintering in Northern Israel: one
in Bet Shean Valley during December 1994 to
Februarv' 1995 (winters regularly in variable
numbers at Eilat).

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava

DENMARK Second record of black-headed race

M. J. feldegg-. 2nd June 1992 (DOFT S9: 105).

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola
BE1.GIUM First record: female on 9th May
1993 (Oriolus 61: 34, 40-41).

BULGARIA 'ITiird record: two males on 1st
April 1995 (Neophron (1995 no. 1): 20).
CHANNEL ISIANDS First record: male at Rue
des Bergers Nature Reserve, Guernsey, on 5th
May 1995.

GERMANY Influx: at least six in May 1993
(Linticola 9: 97).

GREAT BRITAIN Highest-ever numbers: seven
in 1994 (Brit. Birds 88: 530).

HUNGARY Vagrants: adult male at Csajto on
15th- 17th April 1995* and male at Palotasi
Reservoir on 16th April 1995 (five previous
records) .

ITAI.Y Possible breeding: male collecting food,
possibly for young, near river Brenta, Vicenza,
on 15th August 1989 (Riv. Ital. Om. 64: 28-
32). Fifth record: 26th April 1992 (Riv. Ital.
Om. 64: 82).

I.ATVTA Breeding: at least two breeding pairs
again at Jelgav, during April-May 1995
(regular breeding site since 1993), but
breeding failed this year.

MOROCCO First record: male in first-summer
plumage in Lower Loukkos valley on 3rd-5tli
Januarv' 1995*.

NETHERI.ANDS Third record: male on 4th-5th
May 1993 (Dutch Birding 17: 94).

POLAND Breeding expansion: in 1995, 18
singing males in late May, but seven pairs bred
later at Rewa, Gdahsk Bay, another tw'o pairs
were in Vismla Lagoon, near Elblag, and one
at Siemianowka Reserv'oir; nests found and
fledglings seen in all places (first breeding
record concerned four pairs at Rewa in 1994).

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
SWEDEN Increase in numbers and range
expansion: now fairly common in southwest
Sweden and breeding at low density in
mountains in the northwest all the way north
to Lapland, but strangely completely absent
from southeast Sweden where there is plenty
of suitable habitat.

Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba

ICELAND Fifth record of British race yarrellii:

25th-27th October 1993 (Bliki 15: 42).

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis
GERMANS’ Presumed escape: 27th-30th June
1993 (Umicola 9: 107).

Cedar Waxwing Bonibycilla cedroruni
ICELAND First record: Ger^ar i

GuUbringusyslu, from middle of April to late
July 1989* (BUM 11: 50-51; 16: in prep.).

Siberian Accentor/Black-throated Accentor

Prunella rnontanellaJ P. atrogularis
NORWAY Vagrant: Vest-Agder on 5th October
1992 (no previous record of either species;
Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 269).

Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin Cercotrichas
galactotes

CANARY ISLANDS Third record: Alegranza islet
in April 1995.

FINLAND First record: Kotka archipelago on
27th May 1995*.

Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia
CZECH REPUBLIC First nesting record in
Moravia: Zahlinice in May 1 994.

NETHERI.ANDS First breeding record: five
young fledged near Zeewolde, Hevoland, in
June 1995.

Rufous Nightingale Luscinia tncgarhynchos
iRElJtND First record for Nortliem Ireland:
Copeland Bird Obser\’atory, Co. Down, on
4th May 1994.

MAL TA First breeding record: pair nested rwice
at Buskett in May-June 1 995 (eggs taken each
time by rats).

British Birds, vol. 89, no, 1, January’ 1996

39

Bluethroat Litscinia svecica
CHANNEL ISLANDS First spring record of
white-spotted race cyanecula on Jersey since
1964: adult male at St Ouen’s Pond on 13th
March 1995.

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus
ESTONIA Third record: adult male near Saku,
Harju District, on 13th July 1995*.

FRANCE First record: female or first-winter on
Ouessant, Finistere, on 27th October 1993
(Omithos 2: 13).

GREAT BRITAIN Vagrants: Norfolk on 18th-
20th October 1994 and Suffolk on 26th
October 1994 (13 previous records; Brit. Birds
88: 531, plates 174-176).

White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis
NETHERLANDS Second record: female between
Katwijk and Wassenaar, Zuidholland, on 2nd
June 1995 (first was adult male at Maasland,
Zuidholland, on 3rd-4th November 1986).

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochniros
BELGIUM First record of eastern race
phoeiiicnroides: 28th October 1993 (Oriohis 61:
34).

IRELAND Major influx: at least 50 in
Ball\Tnacoda and Knockadoon Head areas of
Co. Cork, in early November 1994.

Common Redstart Phoenicunts phoenicimis
GERMANS' Second record of race samamisicus:
Heligoland on 20th September 1 993 (first was
also on Heligoland, in June 1864; Limicola 9:
98).

Moussier’s Redstart Phoeniainis moussieri
FRANCE First record: female on Ouessant,
Finistere, on 14th May 1993 (Ornithos 2: 13).

Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata
BELGIUM First record of eastern race maura.
11th October 1993 {Mergus 8: 225-229;
Oriolus 61: 34).

GREAT BRi'EAiN Vagrants of race
maura! stejnegeri: 13 in 1994, one in May, the
others in September-November {Brit. Birds
88: 531).

P01.AND First record. of race maura: male at
Wroofaw on 22nd April 1995.

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina
FRANCE Vagrants: 1st September 1993 and
16th October 1993 {Ornithos 2: 13).

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka
CYPRUS First record: adult female on Kourion
(Curium) Beach on 19th April 1992.
NETHERLANDS Fourth record: first-winter male
on 7th-8th October 1993 {Dutch Birding 17:
96).

Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica
DENMARK First record: 18th October 1990
{DOFT S9: 106).

FINLAND Fourth record: first-year female at
Inkoo on 28th September to 3rd October
1993.

GERMANS' Vagrant: 29th May 1993 (only one
other since 1977; Limicola 9: 98).

Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti
BELGIUM First record: 5th October 1990
(record on 13th- 15th October 1991, Brit.
Birds 87: 321, becomes second; Oriolus 61:
38).

NORWAY Fourth record: 3rd October 1992
{Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 270; Brit. Birds 86:
plate 85).

Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe monacha
CYPRUS Fourth and fifth records: Ayios
Georgios, Cape Depanum, on 21st April 1995
and female there on 23rd April 1995.

Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis
ISRAEL First breeding away from Hermon: pair
with nestlings at Biq’at Qadesh, northeast
Galilee, hatching on 23rd-24th April 1995.

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
FINLAND First record: Kemijaiv'-i in Northern
Finland on 2nd June 1995*.

White’s Thrush Zoothera dauma
NETHERLANDS Vagrant: 9th April 1993 (14
previous records; Dutch Birding 17: 96).

Siberian Thrush Zoothera sihirica
NORWAY Vagrant: 4th September 1986 (six
other records; Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 270).

Hermit Thrush Cathanis guttatus
GREAT BRH’AIN Fifth record: indiwdual found
exhausted at Chipping Ongar, Essex, on 28th
October 1994* (taken into care and released
on 2nd November 1994).

Grey-cheeked Thrush Cathanis minimus
GREA'L BRITAIN Vagrant: Orkney on 16th
October 1994 (42 previous records; Brit. Birds
88: 535).

Eyebrowed Thrush Turdus obscunis
FRANCE Vagrant: singing first-summer male at
Ballon d’ Alsace, Territoire de Belfort, on 9th-
13th April 1995*.

POLAND First record this century: adult near
Wolsztyn on 13th April 1995 (about six
records in nineteenth century).

Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni
CYPRUS Vagrant: 28th December 1994
{Ann. Rep. Cyprus Orn. Soc. (1957) 41:
60).

40

European news

NORWAY Vagrant: second-calendar-year male
of race ewiomiis on 15th-23rd April 1992 (five
previous records; Var Fuglefawia 17(5): 270).

Dark-throated Thrush Tiirdtis mjkollis
GRKAT BRITAIN Vagrants: four in 1994, three
of black-throated race atrogiilaris, one in
Dorset in January and two on Fair Isle,
Shetland, in mid October, and one of red-
throated race mficollis — the first record of this
race in Britain — in Essex in September-
October (29 previous records; Brit. Birds 88:
535, plates 170-173).

Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis
NE'l HERLANl^s Reappearance: singing males in
Zeeland, on 29th June to 17th August 1993
and 19th-21st August 1993, for the first time
since 1990 {Dutch Birding 17: 96).

Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler Locuslella
certhiola

GRiiAT BRITAIN Vagrant: Fair Isle, Shetland,
on 2 1 st September 1 994 ( 1 4 previous records;
Brit. Birds 88: 535).

NORWAY Fourth record: 14th-15th September
1992 {Vdr Fuglefaiitia 17(5): 270).

Lanceolated Warbler Locustella laiiceolata
GERMANY Fourth record: 13th October 1993
{Umicola 8: 45; 9: 99).

GREAT BRITAIN Vagrants: six in 1994, all
September-October (57 previous records;
Brit. Birds 88: 535-536).

River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis
DENMARK Record number: about 31 singing
males during spring 1995.

FRANCE Vagrant: singing male at Le Teich,
Gironde, on 15th-23rd May 1995*.

Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscviioides
NORWAY Fifth record: 28th May to 7th June
1992 {Var Fuglefawia 17(5): 271).

Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus
melanopogou

SWI TZERLAND Vagrant: ringed at Yverdon on
5th November 1994.

Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola
BliiAiRUS Rediscovery: numerous in several
districts of Brest region (Berioza, Drogichin,
Pinsk, Pruzhany) in late May to mid June
1995, with preliminaiy estimate of 5,000-
10,000 breeding pairs (previously, species was
overlooked and/or confused with Sedge
Warbler A. schoeuobacnus) .

Paddvdield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola
FRANCE Fourth record: adult in Camarguc on
2nd October 1993 {Oniithos 2: 14).

GI'RMANY Second record: Heligoland on 5th

October 1 993 (first was also on Heligoland, on
12th June 1864; note coincidence with
Common Redstart Phoenicunts phoenicurus of
race samamisicus', Umicola 9: 99).

GRiiAT BRITAIN Highest-ever total: nine in
1994, one in July, the others in September-
October (25 previous records; Btit. Birds 88:
538).

Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus
dumetorum

GERMANY Fourth record: 6th-27th June 1993
{Umicola 9: 99).

GRi-A'T BRITAIN Third spring record: Shetland
on 23rd-27th May 1994 {Brit. Birds 88: 538).

Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris
FAROE isiAiNDS Second record: ringed on
Nolsoy on 30th May 1995*.

NORWAY Unusually frequent in 1993 {Vdr
Fuglefawia 17(5): 293).

Reed Warbler Acrocephalus sciipaceus
IRFT.AND Breeding continuing: at se\’cral sites
on south and east coast, including 217
individuals ringed at reed-bed site at Youghal,
Co. Cork, in autumn 1994.

MALTA Second and third breeding records:
two pairs bred and raised young in June 1995
(first was in 1977).

Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata
BELGIUM Second and third records: 3rd
October 1993 and 5th October 1993; latter
had been ringed at Spurn, Humberside,
England, during 16th- 17th September 1993
{Oriolus 61: 35).

ES TONIA Third record: adult male at Saue,
Harju District, from 18th June to 2nd July
1995*.

GREA T BRI TAIN See cntiy for Belgium.

Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina
CHANNI-L ISLANDS Third record for Jersey:
Noirmont on 1st September 1994 (previous
records were on 28th August 1979 and 22nd
August 1984).

Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglot ta
NORWAY First record: Vest-Agder on 14th
August 1992 {Vdr Fuglefawia 17(5): 271).

Marmora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda
FRANCE Vagrant outside Corsica: male at 1^
Londe, Var, on 10th May 1995*.

Dartford Warbler Sylvia widata
gf;rm/\ny Third record: 18th- 19th April 1993
{UmicoLi 9: 100).

Subalpine Warbler Syb'ia cautillans
swf;df;n Spring influx: at least eight in April-
June 1995, Seglora, Vastergotland, from 30th

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January 1996

41

April to 1st May*, at Segerstad, Oland, on
7th-8th May*, Trelleborg, Skane, on 16th
May*, Sjomarken, Vastergotland, on 16th-
17th May*, Ottenby, Oland, on 20th May*,
Leonardsberg, Ostergbtland, on 24th-25th
May*, Utklippan, Blekinge, on 27th May*,
and Ottenby, Oland, on 13th June 1995* .

Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala
C\TRUS First confirmed breeding records: in

1992 and 1993 (Ann. Rep. Cyprus Orn. Soc.
(1957) 41: 79-81).

CZECH REPUBLIC First record: singing male in
Mnichovo, Flradiste, Central Bohemia, on
17th May 1985.

NETHERi^ANDS Fourth and fifth records: first-
summer male on 26th-29th May 1993 and
adult male on 30th October to 22nd
November 1993 (Dutch Birding 17: 96).

Ruppell’s Warbler Sylvia rueppelli
DENAtARK First record: 7th-8th May 1993
(DOFTS9: 106).

Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
FRANCE Second spring record: Gruissan,
Aude, on 18th April 1995*.

Pallas’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregidus
BELGIUM Vagrants: 25th-28th October 1993
and lst-4th November 1993 (Oriohts 61: 35).
FRANCE Vagrant: 2nd November 1993

(Oniithos 2: 14).

GERMANA' Vagrants: Bayern on 20th March

1993 and three on Heligoland in October
1993 (Lirnicola 9: 100).

IRELAND Vagrants: two in Co. Cork and three
in Co. Wexford during 5th-13th November
1994.

NETHERI.ANDS Vagrants: three in October-
November 1993 (Dutch Birding 17: 96).
NORWAY Vagrant: 6th-7th October 1989 (41
other records Lnvohmg 49 individualsj none in
1992; Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 273).

POLAND Vagrant: immarnre trapped at

Darlowko, Baltic coast, on 16th October 1994.
SPAIN Second record: Mallorca on 12th-15th
April 1995*.

SWEDEN Vagrants: 29 records in 1994.

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus
inomatus

DENMARK First to fifth records of race P. i.
humer. 17th October 1973, 1st November
1980, 2nd November 1980, 10th- 18th

November 1987 and 27th-31st October 1993
(DOFT S9: 106).

FRANCE Vagrants: 31 in September-October
1993 (Ornithos 2: 14).

GERMANY Vagrants: 14 records involving 17
individuals, all on Heligoland in September-
October 1993 (Lirnicola 9: 100-101).

ICELAND Vagrants: four records in 1993 (45
previous records; Bliki 15: 46).

IRELAND Vagrants: at least 22 in autumn 1994.
MOROCCO Date extension of second record
(Bnt. Birds 88: 277): at Oued Massa estuary
from at least 21st to 26th October 1994*.
SPAIN Vagrant in winter: 27th January 1993
(Ardeola 42: 111).

SWEDEN Vagrants: 48 records in 1994.

Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi
GREAi' BRITAIN Vagrants: four in October-
November 1994 (144 previous records; Brit.
Birds 88: 541).

MOROCCO First record: Middle Atlas, near
Zeida, on 29th April 1995*.

Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus
DENMARK Vagrant: 20th-21st October 1992
(25 previous records; DOFT 89: 107).

FRANCE Vagrant: 20th October 1993 (Ornithos
2: 15).

GIBRALTAR First record: one with Chiffchaff P.
collybita on 3rd January 1989 (Alectoiis 9: 36).
GREAT BREPAIN Highest-ever numbers: 21 in
1994, all October-December (133 previous
records; Biit. Birds 88: 542).

NETHERiAiNDS Vagrant: 31st October 1993
(Dutch Birding 17: 96).

NORWAY Fourth record: 7th October 1992
(Vdr Fuglefauna 17(5): 273).

Bonelli’s Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli
NEl'HERLANDS Fourth record of race orientalis:
singing male on 30th April to 1st May 1993
(Dutch Birding 17: 96; now regarded by Dutch
rarities committee as separate species, P.
orientalis) .

NORWAY Fifth record: 6th October 1991 (Vdr
Fuglefauna 17(5): 273).

SWEDEN Vagrant: Ottenby, Oland, on 31st
May to 5th June 1995* (six previous records).

Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatiix
svxaTZERiAND Possible large-scale decline in
1995: e.g. now absent from woodland in
Berne where previously bred in good
numbers.

Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
DENMARK Vagrant of race tristis: 12th January
1993 (37 previous records; DOFT S9: 107).
SV)t7TZERLAND Vagrant of race tristis: two in
Yverdon, from 28th November to 3rd
December 1994, one remaining to 7th
December.

42

European news

Willow Warbler Phylbscopus trochilus
GREA'i' BRITAIN Population decrease: Common
Birds Census data showed 47% decline in
numbers in southern Britain between 1986
and 1993 {BTO Neius 197: 10-11).

Verditer Flycatcher Eiimyias thabssifia
GREAT BRITAIN Presumed escape: Fife on 3rd-
4th October 1993 (Brit. Birds 88: 558).

Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedub parva
NORWAY Fewer than usual: about six in 1993
(Vdr Fuglefauria 17(5): 293).

Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedub
semiiorqiiata

MALTA Vagrant: 1995 (ten previous records).

Collared Flycatcher Ficedub albicollis
MOROCCO Fourth record: adult male at Meski,
Er-rachidia, on 12th April 1995* (considered
accidental in Morocco, but is probably
occasional spring migrant in southeast; three
previous confirmed records involve at least 15
individuals; Ibis 110: 462; Bnt. Birds 85: 460;
88: 42).

Bearded Tit Panurus bbrmicus
NORWAY' Influx: 1 5 records invoking 1 1 2
individuals in 1992, with breeding at two sites
(25 previous records, involving 114
individuals; Vdr Fuglefaima 17(5): 273).

Blue Tit Pams caeruleus

ISRAI-I. First record: Majdal Shams, Hermon,

on 21st August 1995.

European Nuthatch Siita europaea
EINI.AND Largest influx since 1970s: hundreds
in many areas from September to October
1995.

Eurasian Treecreeper Certhb farniliaris
NETHERLANDS First Confirmed breeding
records: 13-16 breeding territories (two nests
and two pairs with fledglings) at 1 80-300 m in
southern Limburg in 1993 (Dutch Birding 16:
221-224).

Penduline Tit Rerniz petidulinus
switDEN Decreasing: after having increased
ever since first record in 1 965, major decrease
in last few years and species has disappeared
from several of its strongholds; oddly, the
northernmost populations in Ostergofland and
Narke seem to be doing best.

Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
GREAT BRITAIN Ccnsus: in 1994, only sLx
confirmed breeding pairs, many fewer than
expected, but observed during breeding season
at 43 sites (BTO Nezvs 199: 15).

Isabelline Shrike biuius isahclliuus

GERMANY Third and fourth records:
Heligoland on 2nd-5th October 1 993 and
Sachsen on 12th- 17th November 1993 (first
two records were in October 1854 and
September 1980; Limicob 9: 102).

GREAT BRITAIN Vagrants: two in 1994 (38
previous records; Brit. Birds 88: 543).
NETHEltlj\NDS First and second records: first-
winter on 21st October 1993 (Dutch Birdiug
17: 97), and adult on Texel, Noordholland, on
4th May 1995.

Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor
DENMARK First since 1989: Vejleme, N-
Jutland, on 26th June 1 995* (becoming rarer;
32 preGous records).

Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor
GREAT BRI TAIN Vagrants of race pallidirostris:
four in September-November 1994 (seven
previous records; Brit. Birds 88: 543).

Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator
NETHERIANDS First record of Balearic race
badius: male on 6th June 1 993 (Dutch Birding
17: 97; another at Knardijk, Flevoland, in June
1983*, is still under review).

Nutcracker Nucifraga catyocatactes
EINLAND Irruption: thousands from mid July to
end of September 1995, with about 10,000 at
Hanko Bird Observ^atoiy' alone; one of largest
influxes this century'.

Daurian Jackdaw Corvus dauuricus
NETHERLANDS First record: Hargen,

Noordholland, on 1st May 1995, Katwijk,
Zuidholland, on 4th-6th May 1995, and
Scheveningen, Zuidholland, on 13th- 15 th
May 1995. (First record since one in Sweden
in April 1985, Brit. Birds 80: 14.)

White-shouldered Starling Sturnus sinensis
GERMANY Presumed escape: 27th December

1993 (Limicob 9: 107).

Rosy Starhng Sturnus roseus
CHANNEL ISLANDS Second record for Jersey:
adult in St Ouen’s Bay on 25th June 1995
(first was on 13th June 1882).

DENMARK Influx: about set’en during spring
1995*.

gri:at BRI TAIN Highest-ever numbers: 24 in

1994 (400 previous records; Brit. Birds 88:
545-547).

HUNGARY’ Breeding: 1,600-1,700 pairs bred at
six colonies on the Hortobagy in 1995, w'ith
1,200 non-breeding individuals staying in the
area.

White-cheeked Starling Sturnus cincraccus
gre;at BRITAIN Presumed escape:

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January' 1996

43

Grampian in January-April 1994 {Brit. Birds
88: 558).

Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling

Lamprotomis chalybaeus

GIBRALTAR Escapes: two on 24th November
1990 and singles on 30th November and 7th
December 1990 {Alectoris 9: 81).

Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis
FRANCE Vagrants: four males and two females
in Antifer Harbour, Seine-Maritime, on 1st-
2nd May 1995* (probably ship-assisted) and
male at Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud, on 2nd May
1995*.

Sudan Golden Sparrow Passer luteus
GERMAN\' Presumed escape: Heligoland on
28th September to 11th October 1993
{Lirnicola 9: 107).

Pale Rock Sparrow Petronia brachydactyla
CWRUS First to third records: 22nd-26th April

1994 (Ann. Rep. Cyprus Orn. Soc. (1957) 41:
73), seven at Paphos Lighthouse area on 6th
March 1995, and four there on 20th March
1995.

Red-headed Quelea Qiielea erythrops
■ GERMAN\’ Presumed escape: Heligoland on
11th July to 10th October 1993 {Lirnicola 9:
107).

'GIBRALTAR Escape: 27th August 1989

{Alectoris 9: 43).

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceiis

IRELAND Vagrant: Mizen Head, 8th- 10th

October 1994.

European Serin Seriniis serinus

SWEDEN Unusual numbers: in 1994 and 1995,

after having been quite rare for several years.

I Citril Finch Seriniis citrinella

FINLAND First record: 17th May to 2nd July

1995 {Alula 1: 100-102).

POLAND Deletion: second record, on 18th
August 1981 {Brit. Birds 75: 573), now
rejected (first record was at Wroclaw on 12th
August 1975).

Siskin Carduelis spinus

ICELAND First breeding record: at least
two pairs bred in summer 1994 and raised

II young in a plantation {Bliki 15: 57-
59).

Corrunon Redpoll Carduelis flarnmea
SWEDEN Increase in numbers of the race
cabaret: formerly breeding in limited num-
bers along west coast since early 1970s,
but increasing in recent years, with dramatic

expansion, with breeding inland in several
areas in 1994; northernmost breeding record
was near Stockholm and considerable
numbers occurred as far north as Vasterbotten
in autumn 1994; ‘now coming into contact
with nominate subspecies on a large scale and
it will be interesting to see what happens’.

Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
NORWAY Fewer than usual: only six in 1993
( Vdr Fuglefauna 1 7 (5) : 295) .

Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
ICELAND First breeding record: nest with
three newly hatched young found on 12th
December 1994 but all the young were
found dead one week later {Bliki 15: 59-
60).

Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus
FRANCE Vagrant: male in Camargue on
19th-21st April 1993 {Ornithos 2: 15).
GIBRALTAR Third and fourth records:
male on 23rd April 1989 and two males
and a female on 13th May 1989 {Alectoris
9: 42).

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
FRANCE Establishment: 12 singing males in
Haut-Jura in spring 1995, 12 more in Haut-
Doubs, three in Alsace, but only four or five
in Pas-de-Calais; singing male at Chausey
Island, Manche, at beginning of June 1995*.
NETHERLANDS Colonisation: after eight or
fewer records per year up to 1 986, total of 39
in 1987, including the first breeding record
{Dutch Birding 17: 97).

SPAIN Fourth record: juvenile on 23rd
September 1993 {Ardeola 42: 111).

Pallas’s Rosefinch Caipodacus roseus
DENMARK Escape: male ringed at KlitmoUer,
W-Jutland, on 28th March 1993 (previous
record, in October 1987, also regarded as
escape; DOFT S9: 107).

Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator
GERMANY Vagrant: Heligoland on 2nd May
1993 (third since 1977; Lirnicola 7: 160; 9:
104).

NORWAY Invasions in autumn 1992 and again
in autumn 1993 and winter 1993/94, most
marked in southern Nordland and Nord-
Trondelag, with many flocks of up to 70 and
one flock of 125 in 1993.

Long-tailed Rosefinch Uragus sibiricus
DENMARK Presumed escape: 28th-29th April
1993 {DOFT S9: 107).

GREAT BRi TAtN Presumed escape: Suffolk on
21st April 1994 {Brit. Birds 88: 558).

44

European news

Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata
GRi-AT BRI TAIN Vagrants: Dyfed in October-
November 1994 and Avon in mid November
1994 (18 previous records; Brit. Birds 88:
548).

1CH1.AND Vagrant: 25th September 1993 (eight
previous records; Bliki 15: 49).

BlackpoU Warbler Dendroica striata
GREAT BRI TAIN Vagrant: East Sussex in mid
December 1994 (31 previous records; Brit.
Birds 88: 548).

Song Sparrow Zonoirichia rnelodia
GRliA'T BRITAIN Vagrant: Merseyside in mid
October 1994 (sLx previous records; Brit.
Birds 88: 548).

Dark-eyed Junco jfunco hyemalis
DENMARK First record: 13th December 1980
(DOFT S9: 107, 109).

SWEDEN First record: Marstrand, Bohuslan, on
15th April 1995*.

Lapland Longspur Cakariiis lappoitiais
SPAIN Small influx to northern coast:
minimum of eight at five sites between 19th
September and 31st October 1993 (Ardeola
42: 111).

Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala
GRiiAT BRITAIN Vagrant/escape: first-winter
male in Greater Manchester from 8th March
to 24th April 1994* (identification accepted,
but origin still being investigated; Brit. Bird';
88: 550-551, plate 128).

NiTTHiiREANDS Second record: first-winter
male on 28th October 1993 (Dutch Birding 17:
98).

Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos
GREAT BRTTAIN Highest-ever total: five in
Northern Isles in October-November 1994
(24 previous records; Brit. Birds 88: 551).

Girl Bunting Emberiza cirlits
DENMARK Second record: ringed at

Blavandshuk, W-Jutland, on 10th June 1995*.
ni;'THt;reands Fifth record: at Hoogerheide,
Noordbrabant, on 13th March 1995.

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia
I .UXI-MBOURG Vagrant: adult male trapped at
Lintgen on 4th April 1995.

House Bunting Emberiza striolata
MOROCCO Southwards range extension:
reported from city of Layoune in early January
1995.

Cinereous Bunting Emberiza cineracea
CYPRUS Vagrant: 18th April 1994 (Aim. Rep.
Cypnis Ow. Soc. (1957) A\\ 75).

Cretzschmar’s Bunting Emberiza caesia
NETHERLANDS Second record: male on

Ameland, Friesland, on 10th May 1994,
probably present since 7th May 1994 (first
was female on 11th October 1859).

Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans
ERANCE Escape/vagrant: Ouessant, Finistere,
on 13th-18th April 1993 (Ornithos 2: 18).
GI-RMANY Presumed escape: Heligoland on
lst-5thjune 1993 (Lirnicola 9: 107).

Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza
chiysophiys

GRiiA T BRI TAIN Fourth record: Scilly on 19th-
22nd October 1994 (Brit. Birds 88: 551, plate
190).

Rustic Bunting Emberiza nistica
BULGARIA Second record: male near Krichin on
21st October 1990 (Neophron (1995, no. 1): 18).

Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla
MOROCCO First record: Agadir on 21st
October 1994*.

NORWAY Fewer than usual: only five in 1993
( Vdr Eugkfauna 1 7 (5) : 296) .

Chestnut Bunting Emberiza rutila
GRiiA T BRTTAIN Vagrants/escapes: Shetland on
9th- 13th July (not June as previously
published) 1974 and 2nd-5th September 1994
(Brit. Birds 88: 556).

Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola
DENMARK Fourth record: 10th June 1993
(DOETS9: 108).

Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps
NliTilliRLANDS Third record: singing male at
Slikken van de Heen, Zeeland, on 2nd June
1995*.

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza

melanocephala

cziicii RiiPtiBi.ic Second and third records:
adult male shot at Struznice, North Bohemia,
on 27th May 1979, and adult male singing at
Jestfebi, North Bohemia, on 1 8th June 1 994.
HUNGARY’ First record: singing male at Ktimlo
on 23rd June 1995*.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Phctictictis

ludoviciantis

GliRMANY Escape/vagrant: Niedersachsen
on 28th September 1993 (Lirnicola 9:
107).

GRiiAT BRTTAIN Vagrant: first-winter male
in Humberside on 5th-6th November
1991 (22 other records; Brit. Birds 88:
555).

45

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January' 1996

OflBcial correspondents

ANDORRA Jacqueline Crozier; Austria Hans-Martin Berg; Belarus Dr Michael E. Nikiforov;
BELGRJM Rene-Marie Lafontaine; Bulgaria Dr Petar lankov; canary islands Juan Antonio
Lorenzo; CHANNEL ISLANDS Ian Buxton; Cyprus A. E. Sadler; Czech republic Dr Josef Chytil
& Professor Karel Stastny; DENMARK Brian Rasmussen; EGYPT Sherif Baha El Din & Mindy
Baha El Dm; Estonia Dr Vilju LiUeleht; Faroe islands Soren Sorensen; Finland Pekka J.
Nikander, FRANCE Dr Phihppe J. Dubois; Germany Peter H. Barthel; Gibraltar Charles E.
Perez; great Britain John Marchant; Greece George I. Handrinos; Hungary Dr Gabor
Magyar; ICELAND Gunnlaugur Pemrsson; Ireland Pat Smiddy; Israel Hadoram Shirihai; Italy
Marco Gustin, laimia Dr Janis Baumanis; Lithuania Dr Petras Kurlavicius; Luxembourg Tom
Conzemius; Malta Joe Sultana; moldova Dr I. M. Ganea; morocco Michel Thevenot;
NETHERI.ANDS Drs. Arnoud B. van den Berg; NORWAY Andrew W. Clarke; POLAND Dr Tadeusz
Stawarczyk; PORTUGAL Dr Joao Carlos Farinha; Slovakia Dr Alzbeta Darolova; slovenia Iztok
Geister; Spain Dr Eduardo de Juana; Sweden Tommy Tyrberg; Switzerland Hans Schmid;
TUNISIA Thierry Gaultier; Ukraine Dr Igor Gorban.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bird Photograph of the Year

We are delighted to announce that in 1996 this armual competition will once
^^*^*"^** again be sponsored by Canon (UK) Ltd.

Entrants should read the rules carefully (see Biit. Birds 84: 36, or write for a copy).

The prizes in 1996 will be as follows: first prize engraved salver plus Canon products of the
winner’s choice to the value of £500 plus cheque for £100; second prize Canon products to
the value of £200 plus cheque for £40; third prize Canon products to the value of £100 plus
cheque for £25.

The three winners will also receive £25-worth of bird books presented by HarperCollins
Publishers.

An additional prize of a cheque for £100 is presented by Windmsh Photos for the highest-
placed photograph submitted by an entrant aged 21 years or under (please state date of birth if
eligible) .

The judging panel will consist of Dr R. J. Chandler, Robin Chittenden, Rob Hume and Dr
J. T. R. Sharrock.

Past winners of this competition have been Michael C. Wilkes (1977), Peter Lowes (1978),
Dr Edmund C. Fellowes (1979), Don Smith (1980), Richard T. Mills (1981), Dennis Coutts
(1982), David M. Cottridge (1983), John Lawton Roberts (1984), C. R. Knights (1985), Alan
Moffett (1986), Dr Kevin Carlson (1987), Bob Glover (1988 & 1992), Hanne Eriksen (1989
& 1990), Philip Perry (1991), Alan Williams (1993 & 1994) and Mike Lane (1995).

The closing date for entries is 31st January 1996. Transparencies should be dearly marked
‘Bird Photograph of the Year’ and sent to Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford mk44 3NJ.

Photographs and drawings may be for sale

Many of the photographers and artists whose pictures appear in Bntish Birds welcome the
opportunity to sell their work. Anyone who wishes to obtain either photographic prints or
original drawings is welcome to write (making an enquiry about availability, making an
appropriate offer, or seeking the price) to the photographer or artist concerned, c/o Fountains,
Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford mk44 3NJ. We shall forward all such letters as a service to our
readers and contributors.

46

Announcements

Bird Illustrator of the Year

This annual competition is now co-sponsored by the natural-histor}'
publishers Pica Press and T. & A. D. Poyser.

Apart from the important change in exact dimensions of the set of
four drawings (see Brit. Birds 88: 564), the rules are the same as in
previous years. Copies are available on request (send a SAE to Mrs
Sheila Cobban at the address below).

The top three artists will each be able to select five books from each of the Pica Press, T. &
A. D. Poyser and Academic Press lists (a total of 15 books each). In addition, the w'inner will
receive an engraved salver and a cheque for £ 1 00, the second-placed artist w'ill receive ;()40 and
the third-placed £25. The top artist aged under 21 years on the closing date of 15th March 1996
will receive The Richard Richardson Aw'ard (an inscribed book and a cheque to the total value
of £60) ', this aw'ard is in memory of the famous Norfolk bird-artist the late Richard Richardson.
A single drawing of high individual merit w'ill be selected for The PJC Award, which is presented
annually in memory of Pauline Jean Cook; the winner holds the trophy for 1 2 months and also
receives an inscribed book.

The judging panel wall comprise Robert Gillmor, Alan Harris, Bruce Pearson, Keith
Shackleton and Dr J. T. R. Sharrock.

The closing date is 15th March 1996. The full rules may be obtained from, and entries should
be sent to. Bird Illustrator of the Year, British Birds, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford
MK44 3NJ.

Front-cover designs for sale

The original unframed drawings of the pictures on the front cover of BB are for sale each month
in a postal auction. The pictures are usually 1 'h or two times the published size. These sales help
not only the artists, but also BB, since the artists donate 20% to the journal. It is also a way for
BB readers to acquire — for themselves or as a present for a friend — top-class art at very
reasonable prices. During the past year, successful postal bids have ranged from £82 to £110,
and the average has been £98. Why not send in your bid each month? If you are successful (if
your bid is the highest, and it exceeds the artist’s reserve price), you will be asked to pay the sum
you bid, plus £1.50 for postage and packing. Send your name, address and telephone number
and your bid (no money at this stage), to arrive before the last day of the month, to Cover Bid,
Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford MK44 3NJ.

Rarities Reports

A few copies of the annual reports of the British Birds Rarities Committee, w’hich are alw'ays
crammed with colour photos of rarities, are available for past years: 1994 £9, 1993 £8, 1992
£8, 1991 £5, 1990 £5 and 1989 £5.

Special offer to BB subscribers only (you must quote your BB reference number when
ordering): deduct £5 from orders over £10, deduct £10 from orders over £20, and deduct £15
from orders over £30. Stocks of some Reports are in short supply; orders will be fulfilled in
sequence of receipt; part orders and appropriate refund w'ill be sent if out of stock. Write to
BBRC Report offer. Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford MK44 3Nj, or telephone
Biggleswade (01767) 640467 with credit-card orders.

Free subscriptions for County/Regional Recorders

British Birds and Carl Zeiss Ltd, sponsors of the British Birds Rarities Committee, are jointly
continuing to offer free annual subscriptions to British Birds to all the CounpiVRegional
Recorders, as our way of saying ‘Thank you’ to them for the hard work w'hich they contribute
to British ornithology in their ‘free time’.

Pica Press
and

T. & A. D. Poyser

Exclusive reduced-price offers

It is worthwhile scanning the British BirdShop pages evety month because there are always new
special reduced-price book offers available for BB subscribers. All books are sent POSl' FRFF
anywhere in the World. British BirdShop is on pages xi & xii this month.

NEWS AND COMMENT

Compiled by Wendy Dickson and Bob Scott

Opinions expressed in this feature are not necessarily those of ‘British Birds’

Tim Cowley rescued

After being held hostage for nearly four months by the guerilla group La
Cordinadora de la Guerilla ‘Simon Bolivar’, BB subscriber Timothy Cowley was
rescued on 8th December by a special antikidnapping unit of the Colombian police.
Welcome back Tim!

Ever since his abduction on 12th August, we had been in constant touch with
the Press Office at the Foreign Office in London, but were requested to give no
publicity to the kidnapping.

The foreign Press had covered the story since August, but the British strategy
was to underplay the event. The lack of widespread public outcry successfully
persuaded the guerillas that the chances of receiving a large ransom payment were
sUm. This play-it-cool policy paid off

Tim Cowley was held captive at around 3,000 m in the Upper Rio Toche, high
in the Quebrada de San Jose. He was well treated, and his captors even allowed
him to use his binoculars for birdwatching. As a result, Tim recorded 88 species
while held hostage, including 29 personal ‘lifers’ and six species new to the region.
Highlights included Tolima Dove Leptotila conoveri, OUve-headed Brush-finch
Atlapetes Jhviceps, a flock of 40-50 Golden-plumed Parakeets Leptosittaca branickii
and two groups of Yellow-eared Parrots Ognorhynchus icterotis. Tim also kept
detailed records of the feeding patterns of hummingbirds, but unfortunately all
his notes were lost when he was rescued.

Now, he plans to spend as much time as possible with his family.

Red Kites in ’95

The Welsh Kite Watchers’ Group located 142
territorial pairs of Red Kites Milviis milvns in
summer 1 995, of which 1 22 were proved to
. breed, and 76 successful pairs reared 115 young.
There were probably fewer than ten additional
.pairs which were not located. (The 1994 totals
were 1 36 territorial pairs, of which 1 1 1 were
known to breed, 70 pairs rearing 99 young.)

A female found recendy dead on 19th
September 1995 in the Welsh kite breeding
area was a 1993 juvenile from the English re-
. establishment scheme; there was also one
previous instance of an English-released
juvenile kite spending its first summer in
central Wales, but then returning to its English
‘home’ to breed, and a 1993 juvenile from the
■ Scottish re-establishment site spent the first half
of 1994 in Clwyd, outside the normal range of
Welsh breeding kites, though it consorted with
another immature which was presumably of
Welsh stock. {Contributed by Peter Davis)

In Scodand, the exciting news is that in 1 995
the Red Kites had their best breeding season so
far, with 26 young raised. Not only that, but
three pairs were made up of kites themselves
bom in Scodand, including one male that was
Scodand’s first bom in 1992. Meanwhile, in
England, at least 23 pairs produced 53 young.

This good news is still tempered by the
continuation of illegal persecution in some
areas, particularly in the form of poisoned bait,
and to date six released Red Kites are known
to have succumbed to this shameful practice,
while another has been found shot. Egg-
collecting is still considered an additional
limiting influence on the expansion of the
Welsh population. Perhaps this makes the good
news aO the more extraordinary'.

[The progress of the re-establishment pro-
gramme at sites in southern England, central
England and Scodand will be the subject of a
paper planned for a future issue of British Birds]

[Brit. Birds 89: 47-50, January 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

47

48

News and comment

Travel insurance for birdwatchers

A new travel insurance scheme has been
designed especially to suit birdwatchers’ needs.

The birder who formulated the scheme has
commented: ‘Instead of the issuing agents
taking the lion’s share of the profits, I thought
it was time that ornithology and conser\'ation
should benefit.’

On these new policies, the issuer —
Richardson Hosken Ltd — has promised to

donate 5% of all premiums to BirdLife
International. The benefits (e.g. additional
cover for optical equipment) are designed to
suit birdwatchers’ requirements.

If you want to learn more, write to
Richardson Hosken Ltd, 36 High Street,
Ashford, Kent rN24 sTii, or phone Shaun
Hardwick on 01233-635631.

‘The Game Conservancy Review’

There are some publications that rarely find
their way into the hands of your ‘average
birder’. We rather suspect that The Game
Conservancy Rez’iezv of 1994 is just such a one.
Yet it is full of fascinating reading, the results
of original ornithological fieldw'ork, all
presented in a ver\' readable fashion. There
may even be duplication of effort amongst
different bodies, and some of the
ornithological organisations should perhaps
look to the ‘Game Conservancy’ for
information that has been gathered, rather
than thinking of undertaking research
themselves.

One of the most exciting projects is taking
place at Loddington, Leicestershire, where a

3 1 6-ha mixed farm is being managed with the
aim of demonstrating profitable farming linked
with game conservation and all the attendant
benefits to wildlife in general. Other sections of
the Revietc deal with the subject of predator
management and its effect on songbirds. Com
Bunting Miliaria calandra populations in
Sussex during 1970-94, partridges (Perdix and
Alectoris) and how to count them, an update
on Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
research, and a raptor-study project
investigating the relationship betw'een birds of
prey and Red Grouse Lagoptis lagoptis.

A totally fascinating read, the Revieic is
published by The Game Conserv'ancy Trust,
Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 iliF.

Adam Watson honoured

Our congratulations go to Dr Adam Watson,
the eminent ecologist and Highlands
conser\-ationist, who has been awarded the
RSPB’s most prestigious award — The RSPB
Medal — in recognition of his outstanding
contributions to wildlife conserv'ation. He is

particularly renowned for his wide-ranging
interest in eveiy aspect of the life and ecology
of the Cairngorms, and probably knows this
fragile and priceless part of our natural
heritage (and its birds) better than any li\’ing
person.

‘BoP

Not in this case a Bird-of-Prey, but Birds of
Plymouth, a new avifauna, published by the
Devon Bird Watching and Preservation
Society, devoted to the 80-km*’ area of the City
of Plymouth during 1950-94. This 150-page
paperback, compiled by Vic Tucker, devotes
23 pages to introductoiy sections describing
the area and its ornithological activities, the
remainder comprising a very thorough
systematic list: well designed, with clear
headings and useful status summaries.
Scattered drawings by David Bird enhance the
appearance. Copies are available (price £1.50
plus ,C100 p&p) from Mrs S. Tucker,
Periglis, 4 Clovelly View, Turnchapel,
Plymouth Pi .9 9SY.

Seabird atlas launch

The clear message from the recent launch of
An Atlas of Seabird Distribution in North-zvest
European Waters was that the oil industiy and
ornithologists are working \'eiy well together,
and that respect is muaial. Some of the media
representatives present at the reception in
London clearly expected (perhaps even hoped
for) some newsworthy conflict. We, however,
are happy to report good news. Ttie offshore
oil and gas industries are not only supporting
the research into numbers and distribution of
seabirds at sea, but appear to be willing to
accept its findings with \'ery good grace, even
when these place restrictions on future
developments.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 1, January’ 1996

49

Competition time in Fife

The Fife Bird Club seems to go in for
competitions. Recent winners and
contenders include Mark Oksien
(photographic competition winner, for his
shot of Lesser Grey Shrike Laiiius minor at
Elie in September 1994, Brit. Birds 88: 543),
Stuart Rivers (mystery photographs winner
at the Scottish Bird Fair) and David Ogilvie
(who is hoping that his Temminck’s Stint
Calidris temminckii will enable him to claim
the prize as the finder of Fife’s rarest bird of
the year).

For details of the lively Fife Bird Club,
contact Rab Shand, 33 Liddle Drive, Bo’ness,
Central eh51 opa; phone 01506-825101.

Jubilation

A letter recently received from Eric Simms: ‘I
have pleasure in enclosing my subscription for
1996. You may be interested to know that I
have now subscribed to British Birds without a
break for 50 years. I also have in my
possession copies from 1st August 1936 to 1st
March 1 940, kindly given to me at the time by
the late Col. Richard Meinertzhagen.’

Guy Mountfort 90

We send belated congratulations and best
wishes to Honorary Subscriber Guy
Mountfort, who celebrated his ninetieth
birthday on 4th December.

Rare birds on RSPB reserves

Every so often, the RSPB reviews the
population levels, in relation to the national
populations, of some of the UK’s rarest
breeding birds (the Red Data Birds) on its 136
reserves. There are currendy 13 species of
which over 30% of the breeding population is
on RSPB reserves. There is only one (not to
be mentioned for security reasons) that
reaches 100%, but several reach high figures.
Goldeneye Bucephala clangula 81%, Wood
Sandpiper Tringa glareola 80%, Red-necked
Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus 68%, Avocet
Reciirvirostra avosetta 65%, Garganey Anas
querquediila 58% and Black-tailed Godwit
Lirnosa limosa 56% are amongst the most
notable. There are a further 13 species with
over 10% of the UK population, including
Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritiis with 22%
and Crested Tit Pams cristatiis with 1 1 %.

Sedge Warblers in rape

Keith Bowey is researching the use of rape
crops by Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus
schoenobaenns and other birds. Anyone with
relevant information is requested to send details
to Keith Bowey, 3 Alloy Terrace, Highfield,
Rowlands Gill, Tyne & Wear NE39 2ND.

Harrier ID

The bulk of the October 1995 issue of the
German journal Limicola is devoted to a 43-page
paper by Jan Lontkowski on the separation of
Hen Circus cyaneus, Montagu’s C. pygargus and
Pallid Harriers C. rnacroums, illustrated with
paintings by Michal Skakuj and numerous
colour photographs {Limicola 9: 233-275).

The address of Limicola is Uber dem
Salzgraben 11, OT Druber, D-37574
Einbeck, Germany.

Tony and Elsie

It is amazing how gossip and rumour linger
on. To put the record straight, this is the true
stor>' of Tony Soper and ‘Elsie’ (‘LC’, the
Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis of the
Fame Islands, Northumberland).

Back in 1985, I was working with Tony on
an edition of BBC 1 ’s ‘Birdwatch’ programme
from the Fames. We had recorded a number
of excellent sequences for placing within the
live transmissions. One was of the colony of
Sandwich Terns S'. sandvicensis on
Brownsman (impossible for us to transmit live
from there), including a shot of ‘Elsie’. We
decided to keep the shot in, as a sort of teaser
to the well-informed birders who might be
watching the programme. Because the bulk of
our audience would have no specialist

knowledge of birds, we decided, however, that
the full story about the tern was too complex
to tell over just one shot and, therefore, let it
pass without comment. We wondered then
how many birders would tick ‘Elsie’ off their
TV screens.

Much to our surprise, very' soon after
transmission, we heard reports that Tony Soper
had failed to spot the Lesser Crested Tern:
‘Didn’t he know it was there?’, ‘How could he
have missed it?’, etc., etc. Since then, the gossip
has continued, on and off, and has even been
alluded to in print {Not BB, 1986, p. 8).

Tony and I have had many a chuckle over
the whole affair, but now you know the tmth.
{Contributed by Robin Piytherch)

50

News and comment

1995 records

If you have not already done so, now is the
time to submit all your relevant 1995 records.
The names and addresses of the County/
Regional Recorders were listed in 1995 {Bnt.
Birds 88: 55-57) and updating amendments
are given periodically in ‘News and comment’.

Rare breeding birds

Observers with any outstanding information
on rare breeding birds in Britain in 1995 are
requested to send full details noiv to the
relevant counw bird recorder (or to the Rare
Breeding Birds Panel’s Secretary, Dr Malcolm
Ogilvie, Glencaim, Bruichladdich, Isle of Islay

PA49 7UN).

New Recorder

Greg Conw'ay, Tregenna, Cooksland,
Bodmin, Cormvall Pi.3i 2AR, has taken over
from Stanley Christophers as Recorder for
Cornwall.

Frank joins the Team

We welcome Frank Gribble — President of the
Shropshire Ornithological Society, Vice-
President of the West Midland Bird Club and a
member of the MAFF North Mercia Advisory
Panel — to the ‘N & c’ Regional News Team.

REGIONAL NEWS TEAM

Dave Adlen — Northern Ireland

Tim Cleeves — Northeast

David Clugston — Scotland

Dave Flumm — Southwest

Frank Gribble — Midlands

Barrie Harding — East Anglia

Oran O’Sullivan — Republic of Ireland

Don Taylor — Southeast

Dr Stephanie Tyler — Wales

Jolm Wilson — Northwest

RECENT REPORTS

Compiled by Bany Nightingale and Anthony McGeehan

This summary' covers the peinod 13th November to 17th December 1995.
These are unchecked reports, not authenticated records.

Double-crested Connorant Phalacrocorax
auritns Immature, perhaps first-winter,
Nimmo’s Pier, Galway Ciy (Co. Galway),
18th November to at least 16th December (if
accepted, will be first for Ireland).

Glossy Ibis Plegadu Jaki>iellus Two, North Slob
(Co. Wexford), a few days from 21st November;
Musselburgh (Lothian), 26th November.
Killdeer Plover Charadrius vocifems Weldrake
Ings (North Yorkshire), 11th December.
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa rnelanolenca St
Kilda (Western Isles), 14th November; near
Blennerv’iUe (Co. Kerrv’), 18th November to
16th December.

Bonaparte’s GuU Lams Philadelphia Ogston
Reservoir (Derbyshire), 14th- 16th December;
Droitwich (Worcestershire), 16th December
(perhaps same individual).

Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes
erythroccphalns Near Sw'ansea (West

Glamorgan), 21st-22nd November (if
accepted, w'ill be first for Western Palearctic).
Cliff Swallow Himndo pyrrhonota Dunmore
Head (Co. Kerry), 16th November (if
accepted, w'ill be first for Ireland); Tresco
(SciUy), 4th-5th December.

Desert Wheatear Oenanihe deserti Male,
Gany'voe (Co. Cork), 26th-27th November.
Dark-throated Thrush Tiirdus riificollis Red
Mires Reserv'oir (South Yorkshire), black-
tliroated race atrogularis, 1 3th November.
Arctic Redpoll Cardnelis flammca About 60
in November, half of which w'cre in Shetland;
at least another 30 in December mostly on
English cast coast; about 15 inland in
England.

Meadow Bunting Etnbenza doides Blackpool
(Lancashire), about 24th November (unknown
origin; taken into care 1st December, released
on 2nd, w'hen last seen).

Rare Bird News supplies all its information free to 'Hritish Birds’.
Call 0881-888-111 for the latest, up-to-date news

(25p/min cheap rate; .39p,'min other times; incl. VAT)

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XV

^British Birds

Volume 89 Number 1 January 1996

1 Grey-cheeked and Bicknell’s

Thrushes: taxonomy, identification
and the British and Irish records
Dr Alan Knox

10 Rarities Committee news and
announcements

1 1 Monthly marathon

1 2 Long-toed Stint in Cornwall: the first
record for the Western Palearctic
Philip D. Round

24 Looking back

25 European news

Announcements
45 Bird Photograph of the Year

45 Photographs and drawings for sale

46 Bird Illustrator of the Year

46 Front-cover designs for sale
46 Rarities Reports

46 Free subscriptions for CounU'/Regional
Recorders

46 Exclush'e reduced-price offers

47 News and comment Wendy Dickson
and Bob Scolt

50 Recent reports Bany Nightingale and
Anthony McGeehan

Line-drawings: 1 Grey-cheeked Thrush
{Alan Hanis); 12 Long-toed Stint
{Tim Wotfolk)

Front cover: Common Redshanks Tringa
totanus {Robert Gillmoi); the original drawing
of this month’s cover design, measuring
17.1 X 16.8 cm, is for sale in a postal auction
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‘British Birds’ is published by a non-profit-making company for the benefit of ornithology.
© British Birds Ltd 1996

ISSN 0007-0335

British Birds

Volume 89 Number 2 February 1996

THE NATURAL
HISTORY MUSEUM

“1 FEB 1996

PRESENTED
TRING LIBRARY

3rd Conference of European Rarities Committees
lldentification of Little and Baillon’s Crakes
IRare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘d'he Zoologist’, established 1843

Managing Editor Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Personal Assistant Sheila D. Cobban
Assistant Editor David A. Christie
Editorial Board Dr R. J. Chandler,

R. A. Hume, Dr M. A, Ogilvie,

R. J. Pr\therch, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Design Deborah Felts

Photographic Researcher Robin Chittenden
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Manager Erika Sharrock

Rarities Committee R. A. Hume
(Chairman), Dr Colin Bradshaw,

Peter Clement, Pete Ellis, C. D. R. Heard,
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Stoddart, Reg Thorpe, Grahame Walbridge;
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archivist); Peter Fraser & Dr John Ryan
(statisticians); Michael J. Rogers (Hon.
Secretary)

Behaviour Notes Panel Dr C. J. Bibby,

Ian Dawson, Dr J. J. M. Degg, Derek Goodwin,
Dr 1. Newaon FRS, Dr K\. A. Ogilvie,

Dr J. T. R. Shamick, Dr K. E. L. Simmons
Identification Notes Panel Dr Colin
Bradshaw, Dr R. J. Chandler, R. A. Hume,

T. P. Inskipp, P. G. Lansdowai, S. C. Madge,
1. S. Robertson, K. E. Vinicombe

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© British Birds Ltd 1996

Copyright of photographs remains with

photographers.

British Birds is published monthly by British
Birds Ltd, 93 High Street, Biggleswade,
Bedfordshire.

ISSN 0007-0335. Printed in England by
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British Birds publishes material dealing with original observations on tlic birds of the West Palearctic.
Except for records of rarities, papers and notes are normally accepted only on condition tltat material
is not being offered in whole or in part to any otlter journal or magazine. Photographs and drawings
are welcomed. Papers should be tvpewriuen w'ith double spacing, and wide margins, and on one side
of the sheet only. Autliors should carefully consult this issue for stvle of presentation, especially of
references and tables. English and scientific names and sequence of birds follow The 'British Birds' List
of linglish Names of Western Palearctic Birds (1993); or, for non-West-Palearctic species, Monroe &
Sibley (1993, A World Checklist of Birds)', names of plants follow Dony et al. (1986, Pitglish Nantes of
Wild I'loiocrs)', names of mammals follow Now'ak & Paradiso (1983, Walker's Mannnals of the W'orld,
4th cdn). Topographical (plumage and structure) and ageing terminology should follow editorial
recommendations {Brit. Birds 74: 239-242; 78: 419-427; 80: 502). Figures should he in Indian ink on
good-quality tracing paper, drawing paper, or light bluc/pale grey graph paper; lettering should be
inserted lightly in pencil; captions should be typed on a separate sheet. Authors of main papers (but
not notes or letters) receive ten free copies of the journal (five each to two or more authors).

UNRIVALLED EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE

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Fax 0181-687 2021
I Location: Southern edge of
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k PAGHAM HARBOUR LOCAL
i WURE RESERVE on the B2145
nto Selsey, West Sussex, on
^Sunday 28th January, 25th
■February, 31st March and 28 April.

. * SEVENOAKS WILDFOWL
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( Riverhead and Sevenoaks Bat and
.Ball station on Sunday 4th
-February, 3rd March and 7th April.

> * BOUGH BEECH NATURE
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' miles south of the A25/A21 junction
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21st January, 181h February, 17th
■TMarch and 21st April.

• * SLIMBRIDGE, GLOS (off M5)
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-along village road into the W&WT).
(■Saturday 9th March.

. * THE KENT TRUST FOR
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■ Tyland Barn, near Sandling,
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going soufh), on Sunday 25th

■ February and Saturday 23rd
‘■March, 10.30 am to 4.00 pm.

f* DINTON PASTURES
: COUNTRY PARK, Near Reading,

' Berks, Sunday 18th February and
14th April, in the Loddon Room.

< * BEWL WATER, on A21 just
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■ March.

■ * HENFIELD, W. Sussex. Sussex

■ Wildlife Trust at Woods Mill.

■ Sunday 24th March.

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8x30SLCMklll 549

10 x 42 SLC (659) 735

7 X 42 SLC (599) 670

AT 80 body (45°) 665

ST 80 body 665

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ST80HDbody 960

22x eyepiece 90

30x (WA) EP (new) 145

20-60X zoom eyepiece 215

Optical camera adaptor (800mm)

145

LEICA

8 X 20 BC Trinovid (259) 265

8 X 20 BCA Trinovid (295) 299

10x25 BC Trinovid (295)299

10 X 25 BCA Trinovid (309) 316

Soft Pouch 24

8 X 32 BA Trinovid" (659) 698

7 X 42 BA Trinovid" (729) 778

8 X 42 BA Trinovid" (729) 778

1 0 X 42 BA Trinovid" (749) 798

8 X 50 BA Trinovid" (889) 950

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Carrying strap 26

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LEICA APO Televid scope 960

LEICA Std. Televid scope 498

20-60X (B) zoom eyepiece 221

20x (WW/B) eyepiece 135

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Fieldscope II body

Fieldscope II (A) 45°

ED II body (539)

ED II (A) 45°

15x, 20x, 30xor40xEP 110

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60x eyepiece 130

20-45X zoom EP 199

ED 78 945

ED78A 999

Camera adaptor 250

Mod for other cameras 18

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TSN-1 (45°) or -2 body 349

TSN-3 (45°) or -4 body 699

25x or 40x eyepiece 80

20x (WA) eyepiece 127

30x (WA) eyepiece 162

60x eyepiece 138

77x eyepiece 125

20-60X zoom eyepiece 196

Camera adaptor 800mm 150

Camera adaptor 1 200mm 231

Stay-on case 45

27x (WA) Screw-in-eyepiece 74

TS-611 body (45°) 249

TS-612 body 229

TS-61 3 Fluorite body (45°) 519

TS-614 Fluorite body 469

TS-61 0 accessories:

20x (WA) eyepiece 74

27x (WA) eyepiece 109

20-60X zoom eyepiece 127

20-40X zoom eyepiece 150

Stay-on case 40

BUSHNELL

Spacemaster with 1 5-45x zoom . .259

8 X 42 Natureview 129

10 X 42 Natureview 149

RANGER

ZM-Makro scope with 1 5-45x
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OPTOLYTH

8 X 30 Aipin 275

8 X 40 Aipin 298

1 0 X 40 Aipin (283) 305

10x50 Aipin (315)331

12x50 Aipin (320)340

7x42 Aipin (295)329

TBG80body 530

TBS 80 body 530

TBG or TBS 80 HD 789

30x (WW) eyepiece 190

20x (W\W) eyepiece 170

30x or 40x eyepiece 89

70x (WW) eyepiece 210

20-60x zoom eyepiece 210

Cam. adaptor 850mm 185

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8 X 32 Dioptron 196

8 X 42 Dioptron 198

1 0 X 42 Dioptron 207

10 X 50 Dioptron 214

8x32(HRII) 224

* WALSEY HILLS, Cley, on the
A149, Norfolk. Sat/Sun 20th/21st
April.

* SNETTISHAM RSPB, King’s
Lynn, on the A149, Norfolk.
Phone.

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Location; On B488, 10 minutes
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Viewing facilities (Easy disabled
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8x42(HRII) 225

10x42(HRII) 239

10x50(HRII) 249

12'/2 x50(HRII) 264

7x42(HRII) 225

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Standard 60s body 236

60/45° body (angled) 310

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60/SR ED body (rubberised) . . . .475

60/45° ED body (angled) 499

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HR 66 (45°) 355

15x, 20x, 25x or 40x HR eyepiece 44

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28x WW HDF eyepiece 122

22x W HR eyepiece 57

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THE BINOCULAR AND TELESCOPE SPECIALISTS

in focus

YORKSHIRE

WESTUIGH HOUSE OFFICE ESTATE,
WAKEFIELD ROAD, DENBY DALE,

WEST YORKSHIRE, HD8 8QJ
Open Mon ■ Sol 9.00am - 6.00pm
Tel: 01484 864729

HOW TO FIND US; We are close by the
railway station at Denby Dale on the A636
near June. 38 & 39 on the Ml .

in focus

NORFOLK

MAIN STREET, TITCHWELL,

NR. KINGS LYNN,

NORFOLK, PE3t 888

Open 7 doys 9.00am - S.OOpm (6.00pm from April)
Tel: 01485 210101

HOW TO FIND US; We ore 5CXJ yards east
of the RSPB reserve at Titcbweli on the At 49
between Hunstanton and Brancaster.

in focus

HERTFORDSHIRE

204 HIGH STREET, BARNET,

HERTFORDSHIRE, ENS SSZ
Open Mon - Sot 9.00am - 6.00pm
Tel: 0181-449 1445,0181-441 7748
Fax: 01 8 1-440 9999

HOW TO FIND US, We ore 1 0 mins from M25 and A 1 M
motorwoys and 1 5 mins wolk from High Barnet Tube Stotier
situated at the Hodley Green end of Barnet High Street.

in focus

LEICESTERSHIRE

ANGLIAN WATER BIRDWATCHING CENTRE
EGLCTON RESERVE, RUTLAND WATER,
LEICESTERSHIRE, Lf 15 8BT
Open Weekends and Bonk Holidays 9.00am - 4.00pm
Tel: 01572 770656 (S.OOpm from Apri(|

HOW TO FIND US; We ore situated on the Egleton
Reserve at Rutland Water, Follow signposts to
Egleton Village on the A6003 to Ooknom.

in focus

CENTRAL LONDON

8, 9 & to ROYAL OPERA ARCADE,

PALL MAU, LONDON, SW1Y 4UY
Open Mon - Fri 9.00am - 6.00pm
Sat 9.00am - 4.00pm
Tel: 0171-839 1881 Fax:0171-839 8118
HOW TO FIND US; We are 300 yards from
Piccadilly Underground Stotion in Royal Opera
Arcade between Poll Mall ond Chorles II Street.

in focus

SLIMBRIDGE,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE

THE WILDFOWL AND WETLANDS TRUST,
SUMBRIDGE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE GL2 7BT
Open 7 days 9.30am - 4.30pm (5.30pm from
Tel: 01453- 890333, 0374-746472
HOW TO FIND US; We are situated witfiin the
with viewing over the Swan Lake. The centre is
signposted from the M5 motorway.

April)

reserve

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FOR CUSTOMERS PREFERRING TO SELEO AND PURCHASE
OPTICAL EQUIPMENT UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS WE OFFER
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SATURDAY 20TH & SUNDAY 21ST

WWT CFNTRE MARTIN MERE. ORMSKIRK

SUNDAY 21ST

ABBERTON RESERVOIR. NR COLCHESTER

SUNDAY 21ST

BROOMHIU fUSH. NR. BARNSLEY

SATURDAY 27TH & SUNDAY 28TH
RSPB 0UN6ENESS
SUNDAY 28TH

THATCHAM NATURE CENTRE. NEWBURY

SUNDAY 28TH

EAIRBURN INGS. CASTLEFORD

LANCASHIRE
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IV

^British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist, established 1843

THE NATURAL
HISTORY MUSEUM

-1 FEB 1996

PRESENTED

! THING LIBRARY

Minutes of 3rd Conference of
European Rarities Committees

A total of 28 participants from 16 countries attended the meeting
of the Association of European Rarities Committees held in
Kecskemet, Hungary, during 26th-28th August 1995 (plate 20).

For the next two years, the secretariat of the AERC will be
based in Luxembourg and will be run jointly by Tom Conzemius
(Luxembourg), Gabor Magyar (Hungary) and Paul Mosimann (Switzerland).
The official sponsor of the AERC is Carl Zeiss.

The next meeting of the AERC will be held in the Slovak Republic in 1997,
probably in the second half of July. Carl Zeiss Germany will agaia sponsor the
meeting.

The following text is an abridged version of the Minutes of the meeting in
Hungary.

Plate 20. Participants in 3rd Conference of European Rarities Committees, Kecskemet,
Hungary, during 26th-28th August 1995. Back row, left to right: Jan Lontkowski, Zoltan
Ecsedi, Colin Bradshaw, Tom Conzemius, Eduardo de Juana, Jan Pollet, Gintaras Matiukas;
front row, left to right: Jari Peltomaki, Michal Skakuj, Tadeusz Stawarczyk, Urban Olsson,
Helder Costa, Peter Barthel, Gabor Magyar, Martin Riesing, Gunnlaugur Thrainsson, Alan
Knox, Walter Mergen, Christian Cederroth, Paul Mosimann, Josef Chytil, Alfred and Brona
Tmka, David Parkin, Attila Bankovics, Celia Bradshaw.

ZEISS

[Brit. Birds 89: 51-53, February 1996]

51

52

Conzemius: 3rd Conference of European Rarities Committees

‘European List’

Christian Cederroth presented the first draft of the European List. The List will
include columns for all European countries with an existing rarities committee
(RC), but not those with no committee at present (e.g. Russia); the Atlantic
islands and the Faroe Islands will have separate columns; species that should be
reported to the national RC will be marked; species that have been reported
elsewhere in Europe but not in the AERC countries will have a special column.
The List will be published as a booklet, for use by aU European birdwatchers. An
introduction will explain the work of national RCs and contain the addresses of
all European RCs. This List should improve the working relationship between
birdwatchers travelling in Europe and the national RCs.

The escape problem

News from several countries has indicated that the escaped-bird situation is
getting progressively worse. Not only is nearly every potential vagrant species
(including eastern Palearctic gulls and South American waders) imported to
Europe, but it is also extremely difficult if not impossible to get reliable numbers
of imported birds. Traditional points of entry to the European Union are
disappearing (many airlines now prohibit the bird trade), but new ones are
opening in other countries (including Spain and other southern European
countries) with less-strict regulations on bird imports. It is also possible that, with
new European legislation in the near future, the importation of live birds into the
EU will become much easier.

The following statements and decisions were made to tackle the problem:

1 . The most important work of each RC is to check the correct identification of
records, to collect all relevant records and to publish them.

2. A new category (E) will include all records of known escapes and known
actively ship-assisted birds.

3. A working group on the escape problem has been created (Colin Bradshaw,
Urban Olsson, Jan Pollet and Tadeusz Stawarczyk), which will collect
information on bird-trade hot-spots all over Europe.

4. The working group will set up a Tracer Species Programme, so that known
escapes can be followed to assess survival rates, migration routes, and so on.

Finance

The AERC aims to raise funds to pay part of the travel costs for some eastern
RC-members to attend the meeting in the Slovak Republic in 1997.

‘European Report’

Arnoud B. van den Berg and George Sangster (Netherlands) and Michal Skakuj
and Jan Lontkowski (Poland) volunteered to compile an annual European report,
beginning with 1993. This report will consider not only major rarities in each
country, but also records of major biological relevance (e.g. range expansion,
invasion). The English version will be made available to each national RC for
translation into its own European language and publication in its national
journal.

53

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

Publication and citations of unchecked records

Many editors of birding magazines are using unchecked reports for up-to-date
publication. Often, these observations are never reported to the national RCs, and
they are subsequently cited in more ‘scientific’ papers. As it is impossible to stop
these up-to-date reports, the main problem is the citation of unreported (and
therefore unchecked) or rejected observations. To improve the situation, the
AERC win contact the editors and ask them to publish the following information
in each introduction to such reports:

1. These are unchecked reports that must not be cited.

2. Anybody wishing to use these data should contact the relevant national RC.

3. Those supplying information are requested to report their observations to the
relevant national RCs (this wiQ be much easier when the AERC European List
has been published).

National RCs intend always to inform the editors of any published reports
which are subsequently rejected.

The need for a summary of national rarities reports, with only fully accepted
national records and a more analytical concept than any of the news sections of
major magazines, will be fulfilled by the proposed European Report. (Although the
AERC considers the ‘European news’ of British Birds to be a rapid, interesting
and reliable source of rarities news, and welcomes any co-operation between the
AERC and BB, a future European Report wiU be the official forum for the
AERC.)

Compilation of national RC publications

A list of aU the national RC publications, compiled by Tadeusz Stawarczyk, is
almost complete, and a copy will be sent to all AERC members. Some RC reports
are published m small-circulation, local journals which are often difficult to obtain.
All national RCs are encouraged, therefore, to publish their reports in major
national journals.

Birds crossing national borders

AU RCs should exchange documentation and provisional decisions before
pubUcation. It is important to reach a unanimous decision. If this is not possible,
the record should be rejected by both RCs.

Tom Conzemius

AERC, D’Haus vun der Natur, L-1899 Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg

ZEISS

The inclusion of plates 21-29 in colour in this issue of British Birds has been
subsidised by financial support from Carl Zeiss, sponsor of the British Birds
Rarities Committee.

Field identification of Little and
Baillon’s Crakes

David A. Christie, Hadoram Shirihai and Alan Harris

ABSTRACT The two Small European crakes, Little Crake Porzana
parva and Baillon’s Crake P. pusilla^ usually provide only fleeting
views. It is, therefore, very important for observers to know and
to concentrate instantly on the diagnostic features, which are
examined in detail and summarised.

Unlike that of other difficult pairs of species in the West Palearctic, the
identification of Little Porzana parva and Baillon’s Crakes P. pusilla has been
covered reasonably well in the last three or so decades by, for example, Wallace
(1976), Cramp & Simmons (1980) and, lately, by Becker & Schmidt (1990),
Jonsson (1992) and Bradshaw (1993). We consider, however, that there is still
room for the following lines, which are based on material gathered over many
years’ observations of hundreds of individuals of both species in Israel and Europe
and extensive examination of skins.

The principal objective of the following text is to point out the main features
to be noted, and not to go into too much unnecessary detail that will not affect
the process of separating the two species in the field.

Distribution and habitat

Both Little and Baillon’s Crakes frequent marshes, shallow swamps, riparian
thickets and stream or pond margins with abundant cover, breeding widely but
patchily in much of central and southern Europe, with restricted or casual nesting
in the Middle East and North Africa. Little Crake (which also breeds east to
Kazakhstan) winters from the south Mediterranean region and North and Central
Africa east to India. Baillon’s breeds more widely east to Indonesia and Australasia

54

[Hril. Binh 89: 54-59, Fchruan’ 1996] (?) Hrilish Hirds Ltd 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

55

and m southern and eastern Africa; Palearctic populations winter largely in
southern subtropical and tropical areas. Typically, both species are very secretive
and largely nocturnal, being observed most frequently during the very early or late
hours of daylight (when their activities can be very noticeable).

General features

These are the two most closely similar of the West Palearctic crakes. Both are
typically smaller and more slender-looking than the much bulkier Spotted P.
porzana and vagrant Sora P. Carolina, which always appear distinctly larger and
heavy-bellied, and both also have well-defined black-and-white barring on the
undertail-coverts; Spotted and Sora Crakes have plain huffish or whitish
undertail-coverts, but beware rare individuals with undertail-covert markings
ranging from dark tips to almost perfect barring. Otherwise, Little and BaiUon’s
differ in most aspects of plumage. Interestingly, Little shows clear sexual
dimorphism (adult male with rich oUve-buff-brown upperparts and slate-blue face
and underparts, but adult female predominantly suffused buff and brown above
and below), whereas adult BaiUon’s shows very little or no plumage difference
between the sexes and thus resembles adult male Little; juvenile and first-winter
Baillon’s recall female Little of the same age.

Structural differences

The basic distinguishing criterion in all plumages is wing structure. The primary
projection of Little is distinctly longer (almost comparable to tertial length, with
at least five well-spaced primary tips visible) compared with Baillon’s (on which
projection varies from one-quarter of tertial length to almost completely
concealed, though often shows three to four closely spaced and bunched primary
tips beyond the longest tertial); but beware Baillon’s with missing tertials, or, more
commonly, with wings not fully folded, which may, when viewed from above,
produce apparent long projection as on Little. Less obvious strucmral differences
include Little’s relatively longer wedge-shaped tail (but only sUghtly longer than
greater extension of folded wing) and its more slender and long-necked general
appearance.

Separating adult males

Apart from Little’s longer wing extension, the most constant and practical feamres
distinguishing it from Baillon’s are its red bill base (green on Baillon’s), and its
black-and-white barring on body sides normally being restricted to the rear body
and not or only just reaching the leg line (on Baillon’s, barring always extends
well in front of leg line). Otherwise, Little is a muddy olive-brown above (never
chesmut-brown as Baillon’s), its scapulars and tertials show narrower blackish
centres with wide paler olive-buff-brown fringes (rather than Baillon’s Crake’s
broader blackish centres with narrow and warmer brown fringes), and the slate-
blue of its face extends higher above the eye than on Baillon’s. All male Little
Crakes from first summer onwards have reduced white flecks above which are
largely blotch-Uke in shape, whereas Baillon’s is much more heavily marked with
white streaks and ring-shaped spots.

56

Christie, Shirihai & Harris: Identification of Littie and Baillon’s Crakes

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, Februarv' 1996

57

Fig. 1. Little Porzaria pm-va and BaiUon’s Crakes P. pusilla {Alan Hairis). (Reproduced by
permission of Macmillan Publishers Ltd)

Top left, male Litde Crake Top right, female Little Crake

Centre, juvenile Little Crake

Bottom left, adult BaiUon’s Crake Bottom right, juvenile Baillon’s Crake

FACING PAGE

Plate 21. Adult female Little Crake Porzana parva, Edat, Israel, September 1986 {Hadoram
Shirihai). This plumage and the red basal spot on bill are not showTi by Baillon’s Crake P. pusilla
(adult female of which resembles adult male); note that both species have red iris.

Plate 22. Juvenile Little Crake Porzana parva, Eilat, Israel, September 1986 {Hadoram
Shirihai) . Note lack of prominent reddish basal bill spot, but most of lower mandible still mainly
yellowish (predominandy greenish on Baillon’s Crake P. pusilla)-, juveniles of both species have
a dark olive-brown iris.

Plate 23. Adult Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla, Eilat, Israel, March 1984 {Hadoram
Shirihai). Note more uniform, mainly green, bill colour.

58

Christie, Shirihai & Harris: Identification of Little and Baillon’s Crakes

Distinguishing adult female Little Crake

The plumage of adult female Little Crake resembles the buff-brown juvenile or
first-winter plumage of both species, but a deep and uniform red iris indicates
adult; there is no corresponding plumage of Baillon’s, as adult female Baillon’s
more closely resembles the adult male. Otherwise*, adult female Little has a
green-yellow bill with a quite large red base, a long primary projection, paler and
broader sandy-buff tertial and scapular fringes with narrower dark centres, and
reduced body-side barring (extending just slighdy in front of the leg line), all
unlike juvenile and first-winter Baillon’s.

Separating immatures

Juvenile and first-winter plumage exists at least until late autumn and winter,
when adult plumage is gradually attained. Good ageing criteria for immatures
are; iris colour, which is olive-brown (female) or olive-brown with some orange
and red (male), as against deep red of adult; white tips to at least the inner
primaries (although these are normally concealed by tertials on Baillon’s),
whereas adult lacks white primary tips; and heavier barring below. Little differs
from Baillon’s in having a longer ‘primary extension’ (see above), bill with dark
green upper mandible and tip and with extensive yellow and often also a small
amount of reddish-orange at base on lower mandible (rather than the fairly
uniform dark olive-green bill of Baillon’s), and in having much paler fringes to
scapulars and tertials with slighdy narrower dark centres (Baillon’s has broader
centres and narrower and warmer-coloured fringes). The general ground colour
of Litde’s upperparts and upperwing-coverts is paler olive-brown (warmer
rufous-brown on Baillon’s), and these areas have far fewer white flecks than on
Baillon’s: on Litde, the white flecks on the upperside are more like small blotches
and are normally restricted to the inner mantle and back and to the greater
coverts; on Baillon’s, the white flecks often tend to be more streak-shaped and
ring-shaped and extend widely over most upperpart feathers, including rump
and uppertail-coverts and both median and greater coverts, where they are often
arranged in rows to form a double wingbar (though normally heavily and
irregularly scattered on wing-coverts to give fully spotted wings). Both species at
this age are heavily barred below, but Little’s strong black-and-white barring is
confined chiefly to the rear body and upper flanks, with less on belly or breast
(much heavier barring of Baillon’s often reaches flanks and belly). Little’s
supercilium is much broader and deeper and contrastingly bordered by the much
darker crown; Baillon’s crown is much less dark and less sharply demarcated,
often fading into (or intermixed with) the narrower, indistinct and buff or grey-
brown supercilium.

Leg colour

The two species have quite similar olive-green legs, but those of adult Little are
sometimes slightly tinged with yellow, whereas those of Baillon’s often appear a
deeper and darker green. The same applies to juveniles, but Baillon’s Crake’s
legs then often have a slight fleshy-brown element (though still predominantly
olive-green).

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

Voice

59

Both sexes of Little have a sharp alarm call, ‘kweck’; the male’s song is a loud,
accelerating kuak...kuak kuak-kuak-kwa-wa-a-a-a’, while unpaired females have a
shorter song, a rapid keck-kuek-kuekwrrr’. Baillon’s has generally a faster and
more jarring trill than Little’s, and often gives a ‘kek’ or ‘tek’, but the male’s call
and song are usually ‘chrrrr-wirr-wirr’ or ‘trrrr-trrrr-trrr’, reminiscent of several
frog species; alarm ‘tyiuk’ or ‘check’.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Lars Svensson for his comments on and improvements to the section on voice.
We thank Mike Prince for allowing us to see his slides of Baillon’s Crake. We also thank
Macmillan Publishers Ltd for permitting us to reproduce the painting of Little and Baillon’s
Crakes from our forthcoming book 77ze Macmillan Birder’s Guide to European and Middle Eastern
Birds.

References

Becker, P., & Schmidt, C. 1990. Kennzeichen und Kleider der europaischen kleinen Rallen
und Sumpfhiihner Rallus und Porzana. Limicola 4: 93-144.

Bradshaw, C. 1993. Separating juvenile Little and Baillon’s Crakes in the field. Brit. Birds 86:
303-311.

Cramp, S., & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds.) 1980. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. vol. 2. Oxford.
JONSSON, L. 1992. Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East. London.

Wallace, D. I. M. 1976. Sora Rail in ScUly and the identification of immature small crakes.
Bnt. Birds 69: 443-447.

David A. Christie, 4 Steventon Road, Harefield, Southampton SOi8 5HA
Hadoram Shirihai, PO Box 4168, Eilat 88102, Israel
Alan Harris, 60 East Park, Harlow, Essex CM 17 OSE

LOOKING BACK

Fifty years ago, a Note reported on: ‘COMMON GULLS nesting on birch trees. In June, 1945,
during a period of leave spent on Upper Deeside (Aberdeenshire), I noted on several occasions
Common GuUs (Earns c. canus), perching on nees near the rivers Dee and Clunie. On June 7th,
my attention was attracted by one of a pair perched on the branch of a birch tree on the fringe
of a small wood near Braemar, and on approaching, I saw that the second bird was sitting on a
nest built lower down in the same tree. The nest, which was made of grass, contained three eggs
and was built about fourteen feet from the ground . . . Ian D. Pennie.’ (Bnt. Birds 39: 61)
Twenty-five years ago, but still in the news today: ‘We emphasise again that the absurdities
of the Hastings Rarities as a whole were the uniquely large proportion of class I rarities, the
absence or small numbers of many lesser rarities that one would expect if the policy were to
encourage a wide circle of country people to bring in any unfamiliar birds, and the astonishing
incidence of multiple records of pairs and parties. E. M. Nicholson and I. J. Ferguson-Lees’
(Brit. Birds 64: 68, February 1971)

MONTHLY MARATHON

With Christmas and New Year postal delays still affecting incoming
mail from overseas, even in mid January, we are extending the
deadline for receipt of entries for the fourth stage of the current
Marathon (December’s plate 221). So far, seven species have been
named. The answer will be revealed next month.

For a free SUNBIRD brochure, write to PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire
SG19 IDF; or telephone Sandy (01767) 682969.

Plate 24. ‘Monthly marathon’. Photo no. 116: sixth stage in eightli ‘Marallion’. Identify tlie
species. Read the ndes on page 24 of the January issue, llicn send in your answer on a postcard to
Monthly Marathon, Fountains, Park Lane, Hlunham, Bedford mk44 .wj, to arrive by 15tli March
1996.

60

[Brit. Birds 89: 60, I'chruary 19961 © British Birds Lid 1996

When you traverse hill and dale in search of nature’s marvels, you expect
the clearest images available. That is what Nikon gives you.

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Spotting Scope A in the under £350 class, noting its superior optical per-
formance at a reasonable price. And they were so impressed by the “out-
standing brightness and clarity” of our Nikon 30x/38x Wide Eyepiece for
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All of the judges were experienced bird watchers. No doubt, they
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VI

Rare breeding birds in the United
Kingdom in 1993

Malcolm Ogilvie and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel

ABSTRACT The Rare Breeding Birds Panel’s twenty-first report
provides a summary for the whole of the United Kingdom for
1993.

Heavy rains at critical periods proved to be detrimental for a
number of species.

The year’s main features included: continued declines of both
Great Bitterns Botaums stellaris and Corn Crakes Crex crex; but
continued increases of Honey-buzzards Pemis apivorus^ Red
Kites Milvus milvus. Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus^
Northern Goshawks Accipiter gentilis and Ospreys Pandion
haliaetus-, a record year for both Spotted Crakes Porzana porzana
and Dartford Warblers Sylvia undata\ and a welcome revival for
Marsh Warblers Acrocephalus palustris.

Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus attempted to
breed. Various other vagrant species showed signs of breeding
behaviour, the most significant, perhaps, being those involving
Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus
arundinaceus and Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides.

This is the twenty-first annual Report of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. It
includes the details of the breeding status of each species on the Panel’s list which
possibly, probably or certainly bred in 1993. The information presented varies
according to the perceived sensitivity of the species to disturbance or to nest
robbery. Thus, for the majority, the counties are grouped into the Panel’s ten

[Brit. Birds 89: 61-91, February 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

61

62

Ogilvie et al.: Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

regions (see page 65), though for some it is possible to list the actual counties,
whereas for others only country totals are given.

This report is being published more than two years after the end of the
calendar year with which it deals. The process of catching up on which we have
embarked, however, with the gratefully acknowledged help of county recorders
and species co-ordinators, should permit the publicaUon of the 1994 Report later
this year, and the 1995 Report in early 1997.

The Panel

The current (January 1996) membership of the Panel is Dr L. A. Batten, Dr
C. J. Bibby, Dr H. Q. P. Crick, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock, Dr K. W. Smith, D. A.
Stroud and Dr M. A. Ogilvie (Secretary). Dr Crick replaced Dr J. J. D.
Greenwood, who resigned during the year, and to whom the other members of
the Panel are most grateful for his contributions to its work at a time of
development in the Panel’s activitives. The individual members of the Panel serve
in a personal capacity, but four of them are additionally able to reflect the interest
and needs of the respective sponsoring bodies. The work of the Panel is
supported financially by the JNCC (on behalf of the country conservation
agencies), with further financial contributions coming from the RSPB, the BTO
and British Birds.

The Panel collects records from the whole of the United Kingdom, including
Northern Ireland, but not from the Republic of Ireland. Coverage, for the third
successive year, was vii'tually complete, with records (or nil returns) received from
every' single county and region. Gathering comprehensive information for some
species is still a problem; any gaps are mentioned in the species accounts.

Review of the year 1993

The 1993 breeding season was marred in many areas by several periods of
heavy rain, often resulting in local flooding. The nests of many ground-nesting
birds were flooded, while the productivity of several other species was adversely
affected. The BTO’s Nest Record Scheme reported that it was a relatively poor
year for many common species, with reduced clutch sizes and poor nesting
success {BTO News 196: 14-16). Similarly, records sent to the Panel showed
that there was a reduction in numbers and breeding success of several rare
species.

Red-necked Podiceps grisegena and Black-necked Grebes P. tiigricollis both
declined in numbers compared with 1992. Although the number of pairs of
Slavonian Grebes P. auritus held up, their productivity was extremely, and
worryingly, low. Great Bitterns Boiaurus stellaris did rather better, with at least
ten young produced, even though the number of booming males fell yet again.

Northern Pintails Anas acuta and Garganeys A. qticrquednla maintained tlieir
numbers, though a reduction in localities for the latter species was particularly
noticeable in the northern half of Britain, suggesting either poor migration or bad
weather discouraging Garganeys from heading as far north as usual. Common
Pochards Aythya ferina declined sharply both in localities and in numbers, but
continued extensive surv^ey work on Common Scoters Mclaniita nigra produced
a further substantial increase of records.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, Februar/ 1996

63

Raptors had a patchy season. Honey-buzzards Pey-nis apivonis reared 1 1 young,
beating last year’s record total by one, and both Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus
and Ospreys Pandion hahaetus recorded further increases, to new record levels.
The Welsh Red Kites Milvus milvus, however, had a poor year, with many nest
failures and brood reductions caused by periods of very wet weather at critical
times. The re-established Red Kites in England and Scotland each had their best
year to date, though the weather reduced their productivity, too. Montagu’s
Harriers C. pygargus raised as many young as in their previous best year, 1992,
but the number of localities and of pairs fell for the second year running, with no
reports from northern England, into which the species had appeared to be
expanding.

Common Quails Coturnix cotumix arrived in modest numbers this year, and
largely remained in the southern half of Britain. Spotted Crakes Porzana porzana
had their best year on record, with 3 1 singing males, compared with the previous
best, in 1989 and 1990, of 21. There was even that rare event, a proved breeding
record, when a juvenile was seen at a Scottish site where it was known that a pair
was present. The results of the full national census of Corn Crakes Cvcx crcx are
included in brief. Total numbers are now under 500 singing males, compared
with almost 600 as recently as 1988 and over 700 in 1978-79. There are, though,
some encouraging results coming from the management now being carried out in
the Inner and Outer Hebrides.

Summering Black-winged StQts Himantopus himantopus put in an appearance
for the first time for five years, but sadly their breeding attempt failed. Numbers
of Avocets Recwuirostra avosetta were slightly down, but productivity marginally
up. Stone-curlews Burhinus oedicnemus, too, managed a small increase in the
number of young per pair. There was a sharp drop from last year’s record
number of localities for Ruffs Philomachus pugnax, but, as last year, there was no
definite breeding, despite reports of lekking from six or seven sites. Black-tailed
Godwits Limosa limosa, too, appeared in fewer localities than last year, but
numbers of pairs held up well.

Among the very rare waders, Temminck’s Stints Calidris temminckii. Purple
Sandpipers C. maritima and Wood Sandpipers Tringa glareola all bred, the last-
named having their best year for a long time. Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus
lobatus continue to do quite well on Fetlar, where careful management is being
carried out to improve conditions for them, but this was offset by their non-
appearance at two former regular breeding sites.

Mediterranean GuUs Larus melanocephalus maintained their slow increase,
though the picture is complicated in at least one area by hybridisation with Black-
headed Gull L. ridibundus. The long-standing mixed pair of Lesser Crested Sterna
bengalensis and Sandwich Terns N sandvicensis was present on and off through
the summer at its usual Northumberland haunt, but did not breed and, perhaps
as a result, mrned up at a number of localities between the Borders and Norfolk.
Roseate Terns S’, dougallii showed an increase in the number of pairs, but fledging
success was patchy.

It is most encouraging to be able to report a second successive increase in the
number of localities for Black Redstart Phoenicums ochruros and a tiny increase in
numbers, but Fieldfares Turdus pilaris had their poorest season for several years.

There was a welcome mcrease in the number of Marsh Warblers Acrocephalus

64

Ogilvie et al.: Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

paliislns, but an alarming decline for Savi’s Warbler Locustella hisdnioides.
Dartford Warblers Sylvia undata continue to do well, in the absence of any really
severe winter weather. As last year, the report includes records of vagrant
warblers singing or showing other signs of breeding behaviour. Both Great Reed
Warbler A. anmdinaceiis and Desert Warbler 5. nana were seen carrying nesting
material.

The picture for Golden Orioles Oriolus oriolus was very similar to last year’s
in terms of numbers and distribution, but productivity fell quite sharply. Other
passerines also had mixed fortunes, with numbers of Firecrests Regulus
ignicapillus up, but Red-backed Shrikes Lanius colluno sadly down, and Common
Rosefmches Caipodacus erythrinus failing to repeat last year’s breeding success.

Including the Desert Warbler, already mentioned, no fewer than five species
make their first appearance in these reports: Little Egret Egretia garzetta, not
breeding yet but surely it is only a matter of time; Pallid Harrier Circus
rnacrourtis, a male displaying to a female Hen Harrier C. cyaneus', Bar-tailed
Godwit Limosa lapponica, a pair displaying, which may be of little consequence,
but is worth putting on record; and Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia, a single
singing male.

Publications

Since the publication of the last report, a number of papers making use of the
data collected by the Panel have appeared. These are referred to under the
relevant species accounts. Of more general interest has been the publication of a
survey of what might happen to rare species of fauna and flora in Britain in the
event of climatic change {Climate Change and Rare Species in Britain, edited by
G. W. Elmes & A. Free, ITE research publication no. 8, 1994). Using a detailed
analysis of results published in the Panel’s reports, it concludes that increased
temperatures, provided summer rainfall was maintained at present levels, would
benefit about one-third of rare breeding species. If summer droughts became
more common, however, or wet, cold winters were more frequent, both of which
have been predicted, then as many as half of our rare species might be adversely
affected. Interestingly, increased rainfall was thought to be of potential benefit to
up to 15 species, including expected wedand birds such as Black-necked Grebe
and Northern Pintail, but also some land birds, for example Purple Sandpiper and
Firecrest. The positive effect of rainfall in promoting the producdon of food
supplies in the form of seeds and invertebrates is considered important. It is also
acknowledged, however, that, for some species, rainfall can have a damaging
effect, as has been shown this year, by increasing losses of eggs and young.

Acknowledgments

The Panel, and in pardcular its Secretary, very gratefully acknowledges the willing
co-operation of the following in supplying information. We apologise for any
inadvertent omissions.

i;n(3IANO Avon Harvey Rose, Bedfordshire Da\'c Ball, Berkshire Peter Standley, Bueki)tghamshire
Andy Harding, Cambridgeshire Richard Allison, Cheshire Tony Broome, C/ct’t’L/;JJohn Dunnetl,
Cornwall Stanley Christophers, Cumbria John Callion, Mike Carrier and Ronnie Ir\ing,
Derbyshire Roy Frost, Devon Peter Ellicott, Dorset Martin Cade, Durham Tony Armstrong, Essex
Mike Dennis, Gloueestershire Gordon Aveiy, Hampshire J. M. Clark, Herefordshire Keith Mason,

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

65

n^v Jw Graham Elliott, Isks ofScilly Will Wagstaff,

Hodlon^^A ^ T Maurice Jones, Uicestershvre A. J. MacKay, Kent Ian

Hodgson, LitwolnshirelSouth Humberside Howard Bunn, London, Greater Mark Hardwick,

NnrthnX’ 1 No?/o/^ P. D. Kirby, Northamptonshire Bob BuUock,

Nick Rossiter, Nottinghamshire John Hopper, Oxfordshire John Brucker,

Mn^hv Gibbs, Staffordshire Mrs GiUy Jones, Suffolk Philip

Murphy, Jeffrey Wheatiey, Sussex O. Mitchell, Wai^iekshire Steve Haynes, West Midlands

Turner, Worcestershire Steve Whitehouse, Yorkshire Bill Curtis.
^ Central Dr CUff Henty, Dumfi'ies Gf Gallozuay: Dumfries Ken

Galbivay Stewartry & Wigtown Paul Collin, Fife Douglas Dickson, Gampian
N W. 1 hor^, Gampian: Moray Martm Cook, Highland. Colin Crooke, Highland: Caithness Eric
Maughan, Naim Martin Cook, Highland: Sutherland Alan Vittery, Lothian Ian

^drews Oi^riej; Chris Booth, Shetland David Stiddaby, Strathclyde: Argyll Tns\2.n ap RheinaUt,
StratNlyde: Aiimi & Bute Bernard Zonfrillo, Strathclyde: Ayrshire Angus Hogg, Strathclyde: Clyde
lam Cribson, Tayside: Angus Martin Scott, Tayside: Perth & Kinross Adrs Wendy Mattingley,
Western Isks Ptttv Cunningham and T. J. DL\. wales Chvyd Peter Rathbone, Dyfed:
Ccinnarthenshire R. O. Hunt, Dyfed: Ceredigion Peter Davis, Dyfed: Pembroke Graham Rees,
Glamorgan, Mid and South Phihp Bristow, Glamorgan, West Dr Derek Thomas, Gwent Brian
Gregory, Gvymdd J. Barnes, K. H. Jones, Reg Thorpe and lolo WilUams, Pozvys: Breconshire
Martm 1 eers, Powys: Montgomeiy Brayton Holt, Powys: Radnor Pete Jennings, isle of man Dr
Pat Cullen, northern Ireland George Gordon.

SPECIALIST CONTRIBUTORS Jake AUsopp and the Golden Oriole Group, Colin Crooke, Peter E.
Davis, Roy Dennis, Dr Andy Evans, Dr Ian Evans, Dr Rhys Green, Bob Image, John AlitcheU,
Dr Adrian del Nevo, Steve Pett>', Dr Ron Summers and Glen Tyler.

COUNTRY AGENCIES We are grateful to the licensing officers of the three country agencies, Peter
Clement (English Natoe), John Ralston (Scottish Namral Heritage) and luan Hughes
(Countryside Commission for Wales), for their ready co-operation in supplj^ing information.

We should also like to express our sincere thanks to all the veiy^ many individuals whose field-
work produced the observations which make up this report.

Key to geographical regions used in this report

England, SW Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isles of Scilly, Isle
of Wight, Somerset, Wiltshire

England, SE Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Greater London, Hertfordshire,
Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Sussex (East and West)

England, E Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Lincolnshire and South Humberside, Norfolk,
Northamptonshire, Suffolk

England, Central Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire (with Rutiand), Nottinghamshire,
Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire

England, N Cheshire, Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Greater Manchester, Isle of Man,
Lancashire, Merseyside, Northumberland, North Humberside, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire (North,
South and West)

Wales AH present-day counties (i.e. includes Gwent, the former Monmouth)

Scotland, S The regions of Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, Lothian and part of Strathclyde,
comprising the former counties of Ayrshire, Berwickshire, Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire,
Lanarkshire, Lothian (East, Mid and West), Peeblesshire, Renfrewshire, Roxburghshire,
Selkirkshire, Wigtownshire

Scotland, Mid The regions of Central, Fife, Grampian and Tayside, together with parts of
Highland and Strathclyde, comprising the former counties of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Banffshire,
Clackmannanshire, Dunbartonshire, Fife, Kincardineshire, Kinross, Moray, Nairn, Perthshire,
Stirlingshire

Scotland, N & W Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, together with tlie greater part of
Highland and part of Strathclyde, comprising the former counties of Argyllshire, Bute, Caithness,
Inverness-shire, Ross & Cromarty, Sutherland

Northern Ireland Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londondeny', Tyrone

66

Ogilvie ei al:. Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

Systematic list

The definitions of ‘Confirmed breeding’, ‘Probable breeding’ and ‘Possible
breeding’ used in the Panel’s reports follow those recommended by the European
Ornithological Atlas Committee (now part of the European Bird Census
Council). Within tables, the abbreviations ‘Confirmed (pairs)’ and ‘Possible
(pairs)’ mean ‘Number of pairs confirmed breeding’ and ‘Number of pairs
possibly or probably breeding’, respectively.

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena

Seven localities in six counties: only singles recorded.

England, SW One localiw: one, paired with a Great Crested Grebe P. cnstatus, from February’
to 7th April.

England, E Three localities: (1) one from 25th April to 12th July; (2) one from 25th April to
21st June; (3) one in March and August at site where pair attempted to breed in 1992.
England, N One locality: breeding-plumaged adult from 2 1 st April to 2 1 st June, seen displaying.
Scotland, S One locality: adult on 9th May at site used by summering pair in past years.
Scodand, Mid One locality: adult in breeding plumage on a sea loch, 25th June.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

2

1

1

5

10

8

6

5

3

9

7

No. individuals

3

1

4

5

9

12

9

3

4

12

7

No. pairs

1

0

1

1

1

3

3

2

1

3

0

It is disappointing that no pairs were reported this year following the good
season last year with two pairs nest-building and copulating. Even the southern
Scotland pair, which had managed four consecutive years of platform-building,
failed to appear this year.

Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus
33 localities: 73-77 pairs breeding.

Scodand, Mid and N & W 33 localities: (l)-(33) total of 73 pairs bred, producing a minimum
of 25 young to near fledging; also four singles.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

44

26

40

43

39

22

39

36

31

34

33

Confirmed (pairs)

41

39

63

68

33

31

70

74

61

72

73

Possible (pairs)

38

21

18

19

6

6

8

12

13

5

4

Max. total pairs

79

60

81

87

39

37

78

86

74

77

77

Following the full census in 1992, only previously known breeding sites were
visited in 1993; nevertheless, almost exactly the same number of pairs was
located. Breeding success, however, was very poor, witli only 25 young thought
to have been reared, compared with 44 in 1992. Further work is being carried
out by the RSPB to determine the main causes of loss, though it is known that
some nests were destroyed by wave action, others were taken over by Little
Grebes Tachybaptus ruficollis, and eggs were stolen by both crows Cowus and

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

67

egg collectors. Mammalian predators have also been responsible for the deaths of
at least 1 1 adults at one site in the last two years.

Although the population is holding its own, it remains very vulnerable, with
40% occurring on just three lochs.

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis

31 localities in 15 counties: 24-50 pairs breeding, producing a minimum of 25
young to near fledging.

England, SE Three localities: (1) pair probably bred, adults until 15th June, juvenile on 13th
September; (2) two adults on 26th April and one until 29th May at site where has bred
previously; (3) pair from 23rd to 29th May.

England, E Three localities: (1) pair from 27th May to 17th June, copulation noted; (2) one
from 31st May to 18th July, built a platform and joined by second individual from 2nd to 18th
July, third on 2nd July; (3) one on 5th May and two on 7th June.

England, Central Three localities: (1) pair built two platforms, first washed away, clutch of four
eggs taken from second before hatching; (2) one to four adults from 9th April to 31st August,
juvenile from 1 1th July to 31st August, but not tliought to have been bred locally; (3) pair with
juvenile on 22nd July, but not locally bred.

England, N 16 localities. (1) four pairs bred and four broods totalling five young seen, from
which four fledged; (2) four pairs bred and six young probably fledged; (3) three pairs bred, four
or five young fledged; (4) two pairs to 2nd June, then one pair with two young to 5th July,
thereafter only one adult seen; (5) one pair fledged two young; (6) pair with two half-grown
young on 9th August; (7) pair from 14th May to 17th July, display noted; (8) pair in early May;
(9) (10) single pairs in May; (11) three pairs in May, but possibly visiting from site 1; (12) pair
on 21st and 22nd April; (13) single in early April and from mid June to mid August; (14) (15)
singles in mid April; (16) single on 21st July.

Scotland. S One locality: pair all summer, any nest probably flooded.

Scotland, Mid Five localities: (1) five pairs bred, rearing four young; (2) two pairs bred; (3)
pair reared two young; (4) pair, but no evidence of breeding; (5) pair 'with two young in late
summer, but did not breed there.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

19

17

17

15

19

22

19

19

25

29

31

Confirmed (pairs)

11

17

9

11

27

15

25

21

19

26

24

Possible (pairs)

21

13

13

22

12

20

15

16

34

34

26

Max. total pairs

32

30

22

33

39

35

40

37

53

60

50

The number of localities has increased again over last year’s record level, but
the number of pairs, both confirmed and possible, has declined.

Black-browed Albatross Diomedea melanophris
One locality: one in spring and summer.

Scotland, N & W One locality.

SHE'I’LAND One locality: adult in gannetry', Hermaness, from 7th April to 1 3th July.

A longer and more continuous stay than last year, for this individual which has
been summering in Scotland in all but two of the last 23 years.

Great Bittern Bolaums stellaiis

13 localities: 17 booming males, at least ten young seen.

England, E 11 localities: (1) three males and at least fwe females, five young; (2) two booming
males, two young; (3) two booming males, one young fledged; (4) one booming male, one
juvenile; (5) pair, one young; (6) two, including one booming male; (7) pair reported, but did

68

Ogilvie et aL Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

not breed; (8)-(10) single booming males; (1 1) single in May and June, but no booming heard.
England, Central One locality: injured adult all summer.

England, N One locality: four booming males, occasionally five in May.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

18

18

15

12

17

14

14

12

13

14

13

Confirmed nesting

0

5

0

0

1

2

3

3

4

4

5

Booming males

44

36

28

23

22

30

30

20

19

19

17

Although the number of confirmed nesting records is higher than for several
years, this is mainly a result of increased observation, the species being the subject
of detailed annual monitoring by the RSPB. The slow and apparently inexorable
decline in the number of booming males continues, but a major habitat restoration
programme in England, by English Nature and the RSPB, will hopefully not be
too late to halt the decline and encourage a recovery in numbers.

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Two localities in two counties; two pairs mating or displaying.

England, SW Two localities: (1) pair mating in early May, stick-collecting in early July; (2) pair
reported displaying at the end of May.

This species has not previously figured in these reports, but it is surely only a
matter of time before the first breeding in Britain takes place, especially given the
increase in regular wintering numbers on the South Coast. There were reports of
over 50 in Britain in both May and June 1993, again with a concentration on the
South Coast.

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus

20 localities: four pairs breeding, only one of which was considered wild; one
young reared.

England, SE Two localities: (1) pair bred, fledging one young, also seven other adults (also bred
there in 1992, an addition to the 1992 Report); (2) single throughout most of year.

Scotland, S Three localities: (1) pair bred, but nest flooded; (2) pair plus single summered, all
injured; (3) injured individual summered.

Scotland, Mid Three localities: (1) pair bred, but young did not sur\'ive bad weather; (2) pair,
not thought to be wild, displaying on 24th May, but did not breed; (3) second-summer on
suitable breeding loch on 13th June.

Scotland, N & W 12 localities: (1) pair, considered to be wild, built nest and probably laid, but
flooded following heavy rain; (2) four adults (probably tw'o pairs) for at least one week in early
June; (3)-(ll) single summering individuals, some or all probably injured; (12) single on 10th
June.

One apparently wild pair bred unsuccessfully. The number of summering,
probably injured, individuals in northern Britain showed an increase over 1992,
but this is largely due to better reporting. There were the usual small numbers of
escaped or introduced individuals or pairs scattered from tlie Central Region of
Scotland to southern Britain, of which just one pair bred successfully.

Northern Pintail Anas acuta
23 localities; 4-47 pairs breeding.

England, SE Four localities: (1) two or three pairs summered, but not thought to have bred;
(2) two pairs all May, additional female to 7th June, single male thereafter; (3) one on 30th May;
(4) one on 1 st and 4th June.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February' 1996

69

England, E Two localities; (1) pair probably bred, but unsuccessful; (2) pair, but no evidence
of breeding.

England, Central One locality: male and two females in April and May, one female in June and
July, some display noted.

England, N One locality: two pairs from late April to end June, display noted in late April, at
least five individuals in July.

Wales Two localities: (1) pair bred, one young seen, but probably killed by gulls Lams', (2) pair
nested, but no young reared.

Scotland, N & W 13 localities: (1) pair bred, brood of four young; (2) male and two females,
nest with nine eggs; (3) six pairs; (4) two pairs, one pair possibly bred; (5) -(7) single pairs in
May/June, (8) two males and female in May; (9) (10) single pairs in May; (11) nine males on
7th May; (12) three males on 4th May; (13) female in June.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

23

15

17

14

16

20

16

20

28

23

23

Confirmed (pairs)

12

5

9

6

7

14

11

9

4

13

4

Possible (pairs)

20

13

12

12

14

15

28

27

39

35

43

Max. total pairs

32

18

21

18

21

29

38

36

43

48

47

Although the number of sites is the same as in 1992, there has been a slight
decline in the number of pairs. No Northern Pintails were noted this year in
South or Mid Scotland, but there were more than the usual numbers in northern
Scotland, mainly owing to survey work in the Inner Hebrides.

Garganey Anas querquedula
73 localities: 14-163 pairs breeding.

England, SW Nine localities in four counties: 3-21 pairs breeding.

England, SE 25 localities in seven counties: 5-40 pairs breeding.

England, E 20 localities in six counties: 5-62 pairs breeding.

England, Central Five localities in three counties: 0-11 pairs breeding.

England, N Eight localities in five counties: 0-18 pairs breeding.

Scotland, S One locality: 0-1 pair breeding.

Scotland, Mid One locality: 0-1 pair breeding.

Scotland, N & W Three localities: 0-8 pairs breeding.

Northern Ireland One locality: 1 pair breeding.

1983

1984 1985

1986

1987

1988 1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

59

46

32

42

36

37

81

87

90

90

73

Confirmed (pairs)

15

4

4

8

8

11

18

14

12

16

14

Possible (pairs)

55

53

36

47

37

40

80

97

82

144

149

Max. total pairs

70

57

40

55

45

51

98

111

94

160

163

The large

decrease

in the

number

of

localities

arises

from

many

fewer

Garganeys appearing in northern England and Scotland than last year (13 sites
compared with 35), only slightly offset by an increase in southeastern England.
The total number of mdividuals, though, was slightly higher than last year’s
record numbers, suggesting that the poor weather may have discouraged them
from penetrating so far north.

Blue-winged Teal Anas discors

One locality: male paired with Northern Shoveler A. clypeata.

England, SW One locality: adult male paired with female Northern Shoveler from 4th May to
3rd June, then again on 7th July, when copulation was recorded. The female Northern Shoveler
was thought to have been incubating in late May, but no young were seen.

70

Ogilvic et al.: Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

This is only the second time that this species has appeared in these reports.
The previous occasion was in 1988, when a male also paired with a female
Northern Shoveler, in Cambridgeshire, and three young were reared.

Common Pochard Aythya ferina
117 localities: 237-416 pairs breeding.

England, SW Seven localities in three counties: 19-24 pairs breeding.

England, SE 45 localities in six counties: 113-197 pairs breeding.

England, E 25 localities in four counties: 57-89 pairs breeding.

England, Central 14 localities in three counties: 6-28 pairs breeding.

England, N 14 localities in five counties: 31-61 pairs breeding.

Wales Five localities: 4-6 pairs breeding.

Scotland, S Two localities: 2 pairs breeding.

Scotland, Mid Five localities: 5-9 pairs breeding.

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

68

63

138

116

133

161

145

117

Confirmed (pairs)

126

130

185

260

207

284

266

237

Possible (pairs)

59

44

162

76

86

144

292

179

Max. total pairs

185

174

347

336

293

428

558

416

There has been a substantial drop in numbers of localities (the lowest since
1989) and pairs (the lowest since 1990). The decline is concentrated in central
and northern England and Scotland, where the number of localities declined from
63 to 40 and the maximum total of pairs from 2 1 8 to 111. Bad weather may have
been a major factor. Of those pairs that did breed, flooded nests were most
commonly mentioned as a cause of failure.

Greater Scaup Aythya mania
None reported.

No records of this species were received by the Panel in 1993, for the second
consecutive year.

Common Scoter Melanitta nigra
38 localities: 16-88 pairs.

Scotland, S and Mid Ttiiree localities: (1) up to three pairs and a single adult during April-
August, ‘alarming’ female on 1 1th July; (2) pair on 17th May and male on 3rd June; (3) male
on 6th May and pair on 4th June.

Scotland, N & W 35 localities.

ARGMi. Two localities: (1) up to nine pairs, female with brood on sea nearby in early August;
(2) pair in June in suitable habitat.

HIGHLAND 32 localities: (1) six pairs on 1 1th June, brood on 31st July; (2) four pairs, tv\'o broods
seen; (3) three pairs, two broods seen; (4) three females, two with broods on 31st July; (5) three
pairs in May and July; (6) two pairs and a male on 8th May, female with brood on 8th July; (7)
two females in late June, one with brood on 1st July; (8) two pairs in May and August; (9) two
pairs on 1 6th May; (10) up to six adults on 1 st June, pair probably bred; (11) female with brood
on 23rd July; (12) pair on 15th May, female with brood on 26th July; (13) female with brood
on 22nd July; (14) brood on 15th July; (15) pair on 27th April, ‘alarming’ female on 28th May;
(16) male and two females on 1 1th May, pair on 21st May and 15th June; (17)-(24) single pairs
in May; (25)-(28) single pairs in June; (29) (30) single pairs in July; (31) female on 24th June;
(32) nine males and six females on 7th May, but not thought to be a potential breeding site.
SHirriAND One locality: two broods, first on 14th July.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February' 1996

71

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

6

9

25

35

15

36

7

9

14

32

38

Confirmed (pairs)

10

17

2

8

29

14

8

6

9

9

16

Possible (pairs)

75

52

72

92

33

76

32

23

21

62

72

Max. total pairs

85

69

74

100

62

90

40

29

30

71

88

The detailed survey work begun by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in 1992
continued in 1993 and contributed towards the further increases in both localities
and pairs. This is stiU a very scarce breeding species and one that is difficult to
census and, especially, to prove breeding, but the pattern of distribution and
probable total numbers are becoming clearer. Sadly, though, there were no
breeding records from Northern Ireland, where, in the 1960s, there were up to
150 pairs; only males were seen at the site used in recent years.

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula

Breeding almost exclusively in one extensive nestbox scheme, but increasing
numbers are summering elsewhere.

England, SW One locality.

.-WON One locality: female summered.

England, SE Five localities.

ESSEX One locality: male in June, at least two females in July.

HERTFORDSHIRE Four localities: (1) female until 3rd May and again on 26th June; (2) female
until 18th May; (3) female from 19th to 25th May; (4) injured female summered.

England, E One locality.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE One locality: female on 9th June.

England, Central Four localities.

DERBYSHIRE One locality: female, possibly injured, summered, second female on 28th August.
LEICESTERSHIRE Two localities: (1) four males on 23rd May and two from 1st to 20th June; (2)
female on 24th July.

STAFFORDSHIRE One locality: male from 5th to 1 5th June.

England, N Three localities.

CHESHIRE Two localities: (1) male from 28th May to 19th June; (2) immature male summered.
LANCASHIRE One locality: three pairs bred, one brood seen and two clutches stolen. This small
population originated from full-winged individuals escaped from a wildfowl collection.
Scotland, S Five localities.

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY Three localities: (1) pair on 23rd May and female on 18th July; (2) four
on 27th April; (3) male on 20th May.

LOTHIAN Two localities: (1) pair on 6th June; (2) immature male on 29th June and 16th July.
Scotland, Mid Five localities.

FIFE One locality: pair and three immature females summered.

TAYSIDE Four localities: (1) pair until mid May, male staying to late May; (2) pair on 22nd May
and female on 28th; (3) five on 24th April; (4) male on 28th May, possibly from site 1 .
Scotland, N & W Nine localities.

ARGYIJ.. One locality: female on 1 9th July.

HIGHLAND Eight localities: (1) main nestbox area: incomplete survey of the boxes found 70
occupied: 386 eggs laid in 36 of them and minimum of 152 young hatched; (2) second nestbox
area had 23 occupied boxes and up to four natural sites; (3) two boxes used; (4) one box used;
(5) pair nested in dead Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris', (6) pair attempted to breed in natural site; (7)
adult pair aU summer; (8) pair until early May.

The figures from the nestbox areas in Highland are incomplete for the second
year running, now that comprehensive monitoring has ceased, and the table of
confirmed pairs and young hatched has therefore been discontinued. Elsewhere
in Scotland, a few pairs are now breeding, while numbers in England continue to
grow slowly, though only escaped individuals are, as yet, breeding there.

72

Ogilvic et al.\ Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

Honey-buzzard Pernis apivoms

23 localities in ten counties: 6-27 pairs breeding; minimum of 1 1 young reared.
Great Britain 23 localities: (1) pair raised two young, second pair may have bred; (2) two pairs,
one rearing tw'o young, not known if second pair bred; (3)-(5) single pairs each raised two young;
(6) pair raised one young; (7) immature pair built nest, but did not lay; (8) pair displaying on
14th August; (9) tw'o males and a female through summer, no nest looked for; (10) pair may
have been present all summer; (11) adult male, immature male and two immature females, but
no adult female; (12) up to five in area, but no breeding proved; (13) one or two from 3rd July
to 11th September; (14) adult ‘sk>’dancing’ on 17th July, tw'O immatures on 18th; (15) up to four
in May and three in July, but probably not breeding there; (16) one on 6th June and three,
including two immamres, on 17th August, but probably did not breed there; (17) one on 24th
May and two on 3rd July, probably w'anderers from other sites; (18) up to two in late June and
one on 3rd July, probably wanderers from other sites; ( 1 9) single on three dates in June; (20)
one on 27th June; (21) one on 27th July; (22) one on 7th and 20th August, three on 28th August;
(23) one on 13th August.

1983

1984

1985 1986 1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Confirmed (pairs)

3

2

1 1 1

1

2

3

2

8

6

Max. total pairs

5

2

4 6 7

10

20

19

22

26

27

The 11 young reared is one more than last year’s record. The maximum of
total pairs excludes 11 individuals at localities 15-18 which it is thought were
wanderers from other sites. These areas may, however, prove to be suitable for
breeding in the future.

Red Kite Milvus milviis

134 pairs bred; 103 young reared.

Wales 104 pairs were proved to breed, of which 61 were successful, rearing 82 young. In
addition, there were a further 1 1 non-breeding pairs, while 88 unmated individuals were
identified during the spring. The total population was estimated as at least 310, possibly 350, in
April and 397 in August. With the total numbers of individuals and pairs at new' highs, the
proportion of non-laying pairs w'as the lowest since 1972, reflecting the unusually favourable
early-season conditions. Very' wet weather in late May, however, and, in particular, on lOth-1 1th
June, when 140 mm of rain fell in 30 hours, induced many nest failures and even more brood
reductions. dTius, the expected further increase in the annual number of young fledged failed to
materialise, though it was still the second-best year on record. (The Panel’s thanks go to Peter
Davis for his detailed report. His work is funded by the Countryside Commission for Wales and
the RSPB.)

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Total pairs

46

46

54

58

59

68

71

84

92

102

115

Breeding pairs

33

33

43

40

44

49

54

65

76

84

104

Successful pairs

30

13

19

23

27

27

33

47

41

60

61

Young reared

24

21

25

29

39

38

49

73

62

96

82

The breeding populations re-established by a joint JNCC/RSPB project made
further progress. (The Panel is grateful to Ian Evans, JNCC, for the following
information.)

England Nine pairs were found breeding, but one pair failed subsequently at hatching during a
period of heavy rain. ITiis period of detrimental weather also reduced producti\it>’ of the
successful pairs, as only 14 young were reared. No first-years bred, but tw'O non-breeding pairs
consisting of first-years were located. A further 20 juvenile Red Kites w'ere imported from
northeastern Spain and released in southern England. The total August population of Red Kites
in England was 80.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

73

Scotland Five pairs were proved breeding, of which three pairs were successful, rearing seven
young. Three additional pairs and four single males held territory, but did not breed. A further
24 juvenile Red Kites were imported from Sweden and released in northern Scotland. The total
August population of Red Kites in Scotland was 79.

England

1991

1992

1993

Scotland

1992

1993

Total pairs

2

7

12

Total pairs

2

8

Breeding pairs

2

4

9

Breeding pairs

2

5

Successful pairs

0

4

8

Successful pairs

1

3

Young reared

0

9

14

Young reared

1

7

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla
Re-establishment.

Scotland Twenty-one individuals occupied ten territories, one containing a single male with two
females. Six clutches were laid and five young reared from four broods. An additional ten
immatures, brought from Norway, were released.

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Breeding pairs

2

4

5

6

6

6

9

8

8

6

Successful pairs

0

1

1

2

1

3

2

6

3

4

Young reared

0

1

2

3

2

5

2

7

7

5

Although the number of occupied territories continues to increase, rearing
success was lower than in 1991 or 1992. (The Panel is grateful to the Sea Eagle
Project Team for providing it with information.)

Marsh Harrier Circus aeniginosiis
109-145 ‘pairs’ bred, rearing 244 young.

Great Britain As in recent years, the figures for both ‘pairs’ and numbers of males and females
are subject to some degree of estimation from the available data, as it is not always possible for
observers to be certain of the precise sex ratio in polygamous situations. The number of young
consists only of those reported to have fledged and is easily another record.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Breeding males

21

27

29

26

40

42

58

73

83

92

84

Breeding females

28

32

31

32

46

56

66

no

91

107

no

Young

71

66

86

82

126

145

172

145

198

229

244

Another good year, despite poor summer weather, with further slight increases
in numbers in northern England and Scotland. (The Panel wishes to thank
Michael Seago and Bob Image for the continued provision of detailed information
on this species.)

Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus

Male displaying to Hen Harrier C. cyaneus.

Scotland, Mid

TAYSIDE One locality: a second-summer male from 3rd to 5th May, displaying to female Hen
Harrier.

This is a new species for these reports. The only precedent for such an
occurrence took place in the Netherlands in the mid 1980s, though it should also

74

Ogil\’ie et al:. Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

be noted that a successful mixed pairing with Montagu’s Harrier C. pygargus was
reported from Finland in 1993 {Brit. Birds 88: 268).

Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus

Eight localities: 6-9 pairs bred, rearing 16 young.

England, SW Three localities: (1) pair raised three young; (2) pair in May, male carr>’ing food
into hay field, but no further details; (3) male.

England, SE Two localities: (1) male on 3rd and 28th May; (2) first-summer female from 22nd
to 27th May.

England, E Three localities: (1) pair raised five young; (2) pair raised three young; (3) two
females, sharing one male, raised three and tw’o young.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

8

2

9

10

10

14

15

9

14

12

8

Confirmed (pairs)

6

1

3

7

6

6

7

5

7

8

6

Possible (pairs)

4

1

6

3

4

8

8

4

7

4

3

Max. total pairs

10

2

9

10

10

14

15

9

14

12

9

The numbers of localities and pairs have fallen for the second year running,
though the 1 6 young reared equals last year’s record. The recent expansion of the
range into northern England, where two pairs bred in 1992, seems to have
received a setback, one hopes only temporarily.

Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
Up to 292 localities: 199-299 pairs breeding.

England and Wales Up to 244 localities in 29 counties: up to 166 pairs are thought to have
bred, of which 131 were reported as successful, hatching between them a minimum of 283
young, at least 170 of which are believed to have fledged; 39 nests were known to have failed,
with nest robbeiy the most frequent cause. A further 55 pairs and 30 singles were reported.
Scotland Up to 48 localities in six regions: 33 pairs are known to have bred, of which 26 were
successful, rearing at least 78 young, and seven certainly failed; 1 1 pairs and four singles were
also reported.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. counties

19

22

20

31

31

31

23

30

36

34

35

Confirmed (pairs)

34

36

36

57

54

108

112

93

158

150

199

Possible (pairs)

27

42

39

59

40

68

54

79

71

93

100

Max. total pairs

61

78

75

116

94

176

166

172

229

243

299

The number of pairs reported continues to increase, though still probably a
considerable underestimate of the true population. We do urge observers and
recorders to make every effort to record and report this species in order that we
may obtain as accurate a picture as possible. The conser\'ation response to the
continued persecution of this species needs to be based on the best possible
information.

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

88 pairs: 78 pairs laid eggs, rearing 111 young.

England, SE One locality: adult from 1 st July to 3rd August.

England, E One locality: adult from 15th May to 3rd August.

England, N One locality: one from 1 5th May to 27th July.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

75

Scotiand The number of pairs increased yet again, to 88, no fewer than 12 more than last year.
Ot these, 78 pairs laid and 59 hatched young, with 56 successful pairs rearing 1 1 1 young, an
average of 1 .26 per pair. ^

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Pairs

30

31

34

42

50

53

58

62

73

76

88

Successful pairs

20

21

22

24

30

38

38

44

44

48

56

Young reared

45

47

53

48

56

81

81

90

82

101

111

A substantial improvenient in numbers of pairs, though productivity per pair
was down compared with last year. Nest failures arose from a variety of causes,
including bad weather, predation and interference by other Ospreys. There were,
however, no reports of nest robberies. (The above is based on the report suppUed
to the Panel by Roy Dennis and his associates.)

Hobby Falco mbbuteo

At least 477 localities: 152-493 pairs breeding.

England, SW 43-133 pairs breeding, 72 young reported.

England, SE 58-204 pairs breeding, 76 young reported.

England, E 23-75 pairs breeding, 35 young reported.

England, Central 25-63 pairs breeding, 56 young reported.

England, N 0-5 pairs breeding, no young reported.

Wales 3-12 pairs breeding, five young reported.

Scodand 0-1 pair breeding, no young reported.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Confirmed (pairs)

80

93

98

91

108

103

140

154

159

255

152

Possible (pairs)

182

116

148

202

164

226

250

287

310

327

341

Max. total pairs

262

209

246

293

272

329

390

441

469

582

493

Young reared (min.)

104

91

117

126

160

133

205

239

265

279

243

The fall from the previous year’s high totals may reflect the generally poor
summer.

Common Quail Cotiimix cotumix
172 localities: 1-203 pairs breeding.

England, SW 31 localities: 0-33 pairs breeding.

England, SE 29 localities: 0-44 pairs breeding.

England, E 58 localities: 1-62 pairs breeding.

England, Central 22 localities: 0-29 pairs breeding.

England, N 17 localities: 0-19 pairs breeding.

Scotland, S Four localities: 0-4 pairs breeding.

Scodand, Mid Five localities: 0-5 pairs breeding.

Scodand, N & W Six localities: 0-7 pairs breeding.

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

84

152

130

904

255

88

319

172

Confirmed (pairs)

1

1

5

27

13

2

9

1

Possible (pairs)

no

245

158

1628

364

105

481

202

Max. total pairs

111

246

163

1655

377

107

490

203

76

Ogilvie et ai: Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

A moderate year, but with the distribution very much weighted towards the
southern half of England. Relatively few penetrated as far north as Scotland, and
there were no records from Wales or Northern Ireland.

Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
19 localities; 1-33 pairs breeding.

England, SW Three localities: (1) one singing during 18th-23rd April, where has bred in past
years; (2) one singing from 23rd to 30th April; (3) one singing on 28th May, also one seen 24th
August to 2nd September.

England, SE One locality: two singing on 20th April.

England, E Three localities: (1) up to three males singing; (2) one singing on 5th and 13th May,
three attracted by tape lure on 1 5th; (3) one singing on 9th July.

England, N One locality: one singing on 20th and 22nd June.

Wales Five localities: (1) three singing from mid June to July; (2) up to three singing in June;
(3) two singing from 22nd to 30th June, one seen on 16th July; (4) two singing in late June; (5)
one singing on 15th April.

Scotland, Mid One locality: one singing 8th June.

Scotland, N & W Five localities: (1) two singing, female also calling, juvenile on 10th August;
(2) three singing in late May and early June; (3) two singing in early June; (4) (5) singles singing
in June.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. counties

3

3

2

3

4

5

7

6

5

9

12

No. localities

6

4

2

3

7

6

14

14

7

12

19

No. singing

12

10

3

4

18

10

21

21

14

14

31

An excellent year, with record numbers of both localities and singing males, as
well as counties in which they occurred. In particular, there has never been more
than a single report from Wales in any previous year. Proof of breeding was
obtained for the second year running for this notoriously difficult species. Studies
using a tape lure suggest that there may be more birds present than is indicated
by the numbers heard singing.

Com Crake Crex crex
62 ‘localities’: 1-487 pairs breeding.

A national census was organised in 1993. The following county totals of
individuals are taken from R. E. Green (1995, Bird Study 42; 66-75), with the
addition of a further six records received by the Panel, all of which fall within
Green’s census period of 20th May to 1 0th July.

England, SW DKVON 1, DORSET 1.

England, E SUI-TOLK 1.

England, N CHESHIRE 1, CUMBRIA 1, NOR'EH YORKSHIRE 3, SOU TH YORKSHIRE; 1.

Wales DYl-I-D 1.

Isle of Man 1 .

Scotland S BORDERS 3, CEN TRAL 2, DUMERIES & GALLOWAY 1, S TRA TI ICLYDE - AYRSHIRE; 2.
Scotland, Mid GRAMPIAN 3, TAYSIDE 1.

Scotland, N & W HIGHLAND - CATTHNESS 7, HIGHLAND - NAIRN 1, HIC.HIAND - ROSS &
CROMAR'IT 1, HIGHLAND -SU'THI-RLAND 1, HIGHI .AND - INNItR I II-BRIDES 14, S TRA THCLYDE
- INNER HEBRIDES 158, S TRA THCLYDE - ARGYLL 2, ORKNEY 6, SHE TLAND 3, WliS TERN ISLES
271.

The census carried out in 1993 revealed a further very steep decline in
numbers, these having fallen by at least 17% since the previous census in 1988.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

77

Management based on the most recent research into the needs of the species,
before and during the breeding season, is now being applied widely in the Inner
Hebrides and Western Isles by the RSPB, aided by grants from Scottish Natural
Heritage and with the support of the Scottish Crofters Union. Early results are
encouraging and suggest that numbers can be sustained and increased with
appropriate farming methods. What is needed now is much wider and urgent
application of these conservation measures throughout the past and current range
of the Corn Crake.

Common Crane Gtiis gnis
One extensive locality.

United Kingdom Three pairs bred, but no young were reared.

This small population continues to attempt to breed, but no young have been
reared in any of the last five years.

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Two localities; pair attempted to breed.

England, N Two localities, but the same individuals involved: adult and two immatures
displayed and ‘scraped’ during 22nd April to 31st May, before moving to a new site (Frodsham,
Cheshire), where four eggs were laid, but were then taken by a predator during a speU of cold,
wet weather.

This species has not feamred in these reports since 1988, when a pair displayed
and copulated. In 1987, a pair bred successfully, the only previous instance
having been in 1945 (Brit. Birds 38: 322-328). There was a failed breeding
attempt in 1983.

Avocet Reciirvirostra avosetta

25 localities: 436-511 pairs reared a rninimum of 347 young.

England, SE 13 localities

ESSEX Five localities; (1) 18 pairs bred, at least eight young reared; (2) 16 pairs bred, fledging
appeared to be good; (3) 11 pairs bred, 30 young reared; (4) six pairs reared 15 young at a new
site; (5) one pair in suitable habitat.

KENT Seven localities: (1) 62 pairs reared 66 young; (2) 19 pairs bred, 17 were successful, ten
young but no full count; (3) 13 pairs, but only three bred, two young seen; (4) at least seven
pairs raised a minimum of eight young; (5) two pairs, one bred; (6) four pairs, but high water
levels and predation prevented successful breeding; (7) pair may have bred.

SUSSEX One locality: two in May and June, but no evidence of breeding.

England, E 12 localities

NOFiFOLK Eight localities: (1) 48 pairs raised 42 young; (2) 46 pairs, of which 16 thought to have
bred, rearing up to 20 young; (3) 29 pairs bred, rearing up to 40 young; (4) 23 pairs bred, but
all young killed by Red Foxes Vtilpes vulpes; (5) nine pairs, but no details of breeding; (6) five
pairs reared 18 young; (7) two pairs, of which one nested, but reared no young; (8) up to 22 in
May, pair nested, but reared no young .

SOUTH HUMBERSIDE One locality: three pairs, but not known if they bred.

SUFFOLK Three localities: (1) 90 pairs bred, but only three young fledged; (2) 70 pairs bred,
hatching 107 young, of which 44 fledged; (3) 20 pairs raised a minimum of 20 young. Two
more localities which have been used in previous years dried out early and were not occupied.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

9

11

14

15

18

27

24

21

21

29

25

Confirmed (pairs)

238

237

269

255

341

389

521

355

448

492

436

Young reared (min.)

192

118

245

227

315

136

150

200

305

336

347

78

Ogilvie et al:. Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

A further slight improvement in productivity per pair, though still quite low
compared with what was achieved in the mid 1980s.

Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnernus
Eight counties: 146-162 pairs.

England, SW and SE Five counties: 57 pairs, of which 49 were confirmed as breeding, fledging
42-45 young.

England, E Three counties: 105 pairs, of which 97 were confirmed as breeding, fledging 59
young.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Confirmed (pairs)

20

19

68

103

137

126

126

139

139

155

146

Possible (pairs)

76

52

47

12

0

3

17

10

16

4

16

Max. total pairs

96

71

115

115

137

129

143

149

155

159

162

The first decline in the number of pairs confirmed breeding for some years,
though the total number of pairs rose slightly. Productivity was a little better in
the Southwest and the Southeast compared with 1992, but fell in eastern England.
A valuable summary' of the monitoring of Stone-curlew numbers and breeding
success in the period 1986-91 has recently been published (Green, 1995, Btitain’s
Birds in 1991-92: 138-141) and the Panel wishes to thank Dr Rhys Green, RSPB,
for his assistance in compiling the data for 1993.

Dotterel Charadiiiis morinellus

One locality: one pair breeding (excluding those in main Scottish breeding area).
England, N One locality.

CUMHRlA One locality: pair laid, but failed, reason not known.

Scotland No records were received from areas away from the main breeding area.

The Panel seeks records only if away from the main breeding range, which lies
north of a line from the Firth of Clyde to the Firth of Tay, and accepts that at
least some of the Dotterels on hilltops in southern Scotland and northern England
will be on passage. This species was the subject of an intensive sur\'ey during
1987 and 1988, the results of which have recently been published (Galbraith et
al., 1993, Bird Study 40: 161-169), showing that the population may be as high
as 840 pairs, with a wider distribution than had previously been thought. The
estimated British total included three pairs in England and Wales and seven in
southern Scotland.

Temminck’s Stint Calidris temrninckii
One locality: two pairs bred, one successfully.

Scotland, N & W One locality: adult with two young at traditional site, and second adult present;
second pair probably attempted to breed, but failed at egg stage.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Number of localities

1

1

2

3

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Confirmed (pairs)

0

0

0

1

4

2

2

1

0

1

2

Possible (pairs)

2

1

2

2

1

1

1

1

3

1

1

Max. total pairs

2

1

2

3

5

3

3

2

3

2

3

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February' 1996

79

n traditional site. A recent paper by Dr

ta. i . Mudge & Roy H. Dennis summarised the history of breeding in Britain by
this species {Brit. Birds 88: 573-577).

Purple Sandpiper Calidns maritima
One locality: one pair bred.

Scotland, N & W One locaUty: one pair raised at least one young.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Number of localities

1

1

3

1

1

1

2

7

1

1

0

9

1

1

1

2

1

1

0

1

Confirmed (pairs)

0

1

1

1

3

2

L

9

Possible (pairs)

1

1

2

1

0

0

2

0

1

4

Max. total pairs

1

2

3

2

3

2

4

1

This species, like the last, continues to hang on as a breeding bird, just.

Ruflf Philomachus piignax

Ten localities; no proof of breeding, though copulation and possible breeding at
one locality and lekking noted at six others.

England, SE Three localities.

KENT Two localities: (1) up to five males and ten females, with lekking noted in May; (2) up to
six in June and five in July.

SUSSEX One locality: male in breeding plumage on 23rd June.

England, E Five localities.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE Two localities: (1) up to nine males and 26 females from 29th March to 19th
May, with some lekking observed; (2) up to 39, with some lekking.

SUFFOLK Three localities. (1) three males and three females in early spring, lekking reported; (2)
one male and six females in May, some lekking; (3) male and female during June.

England, N Two localities.

CHESHIRE One locality: three males and two females lekking during 5th to 13th May, but
departed by 17th.

NORTHUA4BERLAND One locality: four males and two females on 16th May, lekking and
copulation noted. Although laying by one or two females was suspected, heavy rain flooded the
area and the birds departed.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

8

6

8

7

16

14

15

8

9

21

10

Nests

Max. no. females

2

0

0

1

1

1

1

3

7

0

0

possibly nesting

32

6

8

9

69

11

17

15

15

12

59

No proof of breeding was obtained, for the second year running, though there
was a strong suspicion of breeding at one locality. The number of localities was
lower than last year’s peak, but there was more lekking reported which involved
many more individuals.

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
16 localities: 28-33 pairs breeding.

England, SW Two localities.

SOMERSET Two localities: (1) two pairs displaying on 25th May, but apparently no attempt to
breed; (2) two pairs, which departed by early June either not having nested or having rapidly lost
their eggs to a predator.

80

Ogilvic et at.: Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

England, SE Five localities.

ESSEX Two localities: (1) 15 adults summered in suitable habitat, but no breeding evidence; (2)
at least seven adults summered in suitable habitat, but no breeding evidence.

Kl'N'E Three localities: (1) four pairs bred, but only one young fledged; (2) three pairs, two of
which are thought to have bred, one nest found, but no young fledged; (3) one pair raised one
young.

England, E Seven localities.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE Two localities: (1) 14 pairs attempted to breed, ten young fledged; (2) six
pairs bred, six young fledged.

SUFFOLK Five localities: (l)-(5) no breeding or breeding behaviour reported, but counts of up
to 110, 83, 30, seven and four summering, respectively.

England, N One locality.

CHESHIRIi One locality: maximum of 467 in April, declining to 230-250 in May and June, and
up to 420 in July. Occasional display flighting, but no other signs of breeding.

Scotland, N & W One locality.

SHE TLAND One locality: one pair bred, raising two young.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

10

12

11

19

13

17

14

16

18

24

16

Confirmed (pairs)

32

55

22

23

28

36

34

33

28

20

28

Possible (pairs)

12

25

17

24

12

28

22

33

25

38

5

Max. total pairs

44

80

39

47

40

64

56

66

53

58

33

Although there was a sharp drop in the number of localities, with no records
from the several new sites reported from Shetland last year, the total of confirmed
pairs recovered from last year’s poor showing. The number of possible pairs
dropped sharply, however. The numbers summering in flocks in apparently
suitable habitat also continue to increase. Almost all the breeding pairs are on
National Nature Reserves or reserves belonging to the RSPB.

Bar-tailed Godwit Lirnosa lapponica
One locality: one pair displaying.

England, N One locality: pair on 3rd May engaged in display flight.

This is a new species for these reports and, while the observation, which was
made on the coast, may have little significance, it is worth putting on record.
Small numbers summer in several parts of Britain and, while the majority are
clearly in their first summer, a few do attain something approaching breeding
plumage.

Whimbrel Nurnenius phaeopus

No reports away from Orkney and Shetland.

For the second year running, no reports were received from areas away from
the regular breeding area in the Northern Isles. We repeat our appeal for records
of summering or displaying elsewhere in Britain.

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Four localities: 2-8 pairs bred.

Scotland, N & W Four localities: (1) two pairs and a fifth adult, both pairs bred successfully,
but number of young not known; (2) (3) two pairs at each locality, but no definite proof of
breeding; (4) pair displaying on 8th May, none on 25th, but single feeding and briefly displaying
on 1 3th June.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, Februar>' 1996

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities
Confirmed (pairs)

3

1

4

4

3

2

2

2

3

4

Q

6

9

2

1

1

2

2

4

1

4

Possible (pairs)

4

1

1

3

1

1

4

0

1

4

L

1

1

2

2

Max. total pairs

5

5

3

4

6

5

6

6

8

The best year for the total number of pairs possibly breeding since 1980
Momtormg of known sites continued at the higher level achieved in 1992.

Turnstone Arenaria interpres
No reports received.

After last year s reappearance in suitable breeding habitat, following a gap of
15 years, the species again failed to show any evidence suggestive of breeding.

Red-necked Phalarope Phahxropus lobatus
Two localities; 20-24 pairs breeding.

Scotland, N & W Two localities: (1) a complex of five sites with 18-22 pairs breeding and 48-

young hatched; (2) two pairs bred, one raising three young, but the second failed after the
male was killed by hitting a fence.

Although numbers held up well at the principal locality on Fetlar, Shetland, and
a new one was discovered, two previously regular breeding sites were unoccupied.

Mediterranean Gull Lams melanocephalus
14 localities; 15-32 pairs breeding.

England SW Two localities; (1) five pairs bred, but no information is avaHable on their success-
(2) pair from 7th March to 9th April, but not apparently thereafter.

England, SE Six localities: (1) four pairs, of which three bred successfully, hatching six young-
(2) three pairs raised three young and a fourth pair failed; (3) (4) single pairs each raised two
young; (5) five adults displaymg in March, only two in April and one until July; (6) two
immatures, in April and May.

England, E Four localities: (1) adult male bred with female Black-headed Gull L. ridibundus,
but outcome unknown, two other adults and a pair of second-summer hybrids also, the latter
apparently nesting in April, but nests disturbed or destroyed by fishermen; (2) pair laid one egg,
but nest destroyed by Black-headed Gull; (3) (4) single pairs prospecting.

England, Central One locality; male from 22nd April to 8th May apparently trying to claim
territory in Black-headed Gull colony.

England, N One locality: pair of second-summers held territory from 24th April to 1st May,
displayed and copulated.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

6

4

3

5

3

9

5

10

13

15

14

Confirmed (pairs)

2

4

3

1

1

5

6

11

15

19

15

Possible (pairs)

6

1

5

4

2

10

3

5

8

12

17

Max. total pairs

8

5

8

5

3

15

9

16

23

31

32

A very similar year to last year, though with more hybrid pairs, and more
hybrids, reported.

Little Gull Lams minutus
One locality: none bred.

England, SE One locality; adult in winter plumage from 4th June, first-summer from 19th June
and adult in summer plumage from 1 1 th July, all to end of July.

82

Ogilvie et al.\ Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

In keeping with past policy, we are recording these occasional summering
individuals and appeal for all obser\'ations to be sent in.

Yellow-legged Gull Lams cachinnans
No reports received.

Were last year’s possibly territory-holding pair and the one paired with a Lesser
Black-backed Gull L. fiiscus a flash in the pan?

Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis

One locality: one female mated with Sandwich Tern Sterna saiidvicensis.

England, N One locality.

NOR rHUMBERLAND One locality; female mated to Sandwich Tern, intermittently from 3rd May
to 8th August, seen copulating on 31st May, but no further breeding evidence.

What has been assumed to be the same individual also appeared in Borders on
16th May, North Humberside during 1 5th-20th June, Lincolnshire on 20th June,
and Norfolk on 8th to 15th and 21st July, 11th and 22nd August. On each
occasion, it was noted as being paired with a colour-ringed Sandwich Tern, and
copulation was obser\’ed in Lincolnshire {Bnt. Birds 87; 533; 88: 520).

Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii
18 localities: 84-105 pairs breeding.

England, SW Seven localities.

HAMl^SHIRE One locality: two pairs, an additional adult and one subadult, a scrape made, but no
eggs laid.

UNNAMED COUNTY Six localities: (1) 18 adults, three pairs bred, raising six young; (2) three
pairs, of which tw'o bred successfully, raising four young; (3) three pairs, of w'hich two bred
successfully, two young fledged; (4) two pairs bred, one nest failed, two young reared; (5) (6)
single pairs bred, each raising two young.

England, SE Three localities: (1) up to two in May and June, but no suggestion of breeding;

(2) single in May and June; (3) single in July and August.

England, N Two localities: (1) up to 33 pairs bred, raising 35 young; (2) three pairs raised sLx
young.

Wales Three localities: (1)16 pairs bred, 28 young produced; (2) five pairs raised seven young;

(3) pair and a third adult, but did not breed.

Scodand, Mid Three localities: (1) 19 pairs, 18 of which laid, but only 14 young hatched; (2)
pair bred, apparently successfully; (3) up to three displaying.

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Number of localities

10

13

17

15

13

15

18

Confirmed (pairs)

169

164

172

93

52

62

84

Possible (pairs)

164

33

5

31

5

10

21

Max. total pairs

333

197

177

124

57

72

105

The Panel began full monitoring of this species only in 1987. There has been
a marked improvement in the number of pairs over the last tw'o years, though
fledging success was poor in some colonies.

SnovYy Owl Nyctea scandiaca
Two main localities: two females.

Scotland, N & W Two main localities.

SHI- ri-AND Only one female for certain, turning up at several locations between 29tli April and
18th September.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February' 1996

83

^STERN ISLES A female was in a number of places between 16th April and 2nd Aueust A
first-year male on St Kilda on 11th April was presumably a migrant. ^

There were no reports from the Highland region this year, but the lengthy
presence of one m the Western Isles is of interest. There have, however, been no
reports of any adult males since 1979.

Wryneck torqidlla
Six localities: 1-6 pairs bred.

England, E One locality: single on 13th June.

Scodand, ^d T\ro locaUties: (1) one singing in early June; (2) one in mid July.

Scotland, N & W Three localities: (1) pair bred and reared young, though number not recorded;
mg e smgmg m two places on 28th and 29th May; (3) single singing during 28th-30th May.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

No. localities

14

9

9

9

10

Confirmed (pairs)

0

0

1

1

1

Possible (pairs)

15

10

8

8

9

Max. total pairs

15

10

9

9

10

1988 1989 1990 1991

9 8 6 6

110 1

9 7 6 5

10 8 6 6

1992 1993

1 6

0 1

2 5

2 6

A small, but welcome, improvement on last year’s very poor result, including
a renewed, if slight, presence in eastern England.

Wood Lark Lullula arborea
213-621 pairs breeding.

England, SW 145-217 pairs breeding.

DEVON Two localities: (1) pair and six singing males; (2) singing male.

DORSET Eight localities: (1) at least ten singing males or pairs present; (2) pair raised two young;
(3) two singing males; (4) -(8) single pairs or singing males present.

HAMPSHIRE New Forest not fuUy covered, but 83 pairs located, plus a frirther 26 singing males;
up to 82 pairs or singing males at a further 28 localities in the county.

WILTSHIRE Two localities: (1)(2) single pairs each rearing two young.

England, SE 24-105 pairs breeding.

BERKSHIRE Five localities: (l)-(5) total of six pairs bred, 12 further pairs, nine singing males and
a single.

KENT Two localities: (1)(2) total of two pairs bred, plus five singing males.

SURREY 15 localities. (1)-(15) total of 13 pairs bred, 20 further pairs and 19 singing males.
SUSSEX Ten localities: (I)-(IO) total of three breeding pairs, eight further pairs and six singing
males.

England, Ell 8-3 1 3 pairs breeding.

NORFOLK Nine localities: (l)-(9) total of at least 15 pairs bred, plus a further 28 pairs and one
singing male.

SOUTH HUMBERSIDE Four localities: (l)-(4) one pair bred, plus three pairs and six singing males.
SUFFOLK Over 20 localities or areas surveyed, with totals of up to 225 breeding pairs, other pairs
and singing males.

England, Central Two localities.

UNNAMED COUNTY Three sites within one broad locality: one pair laid twice, the first clutch
was taken by a predator, the second produced five fledged young; the other two pairs were not
proved to breed.

Scotland, N & W One locality: singing male from 23rd June to 4th July, two, possibly three,
pdividuals later.

84

Ogilvic et al.: Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Number of counties

8

9

13

11

12

10

14

12

14

13

Confirmed (pairs)

16

5

47

28

88

15fi

64

39

124

213

Possible (pairs)

185

122

181

165

157

54

272

303

535

408

Max. total pairs

201

127

228

193

245

210

336

362

659

621

Further intensive surv^ey work in Suffolk found fewer than in 1992, but there
were more found in Hampshire and elsewhere in England. Scotland’s first
breeding record was suspected, but not proven.

This is the first time that a table has been published for this species. The recent
substantial increases are in part due to more intensive surv^ey work, but at the
same time the range is expanding and a general increase taking place.

Thrush Nightingale Liisdnia luscinia
One locality: one singing male.

Scotland, N & W One localiw: male in song at Helendale, Leru'ick, Shetland, on 20th May
(Brit. Birds 87: 546).

A new species for the Panel’s reports. The Panel is keen to monitor occurrences
of all species that show even slight signs of breeding behaviour.

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochniros
53 localities: 32-76 pairs breeding.

England, SW Four localities.

DORSliT Two localities; (1) pair bred successfully; (2) juvenile on 5th July had, perhaps, been
bred locally.

HAMPSHIRt: Two localities: (1) female from 6th July to 13th August, male with food on 23rd
July; (2) territoiy-holding male from 11th to 19th June.

England, SE 25 localities.

HHRKSHIRH Three localities: (1) pair raised three young; (2) pair raised three young; (3) singing
male April to June and August.
liSSHX One localiw: one.

MURTl'ORDSHlRi; Three localities: (1) pair raised at least three young; (2) singing male, no date;

(3) immature in June.

KliNT Five localities: (1) four pairs, of which three certainly bred, rearing at least 12 young; (2)
four pairs, of which three certainly bred; (3) pair raised two young; (4) singing male from 9th
to 1 1th June; (5) female on 6th June.

LONDON Nine localities; (1) pair raised broods of four and three; (2) pair probably bred in area
used in past years; (3) pair probably bred in area where two or three pairs have bred annually;

(4) pair on 5th April; (5)-(8) single singing males in June; (9) female in March and April.
SURREY Two localities: (1) pair raised at least one young; (2) female in suitable habitat.

SUSSEX Two localities: (1) two singing males and female in May; (2) singing male on 9th June.
England, E Ten localities.

LINCOLNSHIRE One locality: two singing males in June.

NORE'OLK Two localities: (1) two pairs bred successfully; (2) two singing males in June.
NOR'LHAMP rONSHIRE One locality: pair present; also reported to have bred here in 1992, which
is an addition to that year’s report.

SUEFOLK SLx localities: (1) three pairs raised a total of four broods; (2) three pairs bred; (3) one
pair raised two broods each of two young, second pair raised brood of three young, five males
reported in June; (4) three pairs, of which one bred; (5) pair fledged three young; (6) three
singing males.

England, Central Eight localities.

Dl'RBYSHIRE Two localities: (1) pair from early April throughout summer, pair with one or two
juveniles in September; (2) male in summer plumage.
i.EiCEsri'RSHiRE One locality: pair raised five young.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

85

NOITINGHAMSHIRE One locality; two singing males in June.

four young.

ST^ORDSHIRb Three locahues: (1)(2) single females in mid April, probably passL through
and possibly the same individual; (3) immature male on 10th July
England, N Six localities.

GREATER M^CHESTER Five localities: (1) pair with four young on 20th July; (2) pair feeding

lZ^f4± Tiin^ fo°™ fot 30th May; (4) singing Lie on 30th Ma^

and 14th June, (5) female on 21st and 24th April. ^

YORKSHIRE One locality: pair bred.

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

92

77

70

56

50

36

44

53

Confirmed (pairs)

81

46

54

36

28

23

14

32

Possible (pairs)

38

63

58

46

46

46

57

44

Max. total pairs

119

109

118

82

74

69

71

76

A welcome increase in both the number of locaUties and the number of
confirmed breeding pairs, though both are well below the levels of even five years
ago. There has been a return to southwest England, as well as to Berkshire.
Numbers in the West Midlands were disappointingly low, but may reflect
reduced searching rather than a genuine decline.

Fieldfare Turdus pilaris

Five localities; 2-5 pairs breeding.

England, SE Two localities.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE One locality: adult being investigated by a pair of Mistle Thrushes T.
viscivonis on 4th June.

HERTFORDSHIRE One locality: single on 22nd May.

Scotland, N & W Three localities.

INVERNESS Two localities: (1) nest containing three large young on 1st July; (2) pair probably
bred at site where the species is reported to have done so since the mid 1980s, though this has
not always been noted in these reports (where details have been made available, these are
included in the table below).

SHETLAND One locality: pair bred at same site as in 1992, raising six young.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

10

4

3

2

7

7

12

12

13

7

5

Confirmed (pairs)

3

0

0

2

1

2

3

5

2

2

2

Possible (pairs)

9

4

3

0

6

5

10

7

11

8

3

Max. total pairs

12

4

3

2

7

7

13

12

13

11

5

The poorest year since 1986. Are we at the bottom of some kind of cycle, as
in the mid 1980s? Certainly the scattered sightings in northern and eastern
England have virtually ceased in the last two years, leaving just the hard core of
breeding pairs in Scotland. Coverage for this species remains difficult, however,
especially in the remoter parts of Scotland, and this may well be contributing to
some of the flucmations.

Redwing Turdus iliacus
22 localities: 5-27 pairs breeding.

Scotland, Mid One locality; two singing males at neighbouring sites in the second half of May.
Scotland, N & W 21 localities; (1) pair raised a total of five young from two broods; (2) (3)

86

Ogilvie et al.: Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

pairs each raised three or four young; (4) three singing males, single fledged young seen; (5) at
least one pair probably bred at this regular site; (6) pair attempted to breed, but failed; (7) pair
at usual site; (8) three singing males; (9)-(21) single singing males in April and/or May.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

65

58

35

32

39

22

38

17

15

13

22

Confirmed (pairs)

17

31

12

20

9

10

12

6

7

9

5

Possible (pairs)

51

48

23

26

41

30

39

15

13

15

22

Max. total pairs

68

79

35

46

50

49

51

21

20

24

27

The slight recovery noticed last year continues, coupled with a welcome
increase in the number of localities. The species remains badly under-recorded,
however, in much of western and northern Scodand, where local obser3'ers believe
that the population is substantially larger than the 40-80 pairs estimated for the
whole of Britain by Gibbons et al. (1993, The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in
Britain and Ireland 1988-1991).

Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti

About 86 localities: 11-317 breeding ‘pairs’.

England, SW About 60 localities in eight counties: 9-243 ‘pairs’ breeding.

England, SE Eight localities in five counties: 2-21 ‘pairs’ breeding.

England. E Eight localities in five counties: 0-30 ‘pairs’ breeding.

England, Central One locality: 0-1 ‘pair’ breeding.

Wales Nine localities in two counties: 0-22 ‘pairs’ breeding.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. counties

13

13

13

11

14

14

15

21

17

18

21

Confirmed ('pairs')

90

78

59

4

31

24

12

19

27

15

11

Possible ('pairs')

157

238

190

175

156

174

196

326

214

273

306

Max. total 'pairs'

247

316

249

179

187

198

208

345

241

298

317

A continued recovery from the low point in 1991, though still not quite back
to the peak of 1990. The use of the word ‘pairs’ is normal in these reports, but
does not reflect the true situation for this markedly polygynous species, the
females of which are extremely elusive.

Savi’s Warbler Locustella liiscinioides
Five localities: 4-8 pairs breeding.

England, SE Two localities.

KHN r One locality: two pairs bred, no further details.

SUSSHX One locality: at least one pair probably bred, two juveniles ringed in July/ August.
England, E Three localities.

NORFOLK One locality: singing male in June.

SUFFOLK Two localities: (1) two pairs bred, third male not thought to have attracted a mate; (2)
singing male in early June.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

12

10

12

9

16

10

13

5

13

13

5

Confirmed (pairs)

2

0

1

1

0

0

0

1

0

2

4

Possible (pairs)

15

12

14

11

20

13

17

9

16

20

4

Max. total pairs

17

12

15

12

20

13

17

10

16

22

8

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

87

After a coup e of good years, there has been a considerable decline, especially in
e nmnber of localities, with only a single record in Norfolk and two elsewhere in
eastern hngland. This is the lowest total of confirmed and possible pairs since 1975.

Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris
15 localities; 12-58 pairs breeding.

present.

»h,C fivt n? ^ P'Sht pairs probably bred,

while five pairs possibly did so; a further 14 singing males were also recorded.

tingland, fc, One locality: singing male reported.

England, Central Two locaUties.

WORCESTERSHIRE Two locahties: (1)(2) total of five pairs bred successfliUy and there were a
turtner 10-13 smgmg males.

England, N One locality: two singing males.

Scotland, N & W One locality: male singing on 30th May.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

26

28

23

18

11

13

10

12

15

13

15

Confirmed (pairs)

3

4

2

12

10

6

11

13

9

9

17

Possible (pairs)

53

47

40

16

11

14

11

11

23

26

46

Max. total pairs

56

51

42

28

21

20

22

24

32

35

58

A significant, and very welcome, increase in the number of localities, confirmed
pairs and possible pairs, with the total pairs at its second highest level since the
Panel began its monitoring in 1973, exceeded only by the 74 recorded in 1982.
Not only is the Worcestershire population beginning to recover, but there has
been a good spread of records from elsewhere, including a further one from
Scotland. At a different locality in Scotland, there was also what may have been
a breeding record, but one which has been concluded as unproven, so not
included above. The Orkney Bird Report for 1993 records that two adult warblers,
thought at the time to be Marsh, were trapped and ringed in July, with one of
them subsequently carrying food and behaving in an agitated manner. Three
juvenile warblers were trapped in August at the same site. Subsequent analysis of
wing measurements and wing formulae concluded, however, that, while the first
adult fell within the range of Marsh Warbler, the second adult came within the
Marsh Warbler/Reed Warbler A. scirpacens overlap zone. The measurements of
the three juveniles were similarly inconclusive, probably because their wing
feathers were not fully grown.

Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus anmdinaceus

Four localities; four singing males, one carrying nest material (JBrit. Birds 87; 553;
88; 538-539).

England, SE Two localities: (1) singing male at Elmley, Kent, from 27th May to 3rd July,
carr^^ing nest material on 29th May and again, 750 m away, on 16th June; (2) singing male at
Lydd, Kent, on 23rd May.

England, E Two localities: (1) singing male at Minsmere, Suffolk, on 28th-29th May; (2)
singing male at Titchwell, Norfolk, from 1 1th to 17th June.

This is the fourth consecutive year in which this species has been reported to
the Panel and the total is the highest reported in a single year. One wonders
whether the Elmley male may have been building nests for a highly secretive,
unobserved female.

88

Ogilvie et al.: Rare breeding birds in ihe UK in 1993

Marmora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda
One locality: one singing male.

Scotland, S One localiU’.

LOTHIAN One localirs" singing male from 23rd to 27ih Mav at St Abb’s Head {Brit. Birds 87:
554). ' '

This is the second consecuti\'e year that this species has been included in the
Panel’s reports and, while perhaps of little significance, it is notable that, of the
three individuals which have reached Britain, two have decided to sing.

Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata
93-1,146 pairs breeding.

England, SW County ma.xima:

CORNWAIT. 3, DEVON 135, DORSE T 221, HAMPSHIRE (including ISLE OE WIGH T) over 694,
SOMERSE T 2, WILTSHIRE 2.

England, SE County maxima:

BERKSHIRE 4, SURREY 71, SUSSEX 13.

England, E County maxima:

SUI-TOI.K 1.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. counties

6

6

5

5

8

6

5

8

8

7

11

Confirmed (pairs)

14

11

26

15

8

26

23

55

67

63

93

Possible (pairs)

134

429

368

293

239

616

499

873

634

863

1053

Max. total pairs

148

440

394

308

247

639

522

928

701

926

1146

The major increase in records continues, with more counties now within the
range of the species. Especially notable was the singing male in Suffolk, the first
such recent record for eastern England. Although some of the increase will be the
result of improved coverage, there is a real underlying trend. A full census of the
species took place in 1994, which will reveal the true situation.

Desert Warbler Sylvia nan a

One locality: one singing male, carried nest material.

England, E One locality.

NORE'OLK One locality: singing male at Blakeney Point from 27th May to 1st June, also carr\-ing
nest material (Bril. Bird; 87: 556).

This is the first spring record for Britain and the first time tlie species has
figured in the Panel’s reports. This individual was subject to organised and
extensive disturbance, particularly on 30th May, by birdwatchers, who should
certainly have known better and who took no notice of requests from a member
of the Panel to leave the bird alone.

Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides

Three localities: three singing males (Bnt. Bird^ 87: 556-558; 88: 541).

England, SW One locality.

DORSE T One locality: singing male at Verne Common on 1st June.

England, SE Two localities.

Kl'N T Two localities: (1) two singing males at Folkestone Warren from 15th June to 1st July; (2)
singing male at St Margaret’s Bay on 12th June.

This is the second consecutive year that this species has appeared in these
reports and, although a reduction on last year’s eight, the trend for spring arrivals
continues, as it does for them to sing whilst here.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, Februar^^ 1996

89

Firecrest Regidus ignicapillus

20 localities: 3-28 pairs breeding.

England, SW 1 1 localities.

DEVON Two localities: (1)(2) single singing males in March.

makTn sirMar'

HAMPSHIRE Six localities: (1) pair bred, two other singing males; (2) pair with four young; (3)
pair m summer; (4) -(6) single singing males.

^J^TSHIRE One locality: pair with fledged young, plus five singing males.

England, SE SLx localities.

BERKSHIRE One locality: singing male on 5th June.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE One locality: at least two in May and June.

ESSEX One locality: male singing in May where has bred in past.

KENT One locality: pair probably bred.

SURREY One locality: singing male on 3rd May, perhaps a migrant.

SUSSEX One locality: pair displaying on 28th May.

England, E Two localities.

SUFFOLK Two localities: (1) pair, nest-building noted; (2) singing male on 18th- 19th June
England, Central One locality.

DERBYSHIRE One locality: singing male on 3rd June.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

75

47

24

19

37

44

52

48

19

15

20

Confirmed (pairs)

6

4

5

1

8

11

19

9

2

3

3

Possible (pairs)

169

78

41

28

74

72

112

88

20

16

25

Max. total pairs

175

82

46

29

82

83

131

97

22

19

28

A slightiy better picture than in either of the two previous years. Information
from the New Forest, Hampshire, is stiH very incomplete.

Penduline Tit Remiz pendidinus

Two localities: two individuals {Brit. Birds 87: 559-560).

England, E Two localities.

NORFOLK One locality: male at Titchwell from 23rd to 28th April.

SUFFOLK One locality: male at ATnsmere on 25th July.

In view of last year’s appearance of a bird with a brood patch, it seems worth
recording these spring and summer records even though there were no signs of
any breeding behaviour.

Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
33 localities: 14-33 pairs breeding.

England, SE Four localities: (1)(2) single singing males; (3) single male seen; (4) female seen.
England, E 39 localities surveyed, of which 11 held no orioles, and a minimum of 13 breeding
pairs found, which fledged at least 23 young. Six other pairs probably bred, there were singing
males at five sites and singles at four more.

Scotland, Mid One locality: pair bred at a site where they have apparently done so for the last
five years.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

14

11

12

13

22

35

29

38

27

37

33

Confirmed (pairs)

2

4

4

5

11

16

15

10

16

14

14

Possible (pairs)

19

14

11

11

20

25

22

32

12

23

19

Max. total pairs

21

18

15

17

31

41

37

42

28

37

33

90

Ogilvie et al.\ Rare breeding birds in the UK in 1993

A very similar picture to last year’s, though the number of young known to
have fledged in eastern England has dropped from a maximum of 30 in 1992.
(The Panel is most grateful for the detailed information on the eastern England
population supplied by the Golden Oriole Group.)

Red-backed Shrike Lxinius collimo
Six localities; 0-6 pairs breeding.

England, SE Two localities; (1)(2) one at one site on 1st June and two, possibly a pair, at the
second on 4th and 5th June; perhaps only U\'0, rather than three, indit’iduals involved.

England, E Three localities: (l)-(3) two single males and a single female at three different sites
on single dates only.

Scotland, N & W One locality: male on 28th May in suitable habitat.

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

No. localities

3

4

7

3

8

6

3

7

5

13

6

Confirmed (pairs)

11

6

6

4

2

1

0

1

1

1

0

Possible (pairs)

1

4

6

2

11

6

6

7

4

12

6

Max. total pairs

12

10

12

6

13

7

6

8

5

13

6

A \'ery poor showing, with no confirmed breeding records and low numbers of
localities and pairs, and so especially disappointing after the better numbers last year.

Great Grey Shrike Lanins excubiior
Correction to 1991 Report.

The report of an adult summering Great Grey Shrike in' Suffolk in 1991
included the observ^er’s comment that it was probably of the Iberian race L. e.
mcndionalis. At that time, the details had not been submitted to the British Birds
Rarities Committee. Subsequent consideration by the Committee led to the
conclusion that, while the bird was undoubtedly a Great Grey Shrike, there was
insufficient evidence on which to base the racial identification.

Brambling Fnngilla mofiiifiingilla
Two localities: 1-2 pairs breeding.

Scotland, S One locality: female paired to male Chaffinch F. coelcbs and singing male Brambling
nearby on 29th April, but not subsequently; habitat thought suitable.

Scotland, N & W One locality: pair on 16th June, the female collecting food.

The Scottish pair in June can be assumed to have been breeding, the first case
since 1988.

European Serin Serinus serinus
Two localities: 0-2 pairs.

England, SW One locality.

HAMPSHIRi; One locality: singing male from 28th May to 30th June.

England, SE One locality’.

KliNT One locality: singing male on 31st May and 1st June.

A second successive poor year, with again none in Devon, die former
stronghold for the species.

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus eiyihnmis
Six localities: 0-7 pairs breeding.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

91

England, SE Two locaUties: (1) pair on 28th May; (2) single on 2nd June,
ngland, E One locahty: singing male in full summer plumage on 27th May.

away on^^i Uh"^ ^mature 2 km

^ ^ 14th to 20th June in suitable

habitat, (2) first-summer male smgmg and holding territory on 9th June.

A disappointingly poor showing after last year’s prediction that the species was

ere to stay, perhaps, however, this is only a temporary gap in the expected
colonisation.

Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis

Two main localities: up to 19 pairs probably breeding.

Scotland N & W Two locahties: (1) 15 males and 16 females located, an increase of one male
and two females over 1992; (2) one male and three females reported.

These reports come mainly from surveys of two areas carried out as part of a
study of the species. Details of the breeding seasons and nesting success arising
from this study have recently been published (Smith & Marquiss, 1994, Scot
Birds 17: 323-334).

Girl Bunting Emheriza cirlus
92-361 breeding pairs.

England, SW

CORNWA1.L Five locaUties: (l)-(3) total of three pairs bred, but two probably faUed owing to
poor weather, and the fate of the third was unknown; (4) (5) single males, one in March, the
other in June.

DEVON 356 occupied territories found during a thorough survey. Of these, 90 held pairs which
were confirmed as breeding, a further 123 probably did so, while in the remaining 143 territories
there was a possibUity that breeding occurred. The 31 pairs monitored produced 3.9 fledged
young per pair, a 47% success rate, most failures coming during periods of heavy rain in June
and July.

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

Confirmed (pairs)

36

48

98

113

92

Possible (pairs)

83

85

143

207

269

Max. total pairs

119

133

241

320

361

The table shows the increase in numbers since Dr Andy Evans, RSPB, began
his study in 1989. Whilst some of the increase is due to greater recording effort,
the RSPB has been quick to implement management measures, including habitat
creation, based on Dr Evans’ findings, which have already made a considerable
contribution. The habitat creation and detailed survey work by the RSPB
continues, to the great benefit of this species, which will be featured in a
forthcorning paper in British Birds by Dr Andy Evans.

Dr M. A. Ogilvie, Glencaim, Br'idchladdich, Isle of Islay PA49 7UN

REVIEWS

Omitholoski Atlas Slovenije.

By Iztok Geister. Illustrated by Mark Hulme.

DZS, Ljubljana, 1995. 287 pages; 31 colour plates; 219 line-drawings; 219 distribution maps.
ISBN 86-341-1252-7. USS82.64.

Zimski Omitholoski Atlas Slovenije.

By Andrej Sovinc. Illustrated by Slavko Polak.

Tehniska zalozba Slovenije, Ljubljana, 1994. 452 pages; 192 line-drawongs; 192 distribution
maps. ISBN 86-365-0160-1. DM.100 [+ p&p].

These are The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Slovenia
and The Atlas of Wintenng Birds in Slovenia,
based on fieldwork during the fiw-year periods
1980-84 and 1986/87-1990/91, respectively.

We in Britain are proud of our adas
achievements, based on fieldwork by 10,000-
15,000 observers. In the first year of the
Slovenian Breeding Bird Adas 18 observers took
part, and in the five years of the project 174 of
Slovenia’s 244 lOXlO-km squares were
surrcyed; by the time of the Wintering Adas,
some 150 observ'ers were involved and all but
four of the squares were visited. These two
complementary books display the results in the
tradidonal form, with three sizes of dot.

Iztok Geister’s Breeding Adas is the plusher
of the two, and provides an excellent
background to the pair of books by describing
and illustrating (with excellent colour photo-
graphs) many of Slovenia’s varied habitats, with
a 15-page English-language text, followed by a
further 1 1 pages (also in English) on the
historical background, organisation of fieldwork,
recording method and a summary of the results.
These sections are followed by the individual
accounts, with one page devoted to each
species, including a clear map (the basic outline
shows forests in green, riv'ers in blue and the
three sizes of dot in dark brown). These pages
are gready enhanced by line-drawings by Mark
Hulme. Unfortunately, the species texts are
wholly in the Slovene language (but the maps
do ‘speak for themselves’ and tabular data for
each species include not just the numbers and
percentage of each size of dot, but also
population estimates and categories of
population change and range change).

The much thicker Wintering Adas dev'otes a
double-page spread to each species, although
the actual amount of text (again in the Slovene
language) is approximately the same (the map
is larger and so is the accompanying drawing of
the bird). Of especial value to non-Slov'ene-
speaking readers will be the interpretive
paragraph in English beneath each map.

Distribution is shown by open blue circles on
the grey-shaded outline map. For interpretive
purposes, readers of this atias will find two
loose transparent overlays of great use: one
show's Januarv' temperatures in ranges from
-8°C to +4°C and the other 25 v'egetational
zones (although a littie botanical knowledge
may be needed to interpret, for instance,
Ostryo-Quercetntn pnbescentis and Laztib-Abieti-
Fageium praealpinum) . Andrej Sovinc’s Winter
Adas lacks the long English-language summary
concerning history and methodology', but both
atiases state that they have followed the
recommended procedures of the former
European Ornithological Adas Committee (now'
part of the European Bird Census Council).

In summer, the most widespread species are
Blackcap Sylvia atticapilla. Blackbird Tnrdus
mcmla and Chaffinch FringiUa coelebs. In winter,
the most widely distributed are Great Tit Pams
tnajor, Chaffinch and Eurasian Jay Gamdus
glandaiiits.

The two authors, the organising committees,
and the dedicated band of obsen'ers responsible
for the fieldwork deserv'e our congratulations for
these two excellent adases. Anyone with any
interest in European adas studies or in the birds
of Slovenia will wish to acquire both.

J. T R. Sharrock

Ai,so Ri;a-;ivi;n

Together They Fly. By Bervl Chapman. (Barnworks Publishing, Pulborough, 1995. 197
pages. ISBN 1-899174-00-1. £4.99)

Where to Watch Birds in Somerset, Avon, Gloucestershire & Wiltshire. By Ken Hall &
John Govett. 2nd edn. (Christopher Helm, London, 1995. 280 pages. ISBN 0-7136-4023-5.
£12.99) (first edition reviewed Bnt. Birds 81: 688)

92

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NOTES

Male Kentish Plovers with complete breast-bands

^^hard Chandler and Hadoram
Shinhai {Bnt. Birds 88: 136-140) concerning female Kentish Plovers Charadnus
akxandrinus '^xih complete breast-bands. In April 1994, I encountered three
^ar mdividual Kentish Plovers in a flock of about 100 on a smaU mudflat in
Osaka Bay, Honshu, Japan. All three were males and all showed complete breast-

plates 25-27. Two male Kentish Plovers Charadnus alexandrinus with complete
breast-bands, Japan, April 1994 (T. Shiota). Above and below left show the same individual.

[Brit. Birds 89: 93-96, February 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

93

94

Notes

bands. I was able to photograph two of the three (plates 25-27). I have seen
similar individuals with complete breast-bands at the same location in the past, all
of which have been males.

Takeshi Shiota

4-4113-317 Yamada-Higashi, Sidta-Shi, Osaka, Japan (565)

Male Kentish Plover with complete breast-band
Whilst watching waders by the Yamuna River, Delhi, India, on 14th November
1993, I was surprised to find a male Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus with
a narrow dark band encircling the breast, joining the typical patches at the breast
sides. In other respects, the bird was a typical Kentish Plover, with otherwise clean
plumage, suggesting that the band was probably a true feature of its plumage
rather than due to soiling. The band was relatively narrow throughout, but was
clearly visible and quite striking when viewed head-on.

Steve Madge

2 Church Row, Sheviock, Torpoint, Cornwall PLll 3EH

Two juvenile Peregrine Falcons carrying same prey
On 25th July 1991, at Copperhouse Creek, West Cornwall, I saw two Peregrine
Falcons Falco peregiinus flying very close together at great speed in the direction
of the nearby town. A minute or so later, I observed a curious shape flying
towards me (fig. 1) and was astonished to discover two juvenile Peregrines both
carrying the same prey, a domesticated Rock Dove Colurnba livia: they were
flying side by side, slightly angled away from each other, both gripping the back
of the pigeon, which was still struggling. They landed fairly heavily in the creek,
where the pigeon was quickly dispatched and both falcons fed on the carcase. The
flooding tide caused the Peregrines to pull the carcase out of the water several
times; they were then joined by a third, larger (presumed female) juvenile, which
attempted, unsuccessfully, to lift the carcase from the water. The prey was then
abandoned, and aU three Peregrines stood in the creek for some 20 minutes before
flying off.

L P. Wiujams

2 Spnngfield Close, Phillack, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 5AH

Fig. 1. Stylised drawing of two Peregrine Faleons Falco percgritius simultaneously gripping
the back of a domesticated Rock Dove Colurnba livia in flight (redrawn by Robin Pry<therch
from sketch by L. P. Williams)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February' 1996

95

Little Curlew with damaged bill

The records of Little Curlew Niimenius minutus in Britain reminded me of the
toUowmg. In the early 1960s, one individual in a regular wintering flock of Little
Curlews at Port Moresby airport, Papua New Guinea, had three-quarters of its
bill missmg. This could be thought a catastrophe for a wader, yet the bird seemed
m no difficulty; its plumage, appearance and behaviour were as those of the rest

of the flock, and it seemed to be feeding normally. It remained for months
Mike Freer

11 Keswick Close, Cringleford, Norwich NR4 6UW

EDITORIAL COMMENT We published a paper by D. E. Pomeroy on ‘Birds with
abnormal bills’ in 1962 {Brit. Birds 55: 49-72).

Plunge-bathing by Common Redshanks

On 1st September 1985, at a disused chalk-pit at Cliffe, Kent, I noticed a number of
Common Redshanks Tringa totanus apparently engaged in plunge-bathing. The
•majority of those in a roost of 50 or more flew a few metres from the spit on which the
flock was resting and ‘belly-flopped’ into the water; immediately after making contact
with the surface, each one rejoined the rest of the flock and commenced preening
Anthony Webb

1 Woolacombe Road, Blackheath, London SE3 8QJ

EDITORIAL COMMENT There are only a few published accounts of this behaviour
(e.g. Bnt. Birds 63: 254), but it appears to be a fairly common method of bathing
among waders of the genus Tringa and other waterbirds, and is referred to by
Glutz & Bauer {Die Vogel Mitteleuropas) .

Juvenile plumage of European sandgrouse

The juvenile plumages of Europe’s two regularly breeding sandgrouse have been
described in BWP (vol. 4), but the true juvenile plumages are not figured there. Nor
does Johnsgard (1991) illustrate the juvenile plumages, his description adding nothing
to that in BWP. Plates 28 and 29 (see page 96) are perhaps the first illustrations
showing these plumages to be published. They show adults of both species
accompanied by juveniles and were taken at a water-hole m Extremadura, Spain, in
early September 1993. It can be seen from these plates that the juveniles of both
sandgrouse species are clearly separable from the adults, contra Cramp (1985: 263),
where it is stated that the juvenile Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis ‘closely
resembles 9’ and is ‘scarcely separable’. The juvenile Pin-tailed Sandgrouse P. alchata,
according to Cramp (1985: 269), has ‘no black division between chest and underbody’
but, as plate 28 shows, black edges to some of the breast feathers do form an
intermpted but distinct black fine between the breast and the belly. The juveniles of the
two species differ in that the juvenile Black-bellied has paler and less well-marked
upperparts than the juvenile Pin-tailed, and its belly is black.

Richard Vaughan

Bee Stone, Low Mills, York Y06 6XH

References

Cramp, S. (ed.) 1985. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. vol. 4. Oxford.

Johnsgard, P. A. 1991. Bustards, Hemipodes, and Sandgrouse: birds of dry places. Oxford.

96

Notes

Plate 28. Party of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles akhata: a female, four males and three
juveniles, Spain, September 1993 {Richard Vaughan)

Plate 29. Family of Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pfcrocks oricnialis: left to right, female,
juvenile and male, Spain, September 1993 {Richard Vitighan)

NEWS AND COMMENT

Compiled by Bob Scott and Wendy Dickson

Opinions expressed in this feature are not necessarily those of ‘British Birds’

The National Trust and Nature
Conservation

Ask most birders about the National Trust (NT) and they will no doubt have an
image of stately homes and gardens — and without doubt that is very much the
picture the Trust has presented of itself over the last 100 years since it was
established in 1895. The National Trust Act of 1907, however, also charged the
NT with the preservation of ‘natural aspect feamres and animal and plant life’.
Indeed, some of the earliest sites acquired by the Trust included Wicken Fen
(1899), Hindhead Common (1906) and Blakeney Point (1912). Altogether, the
Trust owns, or manages, some 235,000 ha of land, together with over 880 km of
coastline, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Perhaps the Trust itself has not presented the appropriate image of its
conservation work to the outside world. The recent publication of The National
Trust and Nature Conservation will go some way to redress the balance. The
document is smffed full of interesting facts and figures. Over 70 of the Red Data
birds (61%) are found on Trust land; 128 (40%) of the Red Data vascular plants;
five (71%) of the Red Data butterflies; 466 designated Sites of Special Scientific
Interest and 26 National Nature Reserves are owned or partially owned.

Surprisingly, the NT employs only nine full-time conservation staff at its
central Estates Advisory Office, although these are backed up by some 80 or so
countryside staff out ‘on site’. There are few namre conservation organisations in
the ETK today that can claim to have a total UK overview of their work. Although
the NT does not cover Scotland, it is almost unique in its England, Wales, and
Northern Ireland role. We hear rumours that there are plans to regionalise the
namre conservation work of the Trust. If this is so, it must be a retrograde step.
If the National Trust is serious in wishing to be increasingly viewed as a namre
conservation organisation (and it has justification and a track record for doing so),
it must keep a strong central namre conseiv'ation function. The UK has seen far
too much fragmentation of its namre conservation work in recent years, and a
UK overview is paramount if we are to achieve our conservation priorities. Like
aU charities, the NT is short of funds, but, with its 2.2 million subscribing
members, a high priority must be to have more conservationists on the ground
and a strong central team to back them up and provide the expertise.

Copies of The National Trust and Nature Conservation are available from The
National Trust, 33 Sheep Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire gl7 iqw.

Do West African Little Terns squeak?

The BOU Records Committee, currently
assessing the claims of the Nearctic Least Tern
Sterna (albifrons) antillamm in Britain,
encourages observers visiting the West African

range of Little Terns A. albifrons of the race
guineae (or is it a race of 5. antillamm}) to
study the bird closely and, if possible, to obtain
recordings of its vocalisations.

[Brit. Birds 89: 97-102, February 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

97

98

News and comment

Pressure on birds of prey in
the UK

Recent years have seen a growing pressure,
from several quarters, for the legalisation of
the control of certain bird-of-prey species.
Foremost in the campaign have been the
pigeon-racing and grouse-shooting
fraternities. In 1995, the Department of the
Environment hosted a meeting of interested
parties and agreed to establish a working
group to examine all the facts and identify
any possible action. The group has been
given one year to report back to the Minister
with any recommendations. Two members of
the working group have made their positions
quite clear.

First, the RSPB, in the winter issue of its
magazine Birds, has devoted considerable
space to the raptor question and concludes
that there is no evidence to justify any control
action.

Secondly, the Joint Nature ConseiA'ation
Committee, in a Press release, has stated that
the three statutory conservation agencies are
opposed to the licensed killing of birds of
prey. Several authorities have stressed the
need to pay more attention to habitat
management than to the control of numbers
of any given species.

With the possible exception of the Hen
Harrier Circus cyaneus, bird-of-prey
populations in the UK are stable or
increasing, although few probably occupy the
range that is available to them. The working
group is charged with identifying the impact
of raptors on game-birds and pigeons and
considering mechanisms that could resolve
the problems. Let us hope that birds of prey
are not used as scapegoats.

The public enquiries unit for the working
group may be contacted on 0171-276 0900.

. . . and in France

Some 21,000 French hunters have petitioned
for a change in the protection laws in order
to allow the control of harriers Circus, which
they accuse of causing the decline of the
Grey Partridge Perdix pcrdix in France.

The LPO (Ligue Franc;aise pour la
Protection des Oiseaux) is organising a
counter petition based on loss of habitat and
shortage of insects and weed-seeds. UK
support for the LPO is organised by Ken
Hall, I’hc Anchorage, The Chalks, Chew
Adagna, Bristol HS18 8SN.

Wildfowl in Bulgaria

The midwinter (1994/95) waterfowi counts in
Bulgaria resulted in a record total of 464,063
indi\iduals of -56 species. Amongst these was
the amazing total of 316,062 White-fronted
Geese Amei- albifrom, and, by comparison, a
meagre 40,557 Red-breasted Geese Branta
ruJkoUis. The importance of geese amongst the
wintering waterfowl of Bulgaria is demonstrated
by the percentages: 77% of all the w'aterfowi are
geese, whereas only 0.08% are sea-ducks. The
involvement and commitment to the winter
counts by Bulgarian ornithologists demonstrates
the progress that the Bulgarian Society for the
Protection of Birds is making. Over a seven-day
period, some 20 Bulgarian birdwatchers visited
29 of Bulgaria’s 34 key w'etland sites.

Since its formation in 1988, the BSPB has
enjoyed steady growth from the original 50
members to its current membership of over
1,000, widi 15 regional branches throughout
the countrv'. Growing numbers of visiting
birders from Western Europe hav'e discovered
the ornithological interest of the country', and
foreign nationals are encouraged to support the
Society through membership. The BSPB has
recently moved offices, the new address being
‘Dianabad’, bl.42, et.5, ap.34, Sofia 1172,
Bulgaria; tel/fax: 00-3-592-620815.

New birdlife art gallery

Situated above the in focus shop at 8-10 Royal
Opera Arcade, off Pall Mall, London swi, the
first exhibition in the new art gallery will
feamre the work of Martin Woodcock, which
will be on show from 10th Februarv' to 22nd
March. Clive Byers, Robert Gillmor, Alan
Harris, Bruce Pearson and Michael Warren
will exhibit later in 1996 and in 1997.

For details, contact Exhibition Organiser,
Graeme Green, on 0171-839 1881.

Lost in the translation

Two promotional leaflets have come our way
recently. Hie first we collected on a trip to the
Netherlands and it promotes Zeewolde in
Flevoland. ‘Opposite Hardcrwijk is a swamp
and lake area called Harderbroek. Here bred
harriers, dodos, bitterns and grebes.’ 'Phe
second was sent to us by J. J. Walling and is
for the Cotentin and Bessin Marshlands
Regional Nature Park in Nomiandy. ‘. . . a
huge lake forms in the marshes. The presence
of this “whitened” stretch accounts for the
W'callh of hibernating birds.’

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

BTO’s 10,000th

John Small from North Wales was
birdwatching in the hide at Llyn Alaw
Reservoir on Anglesey when he discovered
that he had left his field-notebook at home.
Fortunately, the hide contained a dispenser
filled with BTO recruitment Literature and
John ‘borrowed’ one to record his
observations. Later, back at home, having
presumably transferred his observations to a
more permanent recording system, he used
the form to send off Liis first subscription to

Guessing numbers

We should like to ask all our readers a simple
question: Which is the most numerous in
Britain, the Red Fox Vulpes viilpes or the
Badger Meles meles} We rather suspect that
most will vote for the fox. A recent census
carried out by Bristol University, however, has
estimated that there are only 240,000 Red
Foxes compared with 250,000 Badgers. This
started us thinking about perceptions
regarding bird populations, a group that
clearly has an exceptional database of
information. W’ithout looking them up, try
estimating (or guessing) which of each of the
following pairs has the largest British breeding
population. Tawny Owl Strix aluco versus
Great Black-backed Gull Lams mannus\
Hobby Falco subbuteo v. Common Pochard
Aythya fenna, Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter
nisus V. Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major, and Moorhen Gallmula
chloropus V. European Golden Plover Pluvialis
apricaria.

You may be interested to know that the
Bristol University team came up with
population estimates of 7,350 Otters Lutra
lutra and 1,600 Red Squirrels Sciums vidgaris.

The Northern Exhibition of
Wildlife Art

This year’s exhibition will be held at the Black
Sheep Gallery, in the old stables complex of
Hawarden Castle, Clwyd, during 5th-21st
April. The exhibition is open to professional
and amateur artists from the UK and Ireland,
who are invited to submit two works, in any
two-dimensional medium, in March 1996.
Artists wishing for further details of the
exliibition, or a schedule and registration form,
should contact M. Tuffrey, 1 1 Dibbins Hey,
Poulton Lancelyn, Bebington, Wirral L63 9JU.
{Contributed by Thelma K. Sykes)

99

the BTO. As a result, he became the BTO’s
10,000th member and was rewarded with a
pair of Letca 8 X 32 BA Trinovid binoculars.

There has recently been some criticism that
modern birdwatchers do not regularly take
field notes. Please do not use tliis story as an
excuse to leave your field-notebooks at home.

Every British birdwatcher should join the
BTO: write to BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford,
Norfolk IP24 2PU.

More wintering Blackcaps for
Britain?

Professor Peter Berthold’s continuing work on
Blackcaps Sylzda atricapilla in southern Germany
suggests some exciting possibilities for the future.
British Blackcaps winter in the Mediterranean
basin and West Afiica, whereas British-wintering
Blackcaps originate in southern Germany and
Austria. Those wintering in Britain and Ireland
apparently return to their breeding grounds
earlier than the more distant southerly wintering
indittiduals, get first choice of nesting sites, and
breed earlier and more successfully. If global
warming continues, this could quickly result in a
significant increase in the numbers wintering in
Britain.

More UAE bird stamps

Pour new designs comprise the second set of
bird stamps in a series of 20 stamps being
produced over a five-year period by the
United Arab Emirates. This set of four can be
obtained (for £2.50 incl. p&p) from Colin
Richardson, PO Box 50394, Dubai.

asTniMOMiTts airawttfwwB

100

News and comment

Good news for Corn Crakes

For the second year running, 1995 saw an
increase in numbers of Com Crakes Crex crex
in parts of Scotland. Specifically, numbers in
Orkney increased from 20 singing males in
1994 to 37, while there were also slight
increases in Lewis and other Western Isles.

For the past four years, the RSPB, Scottish
Namral Heritage and the Scottish Crofters
Union hav'e jointly run the ‘Corncrake
Inidadve’, by which crofters and farmers arc
paid, through European funds, to cut hay and

silage after 31st July, and encouraged to use
Com Crake-friendly mowing techniques to
reduce the risks, pardcularly to young birds,
from farm machinery. With some of the areas
of increase within Environmentally Sensidve
Areas (ESAs), the RSPB hopes that before
long this mechanism will be enhanced to
deliver effeedve Com Crake management and
thus obviate the need for the ‘Corncrake
Inidadve’ to continue.

N&c taken to task over rubber ducks

We recendy (Brit. Birds 88: 391) published an
item which suggested that the dumping of
large numbers of tyres into the sea could be
the soludon to some erosion problems near
Spurn Head, Humberside. A rapid response
from Jeff Lunn of English Nature pointed out,
quite righdy, that the erosion on this coastline
provides vital sediments that maintain the
mudflats of the Humber Estuaiy, one of the
top five estuaries in the UK for birds. Indeed,
the site holds wintering populadons of nine
species at intemadonally important levels and
totals of over 140,000 waterfowl. Any
alteradons to the supply of sediment could
have major implicadons for the site and its
associated habitats and species. There is
ob\’iously a human as w’ell as a wildlife element
to the problem of erosion on this coast and it

must be hoped that a sound and effeedve way
can be developed to ensure the future interests
of both.

It is perhaps a coincidence, but we recendy
received an invitadon to attend the opening of
the Spurn Heritage Coast Visitor Centre and
offices at The Blue Bell, Kilnsea. With regret,
we were not able to attend, but with the
invitadon we received a small package of sand
from Spurn’s eastern beach. We were
requested to bring the sand with us and play
our part in ‘Spurn’s moving stoiy’. In fact,
during the course of the day, each guest was
asked to help Spurn Head to move by taking
a bucketful of sand from the east shore across
the few metres to the west shore: preferable,
we assume, to throwing a tyre into the sea?

SOC Conference 1995

Just over 200 people gathered at the new
venue of Kingussie for the Scottish
Ornithologists’ Club Annual Conference on
the weekend of 3rd-5th November. After the
tradidonal show^ing of members’ slides on the
Friday evening, the annual photographic
compeddon was won by Edmund FeUowes.

President Ray Murray got Saturday
morning off to a rousing start with Algirdas
Knystautas from Lithuania on ‘The birds of
Russia’, during which we travelled through
vast areas of diverse habitats; Ron Summers
showed how lemmings Lernmusl MyopusI
Dicrostonyx rather than Polar Bears Ursus
maiitimus rule the Arctic; Kathleen Cartwright
took us through the Russian Arcdc by w'ay of
Franz Josef Land, East Taimyr and the
Kolyma Delta; and Norman Elkins showed
how various weather systems affect the arrival
here of migrants and vagrants.

Sunday kicked off to an equally stimuladng
start, with Roy Dennis debating the
possibilides of re-establishing certain mammal
species to Britain, notably Grey Wolf Canis
lupus, Brown Bear Ursus arctos and European
Beaver Castor fiber, Richard E\'ans described
his 1 8-year study of wintering sea-ducks in the
Moray Firth; Rik Smith took us to the high
tops in search of Snow Bundngs Plcaropheuax
nivalis-, Mark O’Brien covered lowland
breeding waders; and Pete Moore rounded off
an excellent weekend with his evocative shots
of Highland habitats, birds and mammals.

BB was, of course, represented with the
usual ‘A4yster\’ Photographs Compeddon’,
but in a political break from tradition,
Edmund FeUowes, tlic winner (again), was
presented by Malcolm Ogil\ie with a botde of
sparkling Australian Chardonnay instead of
French Champagne.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 2, February 1996

101

Scottish birds in 1993

Apart from Scotland’s first Gem’s Warbler
Cettia cetti, Marmora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda
and Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis, and
a host of other rarities, the Scottish
Ormtholo^sts’ Club’s Scottish Bird Report
1993 (edited by Ray Murray, assisted by
David Kelly) includes details of all the scarce
species and summaries for the commoner
ones. Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
bred. Wood Lark Lidliila arborea sang and
may have bred, eastern Common Stonechat
Saxicola torquata mauraJ stejnegeri sang but
failed to find a mate, and Ruddy Ducks
Oxyura jamaicensis consolidated (27 sites, 22
broods, 67 young). There was ‘a noticeable
increase in the frequency of escaped Eastern
Asian species appearing— with another Pallas’s
Rosefinch [Caipodacus roseus], two records of
Long-tailed Rosefinch [Uragus sibnicus], a
Verditer Flycatcher [Eumyias thalassind\ and
a Chinese Grosbeak [YeUow-billed Grosbeak
Eophona migratoiia]\'.

The SBR 1993 is £4.50 (incl. p&p) to non-
members; membership of the SOC is £15.00,
and members get the SBR free. The address
of the SOC is 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

EH7 5BT.

New photographic editor for
OSME

Paul Doherty is well known for his bird
photography (and for finding Britain’s first
Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
near his local supermarket car park). More
recently, he has produced the ‘Bird Images’
range of video guides. Now he has added the
task of photographic editor for the
Ornithological Society of the Middle East to
his repertoire. Anyone with high-quality
photographs of Middle Eastern birds can
contact Paul at 28 Carousel Walk, Sherbum in
Elmet, North Yorkshire LS25 6i.p; telephone
01977-684666.

Wild Places ’95

Repeating the 1994 competition, the YOC
asked its members to adopt a local ‘Wild
Place’ during the summer, and to visit it on
several occasions, noting the habitats and
species present. They were asked to write it up
in a log book, using text, illustrations and
photos, and tlien finally to suggest ways in
which their particular ‘Wild Place’ could be
improved for the wildlife, without changing
the main land use. Winners were selected

News from Malta

Malta was once considered one of the bird-
protection black spots’ in the Mediterranean,
but membership of BirdLife Malta (MOS) has
now passed the 4,000 mark, which represents a
higher proportion of the national population
than for any other European bird-protection
society. Latest news is given in the bimonthly
newsletter BirdTalk. There have been numerous
successful raids, prosecutions and convictions
resulting fi-om iQegal hunting activities, including
one instance where the Public Relations Officer
of the Hunters and Trappers’ Association was
caught red-handed trapping finches in the close
season. The year 1995 also saw some successes:
Little Ringed Plovers Charadrius dubius bred for
the first time, two pairs of Reed Warblers
Aa-ocephalus scirpaceus bred successfully for the
first time since 1977, and Bam Swallows
Himndo nistka reared two young, having last
bred in Malta 20 years ago. Another new
breeding species. Rufous Nightingale Lusdnia
megarhynchos, failed when its nest was destroyed
by a predator.

If you would like to assist with what is
clearly a winning team in Malta, contact
BirdLife Malta (MOS), PO Box 498, Valletta
CMR 01, Malta.

Let Basking Sharks bask

The Basking Shark Cetorhmus maximus is the
second-biggest fish species in the World,
weighing in at up to six tonnes. These placid
marine leviathans are harmless, slow-moving
surface-feeders, capable of sifting the plankton
from 330,000 gallons (1.5 million litres) of
water per hour, but are very \Tjlnerable to
injury from the propellers of motor boats.

If you see one of these giants on a pelagic
trip or during a seawatch, please note as many
details as possible for the Basking Shark
Watch Project organised by the Marine
Conservation Society, 9 Gloucester Road,
Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire hr9 5BU.

from three age groups. David Surtees
(Savigny-sur-Orge, France) was winner of the
9-and-under category; Helen Wood (Melton
Mowbray) 10-12 years; and Gemma Lee
(Shepton Mallet) 13-and-over category'. In
addition to cash prizes, outdoor clothing and
optics for the winners. Gemma has won a
week’s holiday at the Ru’a Fiola outdoor
wildlife experience off Western Scotland.

102

News and comment

The Fisher Collection

A detailed catalogue of the manuscripts of the
late James Fisher — naturalist, conser\’ationist,
ornithologist, writer and broadcaster — is now'
housed in the General Librar>' of the Natural
History’ Museum. The collection includes
correspondence, diaries and notebooks,
research files, broadcast scripts, photographs
and much else relating to all aspects of his life
and work. The 86-page catalogue is available,
price £9.00 + postage, from J. C. Thackray,
Department of Library and Information
Services, The Natural History Museum,
Cromw'ell Road, London SW7 5BD.

REGIONAL NEWS TEAM

Dave Allen — Northern Ireland

Tim Cleeves — Northeast

David Clugston — Scotland

Dave Flumm — Southwest

Frank Gribble — Midlands

Barrie Harding — East Anglia

Oran O’Sullivan — Republic of Ireland

Don Taylor — Southeast

Dr Stephanie Tyler — Wales

John Wilson — Northwest

^ RECENT REPORTS

Compiled by Bany Nightingale and Atiihotiy McGeehan

This summarw' covers the period 18th December 1995 to 14th January 1996.
These are unchecked reports, not authenticated records.

Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax
auriins Still present at Nimmo’s Pier, Galway
CiU' (Co. Galway), to at least 27th December.
Great White Egret Egreita alba Near East
Grinstead (West Sussex), 1 2th Januar\’.
Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser
eryihropns Glencaple (Dumfries & Galloway),
2nd-3rd January; Slimbridge (Gloucester-
shire), 4th to at least 14th Januaiy.
Red-breasted Goose Branla mfieollis Old
Hall Marshes (Essex), 3rd to at least 14th
Januaiy.

American Wigeon Aims americana Charlcville
Lagoons (Co. Cork), 31st December.
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Charleville
Lagoons (Co. Cork), 31st December.

Gyr Falcon Falco msticolus Trebister
(Shedand), 31st December.

Killdeer Plover Charadrius vocifems
Wheldrake Ings (North Yorkshire), 25th-26th
December; Lamoma Cove (Cornwall), 11th
January'.

Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanolenca Still
present near Blenncn'ille (Co. Kerr}'), to at
least 26th December.

Franklin’s Gull Lams pipixean Gloucester
(Gloucestershire), 6th-7th January.

Bonaparte’s Gull Lams Philadelphia Sennen
Cove (Cornwall), 11th Januaiy.

Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri The Fleet
(Dorset), 26th December; Ferry Bridge
(Dorset), 31st December to at least 14th
Januaiy.

Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla gatrnlns
Small influx into eastern England from mid
December, with flocks of up to 50 in East
Anglia.

Penduline Tit Remiz pendnlinus Three,
Dungeness (Kent), 23rd December to at least
14th January'.

European Serin Scrinns sennits Between East
Runton and Cromer (Norfolk), 26th
December to at least 1 4th Januaiy.

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and is £2.50 extra per insertion
Replies should be sent to the
above address

Series Discounts

3 for the price of 2
6 for the price of 4
1 2 for the price of 8

Copy date March issue

February 5th

Please post early

to avoid disappointment

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

ENGLAND

CLEY. 3 quality cottages (sleep 4. 6 and 6+2), Quiet, com-
fortable. excellent value. Brochure (01353) 740770.

(BB872)

CLEY. DELIGHTFUL HOUSE in village. 4 bdm, CH.
large garden. Avail, all year. Mrs E. Album, 47 Lyndale
Ave., London NW2 OQB. 0171-431 2942. (BB886)

ISLES OF SCILLY. Trelawney Guest House, St Mary's
TR2I OJT. Bookings now being taken for B&B, 1995
Season. Tel/Fax: 01720 422377 for brochure. (BB789)

N. NORFOLK, NR CLEY. Charming 2 bedroom flint cot-
tage in Holt. Tastefully furnished, well equipped, GCH,
spacious garden. Tel, 01788 815380. (BB838)

SEAHOUSES, NORTHUMBERLAND. Comfortable
stone cottage with open-fired central heating. Sleeps 4/5.
No pets. 0161 485 6641. (BB900)

GARA MILL. Slapton. Devon, Self-catering for 2-7 in
secluded four acres overlooking river and woods. Eight
detached cedar lodges, plus 2 CH flats in 16c. cornmill.
Near Slapton Ley. TV’s. Dogs welcome. Free brochure:
(01803) 770295. (BB007)

SCOTLAND

THE HOTEL Isle of Colonsay, Argyll PA6I 7YP. Demi-
pension (private bath) from £55.00. Details, brochure, map
(birdlist on request). Tel. 01951 200316. (BB898)

ELLARY ESTATE— MOST ATTRACTIVE choice of
self-catering cottages and chalets situated on the shores of
Loch Caolisport. While you are at Ellary you are free to go
wherever you please. There are hill walks, many ochs and
burns where you can fish, numerous wildlife, birds,
flowers, etc. The perfect location for the true country lover,'
For full colour brochure please write to: The Booking
Office, Ellary 7, Lochgilphead, Argyll PA3 1 SPA. Tel:
01546 850 223 or 01546 85223. Fax 01880 770386.

(BB902)

Locheil Guest House

Visitors to Garten. Abemethy, Strathspey?
Locheil Guest House offers B&B from £14; DBB
£23. For brochure + 150 bird list, walks, slide talks.
Write: Locheil, Boat of Garten PH24 3BX.

Tel: 01479-831-603

(BB909)

WALES

KITE COUNTRY. Licensed guest house, own grounds.
Superb cuisine, en-suite, log fires. Redstarts, flycatchers
nest within grounds, kites all around. Wonderful walks,
unspoiled countryside. Caravan available. Brochure, tel.
01974-282289. (BB906)

OVERSEAS

PROVENCE, CAMARGUE. Farm cottage, apt., b&b.
Rogers, Mas d'Auphan, Le Sambuc, 13200 ARLES,
France. Tel: (0033) 90972041, fax 90972087. (BB892)

TARIFA, SPAIN. 3 star hotel, 5 minutes Tarifa. South West
Spain, Migration often directly overhead. Many excellent
sites within easy distance. Bird watchers, independent and
group requirements understood and catered for. Excellent
restaurant and pool. English. Dutch. German and French
spoken. Send for brochure and rate to: “Hotel Balcon de
Espana”, 1 1380 Tarifa (Cadiz) Spain. Tel. 00-34-58-684326
Fax. 00-34-56-684072. (BB0I5)

VENEZUELA — two superb neotropical birdwatching
tours for early 1996, at realistic prices. Also tailor-made
trips. Geodyssey 0171-281 7788. (BB879)

HONG KONG — Superb birding Sept-May. Richard

Lewthwaite, 2 Villa Palom.i. Shuen Wan. Tai Po. Hong
Kong. Tel: (+852) 2665 8506. Fax: (+852) 2665 8190.

(BB875)

WESTERN PYRENEES. Resident English local guide
for Western Pyrenees and Northern Spain (Hecho/Riglos
area). Contact Richard Cruse, 106 Rue Navarrot. 64400
Oloran Ste Marie, France. Tel. (0033) 59-39-47-75.

(BB873)

XI

TO ADVERTISE FAX 01 767 640025

BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS

NEW ZEALAND. Experience our unique plant and bird
community in diverse and dramatic landscapes. Our tours
are customized to suit birders, photographers and natural-
ists. Information: Manu Tours. 1 06 Ocean Beach Road.
Tairua. 2S53 New Zealand. PH/Fax (64) (7) 864 7475.

(BB008)

SRI LANKA -

ORNITHOLOGISTS PARADISE -

Home to 426 species 21 of which are endemic -
SpeciaJist guides provided for tours from
individuals to groups - Best period November to
March - Contact Delmege Forsyth Tours.

101. Vinayalankara Mawatha. Colombo 10.

Sri Lanka.

Telephone: 0094 1 693361 - 8. 699500 & 699984

Telex : 21320 LEWIS CE. 21536 DFSHIP. 22766 DELAIR CE

Fax : 0094 1 698139. 699413. 686149

(BB856)

.SPRING MIGRATION IN CANADA! Professional
Naturalist offers personalized guiding service to maximise
your birding experience. I(K)-I5() species possible in 2 to
3 days in May. Up to 20 species of Waterfowl in early April.
Quiet rural setting in SB Ontario. Canada. For details on
rates and birds: David Bree, Gen. Del.. Bloomfield. Ontario.
KOK IGO, Canada. Phone/FAX 613-393-1965. (BB905)

DISCOUNT

FLIGHTS

CAR HIRE
ACCOMMODATION
SEA TRAVEL
PACKAGE HOLIDAYS

TRAVEL NEWS

FLIGHTS

ANY AIRLINE, ANY
DESTINATION!

NEW FOR 1996-
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GROUPS AND

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WORLDWIDE TOURS AND HOLIDAYS

ANTARCTICA 1996/7
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to lUDlOiNtf s'®

0« 01603 767757
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE,
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BELIZE: offers over 500 species. Tamandua, a birdwatch-
ers paradise, offers accom. for up to 8 guests in a superb
jungle location with riverine, forest and organic orchard
habitats. Details: Dempsey, PO Box 306, Belmopan, Belize.

(BB005)

CAIRNS. AUSTRALIA. General birding for up to 100
species in a day, 200 in four, flit lists also welcomed for
such as Cas.sowary, Baza, White-browed Crake. Beach Sl-
curlew. Squatter Pigeon, Fig Parrot. Rufous Owl. Little
Kingfisher, Victoria's Rillebird, 5 Bowerbirds, and up to
12 Finches. From $50/person/half-day. Pelagic 28th April
for tropical- and storm-petrels etc. Also short tours to
Papu.a-New Guinea at end of Mar, June. Sept, from $1300
ex Cairns, Andy Anderson. Birding Services. Box 7999
Cairns 4870. Australia. Fax/Ph 70/323387. Email:
birdo@internetnorth.com.au (BB904)

‘HIGH ISLAND’

UPPER TEXAS COAST U.S.A.

Bed and breakfast for groups of 4 or 8. Tours given.
'Birder's Haven, PO Box 309, High Island. Texas 77623.
Tel. 409 286 5362 or 214 824 5390. (BB863)

COSTA RICA
“The Ultimate in Birding”

RANCHO NATURALISTA
or TARCOL LODGE

ALL inclusive from $436/wk/

Apdo. 12071-1000, San Jose, Costa Rica.

Ph/fax 506/267-7138 (bbtod

HELL!

Faulty binoculars, foul fumes and fleeting birds. Why
risk that when you can touch paradi.se? Tropical Cairns
in Northern Australia is the gateway to World Heritage
rainforests, shimmering coral islands and rugged out-
back country. All teeming with exotic and spectacular
birdlife. Five day ground packages from 700 pounds.
For details contact me NOW! Cheat the Devil and die
smiling. CHRIS HARRISS, 9/20 Girralong St., Woree.
Q. AUSTRALIA 4868. (BB894)

NATAL - South Africa

A guided birding expedition which sections Natal from Satii
Pass (Drakensberg) to the sea includes grassland, mistbell forest,
bushveld, and coastal forest. Comfortable and personal. Nov to
March best. Details from Rob Guy, tel. (X)27-33-701 1020. P.O.
Box 161. Underberg 4590. S. Africa; or Tim Earl (Guernsey),
tel. (01481 ) 45866 (w) or 64504 (h).

(BB(K)2)

FOR SALE

BIRDWATCIIING IN LESBO.S. Find out the sites to
visit, the birds to see. Full description of sites with maps
plus bird list. 45 pages. £5.00. M. Williams, 87 Leant
Terrace, Leamington Spa, Warvsickshirc CV31 IDE.

(BB887)

BACK NI MBERS OK BRITISH BIRDS, July 1979 to
December 1982 (41 issues — Aug 1989 missing). £30 inc,
p&p. M. Brown, Fairbanks, llusthwaitc, York Y06 3SX.

(BB003)

XII

TO ADVERTISE PHONE 01767 640467

BB VOL 79. I. 3. 7, 8. lO & 1 1. Vol 81. 8 & 1 2. Tel. 01292-
■*-*-292. (BBOlO)

SMALL BIRD-RELATED BUSINESS (part-time or
hobby). Runs troni one room. No direct competition.
Details; Box No. II4. (BB0I3)

SMALL ESTABLISHED PUBLISHING COMPANY
with potential tor expansion. Change in family circum-
stances call for sale. Enquiries — Coxton Publications,
Eastwood. Beverley Rd. Walkington, Beverley HU I 8RP.

(BB0I4)

WILDLIFE WATCHING/PHOTOGRAPHY

Camouflage pattern materials, poles, frames and fittings.
Leafscreens, scrim, olive green camera straps, padded tri-
pod slings, belts, webbing, clothing, hats, mats, insect repel-
lent, elastic camouflage sleeving for lenses. Outdoor safety
equip, etc. etc.

Details: Kevin Keatley, Wildlife Watching Supplies,
Town Living Farmhouse, Puddington,

Tiverton, Devon EX16 8LW.

Tel, fax and 24 hr (01884) 860692 (BB890)

BIRD BOOKS. Good secondhand books, bought and sold.
Free catalogue from and offers to Briant Books, 94 Quarry
Lane, Kelsall. Tarporley. Cheshire CW6 6NJ. Tel: 01892
751804. (BB897)

BIRD BOOKS. Out-of-print, uncommon and rare. Quarterly
catalogue. Peacock Books. Box 2024. Littleton, Mass.
01460, USA. (BB908)

BIRD REPORTS

BIRDS OF OXON. 1994. £4.00 inc p&p from R. Overall.
30 Hunsdon Road, Iffley, Oxford 0X4 4JT. (BB009)

DERBYSHIRE BIRD REPORT 1994. 112 pages. Colour
cover and plates. Articles. £5.50 inc p&p, to D.O.S., 194
Longedge Lane, Chesterfield S42 6PQ. (BBOl I)

1994 KENT BIRD REPORT. £6.00. Cheque payable
K.O.S.. c/o 13 Crown Lane. Bromley. Kent BR2 9PG.

(BBOl 2)

OPTICAL EQUIPMENT

WANTED

PEREffRINE. The Private Life of the Peregrine Falcon by
R. D. Treleaven. Clean copy required, Tel. 01308-427996.

(BB006)

BIRD INFORMATION

PAGERS

now get your bird news from just

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incl Pager+Bird News
and free personal paging
“Pagers you can rely on”

Rare Bird Alert: 01603-767799

’'‘Plus an annual fee of £30. All prices plus VAT minimum contract 12 months

(BB886)

BOOKS

The original

BIRDWATCHER’S
LOGBOOK

The most concise way to record your
observations. Monthly, annual and life
columns for 762 species, plus 159 diary
pages. Send £6.75 inclusive P/P to:

Coxton Publications,

Eastwood, Beverley Rd, Walkington,
Beverley, HU17 8RP. 01482 881833

FOCALPOINT

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OPEN 9.30-5.30 MON-ERI SAT 9.30-4.00

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by experienced birders.

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range of bird/natural history books.

SKUA ‘stay-on-the-scope’ telescope
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Telephone: 01925 730399 Fax: 01606 892207

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BINOCULARS & TELESCOPES

by; Swarovski, Swift, Ross, Kowa,

Docter Optic, Bresser, Bushnell, Bausch &
Lomb, Zeiss, Optolyth, Mirador.
TRIPODS & ACCESSORIES
by: Cullmann, Slik
Phone or write for your free
brochure and price list

P.O. Box No. 184, Banbury, Oxon, 0X16 9RT
Telephone: (01295) 264365 ^

(BB893)

LOFTUS & ROWE

We will collimate your binoculars for only
£21.00 including carriage.

71 BOLD STREET, LIVERPOOL
TEL: 0151 709 4149

xiii

(BB891)

British Birds

Volume 89 Number 2 February 1996

5 1 Minutes of 3rd Conference of
European Rarities Committees
Tom Conzernim

54 Field identification of Little and
Baillon’s Crakes David A. Chiistie,
Hadoram Shirihai and Alan Harris

59 Looking back

60 Monthly marathon

6 1 Rare breeding birds in the United
Kingdom in 1993 Dr Malcolm Ogilvie
and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel

Reviews

92 ‘Omitholoski Atlas Slovenije’ by Iztok
Geister; ‘Zimski Omitholoski Atlas
Slovenije’ by Andre) SoNinc

DrJ. T. R. Shairock

Notes

93 Male Kentish Plovers with complete
breast-bands Takeshi Shiota

94 Male Kentish Plover with complete
breast-band Steve Madge

94 Tw'o juvenile Peregrine Falcons carrying
same prey L P. Williams

95 Little Curlew with damaged bill
Mike Freer

95 Plunge-bathing by Common Redshanks
Anthony Webb

95 Juvenile plumage of European
sandgrouse Dr Richard Vaughan

97 News and comment Bob Scott and
Wendy Dickson

1 02 Recent reports Bany Nightingale and
Anthony McGeehan

Line-drawings: 54 Little Crake {Alan
Hanis) -, 61 Black-winged Stilt nesting at
Frodsham, summer 1993 (A. Stnith)

Front cover: Magpies Pka pica at roost,
Central Park, Plymouth, Febmaiy 1 995
(John M. Walters); the original of this month’s
cover design, measuring 18.8 X 20.8 cm is
for sale in a postal auction (see page 46 in
January' issue for procedure)

‘British Birds’ is published by a non-profit-making company for the benefit of ornithology.
© British Birds Ltd 1 996

ISSN 0007-0335

British Birin

Volume 89 Number 3 March 1996

TURAI

MUSE

-7 MAR 199

PRESENTED
TRING LIBRAR

Eastern Phoebe: new to the Western Palearctic

PhotoSpot: Great Knot

G. K. Yeates MA FRPS (1910-1995)

George Dunnet DSc CBE (1928-1995)
Identification of Hippolais warblers

British Birds

Established 1 907; incorporating 'The Zoologist’, established 1 843

Managing Editor Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Personal Assistant Sheila D. Cobban
Assistant Editor David A. Christie
Editorial Board Dr R. J. Chandler,

R. A. Hume, Dr M, A. Ogilvie,

R. J. Prytherch, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Design Deborah Felts

Photographic Researcher Robin Chittenden
Art Consultants Robert Gillmor, Alan Harris
Circulation Manager & Advertising
Manager Erika Sharrock

Rarities Committee R. A. Hume
(Chairman), Dr Colin Bradshaw,

Peter Clement, Pete Ellis, Doug Page,

K. D. Shaw, Andy Stoddart, Reg Thorpe,
Grahame Walbridge; Peter Colston (museum
consultant and archivist); Peter Fraser & Dr
John Ryan (statisticians); Michael J. Rogers
(Hon. Secretary)

Behaviour Notes Panel Dr C. J. Bibby,

Ian Dawson, Dr J. J. M. Flegg, Derek Good\\dn,
Dr I. Newton FRS, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

Dr J. T. R. Shamtck, Dr K. E. L. Simmons
Identification Notes Panel Dr Colin
Bradshaw, Dr R. J. Chandler, R. A. Hume,

T. P. Inskipp, P. G. LansdowTi, S. C. Madge,
1. S. Robertson, K. E. Vinicombe

,\nnual subscriptions

(12 issues and index) Libraries and agencies

£55.00, 1R£64.00 or $104.00.

Personal subscriptions; UK, Europe and
surface mail £43.20, 1R£50.40 or $81.60;
personal airmail, outside Europe £72.40,
1R£84.50 or $137.00. Single back copies
£5.60, 1R£6.40 or $10.50.

Make all cheques payable to British Birds Ltd.
Payment may be made dircedy into UK Post
Office GIRO account number 37 588 6303.

Addresses

Please keep correspondence on different items
separate. Please supply SAE, if reply required.

Papers, notes, letters, items for ‘Nezvs and
comment’, drazeitigs & photographs:

Dr J. T. R. Shamtek, Fountains, Park Lane,
Blunham, Bedford MK44 3N].

Phone & Fax: Biggleswade (01767) 640025

Subscriptions and orders for back copies:

Mrs Erika Sharrock, Fountains, Park Lane,
Blunham, Bedford mk44 3NJ. Phone:
Biggleswade (01767) 640467

Advertising:

Mrs Erika Sharrock, BB Advertising,
do Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford
MK44 3NJ. Phone: Biggleswade (01767)
640467. Fax; (01767) 640025

Bird nezvs for ‘The ornithological year’:

Barry Nightingale & Keith Allsopp,
do 1 Bloomsbury Close, Woburn,
Bedfordshire mki7 9QS. Phone: Woburn
(01525) 290314 (evenings)

Rarity descriptions:

M. J. Rogers, 2 Churchtown Cottages,
Towednack, Cornwall tr26 3AZ.

Special book and sound-recording offers:

British BirdShop, do Subbuteo Books,
Treuddvn, Mold, Clws'd t:H7 4i.N. Phone:
Mold (01352) 77058 r. Fax; (01352) 771590

The journal ‘British Birds’ is pubhshed by
a non-profit-making company for the
benefit of ornithology.

© British Birds Ltd 1996

Copyright of photographs remains with

photographers.

British Birds is published monthly by British
Birds Ltd, 93 High Street, Biggleswade,
Bedfordshire.

ISSN 0007-0335. Printed in England by
Newnorth Print Ltd, Kempston, Bedford.

British Birds publishes material dealing witli original observ'ations on lire birds of the West Palearctic.
Except for records of rarities, papers and notes are normally accepted only on condition iliat material
is not being offered in whole or in part to any other journal or magazine. Photographs and drawings
are welcomed. Papers should be U'pewritten witlr double spacing, and wide margins, and on one side
of the sheet only. Authors should carefully consult this issue for sple of presentation, especially of
references and tables. English and scientific names and sequence of birds follow The 'British Birds' last
of linglish Names of Western Palearctic Birds (1993); or, for non-West-Palearctic species, Monroe &
Sibley (1993, A World Checklist of Birds)', names of plants follow Dony ct al. (1986, linglish Names of
Wild Ploivers)', names of mammals follow Nowak & Paradiso (1983, Walker's Mammals of the World,
4ih edn). Topographical (plumage and structure) and ageing terminology should follow editorial
recommendations (Brit. Birds 74: 239-242; 78: 419-427; 80: 502). F’igures should be in Indian ink on
good-quality tracing paper, drawing paper, or light bluc/palc grey graph paper; lettering should be
inserted lightly in pencil; captions should he typed on a separate sheet. Authors of main papers (but
not notes or letters) receive ten free copies of the journal (live each to two or more authors).

SURREY (H.O.)

89(B) LONDON ROAD,
MORDEN,

SURREY SM4 5HP
(pen: Mon to Sat: 9am-5pm
Lunch 1-2pm (Not Sun)
Tel 0181-648 8822
Fax 0181-687 2021

UNRIVALLED EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE

Kay Optical

Est. 1962

HERTS/BUCKS BORDER

TRING GARDEN CENTRE,
BULBOURNE ROAD,

Nr. TRING, HERTS HP23 SHF

Open: Tues to Sat, 1 0am-5pm
Sunday (1 1 .00am to 4.00pm)

.ocation: Southern edge of
reater London, 15 mins drive
A2b (eg: via A3 then Merton
rnoff) or 2 mins waik Morden
Underground.

Viewing facilities
Parking: 50 yards past our
premises - 1 st left.

amative venues to Morden and
ig, at which you can try and buy
' equipment IN THE FIELD are
en below. Every effort is made
lake our full range of equipment
1 payment can be made in all the
jal ways. Repairs can also be
ided in. ★ 10.00 am to 4.00 pm ★

9AGHAM HARBOUR LOCAL
■TUBE RESERVE on the B2145
3 Selsey, West Sussex, on
nday 25th February, 31 st March
i 28th April.

SEVENOAKS WILDFOWL
;SERVE on the A25 between
'erhead and Sevenoaks Bat and
II station on Sunday 3rd March,

I April and 5th May.

SOUGH BEECH NATURE
cSERVE/RESERVOIR about 4
es south of the A25/A21 junction
th access from the B2042 or
027: the information centre is to
! north of the reservoir) on Sunday
th February, 17th March, 21st
•ril and 21st May.

SLIMBRIDGE, GLOS (off M5)
age Hall (on the left, halfway
mg village road into the W&WT).

turday 9th March.

THE KENT TRUST FOR
tTURE CONSERVATION in the

and Barn, near Sandling,
jidstone (off A229, Bluebell Hill,
ing south), on Sunday 25th
bruary and Saturday 23rd
arch, 10.30 am to 4.00 pm.

DINTON PASTURES
)UNTRY PARK, Near Reading,
rks, Sunday 18th February and
th April, in the Loddon Room.

BEWL WATER, on A21 just
uth of Lamberhurst, Kent, in the
ucation Centre on Sunday 24th
irch.

HENFIELD. W. Sussex. Sussex
Idlife Trust at Woods Mill.

nday 24th March.

- SALES & REPAIRS -

BINOCULARS - TELESCOPES - TRIPODS etc

SWAROVSKI

8x30SLCMklll 549

10X42SLC (659)735

7 X 42 SLC (599) 670

AT 80 body (45°) 665

ST 80 body 665

AT80 HD body (45°) 960

ST80 HD body 960

22x eyepiece 90

30x (WA) EP (new) 145

20-60x zoom eyepiece 215

Optical camera adaptor (800mm)

145

LEICA

8 X 20 BC Trinovid (259) 278

8 X 20 BCA Trinovid (295) 309

1 0 X 25 BC Trinovid (295) 309

10x25 BCA Trinovid (309)332

Soft Pouch 24

8 X 32 BA Trinovid* (659) 728

7 X 42 BA Trinovid' (729) 808

8 X 42 BA Trinovid' (729) 808

1 0 X 42 BA Trinovid' (749) 828

8 X 50 BA Trinovid' (924) 985

1 0 X 50 BA Trinovid (924) 985

Carrying strap 26

(2 year free accident cover)

LEICA APO Televid scope 960

LEICA Std. Televid scope 576

20-60X (B) zoom eyepiece 221

20x (WW/B) eyepiece 135

40x (B) eyepiece 110

Photo adaptor 262

ER case 118

ZEISS OPTICAL CENTRE

8 X 20B Ciassic 225

10 X 25B Classic 265

Classic pouch 20

10 X 25 B7TP (New DS) 359

8 X 20 B7TP (New DS) 349

8 X 30 BGA/T (P) 699

7x42BGA7T(P) 699

10x40BGA/T(P) 699

7x45 Night Owl 879'

8x56 Night Owl 979'

10x56 Night Owl 1059'

'ex-case

15x60 BGA/T 1.499

20 X 60S Mono 1,995

SWIFT

7 X 42, 8 X 42 or 10 X 42 Uttralite .239

8.5 X 44 HR5 Audubon 289

10 X 50 HR5 Audubon 309

NIKON

8 X 30 ECF porro WF 299

10x35ECFporroWF 349

Fieldscope II body

Fieldscope II (A) 45°

ED II body

ED II (A) 45°

15x, 20x, 30xor40xEP 110

30x (WA) eyepiece 199

60x eyepiece 130

20-45X zoom EP 199

ED 78 945

ED78A 999

Camera adaptor 250

Mod for other cameras 18

KOWA

TSN-1 (45°) or -2 body 34£

TSN-3 (45°) or -4 body 69£

25x or 40x eyepiece 80

20x (WA) eyepiece 127

30x (WA) eyepiece 162

60x eyepiece 138

77x eyepiece 125

20-60x zoom eyepiece 196

Camera adaptor 800mm 150

Camera adaptor 1200mm 231

Stay-on case 45

27x (WA) Screw-in-eyepiece 74

TS-61 1 body (45°) 249

TS-612 body 229

TS-61 3 Fluorite body (45°) 519

TS-61 4 Fluorite body 469

TS-61 0 accessories:

20x (WA) eyepiece 74

27x (WA) eyepiece 109

20-60X zoom eyepiece 127

20-40X zoom eyepiece 150

Stay-on case 40

BUSHNELL

Spacemaster with 1 5-45x zoom . .259

8 X 42 Natureview 129

10 X 42 Natureview 149

RANGER

ZM-Makro scope with 15-45x
zoom eyepiece 234

CANON

12 X 36 stabilised binoculars . . . .749

OPTOLYTH

8 X 30 Alpin 285

8x40Alpin (309)318

10x40 Alpin (305)324

10x50 Alpin (331)361

1 1 X 50 Alpin (349) 360

12x50 Alpin (340)370

7x42Aipin (329)333

TBG or TBS 80mm body . . .(530) 555
TBG or TBS 80rnm Flourite body .(789) 81 5

TBG or TBS 100mm Flourite

body (NEW) 1500

30x (VW\/) eyepiece 190

20x (WW) eyepiece 170

30x or 40x eyepiece 89

70x (WW) eyepiece 210

20-60X zoom eyepiece 210

850mm Cam. adaptor 185

Stay-on case 45

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British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist’, established 1843

THE NATURAL

history MUdEUIV

-7 MAR 1996

PRESENTED

TRINGLIRRArv

Eastern Phoebe in Devon: new to
the Western Palearctic

Colin McShane

ABSTRACT An Eastern Phoebe Sayomis phoebe was present on
Lundy Island, Devon, on 24th and 25th April 1987. It has been
accepted by both the British Birds Rarities Committee and the
British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee as the first
record of this Nearctic species for Britain & Ireland (and for the
Western Palearctic).

On 25th April 1987, K. J. Mitchell, A. J. Wood and I arrived on Lundy and were
told by the warden that several visitors had reported a supposed Orphean Warbler
Sylvia hortensis the previous day. He had not seen it himself, but had some notes
left by the finders that described a large, grey-brown and white warbler with a
dark hood. The iris was not white.

A preliminary search of St John’s Valley revealed nothing, so we proceeded to
set up mist-nets in the area and in the neighbouring Millcombe valley. At 14.00
GMT, the nets were furled, and most of the group retired to rest after a tiring all-
night journey. At 16.00, I entered St John’s Valley and immediately saw a bird
fitting the warden’s description, but, even after just a few seconds, it was
obviously not an Orphean Warbler; indeed, it was not a warbler at aU.

[Brit. Birds 89: 103-107, March 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

103

104

McShane: Eastern Phoebe: nev\' to the Western Palearctic

vif>

\J J,

Side view

Rear view

Front view

Fig. 1. Field sketches of Eastern Phoebe Sayoniis phoebe, Lundy, Devon, 25th April 1987
(drawings by Colin McSha?ie; annotated by K. J. Mitchell), completed before bird was
identified.

I watched it for 1 5-20 minutes in superb light, with 7X50 binoculars, as close
as 5 m. It behaved in typical ‘flycatcher’ fashion, with an upright stance, ‘sitting on
its feet’, and making fluttering sallies to catch insects on the wing and on the
ground, each followed by a short flight to another exposed perch. There was an
audible ‘snap’ of its bill each time that it caught a fly. It used rabbit-proof cages
around several saplings as perches. It had a slow, deliberate tail- wagging, rather
than tail-flicking. I made a description and then went back to find more people.

KJM and AJW came with telescopes and we watched the bird on and off for
an hour in superb light, making notes and drawings. After we had reset the mist-
nets, the bird perched on the poles, on the guys and even, once, on the top shelf
string, but refused to get caught and, at 18.00, flew off into the next valley; it was
never seen again.

It was certainly larger than any typical warbler, estimated at 6-7 inches (15-
17.5 cm). The wingtips reached about one-quarter of the way down the tail,
which was neither especially long nor short; in fact, the shape and proportions
were reminiscent of a large Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata. The tail had a
slight indentation at the tip. The bird was essentially grey-brown above and white
below. The head was dark chocolate-brown, creating a hooded effect, with a
clear-cut lower edge from the base of the bill under the eye to the side of the neck,
leaving a white ‘diamond’ shape on the chin and throat as seen from in front. The
hooded effect became more or less obvious according to the angle of light,
sometimes merging into the mantle and sometimes looking quite clear-cut. The
back was plain grey-brown. The angle of light also affected the contrast between
the depth of colour of tail and wings compared with that of the back and rump:
at most there was only a faint darkening of the wings and tail. The edges of tlie
tertials, greater coverts and secondaries were faintly lighter brown. The outer tail
feathers also seemed a little lighter than the rest, especially at the base. There was
no wing bar at rest or in flight. The underparts were white, but the sides of the
breast showed a greeny-grey suffusion, almost meeting in the middle; witli the
’scope, this was seen to be composed of very faint blotchy streaks.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

105

back Aicuj plait,
bfenonish

fo Ttffial

2adaftfs, ,
'SeDfe.

% , . I

chocdatt brou^.

\n^sddu>l -ktcuxti

/

a£**yxit h/ock

bfok a hak oVf>r-ho^^ .

(okiti Mavi^ciael tA ffOfiT\jieuo

^U>tCt ^Cfeauok

st?eaMi erk toiik %kieap(
at jJioCt

'^pak oltvc-ui/ufisk ^JcMki

(not oahdi) cutt/ /Si/
■ftctbtef fecJtj obvieu/)

/^a/ base.

s/i^ld~ jbfk.

Kfrf.

Fig. 2. Sketch based on field sketches (fig. 1) of Eastern Phoebe Sayomis phoebe, Lundy,
Devon, 25th April 1987 {K. J. Mitchell), completed before bird was identified.

The eyes were large and very dark, tinged red/brown at close range; there was
no eye-ring. The black bill looked well proportioned for the size of the head, not
over-large, and with no hook at the tip. The black legs were relatively short.

This description fitted none of the British and European flycatchers, and we
had to wait until we had left Lundy to check field guides to other parts of the
World. Various North American guides illustrated the Eastern Phoebe Sayomis
phoebe with the characters that we had noted. One reference also quoted a
behavioural trait that we had noticed: it plunged into a small stream on a couple
of occasions.

The notes made the previous day, 24th April, by J. Crook and another
(unnamed) observer were detailed and included several sketches: they are exactly
comparable with those that I made, even to the paler outer tail feathers (‘fawn’)
and the changing appearance in the contrast between the hood and the mantle.
Obviously, it was the Eastern Phoebe, understandably not properly identified at
the time. The observers noted that the size and general pattern looked like those
of Orphean Warbler (the dark eye suggesting a first-year individual), but the
absence of white outer tail feathers and the persistent flycatching behaviour could
not be reconciled with such an identification. JC said to his companion: ‘Hey!
This bird does not exist.’ At first it was skulking and often lost to sight in the
upper branches of trees, but then the size and behaviour — pouncing onto an
insect on the ground — ^recalled a shrike Lanius. They noted ‘flicking’ of the tail
rather than the slower ‘wag’ that I described. It was first seen at 06.30 GMT, found
again at 09.00, and once more at 12.00, always in St John’s Valley.

Colin McShane, 24 Horsebrook Lane, Brewood, Staffordshire ST19 9EF

106

McShane: Eastern Phoebe: new to the Western Palearctic

EDITORIAL COMMENT Rob Hume, Chairman of the BBRC, has commented that
‘The size, shape, tail-wagging and flycatching behaviour, together with the
plumage details as described, left no doubt as to the identification.’

Dr David T. Parkin, Chairman of the BOURC, has commented as follows:
‘As Rob Hume reports (above), the description of this bird is sufficient to
establish the identification as Eastern Phoebe and to eliminate all possible
confusion species.

‘Eastern Phoebe is widespread across eastern North America from Nova Scotia
south to Georgia; it occurs west into New Mexico [see fig. 3]. It has been
recorded casually as far northwest as the Yukon, and northeast to Newfoundland.
It straggles to the Bahamas and Bermuda, where it is recorded in about 50% of
years, and it is seen on Sable Island in most springs. Thus, it is a short-distance
migrant with a limited pattern of vagrancy. It is also an early migrant, which could
be moving during April: much earlier than Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
or the Ernpidonax flycatchers, for example.

Fig. 3. Summer distribution of Eastern Phoebe Sayomis phoebe (reproduced by permission
of Academic Press from Price, Droege & Price, 1995, Summer Atlas of North American Birds)

‘The record was accepted, and Eastern Phoebe was admitted to Category A of
the British & Irish List (Ibis 135: 220).

Problems arose over another claim of Eastern Phoebe from Slapton Ley,
Devon [120 km southeast of Lundy]. This bird was seen on 22nd April 1987,
only two days before the one on Lundy. The two records were circulated
together. From minor differences in plumage, it was clear that two individuals
were involved.

‘The description of the Slapton Ley bird was, however, held to be incompatible
with Eastern Phoebe by members of the BOURC and its North American
consultant. This led to a delay as further opinions were sought, which supported
the view that the claim was not conclusive.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

107

‘While it was thought by some members of the BOURC that the South Devon
bird may have been an Eastern Phoebe, the ensuing debate led to a restatement
of the standards acceptable in the description of a ‘first for Britain’. In particular,
it was agreed that:

1. The positive feamres of a claimed species should be sufficiently well
documented for its unequivocal identification; it is not satisfactory to admit a new
species merely by elimination of alternatives.

2. All, or almost aU, important diagnostic characters should be included in the
description.

3. Characters that are incorrect for a species should not have been noted.

‘On all three criteria, the Slap ton Ley record presented difficulties. The record
was rejected by the BOURC as insufficient for a first for Britain, and the file was
remrned to the BBRC. On recirculation, that committee, too, agreed that it was
not acceptable.

‘This leads on to a more general point about field recording and documentation
of rare birds. One member of the BOURC commented that, at the recent
discovery^ of a major rarity, he was the only observer to make notes of the bird at
the time that it was being watched. When difficult characters such as caU and
behaviour are critical to an identification, it is essential that these are documented
at the time. The memory can play tricks, especially after recourse to identification
guides. Field notebooks may be requested by either committee. It is often obvious
that these were completed after the event — and sometimes after the observer had
looked at his books. Finders of rare birds do themselves no favours by their failure
to make adequate notes at the time that the bird is under observation. More than
one record has been rejected in recent years because of the inadequacy (or even
absence) of notes made at the time.’

REQUEST

Cinereous Bunting on Corfu

In June 1991, my wife and I discovered at least three singing male Cinereous Buntings Emberiza
cineracea near the north coast of Corfu, with others scattered along the north of the island {Brit.
Birds 86: 292).

The species has a very limited breeding range, on a few Greek islands in the eastern Aegean
Sea and in Turkey. Corfu is well outside the previously known range. Further fieldwork is needed
to discover whether Cinereous Bunting is breeding regularly on Corfu (and perhaps other Ionian
islands) .

Contrary to the field guides, the Corfu birds were not high on the hills amongst rocks, but
were at sea level and singing from the tops of small pine trees.

I shall be pleased to forward details of the site where we found the main colony to any birder
planning a visit to this area during May, June or July 1996 and, in return, would appreciate
receipt of details of any sightings with as much information as possible on locations, habitat,
behaviour, plumage details and breeding evidence.

David Jackson

The Cottage, 73 Main Street, Gunthorpe, Nottingham NGI4 7EY

LOOKING BACK

One hundred and years ago: ‘Peregrine Falcon, Fako peregrinus. A pair of these birds
formerly bred in the cliffs on the sea-coast at Hunstanton, bui we believe have ceased to do so;
and . . . Another pair not long ago frequented the cathedral at Norwich apparendy for the same
purpose, but the female being shot while in the act of chasing a tame pigeon in the heart of the
city, their intention was frustrated.’ {Zoologist 4: 1301-1302, March 1846)

Also one hundred and fifty years ago: ‘Bohemian Waxwing, Bombycilla gamila. Appears as a
winter visiter, and is, generally speaking, rare, but has occasionally occurred in considerable
numbers.’ {Zoologist 1309, March 1846)

Twenty-five years ago: ‘ “Ecology” has become a fashionable word in commuter newspapers
and discussion programmes, but one suspects that those who use it so readily are not always
aware of its true meaning. Perhaps the next generation wall be more enlightened, since many
school biology classes are now being shown wader horizons.’ {Brit. Birds 64: 134, March 1971)

Also twenty-five years ago: ‘On 4th March [1971] Sotheby’s Sale Room in London was the
scene of an auction of natural history' specimens which included the skins of a number of extinct
birds. The keenest bidding was for a mounted Great Auk [Pvigninus impennis] in summer
plumage, from the collection of Count Raben of Nysted, Denmark; this is specimen 25 in Paul
Hahn’s Where is that Vanished Bird? (Toronto, 1963) and is reputed to have been killed in
Iceland in 1821. It was the first Greak Auk to appear on the open market since the 1939-45 war
and, as specimens of this species had always commanded high prices, there was considerable
interest to see how' values had appreciated. In the event, this particular skin was knocked dow'n
for £9,000 to a group of Icelandic businessmen who bought it for presentation to Reykja\Tk
Museum. Such an exceptional sum is probably the highest ever paid for any natural history^
specimen.’ {Brit. Birds 64: 199)

PHOTOSPOT

38. Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris

The Great Knot is best known as a long-distance passage migrant in the Far East,
mainly along the coasts of Siberia, Japan, China and Indonesia. In places, it can
be numerous — for example, up to 300 have been counted at the Mai Po Nature
Reserve in Hong Kong, and a photograph of one moulting into summer plumage
there appeared in this journal (Brit. Birds 86; plate 57). It winters from Southeast
Asia to Australia, where it is commonest on the northern coasts, though it also
regularly reaches southern Australia, where there have been counts of over 4,000
from Queensland and up to 800 in South Australia (Lane, 1987, Shorcbirds in
Australia) .

Given these distant passage and wintering areas and the species’ limited
breeding distribution in northeastern Siberia, it is not surprising that it is rare in
Europe: only seven records to date, including the first and only British one in
Shetland in September 1989 {Brit. Birds 84: 469; 85: 426-428; Ibis 133: 438-
439).

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British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

109

Plate 30. Adult male Great Knot Calidris tenuirostm, Russia, July 1992 (Gmham Belt)

As a breeding bird, the Great Knot is one of the least-known of the World’s
waders. Indeed, it seems that only two nests have ever been found, so it was very
exciting to come across a nesting pair on the east side of the Kolyma Delta on
7th July 1992. The habitat was a sheltered, grassy plateau with rocky outcrops
and patches of snow, 350 m above sea level. The handsome male, in full summer
plumage (plate 30), made himself conspicuous by performing ‘butterfly’ display
flights in circles around our heads, perching prominently on rocks and clumps of
grass, preening exaggeratedly, and running agitatedly both towards and away
from us: presumably there were chicks hidden nearby, but we did not search for
fear of treading on them, and after photography we withdrew. All the while, the
male uttered a most un-Ca/idm-like mellow whistle, more reminiscent of the
Pacific Golden Plovers Pliivialis fulva also nesting in the area. Meanwhile, his
mate kept a low profile in the background, just standing or walking slowly to and
fro, and remaining silent.

D. Graham Beih

Fame View, The Wynding, Bamburgh, Northumberland ne69 7DD

ZEISS

Inclusion of plate 30 in colour has been subsidised by support from Carl Zeiss Ltd,
sponsor of the British Birds Rarities Committee.

OBITUARIES

G. K. Yeates MA FRPS (1910-199/ ^

The telephone rang. ‘Have you got a dinner jacket?’ It was our local RSPB rep.
and Hon. Secretary^ of the Harrogate & District Naturalists’ Society, who was
organising our first joint film show in the town way back in 1968. Why the
question? The famous G. K. Yeates was to introduce the films, and, if I also was
to appear on stage, I had better be properly dressed. This was the first of my
many such annual meetings with this almost legendary photographer, writer and
lecturer. I felt that I knew him well, having read, and reread, his Bird Haunts in
Northern Britain (1948), companion to his earlier Bird Haunts in Southern Britain
(1947). These and three other titles, concentrating on visits he had made to
Spain, France and Iceland, inspired a whole generation of would-be naturalists to
do more than simply list what they saw. George, through his words and
wonderful photographs, invited us to explore wilderness with him. The art of just
sitting and waiting for things to happen, lost to many today, was central to the
wildlife photographer’s art in those days long gone. Having given up bird-
photography in the mid 1 960s, George then devoted most of his spare time to
his other great love, fishing, and to growing alpines, and increasingly he withdrew
from front-line ornithology.

Dr Kevin Carlson, a great friend over many years, recalls that George used a
Gandolfi mahogany-and-brass camera with a Cook Aviar lens and wooden
Ashworth tripod. He made all his own hides and in the early days carried the
whole lot on a bicycle. Amazing!

George’s attitude to birds and to bird-photography was that of a hunter. He
relished the thrill of the chase. He had, indeed, at one time been a wildfowl er, and
his greatest thrill was to obtain his trophy, which was, of course, a top-class
photograph. On trips, his companions regarded him as wonderful company in the
field, with a sense of humour described as ‘raucous’. From my personal
experiences at The Royal Hall, Harrogate, George came over as totally
professional, with a deep and genuine concern for the protection of wildlife and
wild places.

George was a prominent figure in The Royal Photographic Society, having
been elected as a Member in 1937 and as a Fellow in 1938 and awarded its
Exhibition Medal in 1947. He served as Hon. Secretary of the select Zoological
Photographic Club for six years, from 1948 to 1953, and was then its President
during 1954-55. Throughout this period, he had been adviser on photographic
matters to the Editorial Board of British Birds, and this was recognised in 1952
when he was formally given the title of Photographic Editor, a new position,
which he held for eight years, until December 1959, when his interest in
photography had begun to wane, and he handed over to the equally well-known
Eric Hosking. A tribute to his contributions to bird-photography and to British
Birds was published, together with a selection of his photographs, in 1 965 {Brit.
Birds 58: 372-374, plates 52-59).

He had passed on his knowledge, experience and entluisiasm in his book Bird

110

[Brit. Birds 89: 1 10-1 1 1, March 1996] © Hrilish Hirds Ltd 1996

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When you traverse hill and dale in search of nature’s marvels, you expect
the clearest images available. That is what Nikon gives you.

In August 1994, Bird Watching magazine selected our Nikon
Fieldscope ED78/ED78 A as “Telescope of the Year’’ in the over £350
class. The judges emphasised its “stunning optical performance” and
“extremely accurate colour rendition”. They “Highly Commended” our
Spotting Scope A in the under £350 class, noting its superior optical per-
formance at a reasonable price. And they were so impressed by the “out-
standing brightness and clarity” of our Nikon 30x/38x Wide Eyepieoe for
Fieldscopes that they declared it “Accessory of the Year”.

All of the judges were experienced bird watchers. No doubt, they
also chose Nikon for our ability to bring you that much closer to nature.

HIULiXtniim

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British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

111

Photography (1946), but why did George give up bird-photography in the 1960s?
Did he feel that the world of photography had moved on? Did he feel that he had
really achieved all that he had set out to do? We shall never know the answers to
these questions, but I know that George — if he is, in some mysterious way,
reading this can take enormous satisfaction from the fact that he helped to open
the eyes of a generation of young naturalists before the days of high-fashion
wildlife organisations, videos and television. He did something which is stiU the
cornerstone of our conservation movements: he made people care.

Born in Leeds in 1910, G. K. Yeates outlived most of his contemporaries, and
the effects of his enthusiasm live on.

Trevor Gunton

Plate 31. G. K. Yeates MA FRPS (1910-1995) (RSPB)

George Mackenzie Dunnet DSc CBE (1928-1995)

Long ago, when I was a raw young
Cambridge medical student aged 19 at
my first ornithological conference at
Oxford, I found myself dining next to
a tall, dark, courteous, knowledgeable,
wise, unpretentious and entertaining
Scot a couple of years older than
myself. We had a lively discussion, but
I never noticed his name, and realised
it only recently when I found my old
programme. When we dined together
again a few days before his death, he
was heavier, greyer, and now
accompanied by his wife. Mom, but
otherwise unchanged. I asked if he
remembered our first meeting, but in
his time he had met many gauche
young students, and had forgotten this
one. Yet, like most of his innumerable
other friends, I shall always remember
both my first and my last meetings
with George Dunnet as tw'O of the
pleasantest occasions of my life.

George was born in Caithness and

Plate 32. Regius Professor George
Mackenzie Dunnet DSc CBE (1928-1995)
(Andy Lucas)

grew up at Smartfield in Buchan, where he attended Peterhead Academy. His first
teacher (now in her eighties) reports that ‘He was a quiet boy’. He first seems to
have made his mark as a zoologist when he encountered Regius Professor Vero
Wynne-Edwards and Robert Carrick at Aberdeen University. Robert took him to
the lovely green islet of Eynhallow in Orkney to investigate Vero’s hypothesis that
Fulmars Fulrnams glacialis do not breed every year, and the Eynhallow Fulmars
remained one of George’s main interests for the rest of his life. He demonstrated
the unprecedented length of this study by showing two photographs of himself
and the same Fulmar taken some 30 years apart, in which only he had visibly
aged. He used to take his students and friends on trips there several times a year,
and knew all the Fulmars personally, though I was recently surprised to discover
that, owing to the timing of the visits, he never ascertained whether, like him, they
occasionally disappeared for sabbatical years.

After completing his thesis on Common Starlings Stiirniis vulgans and visiting
the Bureau of Animal Population at Oxford, George married Mom Thomson,
who also came from Buchan via Aberdeen University, and who formed the otlier
half of a formidable parmership. They joined Robert Carrick witli the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in
Australia, where Mom bore tlie first two of tlieir three children, and George
studied fleas, the Rabbit Oiyciolagus aniicnliis, the Brush-tailed Possum
Tnchosimis vulpeaiku the Quokka Sctoriyx hrachyimis (a rat-kangaroo), and tlie
birds of remote Macquarie Island. Then, in 1958, he was recalled to Aberdeen to

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British Birds, vol, 89, no. 3, March 1996

113

open the University s new Culterty Field Station on the River Ythan, which was
soon attended by both students and senior research workers from aU around the
World, whom George would subsequently visit in their home countries.

He also made a distinguished contribution to the seminars and parties held by
a local Vertebrate Ecologists’ Group (or Glenlivet Club) organised by David
Jenkins. In consequence, when it was decided at the annual Bird Obervatories’
Conference in 1965 to set up a Seabird Group, we invited George to become its
first Chairman. He went to great trouble over launching it, putting up with
innumerable argumentative committee meetings during busy trips to England,
where he restored law and order whenever necessary, until he resigned on making
a sabbatical circumnavigation three years later. In consequence, he received little
of the credit due, when it proved a great success and was used as the model for
the establishment of many similar bodies in four other continents.

When, in 1970, the Seabird Group was awarded a large grant, we therefore
asked if we could spend it in Aberdeen, where George was now promoting liaison
between local scientists and the developing North Sea oil industry. The first
emergency arose when a local BBC television journalist. Jack Regan, discovered
at the last moment that it was proposed to bring the main gas pipelines ashore
across the quiet waters of the Loch of Strathbeg to an £8 billion terminal in the
green pastures of the Crimond of the psalm tune. An Environmental Liaison
Group was hastily set up with George as Chairman, and the terminal was moved
a vital 5 km south (which was in its own interests, as there was insufficient space
for expansion at the first site).

After this, George, who by now had succeeded Vero Wynne-Edwards as
Regius Professor, and was advising on the design of the now-undetectable first
mainland oil-pipeline landfall, was also asked to chair a continuing Shetland Oil
Terminal Environmental Advisory Group (SOTEAG), which has helped to avoid
trouble in another key area, and carried out much useful research. This was such
a success that he was then asked to chair many other official bodies devoted to
such things as research on seabirds, on Badgers Meles meles and tuberculosis, and
on the management of Red Deer Cervus elaphus and Salmon Salmo salar, and to
advise on similar problems throughout the World.

In the past, he would go for country walks with a group of friends on Sunday
afternoons, but more recently this was replaced by croquet (which is not the
innocent game that it appears). Such occasions were accompanied by a stream of
entertaining discussion and would lead to a bibulous ‘tea’-party. He could rise to
any occasion, as for example when he was visiting a French radio station and a
microphone was thrust into his hand without warnmg. He had always carried a
vast workload, and ruthlessly suppressed his own feelings in contentious
situations, and this continued after his retirement, though he did recently resign
from Scottish Natural Heritage when it proved unwilling to accept scientific
advice, which must have added greatly to the strain upon him. Evenmally, he had
a stroke while in Copenhagen to chair a panel of experts considering the possible
environmental impact of a bridge between Denmark and Sweden.

He was an honest, charming and talented man who worked himself to death
in the cause of conservation.

IT. R. P. Bourne

Identification of Hippolais warblers

Hadoram Shirihai, David A. Christie and Alan Harris

ABSTRACT The criteria for the identification of all six Hippolais
warblers have been constantly refined since the ground-breaking
paper by D. I. M. Wallace {Bnt. Birds 57: 282-301). This
current paper not only reviews this accumulated knowledge, but
also presents the results of new studies in Israel and elsewhere.

Since the first and only paper on the identification of all the warblers in the genus
Hippolais, by Wallace (1964), much has been written on species within this diffi-
cult group, scattered among various journals (e.g. Shirihai 1987; Harrap 1988a,b,
1990; UUman 1989; Fry 1990). In addition, the genus has been treated in a num-
ber of books (e.g. Williamson 1968; Hollom et al. 1988; Harris el al. 1989;
Alstrom et al. 1991; Parmenter & Byers 1991; Cramp 1992; Jonsson 1992;
Svensson 1992). These works have acted as standard references at different times
during our studies of the genus over the last 15 years in Europe and the Middle
East.

The present paper and plates have been prepared for publication in the forth-
coming book The Macmillan Birder's Guide to European and Aliddle Eastern Birds,
and special attention has been paid to the shapes of the six species. Just before
painting the plates, for example, AH travelled to Israel purposely to make com-
parative observations simultaneously on Upcher’s H. languida. Olive-tree H.
oliveiorum and Olivaceous Warblers H. pallida. Extensive details on biometrics,
moult and geographical variation have been published in Williamson (1968),
Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer (1991), Cramp (1992) and Svensson (1992), and
readers are recommended to consult these works for such additional information.
Although the following text attempts to cover all the field aspects of the genus.

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British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

115

it was decided not to go into too much detailed description (this can be readily
obtained from the plates and also from the above sources), but in a practical way
to concentrate more on the principal difficulties encountered with this group and
on those features which need to be seen and checked to enable safe identification
to be made.

General distribution

Olive-tree and Upcher’s Warblers are Levant specialities. The former is confined
as a breeding species to open woodland with oaks Quercus or groves of olives Olea
or almonds Amygdahis with much scrub, from the southern Balkans to south-
western Turkey and south to northern Israel (late April to late August), wintering
in East and Southern Africa. Upcher’s breeds in mountain scrub and rocky areas
with very sparse thorn trees on slopes or in wadis, from Transcaucasia and lower
Turkey south to central Israel (migration much as for Olive-tree; on passage in
desert areas, both favour acacias Acacia). Olivaceous Warbler is a summer visitor
to warm-temperate and subtropical habitats containing tamarisks Tamarix or
damp woodland, often near water, but also in arid areas or in parks and olive
groves; it breeds in Spain and North Africa, the Balkans, Turkey, the Levant and
Arabia east to western China, occurring on passage mainly ia August-September
and April-May; it is a rare vagrant elsewhere in Europe. Booted Warbler H. cali-
gata is a summer visitor to shrubby and tall herbaceous thickets, from European
Russia east to the Yenisei and western Mongolia and south to the Caspian Sea
area (winters chiefly India); a rare vagrant, mostly in aummn, to most of Europe
and the Near East (has summered in northern and eastern Europe). Icterine H.
icterina and Melodious Warblers H. polyglotta are summer visitors (mainly March-
October). Icterine frequents mamre dense broadleaf areas and taU shrubs, also
forest edges, in warmer boreal to temperate zones of much of Europe east to cen-
tral Russia and north Iran, occurring on passage in April-May and August to early
October; Melodious breeds in similar habitats, but with lower/denser shrubs, in
warm-temperate parts of central and west Europe and northwest Africa, occur-
ring on passage in March-April and August-September.

Identification

The following points identify the genus: relatively short undertad-coverts (but
beware some Acrocephalus warblers with short-looking undertail-coverts); usually
square-ended taU; prominent flattish head and relatively long, strong and broad-
based bill (except on Booted and some Olivaceous); frequently appear to have
rather straight profile from mantle to tail, and rather front-heavy appearance,
often seeming ‘clumsy and careless’ in movements through cover. Note, how-
ever, that Olivaceous has a somewhat more rounded tail (shorter outermost
feathers), and individuals of this species have also been reported as having rela-
tively long undertail-coverts, rendering their generic affiliation less obvious. Adult
Icterine and Melodious are generally greenish and yeUow, the other species pre-
dominantly greyish or greyish-brown, all with a bland facial expression, and often
with variable pale wing-panel and pale outer rectrices.

Within the genus Hippolais, the main problems (depending on region) involve

116

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Identification of Hippolais warblers

separating Olive-tree from Upcher’s, Upcher’s from Olivaceous, Booted from
some Olivaceous, and Icterine from Melodious (grey individuals of the last two,
mainly first- winters, can also be confused with Olivaceous). All species undergo
a complete moult in their winter quarters; so, fresh-plumaged birds in autumn are
juveniles or first-winters and heavily worn autumn individuals are adults, while
spring birds are fresh or \'ery slightly worn. Individual \ ariation, abrasion and
bleaching, and occurrence of intermediates, are further complications.

OLl\^E-TREE w.VRBLER Hippolais oUvetorum

The largest Hippolais warbler (about 15 cm); characterised by long, broad, pow-
erful bill, long(est) and pointed wing and primary projection, and long
blackish-grey tail with the most prominent white edges (performs frequent tail-
waving). Upperparts predominantly grey, often contrasting rather markedly with
tail and extensive whitish wing-panel (beware heavily worn summer/autumn adult
with wing-panel reduced or absent).

Fresh plumage Differs from Upcher’s in heavier bill with orangey-yellow lower
mandible (pinkish-grey on Upcher’s), and larger size with much fuller tail, latter
with a blacker grey ground colour (dark but browner on Upcher’s) and with larger
areas of a more pure white at tip and sides which are noticeable in flight and dur-
ing tail-waving (on Upcher’s, white quite prominent, but less pure, narrower and
less contrasting); darker grey above, often with impression of lead-grey or light
bluish suffusion (Upcher’s is duller/paler grey-brown). Longer primary projection
more or less equal to exposed tertials and with seven or eight widely spaced pri-
mary tips (on Upcher’s, projection about three-quarters tertial length, with six
slightiy more closely spaced tips); and more prominent whitish edging to remiges
and tertials forming extensive secondary-panel (on Upcher’s, fringes narrower,
greyer, forming indistinct panel, and tertial edging more diffuse). Also has mod-
erately angled forehead (but when excited appears rather steep and shorter than
on Upcher’s) and crown (peak slighdy behind eye), which never look distinedy
datdsh.

Wont adult Close to Upcher’s in having indistinct wing-panel, and browner tail
with less obvious white on outer feathers, but size, shape and actions, general
upperparts colour, and bill (size, shape and colour) should separate the two.
Other differences include: bluish-grey tarsi (greyish-brown or dark pinkish-grey
on Upcher’s); fairly indistinct supercilium, largely restricted to in front of eye or
even absent (on Upcher’s, rather indistinct but usually visible, from bill base and
extending slightiy behind eye); greater contrast between upperparts and under-
parts, head always darker (indistinct demarcation between these areas on
Upcher’s, on which tail and wings typically darker than rest of upperparts).

Voice and behaviour Call is much louder, a deep ‘chuk’ often recalling Great Reed
Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Upcher’s is quite loud, but much less deep,
approaching that of Olivaceous). Tail action more waving (like shrikes Llvuus)
and performed throughout year, whereas Upcher’s cocks and fans tail up and
down or from side to side (but tail movement most frequent and most strong on
breeding grounds).

Other confiision species In the Levant, migrant Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria in first-
winter or first-summer plumage is occasionally misidentified as Olive-tree. Note

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

117

former s shorter and grey-based biU, variable amount of barring or pale edges on
scapulars, flanks and undertail-coverts, whitish wingbars, well-fringed tertials and
wing-coverts, and different behaviour.

Plate 33. Left, Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais
olivetonim, fi’esh-plumaged adult, northern
Israel, May 1993 (H. Shinhai)

Plate 34. Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum, worn adult, Eilat, Israel, August 1985
{Per Alstrdm) . Autumn adult is rather worn and lacks distinctive plumage features (such as pale
wing-panel), but still predominantly dark grey with slight bluish tone; latter feamre, and bill size
and colour, general size and shape and behaviour and actions, are the best distinctions (if not
too worn, amount of white on outer tail feathers still diagnostic).

118

Shirihai, Chrisde & Harris: Identification of Hippolais warblers

upcher’s w.\rbler Hippolais languida

Smaller (about 14 cm) than Olive-tree, being less stocky and ‘pear-shaped’, but
slightly larger (and remarkably heavier) than Olivaceous: Upcher’s is intermedi-
ate between the two, and the second-largest of the genus. Rather close to
Olivaceous in general proportions and coloration, ideritification requiring caution.
Tendency towards rounded head, and shows (mainly when excited) steeper, long
forehead to crown, peaking just behind or well behind eye (together with thickset
neck, tends to give heav^'-headed appearance recalling a large Sylvia warbler); bill
rather long and comparatively thicker than on Olivaceous, but owing to typically
rounded large head does not look obviously long; tail long, thick and full.
Otherwise, flight feathers, wing-coverts and tail dark brown, contrasting marked-
ly with rest of upperparts, which are much paler and greyish or very pale
greyish-brown; shows faint suggestion of wing-panel, shortish supercilium, and
tail usually with conspicuous white tips and outer webs of outer feathers (unless
very worn); legs and wings (and primary projection) long. Considerable individ-
ual variation exists, however: general proportions and size, and darkness or
contrast of tail and wing, depend partly on angle of light and view and partly on
background and habitat, as well as on degree of wear and abrasion (producing
intermediates between Upcher’s and Olivaceous), and much practice and experi-
ence are therefore essential (and some individuals are still not safely separable).
On breeding grounds, adult repeatedly waves tail vertically and horizontally (both
fanned and, less often, closed) in circular movement quite like that of Olive-tree
(as latter, also moves rather slowly through foliage); Olivaceous flicks tail down-
wards, which Upcher’s also does but predominantly during passage. When
breeding, Upcher’s habitually perches on rocks, unlike other Hippolais.
Combination of many or most of the following features is essential for field sep-
aration of Upcher’s from Olivaceous.

1 . Size, proportions and behaviour Upcher’s is large (size of Common Whitethroat
5. communis or larger), with longer, broad tail, thick bill, rounded heav'y head
joined to plump body by thick short neck, and much less pot-bellied appearance,
and moves rather slowly and quite often perches prominently; relatively smaller
Olivaceous recalls a small Acrocephalns through often relatively angular head shape
and rather flattish forehead to crown and narrower but broad-based bill, longer
and slimmer neck and rather elongated body, but tail is comparatively shorter
(and less full), and Olivaceous has more horizontal posture witli low belly and
more nerv^ous, clumsy and faster movements. (Much overlap, however, although
differences in proportions most obvious when birds in action or flying between
bushes.) In addition, Upcher’s has slightly longer primary projection (three-quar-
ters tertial length) than Olivaceous (half to two-thirds) and usually shows longest
and middle tertial tips closer together than inner two (spacing appears more equal
on most Olivaceous), but this sometimes extremely difficult to see in tire field and
variation in both species, and differences in age and wear of featliers, render it of
limited use. Tail-action differences are also important (see above).

2. Tail and wing colour Upcher’s’ darker tail and wings (including broad dark cen-
tres of coverts and tertials) are usually more striking (compared with Olivaceous),
particularly on adults from late spring to autumn (when lack of paler fringes cre-
ates conspicuous, contrasting dark tail and wings), but beware that some

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

119

4

'■4

Plates 35 & 36. Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida, Israel, May 1993 (H. Shinhai)

Plate 37. Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida, Israel, May 1987 {H. Shinhai)

Plate 38. Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida, Israel, June 1986 {H. Shinhai). Note contrast
of darker wings and tail, and nature of tertial spacing.

120

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Identification of Hippolais warblers

Olivaceous may appear slightly darker and contrasting and a few Upcher’s look
paler and less contrasting (especially in strong desert light); note that these feath-
ers appear darkest when viewed from behind or slightly from side, and paler in
profile view. Most Upcher’s in spring and fresh young in autumn show fairly
marked and quite sharply defined whitish fringes to wing-coverts and tertials, as
well as to remiges, with variable whitish secondary-panel (most Olivaceous also
show clear pale fringes and may have suggestion of similar panel, but these are
often buffish and diffuse). Both species show whitish tips and margins to the tail,
but on Upcher’s these are on average broader, more distinct (contrasting with
darker tail) and usually obvious in flight; this feature, however, is not constant,
and is relatively useless for birds with heavily worn plumage.

3. Other dijferences Upcher’s usually tends to have paler crown (often with hint of
darker stripe at sides of forecrown) and ear-coverts almost as pale as whitish
throat and to be predominantly whitish below and distincdy grey above, whereas
most Olivaceous have slightly darker and warmer ear-coverts (and sometimes
crown), often well demarcated from whitish throat, often have very faint yellow-
ish-brown suffusion to breast sides and flanks, and may show more-obvious
brownish or olive or sandy tinge above (although many are identical to Upcher’s) .
On both species, supercilium in front of eye can be either thin or rather broad,
or indistinct, but on most Upcher’s tends to be slightly broader and whiter and
equally strong to rear edge of eye (or to distance of less than eye diameter behind
eye), while on Olivaceous it usually does not extend behind eye or on a few
extends farther than eye diameter behind eye (but then only faint and indistinct).
Upcher’s’ lower mandible tends to have some pinkish (chiefly pinkish-yellow on
Olivaceous), with gape point always reaching fore edge of eye-ring (ends slightly
before on most Olivaceous), and has three or four rictal bristles (three on
Olivaceous). Leg colour varies: on Upcher’s mainly dark brownish-flesh (mainly
greyish-flesh on Olivaceous). Upcher’s’ 1st (shortest) primary reaches to about
tips of primary coverts or is shorter (much longer on Olivaceous).

Plate 39. Upcher’s Warbler Hippokiis LiHpincLi, Turkey, June 1991 (Rohtii Chiitoidai)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

121

4. Voice Upcher s ‘chuk’ is obviously louder and deeper than the ‘tchak’, ‘teak’
or tek of Olivaceous; other rattling ‘churr’ calls are louder from Upcher’s.
Latter s song is very variable and with enormous amount of rnimicry, slower in
tempo, with rich and open vowel sounds, ‘unsteady’, melodious, with warbling
quality: very different from Olivaceous, which gives highly distinctive, rhythmic,
rising and falling song (repetition over a long cycle of 10-12 notes, with eighth or
ninth note higher-pitched), like Reed Warbler’s A. scirpaceus but more monoto-
nous, harsher, less gruff and more chattering. In Spain, song of Olivaceous is
often compared to that of Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaeniis.

OLIVACEOUS WARBLER Hippolais pallida

More variable than other ‘grey-and-brown’ Hippolais. Much variation is geo-
graphical and highly marked, with three races; opaca (northwest Africa and
Iberia), nominate pallida (northeast Africa, possibly together with other North and
Central African populations), and elaeica (southeast Europe and Middle East;
includes synonymised form damanceti’ of eastern part of range). General field
characters and variations are as follows.

1. Structure and jizz Medium-sized (about 13 cm), with long, flattish but broad-
based biU, longish tail somewhat more rounded (shorter outermost rectrices) than
on congeners, and shortish primary projection (varies from half to two-thirds of
tertial length); some, however, appear larger, relatively long-billed and long-tailed,
with much broader biU base (race opaca), while others are rather smaller and dain-
tier, with shghtiy shorter tail and biU and less broad biU base recaUing Acrocephalus
(race elaeica), and others even smaUer, with much smaUer biU and taU and very
narrow biU base (easternmost elaeica and other smaU African races). NormaUy
gives impression of long, low profile (flattish crown) with pot-beUy, but quite del-
icate with elongated body.

2. Call and behaviour Has ‘tak’ caUs recalling Lesser Whitethroat S. cwruca, and
with each caU pumps tail downwards; many other Hippolais have simUar caU and
may occasionaUy flick taU downwards, but this action is never so conspicuous
(and not combined with caU). Otherwise, quite nervous and clumsy in move-
ments.

Plate 40. Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida of race elaeica, Eilat, Israel, September 1986
(//. Shirihai)

122

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Idenufication of Hippolais warblers

I Plate 41. Left, Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais
pallida of race elaeica, Eilat, Israel,
! September 1986 {H. Shirihai)

Plate 42. Below, Olivaceous Warbler
Hippolari pallida, Eilat, Israel, March 1992 (H.
Shirihai). This individual approaches Booted
Warbler H. caligata in its small size, short pri-
mar>' projection and short bill; probably
nominate race from northeast Africa, or from
area of overlap and intergradation betw'een
Olivaceous of race elaeica and Booted of race
rarna in southwest Asia (latter population in part
represents synon\Tnised form 'laniaiiceti).

3. General coloration Noticeably pale. Upperparts vary from fawn, through vari-
ous shades of grey tinged with slightly colder olive (opaca) or greyish-brown
{elaeica), to pallid plain grey or sandy (some North African individuals, a few
Middle East populations), or predominantly greyish-brown (some easternmost
elaeica)-, on some, upperparts colour can approach that of pale extremes of east-
ern Reed Warbler A. s. fnsciis or even Marsh Warbler A. palustns. Underparts
off-white, often with greyish or huffish wash on flanks and across breast. Wing
usually appears slightly darker, with pale fringes forming variable (generally indis-

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

123

tinct) secondary panel. Usually shows clear off-white outer-web fringe, tip and
distal inner web of outer tail feathers, narrow but often quite sharply defined; this
feature is quite variable in contrast and depth (and beware that, against light,
outer tail of all Hippohis warblers looks pale). All races wear to a paler greyish-
brown or greyish-olive (and are much more alike in colour) on breeding grounds.

Plate 43. Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida of nominate race, Egypt, May 1951 (A.
Ashjian). Note small size, short bill and short primaiy' projection, but this race still has species’
typical head pattern, call and tail-flicking.

Plate 44. Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida of race opaca, Spain, May 1992 (G. Gargallo).
Note typically much broader bill base and slightly colder olive tinge to greyish-brown upperparts
of this race.

124

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Identification of Hippolais warblers

4. Supercilium and face Has typical bland facial expression of genus, with rather
indistinct pale supercilium to in front of or above (or rarely to just behind) eye,
although sometimes more distinct and occasionally extends behind eye (but
largely faint), or often concolorous with lores (a few spring adults can show at
least a hint of a faint darker border above superciliurn); in the field, supercilium
usually appears restricted to fore area. Otherwise, most have a pale area below
the eye (actually surrounding eye), which may also contribute to the bland
expression.

BOOTED WARBLER Hippolais caligata

The smallest of the genus (about 12 cm, little bigger than Willow Warbler
Phylloscopiis trochiliis') , but does not appear correspondingly delicate.
Characteristic in having comparatively heavy head with rather high crown and
short, slender bill, and relatively shortish tail, but pot-belly and short wings
(primarv^ projection about half tertial length) make it look rather long-tailed.
Strikingly pale brown above (‘pale milky tea’; valid for most fresh autumn
immatures and most spring birds, but summer and autumn adult wears to v^ery
pale grey-whitish-sandy) and markedly pale off-white below. Unlike other
Hippolais, has rather strong facial pattern, with prominent (though frequently
diffuse) supercilium always extending well behind eye (to same distance as in
front) and square-cut at rear, often with darker colour bordering upper edge, and
also often offset by thin dark eye-stripe, which, combined with shormess of bill,
can create PhylloscopusAike. appearance. Wing feathers (including coverts and
particularly tertials) typically darker-centred and with broad pale fringes,
sometimes creating faint wing-panel. Tail fairly square, and outer feathers with
variable whitish tip and edges to outer web and distal part of inner web, although
this hard to see (or strongly reduced, even on fresh-plumaged individuals). At
close range, often shows quite distinct pale eye-ring and, on some, more huffish
suffusion on rump and uppertail-coverts. Very active, typically moving through
undergrowth with slight upward flicking of tail and wings (but, unlike Olivaceous,
no persistent tail-dipping); may also flycatch and, rarely, even hover (again
recalling Phylloscopiis). At distance, appears plain-headed. Much of Booted’s
variation is geographical, but some also occurs within a single population. For
example, some individuals have both the dark eye-stripe and the lateral crown-
stripe reduced or lacking, and/or the supercilium weaker, shorter behind the eye
or only just visible behind the eye, closely approaching the bare-faced expression
of other Hippolais, and also often have a stronger and slightly longer bill, paler
greyish-brown upperparts and paler cream underparts (such birds are normally
of race rania, particularly in spring), all quite different from normal nominate
caligata described above; many are intermediate in characters.

Often confused with Paddyfield Warbler A. agricola, chiefly in spring or when
individuals worn, but similarity should be dispelled by Paddyfield ’s general warm
ground colour on upperparts and body sides and the different shape of its short
wings but long and prominently graduated tail (as well as its undertail-coverts
being of typical length for an Acroccphalns). Also confusable witli Phylloscopiis
warblers, notably Chiffchaff P. collybita and Bonelli’s P. bonelli: size and bulk,
combined with longer and heavier bill and paler (non-black) legs, should separate

British Birds, vol. 89, no, 3, March 1996

125

— ^ Mm. .'. i f^mmr

Plate 45. First-winter Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata of nominate race, Spurn,
Humberside, September 1991 {Steve Young)

Plate 46. Left, first-winter Booted Warbler
Hippolais caligata of nominate race,
Bloemendaal, Netherlands, September
1988 {Arnoud B. van den Berg). Note small
Phylloscopjis-liks appearance with typical long
supercilium, dark lateral crown-stripe, short
Phylloscopus-\ike bill, short primary' projection
and relatively long tail; also rather well-defined
tertial fringes.

Plate 47. First-winter Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata of nominate race, Portland,
Dorset, September 1987 {Phil Atkinson) . Typical appearance in the field.

126 Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Idenufication of Hippolais warblers

Plate 48. First-winter Booted Warbler Hippolau caligaia of indeterminate race, Scilly,
October 1981 (Tint Loseby). Typical posture and appearance in the field.

it from former, and lack of green or yellow from latter; Willow Warbler of race
yakiitensis approaches Booted in coloration, but former shows long primary
projection, much longer and sharper supercilium, Phylloscopus-\ypt bill, yellowish
(not greyish-brown) legs and notched tail; Dusky Warbler P. fuscatus can be
greyish, but always has rufous-buff suffusion to ear-coverts, flanks and undertail-
coverts. Booted’s call differs from that of any Phylloscopus.

Within the genus Hippolais, Booted is confusable only with Olivaceous (main-
ly elaeica or small North and Central African races), but is smaller, more delicate,
with rather shorter and finer bill, and in general shape and behaviour it somewhat
approaches Phylloscopus', bill is pale orangey-flesh or horn with dark culmen and
tip (Olivaceous has all-pale lower mandible, rarely with indistinct blackish tip);
also has more complex facial pattern, with at least prominent supercilium behind
eye (where faint or absent on Olivaceous), and often a hint of an eye-stripe and
quite obvious lateral crown-stripe, but very rarely Olivaceous may have slightly
stronger supercilium behind eye and less rarely a slightly darker border above
supercilium (conversely, some Booted have weaker facial pattern). Booted’s
upperparts are normally browner, and breast to flanks smudged with cream-buff
(unlike most Olivaceous); it also has more prominent dark centres and pale
fringes to wing-coverts and tertials, more flesh-brown or greyish-horn legs and
more contrasting darker feet (but legs and feet can vary from bright pale pink to
steely blue-grey, and many first-winters occurring in Britain have distinctly flesh-
coloured legs), slightly shorter primary' projection and more square-cut tail. More
active when feeding, without downflicking of tail shown by Olivaceous (though
can give slight upward flicks) . Some larger Booted with slightly bigger bill or weak
facial pattern and paler or greyer upperparts, and some smaller Olivaceous with
smaller bill or faint supercilium and brownish tinge above, can be impossible to
separate in the field (some even in the hand), but calls differ: Booted has single
or repeated hard and rather harsh ‘tick’, ‘skee’ or ‘chet’ (never Olivaceous’s
repeated ‘tak’ with downward tail flicks).

Rrirish Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

127

Plates 49-51. Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetomm, Eilat, Israel, August 1993 {H.
Shirihai). Note large size, with long wings (with large whitish panel when fresh) and long pri-
mary projection, long and full tail obviously darker than upperparts and with prominent white
tips/edges to outer feathers, large bill typically bicoloured (lower mandible orangey). Dark grey
above with hint of bluish; note patternless head. In the field, call very loud, actions very slow,
and typically waves tail repeatedly.

128

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Identification of Hippoluis warblers

Plates 52 & 53. Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida: above, Israel, May 1993 (H. Shirihai);
below, Oman, May 1988 (Haiinc Erikseii). Compared with 01i\’aceous H. pallida, note stronger
bill, longer and broader tail, and conspicuously darker tail and wings; behaviour and tail acdon
also differ.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

129

Plates 54-56. Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida of race elaeica, Eilat, Israel, March 1990
{above, Rem Pop; below, David M. Cottridge). Notably pale, predominantly greyish, with typical
bland Aaocephalus-\ike facial expression (supercilium almost confined to in front of and above
eye); wings and tail only sUghtly darker than upperparts. Note also length and shape of bill, mod-
erately long tail and shortish primary projection (last two features may appear, respectively, rather
shorter and longer, depending on individual bird or population). In the field, looks rather elon-
gated, and typically flicks tail downwards, generally in combination with ‘tak’ calls.

130

Shirihai, Chrisiie & Harris: Identification of Hippokm warblers

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

131

Fig. 2. Booted Hippolais caligata, Olivaceous H. pallida, Melodious H. polyglolta and Icterine
Warblers H. icienna {Alan Harris)

Top two, Booted Warblers: left, first-winter of race caligata', right, race rama in worn plumage —
long-tailed and thick-billed.

Centre two: first-winter Olivaceous Warblers: left, small individual resembling Booted Warbler;
right, large individual.

Bottom left, first-winter Melodious Warbler.

Bottom right, first-winter Icterine Warbler.

FACING PAGE

Fig. 1. Olive-tree Hippolais olwetomm, Upcher’s H. languida and Olivaceous Warblers H.
pallida {Akni Harris)

Top two. Olive-tree Warblers: left, spring; right, worn plumage.

Centre two, Upcher’s Warblers: left, spring; right, worn plumage.

Bottom four. Olivaceous Warblers: two left, fresh plumage, eastern race elaeica above, western
race opaca below; two right, worn plumage, elaeica above, opaca below.

On worn Olivaceous Warbler of western race opaca (bottom right), note exceptionally broad-
based bill even for a Hippolais.

132

Shirihai, Christie & Harris; Identification of Hippolais warblers

Plates 57-59. Fresh-pliimaged adults of Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivchmim (top),
Upcher’s Warbler H. lanpuida (centre) and Olivaceous Warbler H. pallida of race dacica
(bottom), Eilat, Israel, May 1993 {H. Shirihai)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

133

Plate 60. Adult Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata of nominate race, Spurn, Humberside,
June 1992 (P. Doherty). Note small size (with notably finer bill) and buffish sandy-brown
plumage, obvious extension of supercilium behind eye, dark lateral crown-stripe and whiter
throat; also relatively short wings and long tail, and short primary' projection.

Plate 61. Adult Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata of race rama, Ashkhabad, Turkmenia,
May 1992 {Tim Loseby). Appearance more like Olivaceous H. pallida, including general greyish
suffusion (less brownish) and longer and stronger bill compared with nominate Booted.

134

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Idcniification ol HippoLns warblers

Plates 62 & 63. Above, first-winter Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglofta, Portland,
Dorset, September 1994 (Peter Coe); below, first-winter Icterine Warbler H. ieteriiia, Scilly,
September 1992 (C. J. Timmins), 'fhese tw'o 'yellowish Hippolais' (though often greyish when
immature and possibly confusable with 01i\'aceous Warbler H. pallida) are best separated from
each other by differences in primaiy projection and spacing (Icterine has longer projection and
tips more widely spaced towards w'ing-point); Icterine’s wings co\'er uppertail-coverts, which on
Melodious are slightly exposed behind its shorter wings. Icterine also tends to have more solid
pale wing-panel (absent or almost so on Melodious), duller and more uniform underparts (more
ob\ious contrast between yellowish breast and whitish belly on Melodious), and purer lead-grey
(less brownish-grey) legs.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

135

MELODIOUS AND ICTERINE WARBLERS Hippolais polyglotta and H. icterina

Although both are typical Hippolais warblers (but with plumage olive-brown,
green-grey and yellow to just whitish and buff), these two are often confused with
some other warblers. Garden Warbler 5'. borin has short, comparatively deep,
greyish biU (never long and broad-based or with orangey lower mandible), is plain
greyish-brown or olive-brown above and dingy below, and has rather plain face
with large eye. Willow Warbler is smaller, resdess, flitting, with typical
Phylloscopus appearance, very thin biU, stronger facial pattern (always very long
superciHum) and different call. In autumn, both, though mainly Melodious, are
not infrequendy confused with Marsh or Reed Warblers; see characters identify-
ing the genus (under Identification, above).

Icterine and Melodious in spring (fresh plumage) differ from aU other Hippolais
in being rather pale olive greenish-grey (Icterine) or greenish olive-brown
(Melodious) above and rather uniform (variable) yellow below; summer and
autumn adults wear to pale greyish-green or olive above (though Melodious is
generally more brownish-tinged) and whitish-yellow below, with worn browner
remiges, at a time when first-winters are distincdy paler grey-green (some very
pale gi eyish-buff) above and off-white with variable yellowish wash below (some
lack yellow, resembling Olivaceous: see below).

The following feamres separate Melodious from Icterine in any plumage.

1. Wings Melodious has short primary projection, roughly half length of
exposed tertials, and wing-panel is usually absent or less solid (Icterine has long
primary projection roughly equal to tertials and always has conspicuous wing-
panel). Note that wing fringes are whitish (Icterine) or whitish-buff
(Melodious) on autumn immamres, but mainly yellowish on spring birds in
fresh plumage, while on worn autumn adults of both species wing-panel can
appear whitish, or as series of white lines, or be non-existent (as on many
Melodious). Both can, rarely, show primary projection to about two-thirds ter-

Plate 64. First-winter Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina, Merseyside, September 1992

{Steve Young)

136

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Identification of Hippolais warblers

Plate 65. First-winter Melodious Warbler Hippolais polygblia, Scilly, October 1991 {Steve
Yoiuig)

tial length, so it is important to note primary spacing (on Melodious tends to
be even, on Icterine more widely spaced towards wing-point) or, perhaps more
so, wing-to-tail ratio (on Melodious, primary projection half as long as wingtip
to tail tip and never covers tail-coverts; on Icterine, about same as wingtip to
tail tip and covers tail-coverts).

2. Subsidiary features On Melodious, head is more rounded, with steeper forehead
and with peak around or just before eye (rather domed crown); Icterine has flat-
ter forehead, with crown peak well behind eye. Both have short, ill-defined
supercilium mosdy before eye, but this often extends slightiy more behind eye
(though more diffuse) on Icterine. Melodious usually has brownish-grey legs

Plate 66. Frcsh-plumaged adult Icterine Warbler Hippokiis utcniia. Fame Islands,
Northumberland, spring 1992 (P. Bush)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

137

Plate 67. Fresh-plumaged adult Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta, Portugal, May
1989 {Kevin Carlson)

(bluish-grey or lead-grey on Icterine), but this is hard to determine and many
individuals of both species can have greyish legs. Both species lack clean white on
outer tail, but edges tend towards light brown on A4.elodious (slightly whiter on
Icterine), this more obvious in flight. Most Melodious tend to show stronger yel-
low on throat and upper breast (on Icterine, often more uniform and duller
yellow), this being more useful with first- winter mdividuals.

3. Behaviour, character and voice Melodious is slightly more rounded-looking (less
elongated and slim), tends to skulk or remain long in same clump, although may
sing from exposed perch, and feeds more slowly and methodically (Icterine often
perches in full view, is more lively and impetuous, and often shoots off with dash-
ing or flycatcher-Uke flight). Song of Melodious is a persistent, rapid 5yfoia-like
chatter with less mimicry, starting hesitantly and then going into softer, smoother
but faster and more sustained musical rambling, lacking Icterine’s ‘rough bits’;
Icterine’s is a more varied and pleasing, high-pitched Acrocephalus-]dk& refrain,
perhaps recalling Marsh Warbler or Blyth’s Reed Warbler A. dumetomm, but with
discordant whistling, and is unstructured, rather hoarse and strained, but with
long-drawn notes and including much rnirnicry (and Icterine usually sings from
higher perch). CaU of Melodious is variable, mainly a short sparrow-like chatter,
less often a sharp ‘tic’; Icterine (rarely calls in aummn) gives mainly a short, hard
‘teck’ or ‘tec-tec-tec’, in alarm tongue-clicks, and also has (mainly m spring) a
musical ‘tey-te-dwee’.

Occasional first-winter Olivaceous Warblers suffused more buff-and-olive
resemble ‘colourless’ Icterine or Melodious (first- win ter or heavily worn adults),
but have primary projection between the two. Icterine and Melodious occasion-
ally flick tail down, but never so conspicuously as does Olivaceous, and not in

138

Shirihai, Christie & Harris: Identification of Hippolais warblers

combination with call. Olivaceous always has outer tail feathers edged off-white,
this normally being indistinct or lacking on the other two (but largely reduced or
absent on heavily worn individuals of all three). Olivaceous normally has a long,
low forehead and crown (flattish head), unlike more rounded or domed crown of
Icterine and Melodious, which also have more prominent orangey lower mandible
and very pale ear-coverts (on extreme individuals almost concolorous with throat
or crown, quite unlike warmer, well-defmed ear-coverts of Olivaceous). Icterine
has a much more obvious wing-panel (of little use with heavily worn birds).
Folded wing of Melodious usually shows five primary tips; most Olivaceous show
six, but quite often seven (as do most Icterine Warblers).

Acknowledgments

We thank Simon Harrap for his ver>' helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We also
thank Macmillan Publishers Ltd for permission to reproduce the paintings (figs. 1 & 2) from our
forthcoming book The Aiacmillan Birder’s Guide to Europeati and Middle Eastern Birds.

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Shirihai, H. 1987. Identification of Upcher’s Warbler. Brit. Birds 80: 217-221.

Svi-NSSON, L. 1992. Identification Guide to Europeati Passerines. Stockholm.

Ul.LMAN, M. 1989. Identification of Upchcr’s and Olivaceous Warblers. Birding World 2\ 167-
170.

Wai.iach, D. I. M. 1964. Field identification of Hippolais warblers. Brit. Birds 51: 282-301.
Williamson, K. 1968. Idetiiification for Ringers. 1. BTO Guide No. 7. Tring.

Hadoram Shirihai, PO Box 4168, Eilat 88102, Israel

David A. Christie, 4 Steventon Road, Harefield, Southampton SOi8 5HA

Alan Hanis, 60 East Park, Harlow, Essex CA417 OSE

ZEISS

The inclusion of plates 49-63 in colour in this issue of British Birds has been
subsidised by financial support from Carl Zeiss Ltd, sponsor of the British Birds
Rarities Committee.

NOTES

Shag colliding with fm of Basking Shark

On 6t±i May 1990, a warm and sunny day with flat-calm sea, at Great Saltee, Co.
Wexford, Mark Shorten and I were watching a 10-m Basking Shark Cetorhinus
rnaximns cruising languidly back and forth, its dorsal fin typically extending a
metre or so above the surface. We were surprised when one of the many Shags
Phalacrocorax anstotehs in the area suddenly veered almost 90° from its flight
course and headed straight for the protruding fin: approaching very low over the
water, it hit the shark’s fm squarely with lowered feet, the force of the impact
apparently causing it to stall briefly, before it recovered and flew off to resume its
original course. The collision with the fm seemed to us quite deliberate. If so, the
Shag s behaviour is rather puzzling, since Basking Sharks are inoffensive filter
feeders which present no threat to Shags or to any other seabirds.

Russ Heselden

Pinkerton’s Cottage, East Ruston Road, Honing, North Walsham, Nor-folk NR28 90S

EDITORIAL COMMENT It seems hkely that the Shag mistook the dorsal fin for a
non-living potential perch, and received a nasty surprise. Shags and other seabirds
have been noted feeding in association with Basking Sharks (e.g. Brit. Birds 59:
434), but we know of nothing comparable to this incident.

Grey Heron feeding after dark

At 20.25 GMT on 20th February 1990, about two hours after nightfall, while dri-
ving in Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry, I came across a Grey Heron Ardea
cinerea standing upright in shallow water where the road had been flooded; it rose
and flew off. At 21.04 hours, when I returned along the road, what was presum-
ably the same heron was standing in the same spot, again flying off at my
approach. At 21.29, at a flooded patch about 1 km away, I again flushed a Grey
Heron, probably the same individual, which flew back towards the original point
on the road; on approaching the latter spot, quietly, at 21.40 hours, I surprised a
Grey Heron leaning forwards in typical stalking fashion; it lifted off into the dark-
ness. The night was starry, with 3 oktas cloud cover and no moon. I searched the
area for Common Frogs Rana temporaria or other potential food items, but could
see none. I can only conclude, however, that, despite the darkness, the heron was
feeding on some such animals. On 28th January 1992, I wimessed the same
behaviour when, at 22.20 GMT, I flushed a Grey Heron from another flooded
patch in the Park. BWP (vol. 1) states that Grey Herons usually feed by day, but
makes no reference to night-time feeding. While I have heard reports of Grey
Herons feeding in well-lit estuaries after dark, I can find no records of this behav-
iour or of their feeding in virtual complete darkness.

Terry Carruthers

Tore Lodge, Miickross, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland

EDITORIAL COMMENT An earlier note described Grey Herons hunting at night by
artificial light {Brit. Birds 83: 425), with an editorial comment drawing attention

\Rrit Rird'! 139-143. March 19961 © British Birds Ltd 1996

139

140

Notes

to the statement in Hancock & Kushlan (1984, The Herons Handbook) that noc-
turnal feeding may, at least in Europe and Africa, be as important as or even more
important than daytime feeding.

Wintering Merlins hunting over sea and hunting as a pair

From my experience of wintering Merlins Fako colurnbarins at Gibraltar Point
NNR, Lincolnshire, I agree with Nigel Odin’s view (Brit. Birds 85: 497) that
Merlins coming in off the sea are not all new arrivals. My observations tend to
suggest that these occurrences do coincide with over-sea movements of passer-
ines. On several occasions. Merlins have been seen coming in during the first
couple of hours of daylight during periods when movements of finches
(Fringillidae), Sky Larks Alaiida arvensis and pipits Anthus have been in evidence.
It seems likely that ‘local’ Merlins regularly take advantage of tired migrants by
tackling them over the sea. While I have watched Merlins arrive from the sea with
prey, only once have I seen them hunting at sea: in January 1990, a female or
immature Merlin was pursuing a Sky Lark some 800 m offshore when it was
joined by a male Hen Harrier Circus cyanens, which endeavoured to catch the
same prey; as the lark flew strongly landwards, it was seized by the Merlin, which
held it for a short while until continual harassment from the harrier caused it to
lose its grip, and the lark was able to land on the beach next to where I was sit-
ting; the two raptors continued to fly inland until lost from view. I assumed that
the Merlin was a local winterer undertaking a feeding sortie, while die harrier may
have been a newly arrived migrant.

Further to this, during the winter 1991/92, three female or immature Merlins
frequented the reserve. At least tw'o of these could be seen together, usually over
saltmarsh areas, hunting in unison. The pair would target an individual bird,
often a Rock Pipit Anthns petrosus or Linnet Cardnelis cannabina, and then
repeatedly stoop at it in turn until one made a catch; a high success rate was
achieved. Once a kill had been made, however, there would be no further inter-
action between the two Merlins, and the unsuccessful one only rarely continued
to hunt alone. On at least three occasions, during early mornings, what were pre-
sumably the same two Merlins were noted flying in off the sea almost
simultaneously, one with a passerine in its talons; it appeared that they had been
hunting together at sea, and again these observations coincided with coastal
movements of passerines. The two Merlins were seemingly involved in a mutu-
ally beneficial hunting bond.

K. M. WiisON

3 Aylmer Avenue, Skegness, Lincolnshire FE24 4ST

Distinctive feeding behaviour of Semipalmated Sandpipers
While visiting Eastern Texas, USA, in April 1988, my wife and I studied the
feeding behaviour of the coastal American waders. In particular, we noticed that
the Semipalmated Sandpipers Calidris pusilla exhibited a very distinctive method
of feeding along the edges of shallow pools and lagoons. Always preferring tlie
shallower water, they would move forward, probe into tlie mud with tlteir tubular
bills, and then remain quite still for two to four seconds, before withdrawing their

Bntish Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

141

bills and moving forward to try elsewhere. We never saw the biU withdrawn to
swallow prey, and it was almost as if the waders were ingesting directly through
the bill. We speculated that the Semipalmated Sandpipers either were awaiting a
sense of movement or were drawing sediment and associated prey into the bHl.
Their motionless posture was distinctive even at a distance.

This all contrasted strongly with the feeding behaviour of accompanying
Western Sandpipers C. maim and Dunlins C. alpina, whose more-rapid
movements heightened the contrast with the behaviour of the Semipahnateds. At
no time did we see the Semipalmated Sandpipers take items off the surface of the
water, although the Western Sandpipers often did so.

E. M. R-iynor

15 Nash Meadow, South Wamboroiigh, Hampshire RG25 IRJ

EDITORIAL COA4MENT Claudia Wilds has commented as follows: ‘After seeing the
note on the feeding behaviour of Semipalmated Sandpiper, I spent several days
looking at them carefully and recruited my most observant friends to do the same.
None of us observed the reported behaviour at any time. At all times, all the
feeding birds that we studied were engaged in some form of pecking. If an
individual was standing in water (always very shallow) and feeding on something
below the surface, it pecked several times in rapid succession — in the sewing-
machine style we associate with dowitchers Limnodromus and Stilt Sandpipers
Micropalama himantopus. If it was takmg something from the surface of land or
water, a single quick peck was usually sufficient. This pecking behaviour was
observed among birds feeding at the edge of both fresh water and salt water.
There were no Western Sandpipers around for comparison, but the feeding
behaviour of the Dunlins, though out in deeper water, seemed very similar. I do
not know what was going on in Texas. I suppose that it is possible that there was
some sort of prey present that required the still, apparently sucking behaviour that
E. M. Raynor describes. Semipalmateds tend to be more relaxed southbound
than northbound, but I see that these were April observations. In any case,
thousands of Semipalmateds m Virginia would go unidentified if one waited for
them to engage in this slow-motion feeding pattern.’

Distinctive behaviour is often useful in the detection of an unusual bird amongst
commoner ones, but is very seldom so diagnostic that it can be used to clinch an
identification.

Herring Gulls feeding on flying ants

In July 1992, during thundery weather at Paignton, Devon, I observed a number
of Herring Gulls Lams argentatus circling among flying ants at a height of about
30 m. On sighting an ant, a guU would stall and then move some 2 m diagonal-
ly upwards, seizing the prey with outstretched neck; occasionally, an ant was taken
in direct flight. The feeding sequence lasted for 12 minutes.

Lesue Jackman

44 Old Torquay Road, Paignton, Devon TQ3 2R/1

EDITORIAL COMMENT While this behaviour is frequent among Black-headed Gulls
L. ridibimdus, it seems to be unusual for Herring Gulls. David A. Christie, how-
ever, noted similar behaviour by three Herring Gulls in Southampton,
Hampshire, in August 1994.

142

Notes

Unusual bathing behaviour of Common Tern
On 20th August 1992, at Seaforth Nature Reserve, Merseyside, I watched about
50 Common Terns Sterna hinmdo vigorously bathing. One, an adult, was floating
buoyantly on its back with its head and feet in the air; with a quick bout of wing-
thrashing it soon righted itself, became airborne, and Was lost to sight. It showed
no sign of injury or impediment. After a further Pvo minutes, what was possibly
the same tern was again on its back, looking around with open bill; it righted itself
with ease and was lost among the activity of the flock. On both occasions, the tern
remained on its back for about 15 seconds.

P. 1. Morris

Caughall Famihouse Cottage, Caugfiall Road, Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire CH2 4BW

Hedge Accentor apparently afraid of its own reflection
At about 10.20 hours on 21st October 1991, at Eldwick, near Bingley, West
Yorkshire, we noticed a Hedge Accentor Prunella modulans standing in a shallow,
water-filled concrete bath sunk into our garden lawn. After pecking two or three
times at the surface of the water, it sprang to the edge of the bath, as though
frightened. Twice, at short intervals, it went back into the pool, pecked, and
retreated, before finally going through the motions of bathing in the short dewy
grass of the lawn. The pool contained only water, which was no deeper than
4 cm. Was the Hedge Accentor afraid of a reflection which appeared to be trading
peck for peck?

Godfruy Prihstihy and Peggy Priestuiy
18 Pengarth, Eldwick, Bingley, West Yorkshire Bl)i6 3DX

EDITORIAI. COMMEN T Derek Goodwin has commented: fl think that quite likely it
was afraid of its own (perhaps distorted?) reflection. Reactions of different species
of birds, different individuals of the same species, or the same individual under
different circumstances may all differ. In the past, I showed many tame (to me)
birds their mirror images and saw reactions ranging from wild panic to such
complete indifference that I could hardly believe the bird saw the image.’

Female Blackbird persistently attacking its own reflection
At about 12.15 GMT on 20th December 1992, at West Bagborough, Taunton,
Somerset, I saw' and heard a female Blackbird Turdns rnernla pecking \ igorously
at its own reflection on the closed sunroof of my car, which was parked in a car-
port. The Blackbird was so preoccupied that I was able to w'atch it from the side
of the car, although it did move, still pecking, to the far side of the sunroof. This
behaviour continued until 13.45 hours, when it flew to feed on a garden bush,
where it repeatedly lunged at and chased two male Blackbirds which were trying
to feed on berries; after a few minutes, the female again attacked the sunroof,
continuing until 15.30 hours. Weather conditions at the time were dr\', cold and
dull. At 08.10 GM'l' the next day, what w^as presumably the same Blackbird w'as
back pecking at the sunroof, until I drove the car away; on my return in the after-
noon, it very soon resumed pecking and persisted until dusk, only to recommence
soon after dawn the following morning. Attacks occurred daily, but by 26\h
December the Blackbird was striking at its ow'n reflection less frequently. In order

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

143

to prevent it fouling the sunroof with its droppings, I started to cover the area,
which at once stopped the attacks.

Attacks by various bird species, usually males, on their own reflections are well
mown. In this case, a female was involved in attacking its reflection on a
horizontal, rather than vertical, surface and over a protracted period. Despite its
preoccupauon, it apparently found time to obtain sufficient food durmg the cold,
frosty spell, for it appeared to be plump and well nourished.

A. P. Radford

Ciossways Cottage, West Bagborough, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3EG

Great Tit eating earthworm

On 15th February 1990, in KiUamey National Park, Co. Kerry, I watched a small
flock of Great Tits Pams major feeding on a grassy patch. One male flew from a
cotoneaster Cotoneaster directly to a spot on the lawn, picked up an earthworm
about 4-5 cm long and returned to the bush; after wiping the worm on a branch
in the manner of a thrush Turdus, it tore off and ate pieces, flnishing the whole
worm in less than a minute. Although the diet of the Great Tit is at least as well
known as that of most other bird species, the food account in BWP (vol. 7)
records ‘rarely earthworms’, with no specific references from Europe, and Gosler
(1993, The Great Tit) does not mention earthworms in this species’ diet. Our
research on Great Tits in KiUarney has revealed some evidence that the species
may be protein-stressed in winter, and food such as earthworms may be particu-
larly important at this time.

Terry Carruthers

Tore Lodge, Muckross, KiUamey, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Magpies taking milk from doorsteps

At 12.10 GMT on 2nd July 1992, in a suburb of Southampton, Hampshire, a
Magpie Pica pica was seen feeding from a bottle of silver-top milk left on the
doorstep of a house. It flew off when disturbed, and subsequent investigation
revealed that about 2.5 cm of milk had been taken. The taking of milk by Blue
Tits Parxis caemleiis is well documented, but there are few references in the
literature to Magpies feeding in this manner. Magpies are omnivorous and have
increasingly invaded urban areas; they have now been seen taking milk on several
further occasions, and this behaviour has been commented upon by the local
residents.

A. M. Snook

1 6 Emmett Road, Rownhams, Southampton, Hampshire SOI 8JB

EDITORIAL COMMENT David A. Christie has commented: ‘For a period of about
two weeks in 1992, also in Southampton (but about 9-10 km from Rownhams),
Magpies behaved in this same way, and also pecked through the shells of hen eggs
left on a doorstep; this behaviour, which was irregular in occurrence, suddenly
ceased and has not been wimessed since. Magpies are very common in the area.’
In the summer of 1991, Magpies were noted pecking through milk-bottle caps for
cream, a phenomenon which was subsequently reported from many parts of
Britain {Brit. Birds 86: 315), but it seems unclear whether this behaviour has
become established.

LETTERS

Richard’s Pipit or Blyth’s?

As a result of the recent spate of papers, notes and-articles on identification of
Blyth’s Anthus godlewskii (e.g. Alstrom & Mild 1987; Bradshaw 1994; Marsh
& Odin 1994), and the acceptance of a well- watched individual in Suffolk {Bnt.
Birds 88: 528-529), there seems to be a general feeling that an apparent Richard’s
Pipit A. novaeseelandiae which looks small and short-billed with pale lores and has
a call resembling that of Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava or Tawny Pipit A.
carnpestris is — especially in late autumn — likely to prove to be a Blyth’s.

The editorial comment has even been made in print elsewhere that ‘there are
now well over 2,000 British birders with field experience of Blyth’s Pipit who
know that the species is really not that difficult to identify in the field’ (Birdiiig
World 7: 475).

The following account should restore a sensible note of caution.

On the morning of 25th November 1994, Steve Stansfield burst in thi'ough our
front door saying that he had found a large pipit in the fields nearby (on North
Ronaldsay, Orkney) and that it had given some ‘funny’ calls.

Upon locating the bird in the persistent drizzle, our initial views were tantalising
and poor, but in flight it looked extremely compact and short tailed, quite lacking
the familiar ‘fat wagtail’ shape of Richard’s Pipit. The lores were pale and
unmarked and the bill also looked small and ‘pointy’, not long and thrush-like as
with Richard’s. We were joined by Pete Donnelly, Tim Outlaw and Dafydd
Roberts, and staying with the bird became a bit easier. At all times, it crept in a
typical ‘small-pipit’ manner through the tussocky grass which it favoured,
completely lacking the confident, striding gait characteristic of Richard’s. The end
of each short flight was marked by a flop into the grass, with never so much as
a hint of a hover. When first found, it was fairly vocal and displayed a broad
repertoire of calls. Its flight calls included:

1. A soft call, reminiscent of Tawny Pipit, variously described as ‘cheup’,
‘chupp’, ‘chrup’ or ‘chruip’, usually given singly, though occasionally given
preceding call 2.

2. A slightly hoarse and explosive ‘sweeoo’ or ‘shpeeeooo’, somewhat reminiscent
of Yellow Wagtail.

3. A version of the classic Richard’s Pipit call: ‘srreep’, which I wrote down as
being ‘mellower, less incisive and quieter’.

4. Whilst reacting to a Common Kestrel Falco tiimimcidns perched nearby, a ver>’
short buzzing ‘brzzz’ or ‘bzzzz’.

5. Apparently also solicited by the nearby presence of the Kestrel, a slightly buzzy
‘pseee’ and ‘pssss’, recalling Tree Pipit A. tnvialis.

We spent much of the early afternoon trying for tlie ‘clincher’: sight of Blytli’s-
type adult median coverts. Finally, we got a very brief view of tlie innermost
median coverts on the right wing and I, at least, was certain that tliere was at least
one such feather, a blunt-tipped inner covert which conU'asted in shape with tlie
‘saw-toothed’ shape of the unmoulted jm^enile feathers.

144

[Bril. Birds 89: 144-146, March 1996] 'C Hrilisli Birds I .td 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

145

In fading light, we left the bird and retired to read over the avadable Uterature.

he circumstantial evidence was very strong indeed. None of us could reconcile
our observations to our individual and extensive familiarity with migrant Richard’s
m Britain. The albeit brief views of the inner median coverts were sufficient for
us to commit ourselves, and the decision was taken to release the news that there
was a Blyth’s Pipit on North Ronaldsay.

By early the next morning, the weather had improved considerably and the bird
was soon found near to its original locaUty. In much better Ught, aU of the previous

ay s features were confirmed and we were able to see the median coverts better.
These indeed looked buff-tipped with broad blackish square-ended centres. The
legs and feet were a smnning bright straw colour and the hind claw looked short,
at about the same length as the hind toe.

We erected two single-panel mist-nets and caught the bird with unexpected
ease. Our elation turned to crushing disappointment when, in the hand, it was
immediately obvious that it was a Richard’s.

The median coverts, on which our premamre confidence had hinged, were
indeed as seen in the field, but not quite the spade-end-shaped centres of Blyth’s
and mostly lacking the dark extension at the shaft. The hind claw, at 18.7 mm,
was well outside the range for Blyth’s, though this measurement was 58% of the
total toe and claw. The tarsus length of 30.5 mm was towards the upper range
for Richard s and firmly outside that given for Blyth’s. The pattern of white on
the 5th rectrLx (unseen in the field) was classic Richard’s (near to Type B of
Svensson 1992).

The wing length of 93 mm was, however, near the bottom of the range for
nominate Richard’s (mid-range for Blyth’s) and the tail length of 70 mm (checked
to be fuUy grown) was extremely short for Richard’s (but, again, mid-range for
Blyth’s). The bill measurements provided yet more evidence that this was a small
Richard’s, with depth (as measured at the proximal end of the nostrils) of 4.5
mm being right on the boundary between Richard’s and Blyth’s.

During processing, the bird began to show signs of distress, so was instantly
released. This prevented us from taking any photographs and, indeed, from
finishing a full suite of biometrics.

As a Richard’s Pipit, this individual looked unbelievably small in the field, and
this impression was confirmed to a great extent by the biometrics. It is tempting
to suggest that this may have been an individual of a race other than richardi.
The very varied range of calls given seems to be more in keeping with the south
Asian races of Richard’s (BWP, vol. 5, p. 303). Variations between nominate
Richard’s and some of these races are undoubtedly subtle, and even the ranges
of biometrics overlap (Svensson 1992). The subspecies dauncus is said to
average fractionally smaller, yet, having had our fingers burnt by this bird once
already, we are not seeking further embarrassment by suggesting a firm racial
provenance.

Each observer of the bird was duped, fairly and squarely, into the false belief
that it was a Blyth’s Pipit. The identification was premature and based on the
erroneous assumption that, by and large, most Richard’s (at least in the UK)
look, call and behave similarly. Had we never seen the bird again after the
second day, there is a very good chance that it would have been wrongly
submitted to the BBRC as a Blyth’s. It was an educational experience for those

146

Letters

directly involved, and this account is published with the intention of providing a
warning to anyone else encountering a similar individual.

ALirtin Gray

North Manse, North Ronaldsay, Orkney KWl 7 2BG
References

Alstrom, P., & Mu.d, K. 1987. Mystery' photograph 122: Bhth’s Pipit. Brit. Birds 80: 50-52.
Bradshaw, C. 1994. Bhih’s Pipit identification. Brit. Birds 87: 136-142.

Marsh, M., & Odin, N. 1994. The Bhth’s Pipit in Suffolk. Birding World 7: 473-475.
SvENSSON, L. 1992. Identification Guide to European Passerines. 4th edn. Stockholm.

The decline of the House Sparrow

The paper by Dr J. Denis Summers-Smith on the House Sparrow Passer
domesticus (Brit. Birds 87; 593-602) cited a popular article by V. B. Droscher on
numbers of this species in Berlin which noted that the species had become a rarity
in the affluent west because of lack of insects owing to application of pesticides,
whereas in the east it was still common. This statement is completely incorrect.
V. B. Droscher is not known as an ornithologist in Berlin; and may have
misinterpreted obser\'ations made during occasional visits to the city.

The first atlas work in Berlin (OAG Berlin (West) 1984; Degen & Otto 1988)
showed that the species is equally widespread in both parts of the city,
disregarding the forests and other parts devoid of houses. In Berlin (West), we
repeated atlasing on a semiquantitative basis in parts of the city during 1989-91.
Our estimates from that work show that the House Sparrow still ranks number
one of all breeding species. After the founding of a new ornithological society of
Berlin in 1 990, we tried to get figures for the population levels of all breeding bird
species in the city. Our estimate for the House Sparrow was 200,000 pairs,
equipartitioned between the two parts of the city. Our concern now about the
species is not pesticides but reconstruction of old houses, which has already
resulted in reduced local densities.

Kiaus Witt

Hortensienstr. 25, D- 12203 Berlin

EDITORIAL COMMiiN'r Dr Denis Summers-Smith has commented: ‘The letter
from Klaus Witt suggests that I have unintentionally misled readers about the
House Sparrow situation in Berlin. Dr Droscher’s comments seemed so apposite
to what appears to be a general decline in western Europe that I could not resist
quoting them; perhaps, in hindsight, I should have been more sceptical.

‘The paper by Bruch et al. (including Klaus Witt) that was published in 1978,
before the marked onset of the decline, noted the population of House Sparrows
in Berlin (West) as 60,000-200,000 territories (pairs?). Thus, the 100,000 pairs
noted now by Dr Witt falls within this range.

‘I have also received a letter from Dr Alan Browse, who has implied tliat I am
underestimating the decline in Britain, his evidence from Surrey suggesting that
it is nothing less than catastrophic.’

References

Bruch, A., Ei.vi;rs, H., Pohu, C., Wi;stfhai., D., & WriT, K, 1978. Die Vogel in Berlin
(West). Eine Ubersicht. Ont. Ber. Berl. (West) 3: 1-286.

DhgI'N, G., & O iTO, P. 1988. AtLts dcr Brutvogcl I’ou Berlin. Berlin & Brandenburg.

OAG BI'RI.in (West). 1984. Brutvogelatlas Berlin (West). Berlin.

REVIEWS

The Raptors of Britain & Europe.

Filmed by Paul Doherty. Narrated by Bill Oddie.

Bird Images, Sherburn-in-Elmet, 1995. Running time 85.35 minutes. /1 6. 95.

The 39 European falcons, accipiters, harriers,
kites, buzzards. Osprey, eagles and vultures
are shown brilliantly, just as they are seen in
the field, using freeze-frame to show key
identification points clearly, and with a first-
rate commentary spoken by Bill Oddie. Help,
advice and other contributions are
acknowledged from raptor experts such as
Dick Forsman, Killian Mullarney and
Hadoram Shirihai.

For anyone who feels that he or she has
inadequate opportunities to hone their raptor-
identification techniques (and, surely, that
must include almost everyone who lives in

Britain?), this video-tape provides the perfect
answer. It can be watched purely for
enjoyment or as an ID masterclass. It is
incomparably superior to even the best field
guide or identification book and includes many
critical field-marks and tips concerning
posture, behaviour and other features
contributing to jizz which I do not remember
ever seeing in print.

The phrase ‘It’s a “must”!’ has become a
cliche, but this video really is an essential buy
unless you have no interest at aU in raptors.

J. T. R. Sharrock

Bird Life of Woodland and Forest.

By Robert J. Fuller. Illustrations by Chi

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995

Despite the great interest in woodlands, there
have been few books on birds and woods in
recent years. Yapp (1962, Birds and Woods)
and Simms (1971, Woodland Birds) described
the bird populations of different woodland
types, whilst Avery & Leslie (1990, Birds and
Forestry) dealt with the effects of forestry
operations on bird populations.

Rob Fuller’s approach differs from these.
He puts Britain into a European context and
shows how differently birds of these islands, at
the western extremity of the continent, behave
and react to forest conditions. His examples
serv^e to remind us that, for many birds,
woodland structure is often more important

s Rose.

244 pages. ISBN 0-521-33118-8. £24.95.
than tree-species composition. This is a
readable book, with a wide range of references
and useful appendices. The descriptions of
forest types and the systems of management
are good, with clear and helpful diagrams. In
the introduction, he boldly (and rightly) states
that there is more variation in the woodland
cover of Britain than is found in many larger
countries and recognises the opportunities
offered by the new woods, rather than writing
them off as do many commentators, I warmed
to him immediately and have made a space on
my bookshelf. In addition, the line-illustrations
by Chris Rose are a delight.

John Niles

Larousse Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe.

By John Gooders, illustrated by Norman Arlott & Alan Harris.

Larousse, London, 1995, 319 pages; 1,300 colour illustrations; 400 maps. ISBN 0-7523-0014-8
£14.99.

The all-important field-guide section contains
a total of 303 larger-than-average-field-guide
pages. Full-page treatment is given to 23
species and half-page treatment to 477 species.
Each species space contains a short, infor-

mative text with identification figuring promi-
nently, an average of 2'! 2 generally high-quality
colour illustrations with important field-marks
arrowed and captioned, a three-colour
European distribution map and a year-long

[Brit. Birds 89: 147-150, March 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

147

148

Rc\iews

abundance chart in confusing tones of blue. In
addition, groups of similar species are illustrat-
ed and discussed on appropriately positioned
pages and half-pages, including three particu-
larly useful eight-page fold-out panoramas
covering large raptors, small waders and w'ar-
blers. Pages are colour-coded for quick
reference. The book has over 20 short intro-
ductory chapters, many correctly devoted to
aspects of bird identification, the usual index,

a serx'iceable plastic cover and an attractive
dust-jacket. A new field guide inevitably
invites comparison wath established ones. For
me, Lars Jonsson’s Birds of Europe still reigns
supreme. Despite a few errors in the Larousse
Field Guide (most embarrassingly one of the
answers in the self-testing picture), it deserves
to capture a sizeable slice of the remainder of
the market.

PliTER Laxsdok'S

Bird-watching in London: a historical perspective.

By E. M. Nicholson, assisted by R. F. Sanderson; edited by R. Earp.

London Natural History’ Society, London, 1995. 203 pages. ISBN 0-901009-05-9. Paperback £8.95.

The title of this book misleads. Its main
contents are actually the ornithological
observations conducted in Kensington
Gardens and Hyde Park during 1924-26 by a
youthful Max Nicholson, presented here in
essay form.

The historical perspective comes from
comparisons with other avian records mainly
from the same Royal Parks, drawn from the
annual reports of the London Natural History
Society’. These include complete censuses of
the parks’ bird populations in 1948, 1966 and
particularly 1975, when Max Nicholson and

the other observers undertook a 50th
anniversary repeat of his original 1925 counts.
The book ends with a fully annotated list of
the 177 species seen in the parks up to mid
1995.

As a testament to a remarkable human
being’s commitment to perceptive
birdwatching (and his early ability to
communicate it), the book succeeds. No-one
interested in the birds of Inner London should
be without it.

D. I. M. Wauace

Summer Atlas of North American Birds.

By Jeff Price, Sam Droege & Amy Price.

Academic Press, Drndon & San Diego, 1995. 450 pages; 13 line-drawings. ISBN 0-12-564660-7.

£30.00.

Turn to page 178 (or see the facing page here)
and it is immediately clear why we have had
'’9 Red-eyed Vireos Vireo olivaceus in Britain
& Ireland but only ever tw’o Philadelphia
Vireos V. phiUidelphicus. Page 179 also shows
why we have never had (and probably ne\'er
will have) the western Black-whiskered Vireo
V. altiloquus turning up in Scilly or Co. Cork.

This book is filled with distribution maps
covering the whole of the USA and part of
southern Canada. The distribution of each
species is mapped with four densities of
brown, reflecting relative abundance during
Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) roadside
transects (based on counts during three-
minute stops). Thus, this is an atlas showing
distributions in summer, not a breeding-bird
atlas, since no attempt is made during the BBS
to obtain evidence of breeding.

The BBS was started in 1966, the
brainchild of Chandler S. Robbins, to whom

this book is dedicated. The data used,
however, refer almost entirely to the seven
years 1985-91. The period of the transects
varies from area to area, aiming to be in ‘early
summer’ (so routes may be sur^’eyed in
southern states as early as May and in
northern areas as late as July). The density’ of
shading on the maps has four levels (0.5-5; 5-
20; 20-50; and >50 individuals per route per
year). Thus, comparisons betvwen areas are
valid for any one species, but it is not possible
to compare one species with another (owing to
differences in detectability such as
conspicuous versus inconspicuous perching
habits, frequency of calling or singing, and so
on). The methodology- is explained fully in 17
introductory pages. The final chapter suiveys
subjects such as species richness, consen ation
issues and population trends, with some 60
pages devoted to a one-line habitat description
(what a pity that these single lines do not

150

Reviews

appear under each appropriate map) and up
to three lines detailing exact routes where each
species is found commonly. The meat in the
sandwich, however, is provided by 230 pages
of distribudon maps, tw'o to a page, with no
explanatorv' texts. These are mar\-ellous for
browsing among, even if you ha\’e never
N'isited and have no immediate plans to visit
North America. The third example (p. 149)
shows Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammaciis,
relevant to the two recendy accepted Bridsh
records (Bnt. Birds 88: 395-400).

Despite the modest descripdon by Kenn
Kaufman in his Foreword of the maps being
‘painted with broad brush strokes’, they
represent the most precise and informadve
distribudon maps available on a continent-
wide scale. The only cridcism that comes to
mind is the strange omission of sciendfic

names (there is ample space for them on the
same line as the standard American name);
not needed by most American birders, or
indeed British Birds readers probably, but this
book will be consulted intemadonally and
should be in all of the World’s major libraries.
There is, how'ever, a five-page appendix of
American and scientific names (with the few
instances of differing English names gi\'en in
brackets) .

If bird-distribudon maps fascinate you, or
you have any interest in North American
birds, you will need to acquire this book and
refer to it regularly. Chan Robbins and the
hundreds of birders w'ho have pardcipated in
his Breeding Birds Survey must now' all be
ver>' pleased to see this synthesis of all their
labours.

J. T. R. SH-IRROCK

Birds of Britain & Europe.

By J. Nicolai, D. Singer & K. Wothe. Translated and adapted by Ian Dawson.
HarperCollins, London, 1994. 254 pages; 310 colour plates; several line-drawings; 310
distribudon maps. ISHN 0-00-219995-5. Paperback £6.99.

A small, easily pocketed photographic field
guide, originally published in Germany. Most
species breeding in Europe are included
(omissions include Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachydactyla and Melodious
Warbler Hippolais polyglot la), but few
vagrants. The format has two, three or four
photographs per page, facing the text. Usually,
breeding adults are depicted, but for some
species more than one plumage is illustrated.
Somedmes (pardcularly the w'aders), only
juvenile plumage is show'll. Where there is

more than one race in Europe it is the
Condnental, not the Bridsh race that is
depicted: examples are Red Grouse Lagopus
lagopus, Dipper Citicbis cincliis, Pied Motacilla
alba and Yellow' Wagtails A4. flava and
Common Redpoll Carduelis flammca
(coincidentally, the nominate race in each of
these instances).

If you are looking for a collection of
photographs of European birds, then you may
find this book useful.

R. J. Chaxdimr

A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors.

By Brian K. Wheeler & William S. Clark.

Academic Press, London, 1995. 194 pages; 377 colour plates. ISHN 0-12-745530-2. £20.00.

For each of the 43 species of birds of prey that
occur as residents, migrants or vagrants in
North America, there are a number of
excellent colour photographs that show' clearly
all the features necessaiy for idendficadon.
The accompanying text is concise,
complements the pictures w'ell and is free
from extraneous waffle. A final very
interesdng and useful secdon endded ‘Raptor
Identification Problems’ covers, with text and
illustradons, 1 4 subjects such as ‘Perched
dark-morph buteos’, ‘Pale square primary
panels on upperw'ings of flying buteos’ and
‘Sharp-shinned vs. Cooper’s Haw'ks’.

It is only now, in the 1 990s, that it has been

possible to produce really useful idendficadon
books based on photographs. In the past, such
guides lacked the range and qualiw of photo-
graphs to compete with the w'ork of a good
bird illustrator. So the question is:
‘Photographs or paindngs (assuming that both
are good!), which are the more helpful for
identification?’ I suspect that, in the next few
years, modern birdwatchers will start to prefer
photographs. To put it another way: if
cameras had been invented before the artist's
brush, bird illustrations, once they bounced on
die scene, might have had a tough time
competing with images taken through the lens.
Riciiari) Porthr

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MONTHLY MARATHON

''a entangled raptors (December’s plate 221) were named by

) entrants as Golden Eagles Aqmla chyysaetos (35%), Steppe Eagles A.
/ nipalensis (28%), Spotted Eagles A. clanga (24%), Lesser Spotted
Eagles A. pornarina (5%), Marsh Harriers Circus aeniginosus (3%),
Montagu’s Harriers C. pygargus (2%), Booted Eagles Hieraaetus
pennatus (1%), Impenal Eagles A. heliaca (1%) and Black Kites Mihus migrans
(1%). Although it was the least-favoured choice, the last-named species was the
correct answer. The two Black Kites were photographed in Switzerland in April
1982 by Robert Maier.

At present, just two competitors have achieved a 100% record, with four-in-a-
row sequences of correct identifications (Jon Holt, pipped at the post in the
seventh Marathon, But. Birds 88: 560, and Anthony McGeehan, a previous
winner, of the second Marathon, Bnt. Birds. 81; 494-496); three others have
three-in-a-row sequences (Dick Forsman, Hannu Jannes and Heikki Vasamies);
two are on two-in-a-row sequences (Leif Gabrielsen and M. J. Tarrant); and a
few others are on one correct identification; but most are now back at the tapes,
on zero. The pressure is really on now for those in the leading bunch! They need
luck as well as skill, and, if they stumble, the pack wiU be upon them and the
Marathon wiU be wide open again.

For a free SUNBIRD brochure, write to PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 idf; or
telephone Sandy (01767) 682969.

Plate 68. ‘Monthly marathon’. Photo no. 117: seventh stage in eighth ‘Marathon’. Identify the
species. Read the rules on page 24 of the January issue, then send in your answer on a postcard to
Monthly Marathon, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford jvik44 3N|, to arrive by 1 5th April
1996.

[Brit. Birds 89; 151, March 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

151

NEWS AND COMMENT

Compiled by Bob Scott and Wendy Dickson

Opinions expressed in this feature are not necessarily those of ‘British Birds’

Of eagles and kites, Ospreys and
pelicans

Well over 100 years ago, it was fashionable for Man to travel around the World
releasing and introducing a whole range of wildlife that resulted in problems for
the future. The nadir was reached perhaps in New Zealand, where so much of
the native fauna has been eliminated or replaced by European introductions. It is
perhaps ironic that New Zealand has recently repaid the favour with the flatworm
Artioposthia triangnlata, which has the potential seriously to affect the British
fauna.

Over the years, the perceived wisdom has developed that introductions are
wrong, but there could be a case for re-establishing species previously eliminated
by Man’s actions. This eventually led to the World Conservation Union (lUCN),
in conjunction with a wide range of national and international organisations, pro-
ducing a set of criteria for controlling the translocation of wildlife. These criteria
have formed the basis for the recent re-establishment programmes involving
White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla. Red Kite Milviis milvus and Otter Liitra
It lira in Britain. It must be questioned, however, whether the growing list of
species that are being lined up for such projects constitutes a wise conser\’ation
measure or a sensible use of limited conservation funds. We hear of many species
under consideration, including Golden Eagle Aqttila chrysaetos into northern
England, Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax into southwest England and
a host of others, amongst which are Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix and Wild Boar Sits
scrofd. Many readers will recall the ill-fated scheme concerning Great Bustard Otis
tarda and, a few years ago, there was even a semi-serious suggestion that Kentish
Plo\'ers Charadrius alexandrinus could be re-established in southern England by
placing eggs in the nests of Great Ringed Plovers C. hiaticula. High on the list
now are European Beaver Castor fiber and Osprey Pandioti haliaettis. It has already
been claimed that the former is merely a stalking horse for the Grey Wolf Canis
lupus.

The Osprey has been remarkably successful in its natural recolonisation of
Britain in the last few years. Breeding pairs now exceed 100, their productivity is
good and they are slowly (very slowly) spreading from their original base in the
Scottish Highlands. The current ‘re-establishment’ plan is based upon Rutland
Water, Leicestershire, and has the full support of Anglian Water (the owners) and
the Leicestershire and Rutland Trust for Nature Conservation (the managers).
Teaming up with Roy Dennis from the Highlands, the intention is to take ‘runt’
Osprey chicks from nests in Scotland and, by using tried-and-tested techniques
from North America, establish the species at Rutland Water.

152

[Brit. Birds 89: 152-156, March 1996] © Hritish Birds Lid 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

153

Such acuon will require the approval of the statutory conservation agencies
Scomsh Natural Hentage would need to Ucense the taking of the chicks, and
bnglish Nature would need to approve their release into a Site of Special
Scientfic Interest. One hopes that full consideration would also be given to the
fact that Rutland Water is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive
and IS also designated a Ramsar site by the British Government.

The Osprey is spreading and increasing. It could take over 100 years before it
reaches Rutland, or it might take considerably less in view of the facts that imma-
tures summer there and suitable nest sites have been constructed. Think how
splendid natural colonisation would be. Artificial introduction would mean that we
would never know what would have happened if we had not interfered. Surely this
cannot be the solution to the country’s bird-conservation problems? Should not
those mvolved think again? There must be some doubt as to whether the Osprey
ever bred in Leicestershire. If it did, it was a very very long time ago. Perhaps it
IS a stalking horse for the White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus} There might be a
stronger case for reinforcing the Snowy Owls Nyctea scandiaca which have a toe-
hold in Shetland or the Golden Eagles which cling on in the Lake District, but we
suspect that the N & c’ team would not be supportive of those, either.

News from Kent

Tlie Kent Ornithological Society is confidently
forecasting that the county list will reach 400
species by the year 2000— the only caveat
being that the BOURC does not remove any
more! Kent has seen some significant changes
in its bird populations since the publication of
the acclaimed Birds of Kent in 1981 and it is
good news that the KOS is planning a new
edition in 1998. Also in the pipeline is a third
edition of Where to Watch Birds in Kent, Surrey
and Sussex.

Equally good news is the joint approach in
Kent by the KOS, the Kent Trust for Nature

Conservation and the RSPB SE Region
towards ornithological matters in the county.
The wealth of data stored by county societies
can provide an extremely useful base for
regional conservation action and it is good to
hear of such co-operation. It enables local
birders to understand just what are the
conservation priorities and just where the
future surveys and record-collecting should be
directed. Two species that immediately spring
to mind in Kent are Mediterranean Gull Lams
melanocephalus and Marsh Warbler
Acrocephalus palustris.

3rd Pyrenean Conference

Over 120 delegates from both sides of the
Pyrenees attended the 3rd Conference on
Pyrenean Ornithology, held in Andorra on
7th-8th October 1995. Most of those
attending were impressive linguists, coping
equally well with French, Spanish and Catalan.

Such typical Pyrenean birds as Capercaillie
Tetrao urogallus, Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus,
Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, Lammergeier
Gypaetus barbatus, Golden Eagle Aquila
chrysaetos and Dipper Cinclus cinclus were the
subjects of the majority of smdies, which often
made depressing hearing.

Increasing disturbance, especially from
cross-country skiing, ‘adventure’ tourism and
forestry tracks through previously remote
areas, has led to the fragmentation of suitable

breeding and wintering areas. On a more
encouraging note, Lammergeier numbers in
Catalunya have increased from five pairs in
1980 to 40 adults and 20-25 immatures in
1995; 12 new pairs were formed between
1980 and 1995, of which five are breeding
regularly. Some 15 feeding stations, which
have been established along the French side,
are helping this species as well as Griffon
Vultures, which are continuing an impressive
expansion.

All papers (with English summaries) will be
published in the first 1996 issue of Alauda and
can be ordered from ADN, Ap. de Correus
Espanyols num 96, Andorra la Vella, Principat
d’Andorra. {Contributed by Jacqueline Crazier)

154

News and comment

‘Ydhyn yn Kernow’

The latest annual report from the Cornwall
Bird-Watching and Preser\'ation Society, Birds
in Cornwall 1994, edited by Stanley
Christophers, boasts a massive but easy-to-
read 130-page systematic list, enhanced not
only by decorative drawings, but also by
instructi\-e documentary- sketches of the Hayle
Estuary Franklin’s Gull Lams pipixean by-
Mike Thomas and the Desert Wheatear
Oenanthe deserii (also at Hayle) by Phil Rutter.

Analysis of 1954-93 records of Glaucous
Gull Lanis hyperboreiis and Iceland Gull L.
glaiicoides by John Ryan show-ed that influxes
of the tw'o species correlate (a good year for
one is usually a good year for the other, e.g.
1972, 1974,” 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1988
and 1991), suggesting that the origin of the
Cornish individuals is the same for each
species.

A June 1993 census of Common Stonechats
Saxicola torqnaia, described by Derek Lord,
produced estimates of 660 pairs in Comw-all,
including 298 on the coast and 23 pairs in the
Isles of Scilly.

For details of membership of the CBWPS
or to buy the Report (which costs ,05.50), write
to Richard Hooton, 17 Hawkens Way, St
Columb Major, Cornwall TR9 6SS.

. . . and Scilly

I’he CBWTS's Isles of Scilly Bird Report 1 994,
edited by Peter Robinson, is a hefty- 85-pager
and includes not only the systematic list,
compiled by Will Wagstaff, but also accounts
of the year’s three rarity highlights; Pied-billed
Grebe Podilyrnbns podiceps by Ren Hathway,
Pechora Pipit Anthus giistavi by D. J. Holman
and Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza
chrysophrys by Smart L. Rivers. TTie Report is
obtainable for £4.60 (incl. p&p) from the
CBWPS, do WiU Wagstaff, 42 Sally Port, St
Mary’s, Isles of Scilly tr2I OJH.

Twitching records

They said it, we didn’t: ‘On the whole, twitch-
ers are a benign group, albeit of questionable
sanity.’ (Peter Ryan & Jane Turpie in Birding
in Southern Africa 47: 92).

Peter Ryan is trying to assess the amount of
money spent by twitchers on just one twitch —
to see (or miss) Africa’s first Little Blue Heron
Hydranassa caemlea — and to discover the
longest twitch, the most expensive twitch, and
the worst dip; ‘the best cases will be exposed
to public ridicule in a fumre edition of Birding
in Southern Africa . . .’.

Birds from horseback in
Andalucia

There w'as a time when David Tomlinson’s
name w-as synonymous wath fast cars: as the
instigator of the original Great Bird Race, and
founder of what has now become the County'
Birdrace, David pioneered the use of such
unlikely cars as Borsches, Aston Martins and
Audi Quattros in bird races. He has, how'ever,
now abandoned four w'heels in favour of four
legs, and is leading what he believes to be the
first exclusive birdwatching holiday on horse-
back, in Andalucia this May. Participants in
the holiday will ride from Algeciras to Ronda,
follow'ing the ancient Moorish routeway. The
trail passes through a wide variety' of habitats
and prime birding country, and participants
w'ill be sure to see lots of raptors, as w'ell as
such southern Spanish delights as Scops Owi
Otits scops. Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura.
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius and
Red-rumped Swallow Hinindo dawica. One
day will be devoted to a non-motorised bird
race, raising funds for BirdLife International;
all profits from the holiday will also be donat-
ed to BirdLife International. Further details
from David Tomlinson at Gounnet Birds,
Windrush, Coles Lane, Brasted, Westerham,
Kent TN16 inn; tel: 01959 563627.

Volunteers needed to watch
vultures

The Namre Reserves Authority- of Israel will be
running a v-ulmre-nesting surv'cillance project
in Gamla Namre Reserve from now through to
September 1996, and needs volunteers to help
with monitoring and recording. The
commonest species at the Gamla River
Canyon is Griffon Vulmre Gyps fidvus, with a
population of about 120 individuals. For more
details, please contact Lia Court, Gamla
Reserve manager, PO Box 70, Katzrin, Golan,
Israel; fax: 972-6-921733; tel. 972-50-509930
(da>-time) or 972-6-763511 (evenings only).

Mike Langman drawings

Many drawings by Devon county- recorder
Mike Langman will be on exhibition (and for
sale) at Plympton Library, Harewood,
Ridgeway, Plympton, Plymouth, Devon,
during 12lh-29th March. For further
information, ring librarian in Charge, Darrell
Clegg (himself a BB subscriber), on 01752-
337867.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 3, March 1996

155

Co-operation in biodiversity

We have always applauded co-operation
between different conservation bodies. This
seems to be the most sensible way to get mes-
sages heard and acted upon. The UK
Biodiversity Steering Group, comprising
countryside organisations, Government bod-
ies, industry and academics, was set up by the
Government in 1994, charged with preparing
a report indicating how Britain’s most threat-
ened habitats and species could best be
protected. Here, for the first time, and unique
in the World, is a fuUy costed national recov-
ery programme for species as diverse as Great
Bittern Botaimis stellaris and Scottish Crossbill
Loxia scotica. Natterjack Toad Bufo calamita
and Great Crested Newt Tritunis cristatus, Fen
Orchid Liparis heselii and Killamey Fern
Trichomanes speciosmn. Plans for habitats
include lowland heathland, reedbeds and
native Caledonian pinewoods. Conservation
on a national scale does not come cheap, and
we must await the Government’s response
(promised in spring 1996) to bills totalling
over £\6 million in 1997, rising to some £4Q
million by 2010.

. . . and dependent territories

The Empire is long gone, but scattered around
the globe, from the Indian Ocean to the South
Atlantic, from the Antarctic to the

Mediterranean, are a small number of territo-
ries that are still United Kingdom

dependencies. These range in size from the 6
km^ of Gibraltar to the 1.7 million km^ of the
British Antarctic Territory.

Amongst the unique wildhfe to be found in
these widespread areas are the World’s largest
earwig Labidura herculeana on St Helena; 16
endemic bird species including Ascension
Frigatebird Fregata aquila\ Romer’s Tree Frog
Philautus romeri in Hong Kong; and 59
endemic species of moss on Tristan da Cunha.
Eight non-govemment organisations — includ-
ing Fauna and Flora International, the Royal
Botanic Gardens, the RSPB, the World Wide
Fund for Nature UK and the Zoological
Society of London — now provide the core
support for the UK Dependent Territories
Conservation Forum, which produces a
newsletter. Forum News. Further information is
obtainable from the Forum Co-ordinator, 14
Goose Acre, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard,
Bedfordshire LU7 OSR.

Ups and downs of bird
distribution

We have recently been browsing through
Simon Holloway’s The Historical Atlas of
Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875-
1900 and looking at the changes in
distributions between the latter years of the
nineteenth century^ and those in the 1968-72
Atlas. This comparison takes no account of
abundance, but is concerned purely with the
number of counties in which a species was
breeding. Sixty-one species showed no change
at the ±5% level, 27 increased by 5-30%, 47
increased by 31-500% and seven species
increased by over 500%, the top three being
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 1,300%,
GadwaU Anas strepera 1,400% and Fulmar
Fulmanis glacialis a massive 3,400%. The
decreases were far fewer, with 23 species down
by 5-30% and 17 by more than 30%. ‘Top’
amongst the decreases were Red-backed
Shrike Lanius collurio 71%, Dartford Warbler
Sylvia undata 72% and Wryneck Jynx
torquilla 78%.

Not included are a range of species, such as
Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto, that do
not figure in both periods. One of the most
striking elements of the maps is how much the
decline in raptors had progressed prior to the
last quarter of the previous century. The
‘extinct’ label is liberally sprinkled throughout
The Historical Atlas.

Grants for young
birdwatchers to visit Fair Isle

Awards are made annually from The John
Harrison Memorial Fund, which is adrriinis-
tered by the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust.
John Harrison was a young birdwatcher who
visited Fair Isle, Shetland, three times, but
whose life was tragically cut short. The fund
was set up in his memory by the late Richard
Richardson. Grants, usually of around £150-
£200, are given to help young people aged
15-21 with the cost of travel and their stay at
the Observatory.

Successful applicants are responsible for
making their own travel arrangements and for
booking at the Observatory, where they must
stay for a minimum of one week. They will be
expected to help with the ornithological work
of the Observatory. Application forms, and
information about the Observatory and the
type of work that may be undertaken can be
obtained from the Warden, Fair Isle Bird
Observatory, Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9ju.

156

News and comment

Two new Rare Men

In addition to the early retirement of Graham
Catley from the British Birds Rarities
Committee already noted (Brit. Birds 88:
380), Chris Heard has now retired, in rotation
as the longest-sertang member.

The two vacancies have been filled by Doug
Page, who has been co-opted onto the
Committee since last May, and John
McLoughlin, the only other nominee for the
annual vacancy. Doug’s official term started
on 1st January, and John’s will commence on
1st April.

REGIONAL NEWS TEAM

Dave Allen — Northern Ireland

Tim Cleeves — Northeast

David Clugston — Scotland

Dave Flumm — Southwest

Frank Gribble — Midlands

Barrie Harding — East Anglia

Oran O’Sullivan — Republic of Ireland

Don Taylor — Southeast

Dr Stephanie Tyler — Wales

John Wilson — Northwest

RECENT REPORTS

Compiled by Barry Nightingale and Anthony McGeehan

This summary covers the period 15th January to 11th February 1996.

These are unchecked reports, not authenticated records.

White-billed Diver Gavia adarnsii Ullapool
(Highland), 20th January; Sound of Harris
(Western Isles), 10th February; Gruinard
Bay (Highland), 11th February'.

Mediterranean Shearwater Puffinus yel-
konan Off Black Arch, Larne (Co. Antrim),
on 27th January.

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellns Wintering
individual on North Slob (Co. Wexford),
still present on 1 1 th February.

Red-breasted Goose Branta nificollis River
Tavy (Devon), 23rd January; Chew Valley
Lake (Avon), 28th January.

Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis St John’s Loch
(Highland), Ist-llth February.

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus
scolopaceus Copperhouse Creek (Cornwall),
24th January to 1 1th February.

Laughing Gull Lams atricilla First-winter,
Nimmo’s Pier (Co. Galway), 29th January'
and 4th Februaiy'.

Bonaparte’s Gull Lams Philadelphia
Greatham Creek (Cleveland), 20th January'.
Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla gamdus In
Britain: major influx into all areas, involving
possibly 10,000 individuals, with the largest
flocks in East Anglia, northeastern coastal
counties of England and the Borders and
Lothian regions of Scotland; in Ireland; about
200 individuals along all of east coast.
Dark-throated Thrush Turdns nificollis
Webheath (Worcestershire), 17th Januan,' to
11th February; Werrington, Peterborough
(Cambridgeshire), 29th January to 11th
Februarv'; Bristol (Avon), 8th-9th Fcbruaiy.
Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos Near
Halesowen (West Midlands), 6th-9th
February.

Rare Bird News supplies all its information free to ‘British Birds’.
Call 0881-888-111 for the latest, up-to-date news

(25p/min cheap rate; 39p/min other times; incl. VAT)

New from Academic Press

THE

Birds of Israel

HADORAM SHIRIHAI

This monumental new work will be invaluable, both to the
visiting birdwatcher and to the more studious ornithologist. It
contains more information packed into its pages than any
previous country avifauna. The information in it is of relevance
well beyond the borders of the country it describes and will be of
use to anybody with an interest in birds throughout the Middle
East and North Africa - and, indeed, throughout most of the
Palearctic as well.

The text is illustrated with over 200 line drawings by Alan
Harris, and by an extraordinary collection of over 500 colour
photographs of some of the most exciting species.

0-12-640255-8 Nov 1995 876 pages £65.00

New from T & A D Poyser

The Historical Atlas ol Breeding
Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1875-190o

SIMON HOLLOWAY

This new book presents maps with accompanying text, showing
the distribution of Britain’s and Ireland’s birds during the last
quarter of the nineteenth century. Together they paint a fascinat-
ing picture of Britain’s and Ireland’s birds before the growth of
modern agriculture, but during a period when changes in the
balance of rural and urban population began to alter the face of
the countryside forever.

0-85661-094-1 Nov 1995 448 pages £25.00

Available from your local bookseller or directly from

ACADEMIC PRESS, MARKETING DEPARTMENT
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An aclion-packed 10-day birding lour to this
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woRii) h brochure please contact:

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ISLES OF SCILLY. Trelawney Guest House, St Mary's
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IRELAND

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Locheil Guest House

Visitors to Garten, Abernethy, Strathspey?
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spoken. Send for brochure and rate to: “Hotel Balcon de
Espana”. 11380 Tarifa (Cadiz) Spain. Tel. 00-34-58-684326
Fax. 00-34-56-684072. (BB015)

PROVENCE, CAMARGUE. Farm cottage, apt., b&b.
Rogers, Mas d'Auphan, Le Sambuc, 13200 ARLES.
France. Tel: (0033) 90972041, fax 90972087. (BB892)

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Javier Ferreres, Miguel Servet 69
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Tel. 409 286 5362 or 214 824 5390. (BB863)

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habitats offering up to 400 species including the Golden
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to Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge, P.O. Box 3,
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Fax: +61 70 941466. (BB752)

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Camouflage pattern materials, poles, frames and fittings.
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equip, etc. etc.

Details; Kevin Keatley, Wildlife Watching Supplies,
Town Living Farmhouse, Puddingfon,

Tiverton, Devon EX16 8LW.

Tel. fax and 24 hr (01884) 860692

XIV

TO ADVERTISE PHONE 01767 640467

BB Vols 73. 74.
650352,

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BB ODD COPIES. Vol.s 75:8: 76:7-12; 77:1-3, 5 & 6;
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KOWA TSN3 with 20-60.\ Zoom, £375. Zeiss 7x42 BGAT
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BIRD BOOKS. Out-of-print, uncommon and rare. Quarterly
catalogue. Peacock Books. Box 2024, Littleton, Mass.
01460, USA. (BB908)

BIRD BOOKS. Good secondhand books, bought and sold.
Free catalogue from and offers to Briant Books. 94 Quarry
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751804. (BB897)

THE BIRDS OF THE WESTERN PALEARTIC, Vol. 5.
Tyrant Flycatchers to Trushos. One copy. RSPB Edition
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I BIRD BOOKS, NEW NATURALISTS. Bought and Sold.
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The original

BIRDWATCHER’S
LOGBOOK

The most concise way to record your
observations. Monthly, annual and life
columns for 762 species, plus 159 diary
pages. Send £6.75 inclusive P/P to:

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XV

British Birds

Volume 89 Number 3 March 1996

1 03 Eastern Phoebe in Devon: new to
the Western Palearctic Colin McShane

Request

1 07 Cinereous Bunting on Corfu Dazid
Jackson

1 08 Looking back

1 08 PhotoSpot 38 Great Knot D. Graham
Bell

Obituaries

no G. K. Yeates MA FRPS (1910-1995)

1 1 2 Professor George Mackenzie Dunnet
DSc CBE (1928-1995)

1 14 Identification of Hippolais warblers
Hadoram Shinhai, Dazid A. Chislie and
Alan Harris

Notes

1 39 Shag colliding with fin of Basking Shark
Dr Rnss Heselden

1 39 Grey Heron feeding after dark Terry
Camithcis

140 Wintering Merlins hunting over sea and
hunting as a pair K. M. Wilson

140 Distinctive feeding behaviour of
Semipalmatcd Sandpipers E. M. Raynor

1 4 1 Herring Gulls feeding on flying ants
Leslie Jackttuin

142 Unusual bathing behaviour of Common
Tern P. I. Moins

142 Hedge Accentor apparently afraid of its
own reflection Godfrey Piiesiley and Mrs
Peggy Piiestley

1 42 Female Blackbird persistently attacking
its own reflection Dr A. P. Radford

143 Great Tit eating earthworm Teny
Camiihers

143 Magpies taking milk from doorsteps
A. M. Snook

Letters

144 Richard’s Pipit or Blvth’s? Martin G?ay

146 The decline of the House Sparrow'

Dr Klaus Witt

Reviews

147 ‘The Raptors of Britain & Europe’ by
Paul Doherty Dr J. T. R. Shanvek

1 47 ‘Bird Life of Woodland and Forest’ by
Robert J. Fuller John Niles

147 ‘Larousse Field Guide to the Birds of
Britain and Europe’ by John Gooders
Peter Lansdozvn

148 ‘Bird-watching in London: a historical
perspective’ by E. M. Nicholson

D. 7. M. Wallace

148 ‘Summer Atlas of North American
Birds’ by Jeff Price, Sam Droege &

Amy Price DrJ. T. R. Shatrock
1 50 ‘Birds of Britain & Europe’ by J. Nicolai,
D. Singer & K. Wothe
Dr R. J. Chandler

1 50 ‘A Photographic Guide to North
American Raptors’ by Brian K. WTieeler
& William S. Clark Richard Porter

1 5 1 Monthly marathon

152 News and comment

Wendy Dickson

1 56 Recent reports Barty Nightingale and
Atitlwny AdcGeehan

Line-drawings: 103 Eastern Phoebe (Dave
Nnmey); 1 14 Olive-tree Warbler (Alan Hanis)

Front cover: Black-crow'ned Tchagra
Tchagra senegala, ITie Gambia (A4a.\
Andrezvs)', the original of this montli’s cover
design, measuring 24.7 X 27.7 cm, is for sale
in a postal auction (see page 46 in Januarv-
issue for procedure)

‘British Birds’ is published by a non-profit-making companv for the benefit of orniihologv.
© British Birds Ltd 1996

ISSN 0007-0335

Volume 89 Number 4 April 1996

11 APR 19S

Mourning Dove:

PRESENTED
THING LIBRAF

new to the Western halearcuc

Double-crested Cormorant: new to the Western
Palearctic

Owls of the Moscow Region
Palearctic waders in Western Australia

^ British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist’, established 1843

Managing Editor Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Personal Assistant Sheila D. Cobban
Assistant Editor David A. Christie
Editorial Board Dr R. J. Chandler,

R. A. Hume, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

R. J. Prythereh, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Design Deborah Felts

Photographic Researcher Robin Chittenden
Art Consultants Robert Gillmor, Alan Harris
Circulation Manager & Advertising
Manager Erika Sharrock

Rarities Committee R. A. Hume
(Chairman), Dr Colin Bradshaw,

Peter Clement, Pete Ellis, John McLoughlin,
Doug Page, K. D. Shaw, Andy Stoddart,

Reg Thtirpe, Grahame Walbridge; Peter
Colston (museum consultant); John Marchant
(archivist) ; Peter Fraser & Dr John Ryan
(statisticians); Michael J. Rogers (Hon.
Secretary)

Behaviour Notes Panel Dr C. J. Bibby,

Ian Da\\’son, Dr J. J. M. Flegg, Derek Goodwin,
Dr I. Newton FRS, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

Dr J. T. R. Shamtek, Dr K. E. L. Simmons
Identification Notes Panel Dr Colin
Bradshaw, Dr R. J. Chandler, R. A. Hume,

T. P. Inskipp, P. G. Lansdowm, S. C. Madge,
I. S. Robertson, K. E. Vinicombe

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Addresses

Please keep correspondence on different items
separate. Please supph’ SAE, if reply required.

Papers, notes, letters, items for ‘Nezes and
comment', dimcings & photographs:

Dr J. T. R. Shamock, Fountains, Park Lane,
Blunham, Bedford MK44 3N].

Phone & Fax: Biggleswade (01767) 640025

Subscriptions and orders for back copies:

Mrs Erika Shamock, Fountains, Park Lane,
Blunham, Bedford mk44 3N]. Phone:
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Mrs Erika Sharrock, BB Advertising,
do Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford
MK44 3NJ. Phone: Biggleswade (01767)
640467. Fax: (01767) 640025

Bird news for 'The ornithological year’:

Barry Nightingale & Keith Allsopp,
do 7 Bloomsbury Close, Woburn,
Bedfordshire MK17 9QS. Phone: Woburn
(01525) 290314 (evenings)

Rarity descriptions:

M. J. Rogers, 2 Churchtow'n Cottages,
Towednack, Cornwall TR26 3AZ.

Special book and sound-recording offers:

British BirdShop, do Subbuteo Books,
Treuddvn, Mold, Clw\'d CH7 4LN. Phone:
Mold (01352) 77058 r. Fax: (01352) 771590

The journal ‘British Birds’ is published by
a non-profit-making company for the
benefit of ornithology.

© British Birds Ltd 1996

Copyright of photographs remains w'ith

photographers.

British Birds is published monthly by British
Birds Ltd, 93 High Street, Bigglesw'ade,
Bedfordshire.

ISSN 0007-0335. Printed in England by
Newnorth Print Ltd, Kempston, Bedford.

British Birds publishes material dealing with original obsert'ations on tlie birds of tlie West Palearctic.
Except for records of rarities, papers and notes are normally accepted only on condition that material
is not being offered in whole or in part to any other journal or magazine. Photographs and drawings
are welcomed. Papers should be npewritten witlt double spacing, and wide margins, and on one side
of the sheet only. Authors should carefully consult tliis issue for style of presentation, especially of
references and tables. English and scientific names and sequence of birds follow The 'British Birds' IJst
of linglisti Names of Western Palearctic Birds (1993); or, for non-West-Palcarctic species, Monroe &
Sibley (1993, A World Checklist of Birds); names of plants follow Dony el al. (1986, linglish Names of
Wild l-’loivers); names of mammals follow Nowak & Paradiso (1983, Walker's Mammals of the World,
4th edn). 'I'opographical (plumage and structure) and ageing terminology should follow editorial
recommendations (Bril. Birds 74: 239-242; 78: 419-427; 80: 502). b'igures should be in Indian ink on
good-quality tracing paper, drawing paper, or light blue/pale grey graph paper; leuering should be
inserted lightly in pencil; captions should be typed on a separate sheet. Authors of main papers (but
not notes or letters) receive ten free copies of the journal (five each to two or more authors).

SURREY (H.O.)

89(B) LONDON ROAD,
MORDEN,

SURREY SM4 5HP

Open: Mon to Sat; 9am-5pm
Lunch 1-2pm (Not Sun)

Tel 0181-648 8822
Fax 0181-687 2021

Location: Southern edge of
Greater London, 15 mins drive
M25 (eg: via A3 then Merton
turnoff) or 2 mins walk Morden
Underground.

Viewing facilities
Parking: 50 yards past our
premises - 1 st left.

- - -

(FIELD

DAYS

^^lternative venues to Morden and
T ring, at which you can try and buy
r lur equipment IN THE FIELD are
c liven below. Every effort Is made
I, 3 take our full range of equipment
F nd payment can be made in all the
L>sual ways. Repairs can also be
t landed in. *10.00 am to 4.00 pm ★

» r PAGHAM HARBOUR LOCAL
k JATURE RESERVE on the B2145
into Selsey, West Sussex, on
^iunday 31st March, 28th April and
KSth May.

K r SEVENOAKS WILDFOWL
R8ESERVE on the A25 between
P Overhead and Sevenoaks Bat and
P.iJall station on Sunday 7th April,
Shth May and 2nd June.

» r BOUGH BEECH NATURE
PSESERVE/RESERVOIR about 4
r niles south of the A25/A21 junction
I.’, with access from the B2042 or
P32027; the information centre is to
htne north of the reservoir) on Sunday
S' list April 12th, May and 16th June.

» r SLIMBRIDGE, GLOS (off M5)
i 'illage Hall (on the left, halfway
B'.ilong village road into the W&WT).

S^aturday 11th May.

» r THE KENT TRUST FOR
kJATURE CONSERVATION in the

’ yland Barn, near Sandling,
f'.4aidstone (off A229, Bluebell Hill,
jqoing south), on Saturday 23rd
March, and Sunday 28th April &
K!6th May 10.30 am to 4.00 pm.

• r DINTON PASTURES
SCOUNTRY PARK, Near Reading,
Merks, Sunday 14th April and 9t^
■ June, in the Loddon Room.

• r BEWL WATER, on A21 just
*■ outh of Lamberhurst, Kent, in the
i'iducatior. Centre on Sunday 30th
June.

r r HENFIELD, W. Sussex. Sussex
'■ Vildlife Trust at Woods Mill.

viunday 24th March and 23th
lune.

' r DENHAM COUNTRY PARK,

' Jucks., (A40, M40 junction, A412,
(41 3, etc) Saturday 30th March
. ind 15th June.

UNRIVALLED EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE

Kay Optical

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SWAROVSKI

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7 X 42 SLC

AT 80 body (45°)
ST 80 body .

549

.(659) 735
.(599) 670

665

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AT80 HD body (45°) 960

ST80 HD body 960

22x eyepiece 90

30x (WA) EP (new) 145

20-60x zoom eyepiece 215

Optical camera adaptor (800mm)
145

LEICA

8 X 20 BC Trinovid (259) 265

8 X 20 BCA Trinovid (295) 299

1 0 X 25 BC Trinovid (295) 299

10x25 BCA Trinovid (309)316

Soft Pouch 24

8 X 32 BA Trinovid' (689) 698

7 x 42 BA Trinovid' 778

8 X 42 BA Trinovid' (729) 778

1 0 X 42 BA Trinovid* (749) 798

8 X 50 BA Trinovid* (889) 950

1 0 X 50 BA Trinovid (889) 950

Carrying strap 26

(2 year free accident cover)

LEICA APO Televid scope 960

LEICA Std. Televid scope 498

20-60X (B) zoom eyepiece 221

20x (WW/B) eyepiece 135

40x (B) eyepiece 110

Photo adaptor 204

60x eyepiece 130

20-45X zoom EP 199

ED 78 945

ED78A 999

Camera adaptor 250

Mod for other cameras 18

KOWA

TSN-1 (45°) or -2 body 349

TSN-3 (45°) or -4 body 699

HERTS/BUCKS BORDER

TRING GARDEN CENTRE, BUL-
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Open: Tues to Sat, 10am-5pm
Sunday (1 1 .00am to 4.00pm)

Phone/Fax: 01442 825590

Location: On B488, 10 minutes
from A41 near Tring. Very
accessible from Ml , M25, etc.
Viewing facilities (Easy disabled
access) Parking: On Site

8x42(HRII)

10x42(HRII)

10x50(HRII)

12V2 x50(HRII)

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7x24, 8x24 or 10x24 MCF

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25x or 40x eyepiece 80 prism binos (new):

7 X 36 BGA 375

20x (WA) eyepiece 127

30x (WA) eyepiece 162

60x eyepiece 138

77x eyepiece 125

20-60x zoom eyepiece 196

Camera adaptor 800mm 150

Camera adaptor 1200mm 231

Stay-on case 45

27x (WA) Screw-in-eyepiece 74

TS-61 1 body (45°) 249

TS-612 body 229

TS-61 3 Fluorite body (45°) 519

TS-61 4 Fluorite body 469

TS-61 0 accessories:

20x (WA) eyepiece 74

27x (WA) eyepiece 109

20-60X zoom eyepiece 127

20-40X zoom eyepiece 150

Stay-on case 40

BUSHNELL

ER case 98 Spacemaster with 1 5-45x zoom . .259

8 X 42 Natureview 129

ZEISS OPTICAL CENTRE

8 X 20B Classic 225

10 X 25B Classic 265

Classic pouch 20

10 X 25 B7TP (New DS) 359

8 X 20 B/TP (New DS) 349

8 X 30 BGA/T (P) 699

7 X 42 BGA/T(P) (699) 769

10 X 40 BGA/T(P) (699) 769

7x45 Night Owl 879*

8 X 56 Night Owl 979*

10x56 Night Owl 1059*

*ex-case

15x60 BGA/T 1,499

20 X 60S Mono 1,995

CANON

1 2 X 36 stabilised binoculars

SWIFT

7 X 42, 8 X 42 or 10 X 42 Ultralite .239

8.5 X 44 HR5 Audubon 289

1 0 X 50 HR5 Audubon 309

NIKON

8 X 30 ECF

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10 X 42 Natureview 149

RANGER

ZM-Makro scope with 15-45x
zoom eyepiece 234

OPTOLYTH

8 X 30 Alpin 275

8x40Aipin 298

10x40 Alpin (283)305

10x50 Alpin (315)331

12x50 Alpin (320)340

7x42 Alpin (295)329

TBG80body 530

TBS 80 body 530

TBG or TBS 80 HD 789

30x (WW) eyepiece 190

20x (WW) eyepiece 170

30x or 40x eyepiece 89

70x (WW) eyepiece 210

20-60x zoom eyepiece 210

Cam. adaptor 850mm 185

Stay-on case 44

DISCOVERY

8x42or10x42RP, GA 135

OPTICRON

8x32Dioptron 196

' 8 x 42 Dioptron 198

1 0 X 42 Dioptron 207

1 0 X 50 Dioptron 214

8x32(HRII) 224

8 X 42 BGA 395

10x42 BGA 395

10x50 BGA 399

HR 60mm scopes:

Standard 60s body 236

60/45° body (angled) 31 0

60/SR body (rubberised) 273

60/SR ED body (rubberised) . . . .475

60/45° ED body (angled) 499

HR 66 326

HR 66 (45°) 355

1 5x, 20x, 25x or 40x HR eyepiece 44

20x WW HDF eyepiece 96

28x WW HDF eyepiece 122

22x W HR eyepiece 57

30x W HR eyepiece 59

60x HR eyepiece 49

20-60X zoom eyepiece 132

Soft nylon case 14

Stay-on case 44

HR 80mm body 390

Eyepieces as above but increase
power by 33'/3%

Soft nylon case 18

Stay-on case 44

NIGHT VISION

Helios TZS-4 169

Baigish 7 979

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* BEACHY HEAD, Eastbourne,

E. Sussex (in the new
Countryside Centre) Sunday 31st
March and 16th June.

* WALSEY HILLS, Cley, on the
A149, Norfolk. Sat/Sun 20th/21st
April.

★ HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR,

Essex (off A130 North of Basildon)
Sunday 9th June (near the fishing
lodge).

* ALTON WATER, near Ipswich
on the B1080 Holbrook/Sutton
road on Saturday 27th April.

* RECULVER COUNTRY PARK
(KTNC), 3 miles east of Herne
Bay. Access from /\299 (Thanet
Way) through Hillborough. In the
Interpretation Centre on Saturday
25th May.

1

THE BINOCULAR AND TELESCOPE SPECIALISTS

in focus

YORKSHIRE

WESTLEIGH HOUSE OFFICE ESTAH,
WAKEFIELD ROAD, DENBY DALE,

WEST YORKSHIRE, HD8 8QJ
Open Mon - Sat 9.00am ■ 6.00pm
Tel: 01484 864729

HOW TO FIND US; We are close by fbe
railway station at Denby Dale on the A636
near June. 38 & 39 on the Ml .

in focus

NORFOLK

MAIN STREET, TITCHWEa,

NR. KINGS LYNN,

NORFOLK, PE31 8BB

Open 7 cioys 9.00om • 5.00pm (6.00pm from April)
Tel: 01485 210101

HOW TO FIND US; We are 500 yoreJs east
of tFie RSPB reserve at Titchwell on the A1 49
between Hunstanton and Brancaster.

in focus

HERTFORDSHIRE

204 HIGH STREET, BARNET,

HERTFORDSHIRE, EN5 SSZ
Open Mon - Sat 9.00am - 6.00pm
Tel: 0181-449 1445,0181-441 7748
Fax:0181-440 9999

HOW TO FIND US; We are 1 0 mins from M25 and A 1 M
motorways and 1 5 mins walk from High Barnet Tube Station
situated at the Hadley Green end of Bomet High Street.

in focus

LEICESTERSHIRE

ANGUAN WATER BIRDWATCHING CENTRE
EGLFTON RESERVE, RUTLAND WATER,
LEICESTERSHIRE, LE15 8BT
Open Weekends and Bank Holidays 9.00am ■ 4.00pm
Tel: 01572 770656 (5.00pm from April)

HOW TO FIND US; We are situated on the Egleton
Reserve at Rutland Water, Follow signposts to
Egleton Village on the A6003 to Oakham.

in focus

CENTRAL LONDON

8, 9 & to ROYAL OPERA ARCADE, ASWafey
PAUMAU, LONDON, SW1Y4UY
Open Mon - Fri 9.00om • 6.00pm
Sat 9.00am - 4.00pm
Tel: 0171-839 1881 Fax:0171-839 8118
HOW TO FIND US; We are 300 yards from
Piccadilly Underground Station in Royal Opera
Arcade between Pall Mall and Charles II Street.

in focus

SLIMBRIDGE,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE

THE WILDFOWL AND WETLANDS TRUST,

SUMBRIDGE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE GL2 7BT

Open 7 days 9.30om - 4.30pm (5.30pm from April)

Tel: 01453- 890333, 0374-746472

HOW TO FIND US; We are situated witfiin the reserve

v/ith viewing over the Swan Lake. The centre is well

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II

THE NATURAL

HISTORY MUSEUM

^British Birds

1 1 APR 1996

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist’, established 1843

PRESENTED
THING LIBRARY

Mourning Dove in the Isle of
Man: new to the Western
Palearctic

Aron Sapsford

ABSTRu\CT An exhausted Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura was
trapped at the Calf of Man Bird Observatory on 31st October
1989. It has been accepted by both the British Birds Rarities
Committee and the British Ornithologists’ Union Records
Committee as the first record of this North American species for
Britain & Ireland (and also for the Western Palearctic).

On the Calf of Man, 31st October 1989 dawned very much like the previous few
days, with a fresh southwesterly wind blowing and only a handful of thrushes and
fmches battling their way through.

Completing a net round at about 11.00 GMT, we drove one of the Heligoland
traps near the Observatory and caught three Blackbirds Turdiis merula. On
moving around to the catching box to remove these, I noticed a small dove
amongst them, not much bigger than the Blackbirds. I removed this and was
immediately smmped as to its identity, having not seen anything like it before.
The bird was placed in a bag and we returned to the Observatory. At this point,
I assumed that it was probably going to turn out to be some escaped cage-bird.

Back at the Observatory, I made reference to several books covering areas of
the Western Palearctic, but was stiU unable to find anything like it. At this point,
Ian Fisher walked in and I asked him to take a look at it. His immediate response
was; ‘I’ve seen that before — ^in the States! I think it’s a Mourning Dove [Zenaida

[Brit. Birds 89: 157-161, April 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

157

158

Sapsford: Mourning Dove: new to the Western Palearctic

macroura].’’ Up to this point I had not considered that it might be a Nearctic
vagrant, but reference to the National Geographic Society’s Birds of North America
confirmed Ian Fisher’s identification. This put a completely new complexion on
the whole event.

The dove had probably only just arrived, since it was in an exhausted state.
Taking this into consideration, as full a description as the circumstances would
allow was taken. The bird was then ringed, photographed (plates 69-71) and
released into a sheltered part of the Observatory’s garden. During the afternoon,
it was seen to feed on some grain that had been put out for it, and we hoped that
it would make a recovery. Unfortunately, it was found dead the next morning.
This did, however, allow us to take further details and to preserve the skin, which
is now on display in The Manx Museum.

Description

It was a small dove (see fig.l), probably about three-quarters the size of a Turtle
Dove Streptopelia turtur. The most striking feature was the tail, which was shaped
like a long V, and this enabled us to eliminate the similar Zenaida Dove Zenaida
aurita, which differs in having a much shorter, rounded tail and a white trailing
edge to the secondaries. In the literature available at the time, Zenaida Dove
appeared to be the only similar species (although Peterson’s A Field Guide to the
Birds also suggested Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migiatonus [!]).

SetxoM

oiTvt

cx.wt 8>r.owji,i Rt-r8.icts

U vT« 06^lOU* PiJItVJASrt

CrteSTMuT- OlWkJCf t

) VJrtiTO. tXiXfrfc ojtfc

sc

J,

[B.MRftttS, OxifcRTS

StccNi

Si^Te

Fig. 1. Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura, Calf of Man, Isle of Man, October/November
1989 (Aron Sapsford)

UPPERPARTS Forehead, crown, nape and lores
pinkish-brown/buff, although showing blue-
grey tinge to crown feathers. Ear-coverts
slightly greyer. Sides of neck as head, but with
pink/purple-and-green iridescence. A small,
almost semicircular black spot was situated
about 10 mm below the eye, quite difficult to
see unless feathers parted. Back darker olive-
brown, which extended from back of neck to
uppertail-coverts, although grey from flanks
extended onto sides of rump.

Lesser and median coverts olive-brown (as
back), with inner three lower median coverts
having a black spot on outer web. Inner three

greater coverts also olive-brown, with black
spot on outer web, although rest of greater
coverts blue-grey, as primary coverts.
Scapulars olive-brown, with black on inner
web extending three-quarters of length from
base (see fig. 2). Tertials: four apparent tcrtials
as scapulars, but (as greater coverts) also
having black spot in centre of outer edge of
outer web (see fig. 2). Primaries, secondaries
and priman' coverts blue-grey, e.xcept for
outer two primary coverts, outer three
primaries and 3rd and 4th secondaries, which
were unmoulted and therefore brown and
faded, with worn tips.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

159

Plates 69-71. Mourning Dove Zenaida
macroiira. Calf of Man, Isle of Man, 31st
October 1989 {Ian Fisher)

Inclusion of these photographs in
colour has been subsidised by
support from Carl Zeiss Ltd,
sponsor of the British Birds
Rarities Committee.

ZEISS

160

Sapslbrd: Mourning Dove; new to the Western Palearctic

£iQt4T

S'Pt Sf lAiU

-Ky^cx.

■ OnVfc. f>60uji4

ervn

cOh

A

Fig. 2. Right side of tail, tertial tip and scapular tip of Mourning Dove Zemida macroura,
Calf of Man, Isle of Man, October/November 1 989 {Aron Sapsford)

''A /

Slatc GfCk'i

UNDi'RPARTS Chin whitish with buff wash.
Throat and upper breast brown/buff with
pinkish wash. Lower breast and belly darker,
more chestnut/orange. Undertail-coverts
creamy-orange to buff. Flanks, axillaries,
underwing and underwing-coverts
grey/ smoky-blue .

I'AII, Outer sLx feathers on each side slate-grey
with black ‘arrow-like’ marks simated
approximately three-quarters of the way down
the feather (see fig. 2). Outer three rectrices
had white from black marks to tip, and
outermost had completely white outer web.
Central rectrices olive-brown. The left central

rectrix was being replaced (about one-quarter
grown) and the 2nd-longest tail feather on the
same side was missing. Tail shape was
elongated V. Shortest tail feather 71 mm;
longest 132 mm; distance from longest to
shortest tail feathers 73 mm.

BARR PARTS Eye dark brown; pupil black; eye-
ring green-yellow; eyelid purplish-blue. Upper
and lower mandibles dark, almost black, with
purple base. Legs pinkish-red; scales of feet
greenish-yellow; claws blue-grey.

WHiGHT 83 g at 11.00 GMT 3 1st October;
78 g (post mortem) at 07.00 gm'P on 1st
November.

At the end of the season, I was able to visit the Natural History Museum,
Tring, where I came across Eared Dove Z. auriculata, but that species was ruled
out by its having a shorter and less pointed tail, and none of the skins that I
examined showed any white in the tail. I also found two specimens of Mourning
Dove that showed an almost identical moult sequence to the one on the Calf.

Aron Sapsford, 3 Main Road, Upper Foxdale, Isle of Man

HDITORIAI. COMMEbTf Rob Hume, Chairman of the BBRC, has commented:
‘There was no problem with the identification of this unfortunate dove, which was
accepted on a single circulation of the BBRC {Brit. Birds 86: 496). The presence
of 14 tail feathers rules out Zenaida Dove, which has only 12. This West Indian
species also has white-tipped outer secondaries. Its tail pattern varies a little
according to the race: Z. a. auriia and Z. a. salvadorii have pale grey or greyish-
white tips to the outer feathers and white outer webs to the outermost pair, while

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

Z. a. zenaida is darker, with bluish tips and sides to the tail. The Eared Dove of
South America may have white tips to the outer tail feathers, but its tail is shorter
and more rounded. It also has two dark spots or lines on the cheeks, but these
look narrow, and a dark “crease” behind the eye and above the cheek-spot of at
least some Mourning Doves gives a similar effect.’

Dr David Parkin, Chairman of the BOURC, has commented as follows: ‘The
skin was kindly sent by the Manx Museum to the Namral History Museum,
where it was examined by Dr Alan Knox. There are only a few autumn
specimens at Tring for comparison, but it could be identified as probably a male
by the vinous underparts, good iridescence on the back and less-brown
upperparts. The lightly mottled, brownish, retained primary coverts with pale tips
indicated that it was a first-year bird. The dark upperparts matched those of the
few eastern caroltnensis specimens rather than waTginellci. The other races could
also be eliminated, but are less likely to occur here namrally.

Some of the tail feathers were quite worn, but there are late-autumn specimens
at Tring with very abraded tails. There were no signs indicative of a period in
captivity, and the age and race were both compatible with a namral origin. The
mean weight of Mourning Doves in Illinois is given as 123 g for males and 115
g for females (J. Wildlife Management 21: 169), which is about 50% greater than
the Calf of Man bird. This very low weight might suggest that the bird had flown
across rather than been ship-assisted, and no doubt accounts for its weakened
condition.

‘Mourning Dove is abundant in eastern North America. It is a partial migrant,
but disperses widely and is frequent on islands and ships, as well as in places such
as Newfoundland, well northeast of its breeding range.

The record was accepted by the BOURC on a single circulation, and
Mourning Dove was admitted to the British List {Ibis 135: 220).’

Fig. 3. Summer distribution of Mourning Dove Zetmida macroura (reproduced by permission
of Academic Press from Price, Droege & Price, 1995, Summei- Atlas of North American Birds)

162

Williams: Double-crested Cormorant: new to the Western Palearctic

Double-crested Cormorant in
Cleveland: new to the Western
Palearctic

T. J. Wmiarns

ABSTRACT A Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
was present at Charlton’s Pond, Billingham, Cleveland, during
at least 1 1th January to 26th April 1989. It had probably arrived
in early December 1988, when sightings began to be reported of
a strange cormorant showing characteristics somewhat
intermediate between Great Cormorant P. carbo and Shag P.
aristotelis. This occurrence has been accepted by both the British
Birds Rarities Committee and the British Ornithologists’ Union
Records Committee as the first record of this North American
species for Britain & Ireland; it is, indeed, also the first for the
Western Palearctic.

As it is usual to see the occasional Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo on my
patch (Charlton’s Pond in Billingham, Cleveland) during the winter months, one
present sporadically from early December 1988 into January 1989 received no
more than a cursory glance both from me and from several other birders,
including several latterly looking for potential ‘year ticks’. During this period,
however, a birder leaving the pond mentioned to me in passing that there was a
Shag P. aristotelis perched on the floating island. This piece of information
immediately grabbed my attention as I had never seen a Shag on the reserve, of
which I was at that time voluntary warden; my notorious interest in Charlton’s
Pond and my somewhat sedentary namre being the butt of some gentle leg-

FACING PAGE

Plates 72-76. Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus, Charlton’s Pond,
Billingham, Cleveland, January 1989 {top tzuo, Robin Chittenden; third, Jeff Youngs; fourth, zuith
Great Connorant P. carbo, photographer not knozvn; bottom, Robin Chittenden)

[Brit. Birds 89: 162-170, April 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996 163

164

Williams: Double-crested Cormorant: new to the Western Palearctic

pulling over the years, I duly raced off to see the bird. On reaching the causeway
between the two ponds, I observ'ed the raft from a distance of some 300 m and
saw the bird perched on the island. From that range, it was indeed a potential
contender for Shag, so I made my way down the path on the east side of the
Pond, which brought me to a position only some 100 m from the bird. I then
observed it through my 8x40 binoculars and found myself looking at a
Cormorant. Either we had both made a mistake or the Shag had flown off. I
quickly scanned the Pond and left the area, cursing my bad luck. A few days later,
a second birder reported seeing a Shag on the Pond."* Thinking that the bird had
returned, I again made my way to the east side of the Pond and again found
myself looking at a Cormorant. This was getting ridiculous! What was going on?
From the causeway, it looked like a Shag, but on closer examination was
obviously a Cormorant. Now that I took the time to have a look at it for more
than a few seconds, however, it did look small, but still had tlie jizz of Cormorant.
Perhaps it was oiled, or was a small individual? It was only then that I started to
scrutinise the bird with any real interest. What struck me immediately was the
pattern of dark-and-light coloration on the underparts. While never having
smdied juvenile Great Cormorants particularly closely, I did realise that they had
a dark upper breast and were paler below, the opposite of this individual. Once
again, the oiled-bird theory came into play, or was it perhaps one of the European
subspecies? Being by this time mildly interested, I decided to refer to field guides,
and subsequently found that the variation in colour was very wide indeed, but
pale upper underparts and dark lower underparts did not fit any juvenile
variations. I was somewhat confused and decided to bring my ’scope the following
day and peruse the bird more closely. It was then that I noticed the rather
extensive yellowish coloration on the bill and gular pouch.

Having made some crude field sketches, I went home and referred to the
European field guides, looking specifically at all plumages of Great Cormorant
and Shag, paying particular attention to flesh configuration on face, and head
shape. I ended up even more confused. The shape and extent of bare parts
made it a Great Cormorant, but the absence of white (apart from a thin line
bordering the gular pouch) was more like Shag. One idea I entertained was
‘Shagorant’: literally a Shag X Great Cormorant hybrid. I pored through my
books, but could find no evidence of this ever occurring. If it was a hybrid,
what would it look like? This bird was almost certainly nearer to Shag in
general size, but more thickset, with a stout neck; the rump was more rounded
in shape and like Shag, this being accenmated by the bird being in tail moult.
In flight it had a distinct kink in the neck, more obvious when coming in to
land (on taking off, the effort seemed to iron out this feature somewhat); the
head was held above the level of the body in relaxed flight but the neck
drooped. The underparts were blotchy brown, paler on the upper breast; on
the closed wing, the wing-coverts were large compared with those of Great
Cormorant and fewer in number; a pale centre to each feather gave a very
scaly appearance; there was a secondary missing from the right wing. I was
able to count eight outer tail feathers, but only four inners, which I estimated
to be some 2'k inches (6 cm) shorter. The bill shape was that of a Great
Cormorant, but looked more elongated owing to the long, orange gular pouch
of this bird. This effect was further accentuated by a thin orange stripe from

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

165

the base of the upper mandible to the eye. The head shape appeared to be
intermediate between Great Cormorant and Shag, rising fairly steeply from the
base of tlie upper mandible and then sloping back to the crown. The eyes
appeared bluish when seen head-on, the coloration and distribution of bare
flesh gave a spectacled appearance, and everything seemed to be pointing to
Double-crested Cormorant P. aiiritus. The gular pouch was, however,
bordered with a thin white line of feathers, which led me to consider the
possibility of Neotropic (Olivaceous) Cormorant P. olivaceus. The gape
appeared to be white with a hint of pink. Feet and legs were black. When
swimming with a Great Cormorant, it looked like a scaled-down version of that
species, both in body shape and in angle of bill.

While I was watching the bird swimming with a Great Cormorant on 30th
January, it adopted a strange diving pattern, following the Great Cormorant
some 4 or 5 feet (1.2- 1.5 m) behind, and slightly offset. Every time that the
Great Cormorant dived, it would also dive, about two seconds later. This
synchronised diving lasted about a minute and was so precise that the two birds
appeared to be tied together.

On the evening of 30th January 1989, I telephoned M. A. Blick and we
discussed the day’s observations. During this discussion he informed me that
one distinctive feature of Double-crested Cormorant was the feeding pattern we
had observed that day. I was by now personally convinced that the bird was a
Double-crested Cormorant, by virme of both my previous observations and the
information from AdAB about the feeding behaviour. We jointly agreed to
release news of the bird’s identity. The following day, a number of birders duly
arrived, including T. Francis, R. Little, D. J. Britton and M. Hallom, who all
had previous experience of this species in North America. They concluded that
the bird was indeed a Double-crested Cormorant. The bird was subsequentiy
seen by at least 1,400 other birders and photographed by many, including
Robin Chittenden, David Cottridge, Brian Little, David Tipling, Steve Young,
Jeff Youngs and Pete Wheeler {Brit. Birds 82: plates 180-182j 89: plates 72-
76). I made almost daily observations until it was last seen on 26th April 1989;
it may have reappeared briefly on the morning of 16th June 1989.

The bird was often reluctant to fly on windless days, and, on the few
occasions when these conditions prevailed, it became very agitated, swimming
up and down, apparently casting about for some wind into which to take off.

The record of Double-crested Cormorant has been accepted for the dates
11th January to 26th April 1989 by both the British Ornithologists’ Union
Records Committee {Ibis 135: 220) and the British Birds Rarities Committee
{Brit. Birds 86: 453-454). While the record was still being assessed, M. A. Blick
wrote a short account of the occurrence (Blick 1989) and photographs were
published in British Birds (82: 180-182).

References

Alstrom, P. 1991. Identification of Double-crested Cormorant. Birding World 4: 9-16.

Buck, M. 1989. Double-crested Cormorant; a new Western Palearctic bird. Birding World 2:
53-57.

T . J. Williams, 47 Cowpen Estate, Billingham, Cleveland TS23 4AG

166

Williams: Double-crested Cormorant: new to the Western Palearctic

HDITORIAI. COMMKNT Rob Hume, Chairman of tfie BBRC, has commented;
‘This was a difficult identification and full credit goes to Terry Williams for
finding the bird, and to the few observers who provided information and
photographers whose results helped to add further weight to the evidence. In
particular, of the members of the BBRC at the time, D. J. Britton provided very
detailed descriptions and invaluable discussion and deser\'es great credit for his
part in the story. C. D. R. Heard also discussed the identification characters and
pitfalls thoroughly in the initial circulation of the record and various other
comments by Committee members, especially Keith Vinicombe, are made use
of here.

‘Identification of Double-crested Cormorant was covered in detail by Alstrbm
(1991) and an account of the Cleveland record was published soon after the
occurrence (Blick 1989). The following additional points refer to those made in
submitted descriptions and in comments and discussion during BBRC and
BOURC circulations.

‘Regarding size and shape, there is no simple rule: Double-crested Cormorant
overlaps with Great Cormorant, which itself overlaps in some measurements with
Shag. Great Cormorants of the race sinensis are smaller than those of the
nominate race, with juveniles having a significantly longer tail and more slender
bill (SITP). In terms of shape and jizz, the sometimes mooted “neck-crook” of
Double-crested is now generaUy regarded as an unreliable distinction from Great,
being characteristic of Double-crested in many circumstances but variable and
dependent on posture for both species.

‘The colour of the gular/loral skin is extremely variable on Great Cormorant.
The Cleveland Double-crested was variously described as having “chrome-
yellow” to “orange” skm (the gular skin most strongly orange in dull light, DJB).
Immamre Great Cormorant can have a “blood-orange” gular pouch (CDRH)
and vivid yellow to orange loral skin. The extent to which the yellow-orange
colour extends to the bill on Double-crested is distinctive and is well shown in
photographs of the Cleveland individual. A dark line on the lores separating the
yellow skin above from the throat beneath seems characteristic of Double-crested,
but the feathers in this area on Great Cormorant are very fine filoplumes and are
subject to wear, so the dark line on Double-crested may also wear away (KEV),
accounting for its indistincmess on some photographs.

‘The shape of the gular feathering can be a difficult feature to use in the field:
the central point of the chin feathering on Great Cormorant may be difficult to
see (CDRH), while sinensis has less feathering under the chin and at the sides of
the throat than does carbo\ this is a variable feature on carbo and we need to know
more about the extent of the variability, although there is no suggestion that the
squared, cut-off shape on Double-crested varies significantly.

‘Compared with the Cleveland Double-crested, Great Cormorants nearby,
examined by DJB, had less exposed gular skin (about one-third bill length), of a
paler colour, with a long area of grey-white under the bill, whereas the Double-
crested had yeUow on the throat more than half of the bill lengtlr and extending
right along the underside of the bill (DJB) . The yellow beneath tire bill was visible
when the bird turned its head or, from in front, when it raised its bill, but in a
normal side view it was hardly detectable.

‘The feathering along the edge of the gular skin was pale, whitish only in a thin

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

167

line, which seems unlikely to be matched by Great Cormorant, which normally
has much more extensive pale feathering in this area.

The bill shape was questioned by some observers as being relatively thick,
rectangular or parallel-sided, while Double-crested typically has a narrow-waisted
shape to its biU. This seems genuinely to have been the case, although references
to particular photographs to support this view were confused by the fact that the
pictures showed the cormorant with its bill held slightly open and therefore
apparently deeper than was actually the case. The biU shape and the presence of
some pale feathering on the throat, albeit in a very thin band, are the only real
substance for suggestions of hybrid origin for the Cleveland bird, which otherwise
seems highly unlikely. The white throat band is in fact a normal feamre of
immature Double-cresteds in Texas (KEV). The idea of a hybrid being produced
in North America, itself unlikely, followed by its vagrancy to Europe, seems
improbably remote. Dr D. T. Parkin has pointed out that a more likely (but still
improbable) possibility is for a Double-crested Cormorant to arrive as a vagrant,
undetected, and pair with a Great Cormorant in Europe (in much the same way
as the Fame Islands Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis has paired and bred
with a Sandwich Tern S', sandvicensis) , producing locally bred hybrid young.
Nevertheless, there are no reasonable grounds for suspecting that the Cleveland
cormorant was anything other than a pure Double-crested.

‘The Cleveland Double-crested had blackish-grey legs, with dark-grey webs,
paler toes and white, or greyish-white, claws, whereas Great Cormorants nearby
had toes and webs of similar tone (or toes darker) and dark claws (DJB).
Photographs of Double-cresteds reveal dark claws, and these differences, although
genuine, may be of little significance.

‘The number of tail feathers is a particularly “concrete” feamre if it can be fuUy
established. The Cleveland individual had the central four feathers short-grown
(two on the left side short and rounded; one on the right slightly longer than these
and more pointed, the other much shorter). These were still not fully grown on
7th April at least (DJB). The tail clearly showed 12 feathers, the outer four on
each side full-grown (those on the right looking abraded to sharp points while
those on the left looked blunt, DJB) . A single inner primary was missing from the
right wing (DJB).

‘ Alstrom (1991) suggested that a pale breast/dark belly contrast is characteristic
of Double-crested, but “second-winter” Great Cormorants can show a similar
effect, with new, dark beUy feathers contrasting with old, brownish breast feathers

(KEV).

‘Considering all the information, there were never any arguments against the
identification other than the speculative one concerning its possibly being a
hybrid. Hundreds of observers tested their skills and optical equipment on the
bird concerned, but the information in the BBRC file ensured acceptance, even
had it not stayed for a long period. The clear descriptions of the colour and
pattern of the bill, lores and gular pouch and the stmcmre of the tail allowed
acceptance of the identification on a single circulation.

‘As a particularly useful contribution to the file, D. J. Britton’s drawings (fig.
1, on page 168) and description (slightly edited) are added here:

Watched at 50 m in Optolyth 30X80 telescope a firm conclusion on identification. Not seen
for six hours. Took over two hours to come to with Great Cormorant or Shag.

168

Williams: Double-crested Cormorant: new to the Western Palearctic

a

cM.

\o 0<-vly A kcrvi- ty\ proFxf'P

^ (Vf'^

■a. £^3-®
fZvxJ-®^

6toi

A-'

f-(Wl

Jiip

Fig. 1. Notes on Cleveland Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus supplied
ditring circulation to the British Birds Rarities Committee (D. J. Britton)

GENERAI, APPEARANCE Smallish cormorant.
Neck quite thick, but seemed short. General
colour dirty greyish-brown with some patchy
paler feathers on breast. Rump and mantle
very uniform, dark. Forehead shape smoothly
sloping, slightly rounded, more like Great
Cormorant than Shag, but at times showed
short, steep forehead more like Shag. Precise
details of head/bill and tail feathers crucial.

HEAD AND BILL Eye lovely emerald-green with
black pupil. Facial skin extended to eye, dark
intense ochre-yellow with faint orange tint at
times. Rear border line of yellow extended
back and down from eye at about 45°. Extent
of yellow along throat over half bill length and
extended right along underside of hill.
Feathers adjoining base of gular patch pale-
tipped, giving a thin off-white line along base

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

169

of yellow. Yellow slighdy deeper at rear than
front.

Upper mandible dark grey, grading to whitish-
grey at cutting edge. Lower mandible very
pale grey. In profile, a slight yellow tinge at
times (perhaps reflection or the yellow
underside showing).

UPPERPARTS Dirty greyish-brown. No green
tinge on mantle, rump or scapulars at any
time. Wing-coverts at times showed slight
green sheen (contrasting with scapulars).
When wings raised, flight feathers showed
slight green sheen. Wing-covert feathers much
smaller than scapulars, with neat, verj' thin
dark brown edges and pointed tips (points at
angle of 55° or 60°). Scapulars graded to paler
tips and had fine dark shaft lines (not quite
reaching feather tips)j later seen to have thin,
neat, dark greenish-grey outline. Primary
coverts had thin off-white tips. From rear,
head and neck darker than body, not obvious
in profile.

UNDERPARTS Deep dirty greyish-brown with
odd pale mottlings (seemingly on feather
bases). Generally uniform but patchier on
breast. Vent a deeper brown. Underwing
uniform and very brown. “Armpits” a lovely
deep brown. A single white feather around

primary-coverts region. When flapped wings,
showed very pale primary bases. Upper flanks
deep dark green (wet?), extending in wedge
down to thighs.

TAIL FEATHERS Clearly 12 feathers. Outer four
each side seemed fuUy grown (right four
abraded to pointed tips, left four blunt-
tipped). Adiddle four very short and oddly
shaped.

LEGS Dark blackish-grey. Stout.

FEET Webs dark grey. Outer toe very long,
producing exaggerated foot shape. Oddly,
right foot less exaggerated than left foot. Toes
paler grey than webs. Claws white or very pale
greyish.

MOUTH When open, roof whitish, but base
reddish. Point of open mouth exactly
coincided with rear edge of yellow-ochre gular
area.

IN F1.IGHT Neck angled up near base in heron-
like kink. Short central tail feathers obvious. At
least one missing primary on right wing.
BEHAVIOUR Dived without Shag-like leap Gust
sank) . Swam with head angled upwards at 20°.
One burst of about 20 very short, agitated
dives with mouth slightly open.’

Dr David T. Parkin, Chairman of the BOURC has commented: ‘More than one
member of the BOURC remarked that it was especially fortunate that this bird

Fig. 2. Summer distribution of Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax awitus
(reproduced by permission of Academic Press from Price, Droege & Price, 1995, Summer
Atlas of North American Birds)

170

Williams: Double-crested Cormorant: new to the Western Palearctic

remained at Charlton’s Pond for so long; not only did it allow many observ'ers to
catch up with it, but it also ensured that obser\'ers could debate many of the
critical features while it was still in residence. The many excellent photographs
also assisted both committees in reaching their decision.

‘This is not a rare bird in eastern North America, although its numbers have
fluctuated in recent historical times. It was reported as increasing dramatically in
the Great Lakes (up 450%) between 1977 and 1980 (Scharf & Shugart, 1981,
Amencan Birds 35: 910-91 1) and in Nova Scotia (up almost 300%) between 1971
and 1982 (Milton & Austin-Smith, 1983, Colonial Waterbirds 6: 130-138). It is
migratory, with populations wintering in the southern USA. Although it is an
inshore species, there are records from Bermuda, the Bahamas and Sable Island,
so it is capable of crossing the ocean. As Tim Inskipp had no record of the species
ever being advertised in the aviary-bird press, the likelihood of captive origin
seemed very remote, and the record was accepted as being of a wild bird on a
single circulation to the BOURC.

‘One member expressed concern that this bird should have arrived on the east
coast of Britain. Teesmouth is, however, a major sea terminal, and the possibility
of assisted passage is not ruled out. This does not affect the decision, and the
species was admitted to Category A of the British & Irish List {Ibis 135; 220).’

The inclusion with this paper of plates 72-76 in colour has been
subsidised by support from Carl Zeiss Ltd, sponsor of the British
Birds Rarities Committee.

ZEISS

LOOKING BACK

One hundred and fifw years ago: ‘Notes on the partial migration and local shiftings of certain Birds
in East Lnhian, and a fezv Remarks on the subject in general, as applied to Scotland and the North
of Englatid. By Akchikai.d Hi-rnuRN, Esq . . . Song-lhrush, Tnrdits miisicus [L. phikmiebs].
Departs annually about the end of October or beginning of November and returns early in
Februan,’; two or three solitan,’ individuals may be seen during winter, but I have ascertained
from my friends, Thomas Durham Weir, Esq. of Boghead, West Lothian, and Mr. Jerdon in
Ro.xburghshire, that this migration or shifting also takes place in their respecti\’e neighbourhoods.’
{Zoobgist 4: 1332-1333, April 1846)

Twenw-five years ago, in April 1971: ‘Great Grey Shrikes Linius exenbitor were exceptionally
widespread — compared with only a handful in April 1970 — and at least 70 were seen in 40
localities, mainly in eastern Britain from Norfolk northwards, in the London area, on the Kent
coast and in the north and west Midlands ... 42 of the 70 were apparently new arrivals, recorded
between 3rd and 12th, all but six on the east coast, with a clear peak (a total of 22) on 5th, 6th
and 7th, suggesting a westerly drift of Continental winterers rather than a return movement of
British ones.’ (Brit. Birds 64: 335)

Owls of the Moscow Region

V. V. Kontorshikov, O. S. Greenchenko, A. V. Ivanov,
A. P. Petrisheva, A. V. Sevrugin and N. G. Chelintsev

ABSTRACT Of the 12 species of owl occurring in the Moscow
Region of Russia, recent surveys and census work have revealed
that Tengmalm’s Owl Aegolius funereus and Pygmy Owl
Glaucidium passerinum are much more frequent than had been
thought; Ural Owl Strix uralensis has increased remarkably; and
Great Grey Owl S. nebulosa has been proved breeding for the
first time. On the other hand, Eagle Owl Buho bubo has
decreased. Little Owl Athene noctua and Eurasian Scops Owl
Otus scops are scarce; Long-eared Owl Asio otus^ Short-eared
Owl A. flammeus and Tawny Owl S’, aluco are common; Snowy
Owl Nyctea scandiaca and Hawk Owl Sumia ulula are rare
migrants.

Twelve species of owl occur in the Moscow Region of Russia, which has an area
of 47,000 km^ and a human population of more than 15 million. Woods cover
37.6% of the area (Akimova el al. 1994), mostly mixed forests of birch Betula,
alder Ahms and Aspen Populiis tremula, with spruce Picea in the west and pine
Piniis in the east, and many clearings of different ages.

[Briu Birds 89: 171-174, April 1996] British Birds Ltd 1996

171

172

Kontorshikov el at.: Owls of the Moscow Region

Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca and Hawk Owl Siirnia uliila are rare migrants.
Nesting of Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, Little Owl Athene noctua, Eurasian Scops Owl
Otus scops and Great Grey Owl Stiix nebulosa is rare or only probable, and Ural
Owl S. uralensis is a scarce nesting species. Only five species are relatively
common: Long-eared Owl Asio otus, Short-eared Owl A. jlammeus. Tawny Owl
S', dluco, Tengmalm’s Owl Aegolius funereus and Pygmy Owl Glaucidiurn
pdssennum (see plate 88, on page 201).

The estimates of breeding density given below relate to four species for which
the peak of courting behaviour in the Moscow Region is in March. They occur
mostly in large tracts of forest (with areas of 10-200 km") on the edges of the
region; the estimates have been derived by calculation from data collected on
transects totalling 501 km (Kontorshikov et dl. 1994).

Long-eared Owl is the commonest owl of the Moscow Region (Ptushenko &
Inozemtsev 1968). During 1969-89, nesting density fluctuated from one to 13
broods in 50 km" of the agricultural fields, villages and patches of forest in the
west of the region (Voronetsky 1991). The spring (March) counts did not
coincide with the peak of Long-eared Owl courtship, which in the Moscow
Region is mostly in April. Numbers discovered vary: during 8th- 10th March
1990, six males were registered per 35 km in an area of swampy bushes and
meadows alternating with patches of forest; in the following year, 22 males per
50 km were counted at the same place in the same period, but a month later, on
13th April 1991, the value was five males per 2 km (Kontorshikov et dl 1994).
Long-eared Owls are regular in winter, with up to 30 obser\’ed together.

Tawny Owl and Long-eared Owl are the two commonest species of the
Central Russian owl avifauna. In mixed coniferous-deciduous forest close to
Moscow, Tawny Owls nest at a density of one to two pairs per km^ (Korolkova
& Korneeva 1982; Korolkova & Bykov 1985). Estimates based on spring counts
give on average 0.40 courting males per km^ in fir-dominant woods of the western
part of the region, 0.58 in pine-dominant woods of the southeast and 0.16 in
those of the northeast, and 0.73 in birch-alder woods of the northeast. The
density may be higher in the central area of the region away from the large mixed
and coniferous forest tracts on the periphery.

Short-eared Owl is common in the Moscow Region, though numbers have
declined from last century’s level. Numbers fluctuate from year to year. The only
report concerning density is of up to nine or ten pairs in about 50 km^ of bushes,
meadows and swampy fields in Voskresensky county in 1984 (Zubakin et dl
1988). Short-eared Owls sometimes occur in the Moscow Region in winter.

According to Pmshenko & Inozemtsev (1968), Tengmalm’s Owl was thought
to be rare and sporadic, but courting males were registered in every place where
early-spring counts were recently carried out. The average density in fir-
dominant mixed woods of the western part of the region is 0.41 courting males
per km^ while in pine-dominant mixed woods of the eastern part the density is
0.2 per km^ (Kontorshikov et dl 1994). Thus, Tengmalm’s Owl is currently quite
common in large coniferous woods. It was probably just as common earlier this
century, but, because of its secretive behaviour, was overlooked.

Similarly, some authors have suggested that the Pygmy Owl was rare in the
region (Ptushenko & Inozemtsev 1968), but the recent organised counts show
that it is quite common. The average density in mixed forests dominated by

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

173

conifers is 0.24 courting males per km^, while in the northeastern pine-mixed
forest it is 0.52 per km\

Eurasian Scops Owl has always been considered rare in the Moscow Region
(Ptushenko & Inozemtsev 1968), and still is: we know of only six records of
courting males since 1980 (Kontorshikov et al. 1994).

Similarly, the Litde Owl occurs sporadically, mostly in the southern part, but
we know of only eight records of singles since 1980: four in spring, one in
summer and three in autumn.

At the end of the last century, the Ural Owl was assumed to be a very rare
nesting species in the Moscow Region, although breeding had never been proved.
In the second half of this century, the population has increased remarkably in the
northwest of Russia, and the breeding area has spread to the southwest (Pukinsky
1977), into the Moscow Region (Ahshenko et al. 1990). Recent spring counts
show a density of 0.27 courting males per km^ in mixed forests dominated by
conifers in the northern part of the region, and 0.06 courting males per km^ in
the southeastern mixed pine-birch-alder forests (Kontorshikov et al. 1994).

Eagle Owls used to be common in old wild forests. Since the end of the last
century, a marked decrease paralleled the gradual disappearance of large forest
tracts and marshes. Isolated pairs bred in the Moscow Region in the 1950s and
1960s (Pmshenko & Inozemtsev 1968; B. L. Samoilov & G. V. Morozova in litt.),
but it is now found very seldom, though isolated pairs probably stiU breed in the
Moscow Region.

In the last century, the Hawk Owl was believed to be very rare in the forests
of the Moscow Region, though exact details of the finding of nests and nestlings
are absent. It occurred regularly in winter during the last cenmry and the first half
of this cenmry, sometimes in large numbers. The southern boundary of the
breeding area of the species has, however, apparently moved considerably to the
north throughout the whole of Central Russia, and for the last 50 years we know
of only four reliable records of Hawk Owl in the Moscow Region, all singles from
October to April (Butiev et al. 1983; M. L. Kreindlin in litt.-, B. L. Samoilov &
G. V. Morozova in litt.), and nesting is unknown, even in nearby regions.

Great Grey Owl was always believed to be rare in Central Russia. There were
only five isolated winter and aummn records ia the Moscow Region (Pmshenko
& Inozemtsev 1968) until 1992. During the springs of 1992-94, however, four
courting males were found in the northern part of the region (S. V. Volkov,
M. Y. Piets & T. V. Konovalova in litt.) and in 1994 successful nesting was
documented in the northwestern part of the Moscow Region (Nikolaev in press).
Previously, the closest nests were found about 250-300 km to the north of
Moscow (Zinoviev & Nikolaev 1990).

The Snowy Owl occurs in the Moscow Region only as a migrant, in small
numbers during September- April, most frequently in October-November, and
very rarely in summer.

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the many professional and amateur ornithologists who took part in organised
counts. We also thank all those who provided information on individual records of rare species.
We thank Dr V. A. Zubakin for critical reading of the manuscript, and Dr J. T. R. Sharrock for
stylistic corrections to the English text.

174

Kontorshikov et al.\ Owls of the Moscow Region

References

Aklvion’a, T., Kraskjn, V., Bata van, V., ei al. 1994. The Comparative Analysis and Estimation
of Eeologieal States of Counties of the Moscow Region. [In Russian] Moscow.

BLrriEV, V. T., KoNsrAN'riNO\’, V. M., Babenko, V. G., et al. 1983. Winter avifauna of
Moscow’. In: Influence of Anthropogenic Eactors on Stmcture and Eiinction of Ecosystems. [In
Russian] Moscow.

Kontorshikov, V. V., Gre;enchenko, O. S., Petrisheva, A. P., et al. 1994. Ow'l distribution
and numbers in Moscow Region (based on earh’-spring registration data). [In Russian] Bull.
MOW (Biobgy) 99: 47-58.

Koroixova, G. E., & Korneeva, T. M. 1982. Birds and Mammals of Eorest of Western Moscow'
Surroundings. [In Russian] Moscow.

, & Bykov, A. V. 1985. Birds and Mammals of Forest of Southern Moscow Sunvundings. [In

Russian] Moscow.

Mishenko, A. L., Nikoiai-:v, V. I., & Sukhanova, O. V. 1990. Modem state of rare bird species
of North-western Moscow Surroundings. In: Proceedings of the 1st Meeting ‘Rare Bud Species
of the Central Russia ’. [In Russian] Moscow.

Nikolaev, V. I. In press. New data about rare species of North-w'estem Moscow' surroundings.
In: Proceedings of the 2nd Meeting ‘Rare Bird Species of the Central Russia’. [In Russian]
Moscow.

PrusHENKO, E. S., & iNOZliM'TSEV, A. A. 1968. Biology’ and Economic Significance of Birds of the
Moscow Region and Contiguous Tenitoms. [In Russian] Moscow’.

PuKiNSKY, Y. B. 1977. Life of Ozcls. [In Russian] Leningrad.

Vorone tsky, V. 1991. Long-term dynamics of Long-eared Owl population in the centre of
European part of the Soviet Union. In: Materials of the 10th All-union Ornithological Conference,
vol. 2, part 2. [In Russian] Moscow.

Zinoviev, V. A., & Nikoiaiw, V. I. 1990. On the prevalence and landscape differentiation of
rare bird species of the Kalinin Region. In: Proceedings of the 1st Meeting ‘Rare Bird Species of
the Central Russia’. [In Russian] Moscow.

ZuBAKiN, V. A., Morozov, V. V., Kharitonov, S. P., et al. 1988. Ornithofauna of
Vinogradovskaj'a w’ater-meadows of the Moscow' Region. In: Birds of Employed Terntones. [In
Russian] Moscow.

V. V. Kontorshikov, O. S. Greenchenko, A. P. Pelnsheva, A. V. Sevrugin and N. G.

Chelintsev, Druzhina for Natitre Conservation, Biological Faculty, M. V. Lomonosov
Moscow State University, 119899, Aloscow, Russia

A. V. Ivanov, Laboratory of Cell Proliferation, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular
Biobgy, 117984, Moscow, Russia

NOTES

Parasitic feeding by Red-crested Pochard

On 8th March 1988, at Wellington Country Park, Hampshire, I watched the
feeding behaviour of a Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina. It frequently dived, as
well as upending, and also swam close to the tail end of a Mute Swan Cygnus
oloi\ collecting weed stirred up by the swan’s feet. On several occasions, how-
ever, it stole food from a drake Common Pochard Aythya ferina as the latter
surfaced from a dive. Although such behaviour is not unexpected, BWP (vol. 1)
makes no mention of parasitism by the Red-crested Pochard.

Mark Simmonds

42 Corinthian Close, Hatch Warren, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG22 4TN

Antagonistic behaviour of feeding Common Snipe

From midday until 13.00 GMT on 22nd November 1992, on land belonging to

Shotton Paper Company, Deeside, Clwyd, I watched a group of seven Common

Snipes Gallinago gallinago feeding within an area no more than 10 m square along

the edge of a lagoon. From a distance of about 50 m, I had a good, clear view of

all seven through 7X50 binoculars and noted the following antagonistic

behaviour.

When one snipe intruded upon the feeding area of another, the latter would
first turn its back towards the intruder, cock its tail and slightly fan the feathers,
revealing the pattern of a black letter ‘T’ across the underside tips and down the
centre of the undertail-coverts (fig. R this dark vertical line is visible only in this

posture, being hidden once the
feathers are flattened); with head down
and tail up, it would then walk
backwards towards the intruder. This
always had the effect of forcing the
intruder to back away. This behaviour,
which was exhibited by more than one
individual, occurred only during
feeding; when a previously aggressive
snipe was preening or just sitting, it
could be approached by another
without retribution. An intruder would
mrn aggressor when it found a feeding
patch of its own.

J. Lewis Bonhote (1909, Birds of
Britain) described how a Common
Snipe would back up to a tussock of
grass with its head down and tail up,
causing the two dorsal stripes to
resemble grass. BWP (vol. 3) mentions

Fig. 1. Rear view of Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago displayed to another snipe
intruding on its feeding area {Ron Plummer)

[Brir. Birds 89: 175-176, April 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

175

176

Notes

similar behaviour, but with the snipe facing the intruder, lowering its head, raising
its tail to show black spots or ‘eyes’ on the upperside of the feathers, then
approaching the intruder with bill parallel to the ground. I can find no reference,
however, to the rear-first posture and antagonism which I wimessed.

Ron Plvmmhr

4 Tros Yr Aber, Deva Heights, Holywell, Clwyd CHS 7XP

m. RARITIES COMMITTEE NEWS AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS

DoUg Page was co-opted to membership of the BBRC in May
1995 to fill the vacancy created by Graham Catley’s retirement
(Brit. Birds 88: 380). At the end of the year, following invitations
for nominations in the birdwatching Press, a single nomination for
^ membership was received: John McLoughlin of Harrogate,

North Yorkshire.

In March 1996, Chris Heard retired as longest-serving member in the usual
way. Doug Page has, therefore, been confirmed as a full member, and John
McLoughlin is elected onto the Committee in the absence of any other
candidates.

We are delighted to welcome them both. Doug has already proved to be the
ideal Committee member, and we are confident that ‘Johnny Mac’ will prove a
popular successor to Chris Heard. Both have the experience, judgment and
proven ability in the field that are necessary, as well as being well known and well
liked by many of the most active rare-bird watchers in the UK.

Nevertheless, to lose Chris Heard is something we all regret. Chris has
invariably provided thoughtful, well-argued and exceptionally knowledgeable
contributions to the record-assessment process. As a high-profile figure in the
birding world, with a deserved reputation for exceptional abilities in the field, he is
clearly difficult to replace. We hope to persuade him to maintain his links with
the BBRC and, perhaps, he will be able to contribute more published material
based on our extensive files of descriptions, correspondence and lively debate.

Meanwhile, please begin to think about nominations for next year. I am happy
to discuss possibilities at any time and welcome names (with those of tw^i
nominators) prior to 31st October 1996. We are considering a number of ways
to extend the system of voting beyond the present county recorders and bird-
observatory wardens, in order to be as democratic as possible; but, unless we have
more nominations, elections become academic.

R. A. Humh

15 Cedar Gardens, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 tliV

ZEISS

Palearctic waders in Western
Australia

C. D. T. Minton and R. J. Chandler

ABSTRACT Together with Hong Kong {Brit. Birds 86: 231-242),
the northern shores of Western Australia provide an irresistible
magnet for shorebird enthusiasts, with huge numbers of species
such as Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris and Little Curlew
Numenius minutus which are scarce on a World scale yet have
occurred as vagrants to Western Europe. This paper, which
briefly summarises the status of all wader species in NW
Australia, is illustrated by photographs obtained on a special trip
to the area.

The northern part of Western Australia (hereafter NW Australia) was ‘discov-
ered’ as an important area for waders in 1981, in the Royal Australasian
Ornithologists’ Union’s Wader Census Programme. During this census, the whole
of the 8,000-km coastline of northern Australia was covered by an aerial survey,
with extensive follow-up on the ground to determine flock compositions. The
greatest surprises of the survey were not only the absolute numbers of Palearctic
waders (about 1.5 million), but also the fact that the area held many flocks of
thousands of Great Knots*. This species was previously thought to be rare, with
numbers possibly totalling only 5,000 worldwide. It is now known that during the
Northern Hemisphere winter there are typically 320,000 Great Knots in Australia,
with 180,000 of them in NW Australia.

Many other species of Palearctic wader spend the non-breeding season in NW
Australia; indeed, all the species occurring in the largest numbers are from the
Palearctic. After Great PCnot (plate 77), the most numerous are Bar-tailed Godwit

^Scientific names are given in table 1.

[Brit. Birds 89: 177-184, April 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

177

178

Minton & Chandler: Palearctic waders in Western Australia

of the race baiieri (plate 83), Red Knot, Greater Sand Plover (plate 81), Little
Curlew, Red-necked Stint (plate 84), Oriental Pratincole, Curlew Sandpiper,
Oriental Plover, Red-capped Plover, Terek Sandpiper (plate 82), and Grey-tailed
Tattler (plate 80). These are the 12 most numerous species, each occurring in
numbers in excess of 10,000, of which only the Red-capped Plover is an
Australian species. The numbers of the different wader species involved are sum-
marised in table 1.

Table 1. Minimum estimates of wader numbers in northern Western Australia. Non-
Palearctic species (Australian endemics) are shown in square brackets. Data from Watkins (1993).

Species (in order of importance) Numbers

1

Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris

180,000

2

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica

100,000

3

Red Knot Calidris canutus

90,000

4

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultli

60,000

5 =

Little Curlevi/ Numenius minutus

50,000

5 =

Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis

50,000

7

Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum

35,000

8

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea

30,000

9

Oriental Plover Charadrius veredus

20,000

10

[Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus]

15,000

11

Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus

12,000

12

Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes

11,000

13

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa

8,000

14

Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus

6,000

15

Greenshank Tringa nebuiaria

5,000

16 =

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola

3,000

16 =

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

3,000

18 =

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata

2,000

18 =

[Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae]

2,000

18 =

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus

2,000

18 =

Sanderling Calidris alba

2,000

22 =

Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis

1,500

22 =

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

1,500

24

[Pled Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris]

550

25

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatiiis

500

26

Pacific Golden Plover Piuviaiis fulva

250

TOTAL

690,300

Other Palearctic species occur in smaller numbers, including Broad-billed
Sandpiper (plate 78), Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Lesser Sand Plover (plate 79), Far
Eastern Curlew, Pacific Golden Plover, Long-toed Stint Calidris suhrniniita, and
Asian Dowitcher Linmodromus semipalrnatus (Chandler 1995). The first four
species occur in thousands, the remainder in lesser numbers. Altogether, 50
species of wader — almost one-quarter of the World’s species — have been record-
ed in NW Australia.

The main wader locations in NW Australia are Broome/Roebuck Plains, 80
Mile Beach and Port Hedland Saltworks, and these sites have been visited by 16
wader-study expeditions since 1981. Some of the expeditions were large

Plates 77-84. Waders in Western Australia in March/ April 1995 (R. J. Chandler). All are
in adult summer plumage.

The inclusion of these plates in colour has been subsidised by financial support from Carl
Zeiss, sponsor of the British Birds Rarities Committee.

77. Great Knot Calidris tenuirostns, March 1995 {R. J. Chandler)

78. Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola faldnellus sibirica, April 1995 {R. J. Chandler)

79. Male Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongoliis, April 1995 (R. J. Chandler)

80. Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus breznpes, March 1995 (R. J. Chandler)

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81. Male Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaidtii, March 1995 (R. J. Chandler)

82. Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus, March 1995 (R. J. Chandler)

83. Male Bar-tailed Godwit IJmosa lapponica baueri, March 1995 (R. J. Chandler)

84. Red-necked Stint Calidiis nificollis, April 1995 (R. J. Chandler)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

183

(25 people for two months), some small (five people for one week). These have
included, at all three main locations:

1. Ground and aerial surveys (additional to the now- standard summer and win-
ter monitoring counts of specified areas).

2. Ringing (cannon-netting and mist-netting), with a total of around 45,000
waders caught to date.

3. Migration-watching, using meteorological radar initially, and more recently by
observing the departures on northward migration in March/April. Totals of
20,000-30,000 waders have been seen to depart each year from Broome alone.

4. Photographic studies.

Ringing and other studies

Ringing recoveries show that, on northward migration, the Chinese coast is a key
stopover site for almost every species of wader. The Shanghai area (Yangtse
esmary and its adjacent shores) is especially important, with virtually all the Great
Knots, Bar-tailed Godwits and Red Knots using that area.

Weight gains of 50-80% are made by all species before departure. There is
much direct and indirect evidence that all but the smallest species fly non-stop
direct from NW Australia to the Chinese coast, a distance of 5,500 km and a
flight of three days’ duration. On southward migration, the birds are more spread
out than on northward migration, and Korea and Japan are important stopover
sites. Curlew Sandpipers do a loop migration, with southbound recoveries mostly
occurring well to the west of the northward route, with one recovery as far west
as southern India.

The armual pattern

Waders are present in good numbers throughout the year in NW Australia, with
totals stiU in the thousands even during the Northern Hemisphere summer. This
is because the one-year-olds of almost aU species do not migrate north until their
second year, or not until their third, fourth, or even fifth year in the case of the
larger waders. There is also a tendency for the resident Australian waders to flock
during the Australian winter (‘dry season’ m northern Australia).

For the wader enthusiast, perhaps the best time to visit is in March/April, when
most waders are in breeding plumage prior to their northward depaiture. Some
species, however, for example Far Eastern Curlew and Oriental Plover, mostly
depart in early March, and the majority of several other species do so before the
end of March, particularly Little Curlew and Oriental Pratincole.

Wader numbers build up again from late August to October, as they return
from the north, though arrivals start with Far Eastern Curlews in early August.
At this time, many adults are still in breeding plumage; indeed. Grey Plovers,
which are unlike most of the other species in migrating north while stiU in non-
breeding plumage, are seen in Australia m breeding plumage only at this time.

The photographs

The photographs (plates 77-84) show Palearctic waders in NW Australia during
March/ April. At this time, most individuals that are due to migrate to the Palearctic

184

Minton & Chandler: Palearctic waders in Western Australia

have largely acquired breeding plumage, while there are also immamres in non-
breeding plumage that will remain in Australia.

Those species that use the coastal mudflats are most easily photographed at
high-tide roosts, where a number of the accompanying photographs were taken.
At the highest spring tides some species may use the rocks or low cliffs around
Roebuck Bay, but at neap tides all species roost at the head of the beach. They
range up the shore depending mainly on size of species: Far Eastern Curlews and
Bar-tailed Godwits in or at the water’s edgej Great and Red Knots just at the edge
of the water, where Red-necked Stints, Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderlings often
continue to feed amongst them, while Greater Sand Plovers are likely to congre-
gate in single-species groups well up the beach.

The inland, freshwater wader species have to be photographed using wait-and-
see techniques from a hide set up in favoured feeding areas. Those photographed
in this manner included Broad-billed Sandpiper and Lesser Sand Plover.

References

Chandler, R. J. 1995. PhotoSpot: 36. Asian Dowitcher. Bnt. Birds 88: 362-364, plates 99 &
100.

Lane, B. A. 1987. Shorebirds in Australia. Melbourne.

Watkins, D. 1993. National Plan for Shorebird Conservation in Australia. Report to WWFA by
AWSG.

Dr C. D. T. Minton, 165 Dalgetty Road, Beaunians, VIC 3193, Australia
Dr R. J Chandler, 2 Rusland Avenue, Otpington, Kent BR6 8AU

Appendix 1, Habitats

Roebuck Bay, Broome, is a 25-km diameter bay just to tlte east of Broome, with vast tidal mud-
flats. There are high-tide roosts of 50,000 waders on the north-shore beaches, and of 100,000
waders at the rather inaccessible Bush Point area at the south entrance to the bay. The northern
shores are highly accessible and have the light always behind the observ'er, which was one of the
factors leading to the choice of the location for the Broome Bird Observatory.

Roebuck Plains is a 30 km X 20 km area of flat grassland inland of Roebuck Bay. Up to 50,000
Little Curlews have been seen there, together with thousands of Oriental Pratincoles.

80 Mile Beadu which commences 200 km soudi of Broome and e.xtends 150 km southwest
towards Port Hedland, has mixed-species flocks dominated by Bar-tailed Godwits and Great
Knots, with a densiw of up to 5,000 waders per kilometre.

Port HedLind Saltzcorks was discovered in April 1982 by a wader team on its way from Perth to
continue the wader studies which had commenced at Broome in August 1981. The section of
the saltworks that is attractive to waders is situated some 30 km northwest of Port Hedland. An
exceptional 6,000 Broad-billed Sandpipers was counted in March 1987, the World’s largest
known concentration of the species. It has also been a regular site for up to 140 Asian
Dowitchers, and is a primarx’ arrival area for Oriental Plovers, of which 30,000 were seen in
November 1983.

Appendix 2. Birding in the Broome area

Climate governs personal comfort in NW Australia. January-Februan,' is the main wet season,
when it is very humid with up to 300-400 mm of rain, including the occasional cyclone. April
to October is the dry season, with light rain perhaps on a couple of occasions in this seven-month
period. It can still be hot (35°C) in April and October, but is exceptionally pleasant in the other
months (25°-33°C, with cool nights) in the dry season. The initial contact point and best base
is Broome Bird Obserx'atory (address: PO Box 1313, Broome, WA 6725, Australia).

Broome Bird Observatory was set up by the RAOU in 1988, and is wardened throughout the
year. It provides catered and uncatered accommodation (partially air-conditioned), and camping
and cooking facilities for visitors.

LETTERS

European Storm-petrels and other seabirds without their toes

In response to the note by Keith Bowey {Brit. Birds 88; 111) concerning the
mcidence of damage to both the feet and the legs of European Storm-petrels
Hydrobates pelagicus, I would draw attention to an extract from Wild Birds at

Home (1909) in which Peter Webster states, in notes accompanying his
photographs:

A very remarkable feamre of the storm-petrel is that comparatively few birds
have perfect feet. Either a whole claw, or a portion of one is missing, or in some
cases it is very much dwarfed or deformed.’

Unfortunately, none of the six relevant photographs in the book shows such
damage; nor does the text shed any Ught on where Mr Webster took his
photographs, or the total number of birds he examined.

Much as we may dislike the thoughtless use of nylon nets and lines, damage to

the legs of storm-petrels was in evidence weU before their use by the fishing
industry.

Jim Stonehouse

2 Church Lane, Edingale, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9JD

In Malta, we have ringed over 16,700 European Storm-petrels Hydrobates
pelagicus since 1968. We have also noted that, occasionally, one has some toes, a
foot or part of the tarsus missing. Although we have not kept a record of all the
birds with such deficiencies, we reckon that at least 1% of our birds had such
bodily damage.

One of the questions asked by Keith Bowey {Brit. Birds 88: 111) was what

Plate 85. Female Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea missing foot and part of tarsus,
Malta, July 1985 (Joe Sultana). This bird managed to raise her young, which eventually fledged
successfully.

[Brit. Birds 89: 185-191, April 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

185

186

Letters

effect such bodily damage is having on the birds. Weights of such birds show that
they are coping well, at least in feeding. It may be worth mentioning one instance
when we located a female Cory’s Shearwater Calonectns diomedea with half of its
tarsus missing (plate 85). She was incubating an egg, and raised the chick, which
eventually fledged successfully.

Joe Sultana and John Borg

3 Sdbertm Flats, Fleur-de-Lys Junction, B'Kara BKR 02, Malta

The subject of the obser\^ations by Keith Bowey regarding missing toes on
European Storm-petrels Hydrobates pdagicns (Bnt. Birds 88: 111) has been
commented upon by several authors over the years. Meinertzhagen (1925) noted
the toes or entire legs missing on 5% of Bulwer’s Petrels Bulweria bidweni
examined on the Desertas and suggested that these were snapped off by predatory
fish when the birds ‘taxi’ before taking off from the sea. Similarly, Love (1984)
and Murray (1984) noted feet and legs missing on stomi-petrels, suggesting that
this was the result of diseases, with perhaps gulls or other seabirds snipping off
bits of foot when at colonies. It is well known that Pike Esox Indus take the whole
young of waterfowl, but snapping off legs or feet of full-grown birds would be a
much tougher proposition for any fish except perhaps sharks.

At sites on the Firth of Clyde, the Clyde Ringing Group has tape-lured around
6,000 European Storm-petrels since 1978 and a small percentage, probably
similar to that noted by Bowey, have had toes or legs missing. I have occasionally
caught individuals showing signs of ‘puffmosis’, a debilitating and usually fatal
disease which generally manifests itself in the feet of birds such that they swell
and blister. Brooke (1990) has discussed tliis disease in relation to Manx
Shearwaters Pujfinus puffinus. My photograph (plate 86) shows the feet of a
European Storm-petrel caught on Ailsa Craig, Strathclyde, in 1 982 with one foot
exhibiting puffmosis-like symptoms or some form of foot pox. When so
diseased, the foot becomes scaly and brittle and probably would soon wither and
drop off.

Plate 86. Feet of European Storm-petrel
Hydrobates pclagiais, that on right showing
diseased condition (see text), Strathclyde,
summer 1982 (Bernard Zonfrillo)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

187

X aternative explanation may involve a parasitic marine trematode worm,
i hese soft, nbbon-like, translucent worm larvae wrap themselves around the legs
o small petrels while at sea. When the bird comes to land or is out of the water,
the gelatinous trematode larvae dry up and shrink, forming a constriction above
the toes. Imber (1984) has noted this on White-faced Storm-petrels Pelagodroma
manna, with up to 800 larvae entangling one bird. I have also regularly found
mese fine anklets on European Storm-petrels, but usually in much smaller
quantiues. In time, accumulations of trematodes may form anklets which constrict

the circulation and render the toes functionless, resulting in their evenmal atrophy
and loss.

These two explanations, rather than predators or nylon line, seem more plaus-
ible. Otherwise, there would be a much higher proportion of toeless or legless
web-footed birds than has been noted.

Bernard Zonfriino

28 Brodie Road, Glasgow G21 3SB

I

References

Brooke, M. 1990. The Manx Sheanjoater. Gallon.

Imber, M. J. 1984. Trematode anklets on white-faced storm-petrels Pelagodroma marina and fair}^
pnons Pachyptila turtur. Comiora7it 12; 71-74.

Lo\^, J. A. 1984. Leg injuries in small petrels. Seabird 7: 71-73.

Meinertzhagen, R. 1925. May in Madeira. Ibis (twelfth series) 1; 600-621.

MURR.4Y, S. 1984. Abnormalities and diseases in the feet of storm-petrels. Seabird 7: 74.

Orientation of Golden Eagle eyries: an interpretation

In their comprehensive account of nest-site selection by Golden Eagles Aqidla
chrysaetos (Brit. Birds 85: 469-481), Dr J. Watson and R. H. Dennis showed that
the majority of nest sites in Scotland face between northwest and east. They
concluded (a) that this is due to active choice by the eagles (85: 478), and (b)
that the functional (survival) reason is to avoid excess exposure to sun (85: 479).
The first conclusion is based on a comparison with the distribution of hill slopes,
which show no directional bias. This comparison, however, is surely
inappropriate: since almost aU nests are on cliffs, it is their distribution that is
relevant) indeed, for the common scarp-and-dipslope landform the predominant
slope is quite misleading — on the Gargunnock HiUs near Stirling, almost aU crags
face north whereas most slopes run southwards. There are strong
geomorphological reasons for predicting that most crags face to the north, since
this is where glacial erosion ended most recently and where the frost-shattering of
rocks is most powerful. As no readily available catalogue exists of crags analysed
by direction, I have gone through the climbing cliffs mentioned in the Scottish
Mountaineering Club’s guides for the Cairngorms and for the Central, Western
and Northern Highlands and, wherever possible, located them on Ordnance
Survey 1:50,000 or 1:25,000 maps and noted their main compass orientation
(occasionally, there are several large and distinct faces on a hill and these have
been noted separately); only a small proportion of crags were omitted, because
they could not be located or their direction determined with assurance. The

188

Letters

results, using Watson & Dennis’s nest data and direction conventions, are as
follows:

NW-N

N-NE

NE-E

E-SE

SE-S

S-SW

sw-w

W-NW

Total

Eyries

61

100

76

48

32

23

32

35

407

Crags

32

69

35

15

16

11

8

8

164

The orientation of eyries follows that of the crags very closely, and there are in
fact slightly more eyries facing in southerly directions than expected; there is,
however, no significant difference at all*. It is true that climbers’ crags will tend
to be at greater altimdes and less vegetated than those ideal for eagles, but I can
see no reason why they should not be a good guide to the orientation of crags in
general. On this analysis, there is no evidence to suppose that Golden Eagles use
the general direction of a crag as a criterion for choosing a nest site. It is worth
pointing out that the shelter afforded by a site is affected much more by details
of vegetation and the surrounding rock formations than by its broad aspect, and
a close smdy of these features and whether eaglets use them would be very
valuable.

Watson & Dennis interpreted the ‘northerly preference’ of Scottish and
southern European eagles in terms of avoiding exposure of nestlings to the sun
and claimed that the southern-exposed nest sites in Scandinavia and at high
altitudes in the Alps and the Pyrenees imply a reverse need to gain warmth. High-
altitude nests, however, can be exposed to particularly intense radiation (at 2,000
m in Bavaria, surface temperamres in July have been measured as high as 80°C:
R. G. Barry, Mountain Weather and Climate), and one could argue that a
northeasterly aspect would be advantageous in catching the early-morning sun but
avoiding that at midday. A more likely explanation, originally suggested to me by
Professor David Bryant, is that Scandinavian and Alpine nests need to be on
south-facing crags since these are free of snow and ice much earlier in the year
(Barry notes that in Bavaria southerly slopes are snow -free a month earlier). BWP
(vol. 2) suggests a laying-to-fledging period of 16 weeks, with several months’
juvenile dependence: eggs are laid in mid May in the northern part of the range,
which would take the rearing of young at least to early November; a month’s extra
delay would push this into winter. The ‘northerly tendency’ of southern European
eagles may well reflect a true preference and also a means to escape high
temperatures, and deserves further smdy. One should recall, however, that
Ospreys Pandion haliaetus nest in exposed sites not only in northern Europe and
North America, but also as far south as the Red Sea and Florida. Maybe parental
care can cope with extreme weather. For eagles elsewhere in Europe, there is no
evidence that day-to-day weather factors are important: in Scotland there is no
active choice of site with respect to aspect, while in other parts of northern Europe
the ‘southerly tendency’ can be better explained in terms of earlier availability of
sites in spring.

C. J. Henty

Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4IA

= 7.02, 7 df, P a 0.47.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

189

EDITOR^ COMMENT Jeff Watson & Roy Dennis have replied as follows: ‘We

of^nlH behind Cliff Henty’s reinterpretation of the analysis

ot Golden Eagle nest-site onentation. Our only worry is that he has used climbers’

typical eagle crags.

ndeed, such crags are, if anything, likely to be avoided by eagles if they are
popular amongst climbers. We accept that the orientation of such crags may be
broadly simdar to that of the smaUer eagle crags, although this remains to be

In carrying out our analysis, we agonised at length over how to test for namral
variation in aspect, and the method we used was the best we could come up with
without going to the lengths of interpreting air photos or similar. The problem is
that the ma^onty of eagle crags are relatively smaU pieces of rock and are generally
not mdividuaUy identifiable on OS maps. To do a comprehensive test, it would
be necessary to estabUsh the characteristics of eagle crags based on a series of
quantfiable measures and then to search a sample of areas completely, noting the
dismbuhon and aspect of those crags which meet the putative requirements for
eagks, and then assess how such crags were distributed around the compass.

here are two elements in this debate. Are eagles actively choosing nest sites
with particular characteristics (this could be along aspect, altitude, degree of
vegetanon/wooded cover or other “variable”) and thereby indicating a preference
a ong that particular variable? This question, if appropriately framed and if
adequate data are available, should be answerable. On the other hand, the
explanation for any such apparent preference will probably always be open to
interpretation, and for a bird such as the Golden Eagle the question would be
unlikely to be amenable to experimentation.’

The Boothi Museum, the Citril Finch, and the
Red-billed Tropicbird

When I was a small boy, I was greatly impressed by the Booth Museum in
Brighton, which included a splendid display of normal British birds in their
natural haunts. When Richard Fairbank revealed that it is now under threat of
closure (Brit. Birds 88: 244-245), I therefore took another look at it with a view
to defending it, since E. T. Booth made the greatest of aU the Victorian collections
of mounted British birds, whose assembly is documented in his three-volume
Rough Notes . . . (1881-87), and, other things being equal, it would be an
important historic relic worthy of preservation at all costs. But other things are
not equal. When I first saw the museum in the late 1930s, it included only Booth’s
trophies, arranged around the outside of a large hall, his coUecting kit, and some
subsequent rarities mainly from around Hastings acquired by the late Arthur
Griffiths in a separate bank of cases in the centre. Since then, the coUection has
been rearranged to make room for other exhibitions, so it is a sad muddle, difficult
to see properly, and its educational function has been replaced by colour
photography. Surely it is now time to dismount all the interesting specimens and
put them safely away to prevent any further fading?

It should be pointed out that it may be necessary to read between the lines
when assessing these old collections. Thus, the first question that should have
been asked about the Yarmouth Citril Finch Serinus citrinella (Brit. Birds 61: 92-

190

Letters

93; 87: 471-473) is why, when it was shown to J. H. Gurney Jr, he did not
immediately secure it for the local collection that his family donated to Norwich
Castle Museum, but apparently examined it only cursorily, and then allowed it to
be sold to the most notoriously uncritical collector of all time: Sir Vauncey
Harpur-Crewe, whose mere name should have been enough to discredit it
instantly (consider the description of the sale of his collection in the introduction
to Max Nicholson’s Birds in England^ 1926). Presumably, Gurney must have
deduced that it was an escape, but wished not to spoil relations with an important
source of information, the local bird-catchers, by discrediting their potentially
lucrative trophy.

This contrasts greatly with the attimde of the banking Gurney family to the
Malvern Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereiis (Brit. Birds 87: 480-487). J. H.
Gurney Sr, who first investigated it, was an MP, founder-member of the BOU,
and owner of the best collection of birds of prey in the World, and would have
been well aware of the most likely source of a fraud (which has also not been
mentioned), importation on an East Indiaman, which regularly called for fresh
food and water at the breeding-places in the tropical Atlantic before the opening
of the Suez Canal. His son, J. H. Gurney Jr, wrote Early Annals of Ornithology’
(1921), and was well aware of the possibility of fraud, as shown by his remarks
in 1876 about a dubious bustard {Zoologist (2)11: 4763), and Dr A. G. Irwin {in
litt.) informs me that he attached a similar comment to a Bufflehead Bucephala
albeola in the Norwich Museum. The Gurneys were the people best qualified to
assess whether this specimen was a fraud, and they clearly thought that it was not
one. Some half a dozen Herald Petrels Pterodroma annitijoniana and a Lesser
Frigatebird Eregata arieU which breed in the Atlantic only on Trindade Island off
Brazil, have now been accepted for eastern North America, so why not a
tropicbird from the South Atlantic?

If’. R. P. Bourne

Department of Zoology, Aberdeen University, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB9 2TN,
Scotland

Whistling Oofoo terrorises Guatemalans

We were recently presented with a mini egg by one of our domestic chickens.
The look of horror, nay terror, on the workers’ faces was incredible. ‘Destroy it
quick!’ ‘Don’t let it hatch!’ ‘A monster will come out of it!’ These were the
reactions (genuine fear) of two of our normally taciturn and unexcitable
Guatemalan workers. We gave the egg to our dog to eat.

The m>ths surrounding such runt eggs mentioned by Dr H. Q. P. Crick {Biit.
Birds 88: 169-180) are obviously not confined to English schoolboy egg-collectors.
Bernard Dempsey and Janet Dempsey

Tamandua Jungle Experience, Beach Comber Resort Ltd, PO Box 306, Belmopan,
Belize

The Whistling Oofoo in Mauritius

Humphrey Crick’s interesting paper on the Whistling Oofoo (Crick 1995) has
prompted me to record that runt and yolkless eggs also occur on Mauritius. In a
smdy of captive Pink Pigeons Columba rnayen, 41 out of 1,328 eggs (3.1%) w'ere

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

191

runt (here defined as less than 75% of the mean weight of yolked eggs) and 43
were yolkless (of which 39 were also runt). Runt eggs have also been recorded in
the wild Pink Pigeon population.

The Pink Pigeon is endemic to Mauritius. It has been rare for over a century
and in 1975, following the passage of cyclone ‘Gervaise’, the population was
estimated at only ten to 20 individuals. Only ten or fewer of these are thought to
have contributed to the present population. In April 1995, there were 44 at the
Government captive-breeding centre and a free-living population of 165
comprised mainly released individuals and their progeny.

Pmk Pigeons lay white, sub-eHiptical eggs in clutches of one or two. There were
no significant differences between the weights of yolked eggs in one-egg and two-
egg clutches, or between the first and second eggs in two-egg clutches. The
average weight of 1,185 yolked eggs was 13.87 g (range 6.4-18.7 g.). There were
no significant differences between the weights of eggs laid by captive and free-
Uving birds.

In this study, 3.2% of the eggs laid by the captive birds were yolkless. These
eggs were not laid randomly within the population. The 43 yolkless eggs were laid
by 12 of 46 egg-laying females and accounted for 6.2% of their eggs; one female
laid 11 (26.2%) of these. In 35 cases, the eggs were in single-egg clutches (i.e.
81.4% of clutches containing a yolkless egg). Only 23.5% of clutches of yolked
eggs are of one egg. Yolkless eggs were aU smaller than average and some were
very small. They ranged in weight from 5.4 g to 13.3 g (38.9-95.9% of the weight
of an average yolked egg) . Four yolkless eggs were too large to be classed as runts,
and, of the runts, two were yolked.

There were no significant age-related or seasonal trends in the percentage of
yolkless eggs laid. With age, there is, however, an average decline in the weight
of yolked eggs of 0.14 g per year*. Yolkless eggs are on average similar in shape
to yolked eggs, but are much more variable, with higher percentages of both long
and short sub-elliptical shapes*.

In this study, the rates of runt (3.1%) and yolkless eggs (3.2%) are higher than
for any species recorded by Crick (1995) other than the Acorn Woodpecker
Melanei'pes formicivorus; for that species, 4.3% of the eggs were runts (Koenig
1980). Crick (1995) did not record any pigeons in his list, but I have also recorded
runt yolkless eggs laid by domesticated Barbary Doves Streptopdia jisoria, although
the frequency was <0.5%. The reason why Pink Pigeons have laid so many runt
eggs is unclear, but it could be the consequence of inbreeding depression.

I am grateful to Dr Humphrey Crick for discussions on runt eggs and for
commenting upon this text. Sharon Wheeler helped organise and analyse the egg
data, and the staff at the Government captive-breeding centre at Black River
helped collect the data.

Carl G. Jones

Forestry Quarters, Black River, Mauntius, Indian Ocean.

References

Crick, H. Q. P. 1995. The strange case of tlie Whistling Oofoo. What are mnt eggs? Bnt. Birds

88: 169-180.

Koenig, W. D. 1980. The incidence of runt eggs in woodpeckers. Wilson Bull. 92: 169-176.

*P <0.0001.

REVIEWS

Where to Watch Birds in Spain.

Edited by Eduardo de Juana.

Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 1994. 546 pages; 15 black-and-white illustrations; 360 maps. isttN 84-
87334-14-8. Hardback £24.95.

At least 225 Spanish ornithologists
collaborated in writing this Sociedad Espanola
de Ornitologia publication, which ‘has been
written with both Spanish birdwatchers and
those who are visiting from other countries in
mind.’ They are all credited in the appropriate
places in the text and can be justly proud of
what they have achieved. This is a first-rate
compilation which will be a standard work of
its kind for years to come.

Laz>' British non-linguists are bound to
welcome the fact that the text is in English. It
is divided into accounts for the 1 5
Autonomous Regions of mainland Spain
(Andorra and Gibraltar are included, but the
Balearic Islands are not) and a representative

selection of 309 sites is described. Each
regional account is prefaced by a concise
description of the landscape and its birds
(excellent summaries in their own right) and
each site entry has a map, a main species list
and good details of access, recommended
routes and local accommodation.

It is hard to fault this book. My one
criticism is that some of the curiously sepia-
orange tinted maps are unclear and difficult to
follow. But do not let this put you off If you
have an interest in Spain and its birds, buy this
book. If you have never been there, I bet it will
make you want to go.

Mike Eierett

An Atlas of Seabird Distribution in North-west European Waters.

By the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

JNCC, Peterborough, 1995. 326 pages; 147 distribution maps. ISBN 1-873701-94-2. Paperback
£28.00.

The internationally important populations of
seabirds in northwestern Europe face many
threats, primarily from pollution in various
forms. Since the discoveiy- of major oil
potential in the North Sea in the late 1970s,
nature conservationists have been gathering,
analysing and publishing surv'ey information
to overcome the almost total lack of knowledge
which existed then as to tlie distributions of
seabirds away fn>m the coasts.

This book provides the basic results of die
‘Seabirds at Sea’ project from 1979 to date, in
the form of an adas. It represents a remarkable
parmership between conserv^ationists, business
(particularly oil, shipping and ferry
companies) and Government.

For each of nearly 50 species, there are
distribution maps for different periods of the
year; a summarv- below each map; a general
summarv’ including conserv^ation implications
(which in most cases are the identification of
specific areas at risk from oil pollution); a list
of furtiier reading material; and for most
species a table to show density per square
kilometre in each of ten areas surveyed.

This Adas provides an unprecedented
comprehensive and detailed illustration of the
distribution of our seabirds, pinpointing the
key conservation areas for a whole range of
seabirds. As a conservation tool it will be
invaluable.

Tony Mark

Kingfishers of the World.

By Leslie J. Knowles & James W. Kitchen.

Times Editions, Singapore, 1995. 200 pages;
£13.50.

Coming only three years after the excellent
Ely, Fry’ & Harris treatment ( 1 992, Kingfishers,
Bee-eaters and Rollers, reviewed Brit. Birds 85:
572), this volume was always going to be an

90 colour illustrations. ISBN 981-204-470-1.

also-ran. It is not a book for the serious bird-
watcher— in fact, I am not sure where it is
aimed.

The text is concise, most species getting in

192

[Brit. Birds 89: 192-196, April 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

193

Bntish Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

effect a double-page spread into which is
incorporated a single colour illustration of the
species. The text is broken down into location,
habitat, description, food, voice, nest and a
brief note on subspecies (which are not illus-
trated). Some of the English names differ from
those in Fry et al, making comparison weari-
some.

The illustrations are this book’s weakest
point, some apparently having been painted
with little or no knowledge of bird topogra-
phy. Alan Harris need not, on this evidence,
be looking over his shoulder! Even at £13.50,
I recommend saving up the extra £14.49 and
buying the Christopher Helm book.

Dave Nurney

Atlante degli Uccelli Nidificanti in Italia.

By Enrico Meschini & Sergio Fmgis.

Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvetica, Ozzano deU’EmiUa, Italy,
distnbution maps. isSN 1121-3973.

This book, The Breeding Bird Atlas of Italy,
portrays the results of a quite remarkable
achievement, regarded as surprising even by
Italian ornithologists. As it states in the English
summary; ‘The reaction of Italian
ornithologists has gone beyond our
expectations: a total of 946 participants
provided ... a total of over 300,000 records.’

The atlas survey was carried out during the
four years 1983-86, using 20 X20-km squares,
which total 941 sampling units. The uneven
distribution of observers, however,
necessitated the use of travelling professional
ornithological surveyors, particularly in the
southern one-third of mainland Italy.

The categories of breeding evidence used in
the survey were based on those recommended
by the former European Ornithological Atlas
Committee, but slightly simplified, and the
maps show possible, probable and confirmed
breeding with the now-standard three sizes of
dot (in red, with a black coastal outline).
These are displayed, one per page, with about
one-third of a page of interpretive text, wholly
in Italian. The maps themselves, however,
along with the associated statistics, provide
fascinating browsing; the first time ever that
the precise distribution of breeding birds has
been available for this important part of
Europe. There is a helpful one-page summary

1993. 345 pages; 241

in English. A total of 240 species was
confirmed breeding, with an average of 73
species per 20 X 20-km square.

Although not part of the atlas project itself,
there is also a five-page table giving population
estimates for each species for 1983-86 (and
for 1983-90 whenever a significant change is
known to have taken place). Totals such as

2.000- 6,000 Wallcreepers Tichodroma muraria
and comparisons such as 500-1,000 Red-
billed Choughs Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax and

5.000- 10,000 Yellow-billed Choughs P.
graculus add interest when looking at the
distribution maps, but it is the fine detail on
the latter which is of most value. The central
ridge of the Apennines shows either as a gap
in distribution (e.g. Sardinian Warbler Sylvia
melanocephala) or as the core of the
distribution (e.g. Rock Bunting Emberiza cia),
and it is interesting for us in the extreme west
of Europe, where it is a mainly lowland
species, to discover, for example, that Hedge
Accentor Prunella modulans is a montane bird
in Italy (mainly 600-2,450 m above sea level).

The achievements by close on 1,000 Italian
birdwatchers will form a solid base on which
Italian ornithology can now build with great
satisfaction and pride.

J. T. R. Sharrock

Where to Watch Birds in Afiica.

By Nigel Wheatley.

Christopher Helm/A & C Black, London, 1995. 432
illustrations. ISBN 0-7136-4013-8. Hardback £14.99.

The author, who also wrote Where to Watch
Birds in South America, acknowledges that only
the great increase in birding, and availability of
detailed trip reports, allows such compilations.
Even then, any guide to such a huge area must
be highly selective; thus, for a country as rich
in birds as Kenya, only 13 localities are listed.

pages; 102 maps; 51 black-and-white

compared with 111 in Moore’s WJtere to
Watch Birds in Kenya (1984). Most countries
are discussed, though, 16 of them with more
than six sites. At best, this is an overview, but
there are some serious drawbacks on the
ornithological side. This stems partly from the
author’s decision to follow Clements’s

194

Reviews

Checklist of Birds of the World, where many of
the English names differ from those in
existing bird guides, and many forms generally
recognised as subspecies are elevated to full
species, with names which are meaningless
unless you have ‘Clements’ to hand. This
problem is exacerbated by the total lack of
scientific names, apart from a list for southern
African species. The splitting tendency will
mislead observers as to what endemics they
can expect. For Ethiopia, for instance, four
endemics are included which are considered
by most authorities to be subspecies, but two

good endemics (Yellow-throated Seed-eater
Sennas flavigula and Salvadori’s Seed-eater 5.
xantholaema) are omitted. Some useful
travelling tips are given, such as how to avoid
certain hazards, though perhaps it should have
been noted that the number of uncharted
land-mines in Angola exceeds that countr\’’s
human population. Users of this book will
need to research many aspects of their trip
much more widely before they go birding in
Africa.

AL-iktin Woodcock

.Andorra Ocells/Oiseaux/Aves/Birds. Com-
piled by Jacqueline Crozier, Marie Jo
Dubourg-Savage & Alex Clamens.
(Associacio per a la Defensa de la Natura,
Andorra, 1995. 276 pages. ISBN 99920-1-117-
3. Paperback £16.95) An introduction to the
birds of Andorra, with colour photographs of
each species and short texts in Catalan,
French, Spanish and English. Although small
(the Principalitv' of Andorra is 468 km^, there
is a wide range of habitats, since altitude varies
from 840 m to 2,942 m. Accounts of the
typical birds of each habitat and of each
month augment the species texts: useful for
\isiting birders and to convert even more
Andorrans to svmpathv with w'ildlife.

JTRS

A Photographic Guide to Birds of
Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. By
G. W. H. Davison & Chew Yen Fook.
(New' Holland, London, 1995. 144 pages.
ISBN 1-85368-513-5. Paperback £7.99)
Pocket-sized field guide with over 250
wonderful reference photographs (amazingly,
all but nine taken by Chew Yen Fook). Design
and layout are good, with bird images of an
appropriate size, and just enough surrounding
vegetation to indicate habitat. The short texts
are helpful, with call, jizz and so on described,
as well as the obvious field marks. A field
guide illustrated by artwork can show' the full
range of age and sex plumage differences and
views from different angles, but this is a ver\'
superior photographic reference guide.

JTRS

Climate Change and Rare Species in
Britain. Edited by G. W. Ehnes & A. Free.
(ITE Research Publication No. 8. HMSO,
London, 1994. 28 pages. ISBN 0-1 1-701802-3.
Paperback £6.00) This thought-provoking
booklet reports on analyses of a range of
future climatic scenarios on rare plants, insects

and breeding birds in Britain. Bird data were
obtained from the annual reports of the Rare
Breeding Birds Panel. Conclusions are
inevitably \'ariable, but, on the whole, general
warming combined with higher rainfall would
benefit some species, whereas up to half our
rare breeding species might suffer if summer
droughts w'ere combined with cold wet
winters.

MAO

Larousse Pocket Guide: birds of Britain
and Ireland. By John Gooders. (Larousse,
London, 1995. 256 pages. ISBN 0-7523-0016-
4. Paperback £5.99) With this true field guide,
beginners can leave physically larger guides
covering more species in the car or on the
bookshelf Errors, such as the duplication of
two species in the Checklist and, w'orse, the
claim that 250 species are included (actually
234), are outweighed by the excellent illustra-
tions by Norman Arlott and Alan Harris and
the informative and surprisingly full text. This
colourful, pocket-sized field guide, complete
with short introduction and distribution maps,
comes at a pocket-friendly price.

Pethr Lassdows

Birds of Michigan. By James Granlund,
Raymond J. Adams, Charles Nelson,
Stephen Allen, Philip C. Chu, Michael
Keilb, Gail A. MePeek, Jack Reinoehl,
Richard Schinkel & Andrea Trautman.
(University Press, Bloomington & Indian-
apoUs, 1994. 358 pages, isbn 0-253-30 122-X.
£55.00) The format is of a coffee-table book
but the text is detailed and informative and
covers current status (up to 1993),
distribution, history, habitat, seasonal
occurrence and breeding and w'intering
ranges. Regular breeding species are illustrated
by full-page colour paintings by fi\-e different
artists.

Sf-AN A UMimn

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

195

Artists for Nature in Extremadura. Edited
by Nicholas Hammond. (The Wildlife Art
Gallery, Lavenham, 1995. 192 pages, isbn 0-
9526236-0-9. £30.00) Some 50,000

Common Cranes Gms gms winter in the
forest-pasmres of Extremadura in southwest
Spain, an ‘ecological jewel’ now threatened by
agricultural intensification. A team of 58 artists
from 17 countries has appUed its combined
talents to document the cranes’ journey across
Europe and to portray the wildlife, landscape
and way of life of the people of Extremadura.
A veritable feast for the eyes, this wonderful
book should stir up considerable interest and
concern for this important region. Thoroughly
recommended.

Hilary Burn

The Birds of Kentucky. By Burt L.
Monroe. (Indiana University Press,
Bloomington & Indianapolis, 1994. 145 pages.
ISBN 0-253-33892-1. £45.00) This large-
format avifauna is the first for the state of
Kentucky. After a brief introduction (only five
pages), the bulk of the book is devoted to the
species accounts, which detail the natural
history and status of every species. A useful
occurrence and abundance chart provides a
quick reference to seasonal status. There are
49 meticulous paintings by William
Zimmerman, only two of which were
specifically painted for this book.

Nigel Redman

The Birds of Prey in Japan. By Teruaki
Morioka. (Birder, Tokyo, 1995. 632 pages.
ISBN 4-8299-3035-7. Price not stated) This
book covers Japan’s 30 species of raptor,
including occasional visitors. The text is in
Japanese, with an English summary for each
species. Distributions are clearly mapped, for
both Japan and the entire World range. Eor
non-Japanese-speakers, it will be most useful
for its comprehensive series of photographs
depicting each species in its range of
plumages, both perched and in flight; for
many species, these are the best that I have
seen. A bit heavy for the field, though, being
about the size of a volume of BIVP.

Richard Porter

Ireland’s Bird Life: a world of beauty.
Edited by Matt Murphy & Susan Murphy.
Photographs by Richard Mills. Text by
Richard Lansdown. (Sherkin Island Marine
Station, Co. Cork, 1994. 160 pages, isbn 1-
870492-80-3. £16.99) This book is a vehicle

for the publication of a large selection of
Richard T. Mills’ photographs. As a past
winner of Bird Photograph of the Year (1981),
quality and aesthetic design are ensured; as a
professional Press photographer with The Cork
Examiner^ exciting, newsworthy’ images are to
be expected. My own favourites include
conversing Eulmars Fulmarus glacialis, a tree-
top colony of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax
carbo at sunset, silhouetted Northern Lapwings
Vanellus vanelliis, Black-headed Gulls Lams
ridibundus following a tractor and disc-harrow,
and a Jackdaw Corvus monedula collecting tufts
of hair from a horse’s tail.

JTRS

Birds of Malawi: a supplement to

Newman’s Birds of Southern Afiica. By
Kermeth Newman, Nigel Johnston-Stewart
& Bob Medland. (Southern Book Publishers,
Cape Town, 1992. 110 pages, isbn 1-
86812418-5. Paperback £9.95) This
110-page book is a supplement to Newman’s
Birds of Southern Africa and can be used in
conjunction with it. Of the 74 species illustrat-
ed, 70 had not been illustrated in recent South
African field guides, although seven have since
appeared in Sinclair’s Birds of Southern Africa.
The annotated checklist is particularly useful,
giving the status of each species and where
they can be found. Also, each species is cross-
referenced with the page number of the
relevant illustration in Nezvman’s Birds of
Southern Afiica. A very useful supplement.

Sr4N McMinn

The Birdwatcher’s Yearbook and Diary
1996. Edited by John E. Pemberton.
(Buckingham Press, Maids Moreton, 1995.
320 pages. ISBN 0-9514965-6-5. Paperback
£12.50) A good indication of the
indispensability of this 16th annual volume is
the fact that it is almost always referred to
simply as BYB. Every birder will find
something of use; tide-tables, sunrise and
sunset times, a host of useful names, addresses
and phone numbers, and much more besides.

In addition to all the usual reference sections,

1 1 feamre articles include ‘Birding on tlie
Internet’ and ‘Life after Birds of the Western
Palearctic’ (or should that be BWP>).

Ian Dawson

Moroccan Bu-d Songs and Calls. By Mats
Stromberg. (Mats Stromberg, Karlstad,
1995. Cassette, 76 species announced.
£11.00) The range of species covered is

196

Reviews

impressive, even though Mourning Wheatear
Oenanthe liigens, White-crowned Black
Wheatear O. leucopyga and some other perti-
nent species are absent. The recordings
average 66 seconds in length and, for 30 of the
76 species, include both song and call.
Though quiet, occasionally too quiet, com-
pared wath the English announcements, the
recordings are generally clear of intrusive
background noise. Complete with accompany-
ing 18-page booklet, this cassette will enhance
any birding trip to northwest Africa.

Peter Laxsdovtx

Birds of North America. By Peter Thayer.
(Windows 3.1, CD-ROM. Thayer Birding
Software, Milford, USA, 1995. Over 1,000
colour photographs with 550 songs. S65;
postage S5 US/Canada, SIO overseas) There
are 895 species listed in this ‘first
computerised North American field guide’,
but I was disappointed: numerous species had
no photographs and those included are
extremely variable in quality, with some distant
or partially obscured by foliage, but others

good. The rare (or extinct) Bachman’s
Warbler Vennivora bachmaiii is included, but
some common species are not illustrated; most
gulls are shown only in adult breeding
plumage, but for Little Gull Lams mimittis and
Ivoiy Gull Pagophila ebiimea the photographs
are only of first- winters; confusing for the
beginner. There is much room for
improvement on this first and expensive
production, but I have no doubt that it will
come. So wait.

SLiX McMinn

The Pocket Guide to Birds of Britain and
Europe. By Martin Walters. Illustrations
by nine artists. (Dragon’s World, London,
1995. 160 pages. ISBN 1-85028-363-X.

Paperback £1 .95) Two species per page; 286
species, each illustrated by a single painting of
an adult male in breeding plumage (but tw'o
Carrion Crows Corvus corone corone are
shown!): aimed at the beginner, but totally
inadequate for identification purposes.

JTRS

AI.SO Ri;CEI\'HD

Lories and Lorikeets: the brush-tongued parrots and their care in aviculture. By Alison
Ruggles. (Blandford Press, London, 1995. 176 pages. ISBN 0-7137-2268-1. £25.00)

Owls. By John Sparks & Tony Soper. 2nd edn [paperback reprint] (David & Charles, Newton
Abbot, 1995. 240 pages. ISBN 0-7153-0423-2. Paperback £12.99)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Exclusive reduced-price offers

It is w'orthwhile scanning the British BirdShop pages every month because there are always new'
special reduced-price book offers available for BB subscribers. All books are sent POST FREE
anwhere in the World.

This month, British BirdShop is on pages v & vi, in the centre of this issue.

Investment Fund

We have established an investment fund to help to support British Birds in the coming years. As
a non-profit-making journal, BB relies on subscription income, donations and sponsorship. All
income is devoted to publishing BB, for the benefit of ornithology.

May we suggest to any long-standing, loyal subscribers the possibility of remembering Briirilt
Birds in your wills? We w'ant to see BB continuing to thrive into the twenty-first century.

NEWS AND COMMENT

Compiled by Bob Scott and Wendy Dickson

Opinions expressed in this feature are not necessarily those of ‘British Birds’

Progress in Russia

The Russian Bird Conservation Union, founded in 1993, already has 450
individual members and 14 branches — all, so far, in European Russia (although
Europe’, ornithologically speaking, is being pushed east to the River Yenisey).
The RBCU is a Parmer Designate of BirdLife International, and has received
generous support from the Dutch bird protection society Vogelbeschemting
Nederland.

The focus of its early work will be the listing of Important Bird Areas in Russia.
In addition, it is participating with the RSPB in a survey of Corn Crakes Crex
crex and the search for the breeding area of the Slender-billed Curlew Numenius
tenuirostHs. There wiU also be surveys of the White Stork Ciconia ciconia. Imperial
Eagle Aquila heliaca. Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola, and the wild -bird
trade in Russia.

The RBCU’s Development Officer, Dr Elena Lebedeva, speaks excellent
English, and the RBCU office is at Kilbachicha Street 6, Building 5, Room 110,
Moscow 129278; tel. /fax 7 095 283 12 02. {Contributed by Geojf Harper)

Birdwatchers’ Weekend 1995

The annual ornithological diary contains a mass
of dates, and it is impossible to keep them all.
Scattered amongst them, however, are just a few
that should not be missed. We suspect that a
large section of the birding community does not
realise that the annual BTO conference at
Swanwick is one of these. During 8th- 10th
December 1995, the traditional, but none-the-
less exciting gathering indulged in an orgy of
ornithological debate, argument and surprise.
There was no clear theme this year, but topics
embraced farming, building developments and
gardens.

Highlights included Dr Adam Watson’s
Witherby Memorial Lecture, Mary Waller serv-
ing lunch, the results from some BTO work on

organic farming. Sky Larks Alaiida arvetisu and
Song Thmshes Turdus philomebs, a fully beard-
ed Chris Mead, the Alan Knox grizzly quiz, and
the Subbuteo bookshop with the temptation to
spend! spend! spend!

Presentations included the Bernard Tucker
Medal to Brian Little and the Jubilee Medal to
Ann & Joe Hardman; the BB-sponsored Young
Ornithologists of the Year Awards; and the BB
mystery photograph competition prize
(Australian bubbly), won by David Jardine in a
draw, after ha\ong tied with Tom Cadwallender,
Norman Elkins and Alan Martin.

In 1996, this event will take place during the
weekend of 6th-8th December. Enter it in your
diary now!

Human mimicry of bird sounds

To gales of laughter, under the title
‘Answering Calls of Nature’, Jeffery Boswall
gave an updated version of his lecture on
human imitation of bird sounds at the BTO’s
Annual Birdwatchers’ Weekend on 8th
December 1995. He would be glad to hear
from any other ornithologists interested in this
topic (see Campbell & Lack’s A Dictionaty of
Birds, 1985, p. 293, for a summary'), to learn
of new examples from any part of the World

and to acquire additional instruments (blow-
ers, suckers, twisters, scrapers, bubblers, etc.)
for his collection, which is already bequeathed
to an appropriate museum. Jeffery’s address is
Birdswell, Wraxall, Bristol, Avon BS9 ijz. Bona
fide enquirers who send a 32 cm X 23 cm
envelope and a 43p stamp wiU receive a photo-
copy of a pair of relevant papers from Recorded
Sound (83: 57-73, 73-100).

[Bril. Birds 89: 197-200, April 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

197

198

News and comment

Lancaster Atlas

The Lancaster BWS has, since 1959, covered
the bird-rich area of North Lancashire and
adjoining parts of Cumbria. The Society’s lat-
est publication is an Allas of Breeding Birds of
Lancaster and District. This covers, on a tetrad
basis, the nine 10-km squares centred on
Lancaster. There is a wide range of habitats
within the area, from the coastal saltmarshes to
the reed swamp at Leighton Moss, the still
mainly namral river Lune with an extensive
flood plain (and sandy banks, in which almost
2,000 Sand Martin Riparia liparia nest holes
were counted in 1993) and the moors and
uplands of the northern Pennines. So, it is per-
haps no surprise that a total of 1 4 1 species was
recorded. Some national declines are mirrored
within the area, notably Corn Bunting Miliana
calandra. Tree Sparrow Passer monlantis and
Barn Owi Tyto alba. But field-breeding
waders, such as Northern Lapwing Vanellns
vanellus, Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago.
Common Redshank Tringa totanus and
Eurasian Curlew Niimenins arquata, seem to
have bucked the national downward spiral.
Recent colonists have included Siskin
Cardnelu spinas, European Nuthatch Sitta
earopaea. Bearded Tit Paniims biarmicas and
Marsh Harrier Circus aemginosus, the last tw'o
at the reedbed outpost of Leighton Moss
RSPB reserve.

4Tie Lancaster area must be one of the best
documented in Britain. Copies of the Allas are
available at £8 (incl. p&p) from Dr R.
Griffiths, 41 The Row, Silverdale, Carnforth,
Lancashire IA5 OUG. (Contributed bv John
Wihon)

Bumper Devon Report

I'he latest (1994) Dei'on Bird Report is a
massive 120 pages in length, partly as a result
of a doubling of submitted records in the last
four years (from 15,000 in 1991 to 32,000 in
1994). Despite this, publication was again
achieved by the end of the following year. The
80-page systematic list includes decorative
drawings, and there is a scattering of evocative
documentaiv' illustrations of Ring-billed Gulls
Dims dehwarensR by P. A. Dennis, and
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopas inornatus
and Pallas’s Leaf Warbler P. proregulas by M.
Langman.

'Itie membership secretary of the Devon
Bird Watching and Preseiv'ation Society is
David Jenks, 27 Froude Avenue, Watcombe
Park, Torquay TQ2 8NS.

Hong Kong’s latest

The thumping 228-page Hong Kong Bird
Report for 1994 includes the usual mouth-
watering systematic list and reports on
waterfowl (including w'ader) counts, which
reached a new’ high of 59,692 for the Deep
Bay area in January. Birds new to Hong Kong
w'ere Long-billed Plover Charadrins placidas,
Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarimis, Plain
Martin Riparia paladicoD, Booted Warbler
Hippolais caligata and Yellow-streaked Warbler
Phylbscopus armandii.

Perhaps of most interest, however, to those
w'ho have been confused by them, will be the
paper on the identification and systematics of
large white-headed gulls in Hong Kong by
Peter R. Kennerley, W. (Ted) Hoogendoorn
and Michael L. Chalmers. They conclude that
seven forms occur, one of w’hich is still to be
identified, the commonest being Lams heaglini
taimyrensis (formerly misidentified as L.
argentatus mongolicus) and L. vegae bimbi
(previously thought to be L. a. vegae). Four of
the other five, rarer forms are now considered
to be L. h. heaglini, D v. vegae, D cachinnans
mongolicus and L. a. smilhsonianas.

Copies of the Report may be obtained (price
£12.50 incl. p&p; £1.00 extra to Europe)
from HK Bird Watching Society, 12
Denman’s Close, Lindfield, West Sussex RH16
2JX.

New to Norfolk, maybe

With acknowledgment to Chandler S.
Robbins’ predictions of future Nearctic
vagrants to Europe (Biii. Birds 73: 448-57),
Steve Baker has done the same for the county
of Norfolk. From a shortlist of 53 species, his
personal predictions are Blyth’s Pipit Anthas
godlewskii and Blyth’s Reed Warbler
Acrocephalas dametomm.

The latest Norfolk Bird Club Balbtin (no.
17) also includes Peter Allard’s memories of
September 1965 — back in the days when there
were ‘no birdlines to phone, no pagers, mobile
phones etc . . . the only magazine w'as “British
Birds” and it w'as simply a totally different
scene than today’ — ^when, on the morning of
4th September, Yarmouth Cemeteries held
some 1,000 Common Redstarts Phocniciavs
phocnicams, 600 Pied Iflycatchers Ficedala
hypokaca, 200 Nortliern Wheatears Oenanthc
oenanthc and some 200 other night-migrants.
Membership of flie Norfolk Bird Club is
£8.50: write to NBC, The Old Baker\-, High
Street, Docking, King’s Lynn, Norfolk Pl-.ti
8NII.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 4, April 1996

199

The Carl Zeiss Award

Anyone whose photograph of a rarity is
submitted to assist with a record assessment
by the British Birds Rarities Committee is
automatically eligible to win the annual prize
of Carl Zeiss binoculars (choice of 10X40,
7X42 or ‘Night OwF 7X45).

The runners-up, and everyone whose rarity
photographs are published in British Birds
with the annual ‘Report on rare birds’, are also
presented by Carl Zeiss Ltd with free 6-month
subscriptions to BB.

So, it is worthwhile sending in your prints
or transparencies!

Last year’s winner, for in-the-hand photo-
graphs of the Holme Pierrepont Spotted
Sandpiper Actitis macularia {Brit. Birds 88:
427-428, plates 121 & 122), was J. Szczur,
who was presented with his Zeiss 7 X 42s at
the Carl Zeiss stand at the British
Birdwatching Fair (plate 87).

Plate 87. The Carl Zeiss Award. The
1995 winner, J. Szczur (right), receiving his
prize from British Birds Rarities Committee
Chairman, Rob Hume, August 1995
(EMAP).

‘Birdlife of a Fenland Parish’

This 76-page local-report-style publication
from the Haddenham Conservation Society is
an account of the birds of this 15-km^
Cambridgeshire parish, which lies 8 km south-
west of Ely. Its example could usefully be
followed throughout Britain, for the existence of
such a booklet is bound to increase the interest
in the birds, the other wildlife and conservation
in general in the local community.

Today’s avifauna is contrasted with that in
the time before the ‘expanse of meres, little
islands, soggy marsh and scrubby sedge and
phragmite reed beds’ became intensively
farmed arable fields and the ‘avian inhabitants

of marsh and reedy fens’ included ‘booming
Bitterns . . . Purple Heron, Night Heron,
maybe Little Bittern and even [White] Stork’
and ‘birds on the menu of feasts held at wed-
dings and the like’ included ‘Cranes, Herons,
Curlews, Mallards, Teals, Plovers, Swans,
Larks, Bitterns, Stmts and Godwits.’ Those
were the days!

The Birds of Haddenham, edited by Jake
AUsop, and researched and written by James
Cater and Paul Mason, costs £3.00 (plus 50p
p&p) from Wendy Lanman, 1 The Pond,
Station Road, Haddenham, Cambridgeshire
CB6 3XD.

New for the Western Palearctic?

The story goes as follows. Your compiler (BS)
and his wife had just arrived in Agadir,
Morocco, for a week’s birding. We had
checked in at the hotel, and the suitcases were
being unlocked, when wife, who had walked
onto the balcony, reported a glossy-starling
calling from a nearby tree. Wishing to show
excessive ornithological knowledge of
Morocco, the response while struggling with
the suitcase straps was ‘Nonsense! Glossy-
starlings are sub-Saharan, they do not occur in

British Birdwatching Fair

The BBWF’s telephone number has changed
to 01572 771079; its fax number remains
01572 756611.

Morocco. All starlings here are Spotiess
Starling Stumus unicolor." ‘You had better
come and look through these binoculars then!’
And there, sitting and whistling on a nearby
tree, was what was later identified as a Purple
Glossy-Starling Lamprotornis purpureus, com-
plete with massive bright orange eye. Now, if
it jumped ship from Dakar to Agadir, rather
than escaping from an aviary in Agadir itself
. . . Hope springs eternal!

If you are not already ‘a regular’, take our
advice and go to the Fair at Rutland Water
during 16th- 18th August 1996.

200

News and comment

Please contribute

News items — ranging from major world,
national or local ornithological or conser\'ation
events to personal news of well-known
individual birders or even humorous
snippets — ^will be greatly welcomed by Wendy
Dickson and Bob Scott for possible inclusion
in this monthly feature.

Please send notes on anything which has
interested you to ‘News and comment’, British
Birds, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham,
Bedford mk44 3NJ, or contact your Regional
News Team member (see box on right).

REGIONAL NEWS TEAM

Dave Allen — Northern Ireland

Tim Cleeves — Northeast

David Clugston — Scotland

Dave Flumm — Southwest

Frank Gribble — Midlands

Barrie Harding — East Anglia

Oran O’Sullivan — Republic of Ireland

Don Taylor — Southeast

Dr Stephanie Tyler — Wales

John Wilson — Northwest

RECENT REPORTS

Compiled by Bany Nightingale and Anthony McGeehati

This summary covers the period 12th February to 17th March 1996.
These are unchecked reports, not authenticated records.

White-billed Diver Gavia adamsit Staithes
Harbour (North Yorkshire), 14th Pebruaiyt
River Witham, Tattershall Bridge (Lincoln-
shire), 29th Eebruary to 2nd March, when
entangled with angler’s hook, taken into care,
but later died; two in Gruinard Bay (Highland)
on 14th March and single there on 17th March.

Little Egret Egretta garzetta At least 25 in
southern Ireland since January^, nine of which
were on 24th-25th February (four in Co. Kerry,
three in Co. Cork and two in Co. Dublin).

Redhead Aythya americana Bleasby (Notting-
hamshire), 9th- 17th March (potential first for
Britain & Ireland).

Iceland Gull L glaucoides Third-winter of the
race kumlieni at Timon (Co. Donegal), 22nd
February; adult of that race at Killybegs (Co.
Donegal) on 8th March (where there was also
13 Iceland, four Glaucous L hyperboreus and
two Mediterranean Gulls L. melanocephalus) .

Ross’s Gull Rhodosteihia rosea River Lynher
(Cornwall), 27th-28th February; PlyTnouth
(Devon), 13lh-14th March; PRm Estuary'
(Devon), 17th March.

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedronim
Nottingham (Nottinghamshire), 20th February
to 1 6th March (potential first record of
genuine vagrant for Britain & Ireland).

Steller’s Eider Polysticta stelkri Musselburgh
(Lothian), 25th February.

Laughing Gull Lams atricilla Sunderland
(Tyne & Wear), 19th February to 1 1th March.

Dark-throated Thrush Turdus mficollis
Holkham Park (Norfolk), 13th-16th March;
long-stayer {Brit. Birds 89: 156) present at
Werrington, Peterborough (Cambridgeshire),
to 14th March.

Rare Bird News supplies all its information free to 'Hritish birds’.
Call 0881-888-111 for the latest, up-to-date news

(25p/min cheap rate; .39p/min other limes; inch VAT)

PHOTO SPOT

39. Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum

HfflLT ly \

Plate 88. Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum, Russia, January 1988 (Alexey V. Ivanov).
Formerly considered rare in the Moscow Region, but now shown, by organised census counts,
to be quite common (see pp. 171-174).

201

MONTHLY MARATHON

The gull in plate 1 was named by competitors as Bonaparte’s Lariis
Philadelphia (79%), Black-headed L. ndibiindus (9%), Ross’s
Rhodostethia rosea (5%), Little L. niimans (4%), Laughing L. auicilla
(3%) and Grey-headed L. cirrocephaliis (less than 1%). It was indeed
Bonaparte’s, photographed in California, USA, in April 1992 by
Dr R. J. Chandler.

The field is now strung out, with an Irishman and a Brit — Anthony McGeehan
(Co. Down) and Jon Holt (Buckinghamshire) — on five-in-a-row sequences, three
Finns — Dick Forsman, Hannu Jannes and Heikki Vasamies — each on four in a
row, a second Brit — M. J. Tarrant (Lincolnshire) — on three in a row, and the rest
of the field on just one right answer (or, a few, back at the start on zero).

The winner will be able to choose a SUNBIRD birdwatching holiday in Africa,
Asia or North America.

For a free SUNBIRD brochure, write to PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19
IDF; or telephone Sandy (01767) 682969.

Plate 89. ‘Monthly marathon’. Photo no. 118: eighth stage in eighth ‘Marathon’. Identify the
species. Read the niles on page 24 of the January issue, then send in your answer on a postcard to
Monthly Marathon, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford MK44 3N|, to arrive by 1 5th May
1996.

Recent reports This month’s news is on page 200.

202

[Bril. Birds 89: 202, April 1996] British Birds Ltd 1996

New from Academic Press

^THE

Birds of Israel

HADORAM SHIRIHAI

This monumental new work will be invaluable, both to the
visiting birdwatcher and to the more studious ornithologist. It
contains more information packed into its pages than any
previous country avifauna. The information in it is of relevance
well beyond the borders of the country it describes and will be of
use to anybody with an interest in birds throughout the Middle
East and North Africa - and, indeed, throughout most of the
Palearctic as well.

The text is illustrated with over 200 line drawings by Alan
Harris, and by an extraordinary collection of over 500 colour
photographs of some of the most exciting species.

0-12-640255-8 Nov 1995 876 pages £65.00

New from T & AD Poyser

The Historical Atlas of Breeding
Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1875-1900

SIMON HOLLOWAY

This new book presents maps with accompanying text, showing
the distribution of Britain’s and Ireland’s birds during the last
quarter of the nineteenth century. Together they paint a fascinat-
ing picture of Britain’s and Ireland’s birds before the growth of
modern agriculture, but during a period when changes in the
balance of rural and urban population began to alter the face of
the countryside forever.

0-85661-094-1 Nov 1995 448 pages £25.00

Available from your local bookseller or directly from

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vii

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Bird Songs
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eater, Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker, Dupont’s
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viii

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large garden. Avail, all year. Mrs E. Album, 47 Lyndale
Ave., London NW2 OQB. 0I71-43I 2942. (BB886)

ISLES OF SCILLY. Trelawney Guest House, St Mary’s
TR21 OJT. Bookings now being taken for B&B. 1 996
Season. Tel/Fax: 01720 422377 for brochure. (BB789)

GARA MILL, Slapton, Devon. Self-catering for 2-7 in
secluded four acres overlooking river and woods. Eight
detached cedar lodges, plus 2 CH flats in 1 6c. cornmill.
Near Slapton Ley. TV’s. Dogs welcome. Free brochure:
(01803) 770295. (BB007)

IRELAND

IRISH COTTAGE. Magnificent situation on Dingle
peninsula, Kerry. Sea and mountain birds, unspoilt beaches,
countryside full of flowers, quietness. Mod cons, sleeps up
to 4. £109 - £178 p/w, plus electricity, Tel: 01753-883082.

(BB022)

WALES

KITE COUNTRY. Licensed guest house, own grounds.
Superb cuisine, en-suite. log fires. Redstarts, flycatchers
nest within grounds, kites all around. Wonderful walks,
unspoiled countryside. Caravan available. Brochure, tel.
01974-282289. (BB906)

PEMBROKESHIRE COAST. Comfortable chalet on
quiet country estate. Sleeps five. £ 1 20- 1 89 per week. Phone

01473-890951,

(BB024)

Neuaddlas

Country Guest House

WTB

Cemmentfcd

Tregaron

Well-recommended: for informative brochure 01 974 298905

(BB032)

OVERSEAS

WESTERN PYRENEES. Resident English local guide for
Western Pyrenees and Northern Spain (Hecho/Riglos area).
Contact Richard Cru.se, 106 Rue Navarrot, 64400 Oloran
Ste Marie. France. Tel. (0033) 59-39-47-75. (BB873)

PROVENCE, CAMARGUE. Farm cottage, apt., b&b.
Rogers, Mas d’Auphan. Le Sambuc, 13200 ARLES,
France. Tel: (0033) 90972041. fax 90972087. (BB892)

HONG KONG — Superb birding Sept-May. Richard
Lewlhwaite. 2 Villa Paloma, Shuen Wan, Tai Po, Hong
Kong. Tel: (+852) 2665 8506. Fax: (+852) 2665 8190.

(BB875)

NEW ZEALAND. Experience our unique plant and bird
community in diverse and dramatic landscapes. Our tours
are customized to suit birders, photographers and natural-
ists. Information: Manu Tours, 106 Ocean Beach Road,
Tairua, 2853 New Zealand. PH/Fax (64) (7) 864 7475.

(BB008)

BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS

SOUTH CENTRAL PYRENEES/ARAGON. The defini-
tive place for birdwatching in Spain near the Lammergeier
Sanctuary. Watch raptors, alpine birds and water, steppe birds
in the Ebro Valley. Family guest hou.se in a peaceful rural
environment. Full board 150 L pwpp. Experienced guide
available. Special programme for groups, max 1 0pp. Brochure
& Bird Li.st: Caso Rural Ornithologic BOLFTAS 22192,
Loporzano, Hursca. Tel/Fax: (X).34. 74. 262027. (B020)

CAIRNS, .4USTRALIA. General birding for up to 100
species in a day. 200 in four. Hit lists also welcomed for
such as Cassowary. Baza, White-browed Crake, Beach St-
curlew. Squatter Pigeon, Fig Parrot. Rufous Owl, Little
Kingfisher, Victoria’s Riflebird, 5 Bowerbirds, and up to
12 Finches. From $50/person/half-day. Pelagic 28th April
for tropical- and storm-petrels etc. Also short tours to
Papua-New Guinea at end of Mar, June, Sept, from $1300
ex Cairns. Anfiy Anderson, Birding Services, Box 7999
Cairns 4870. Australia. Fax/Ph 70/323387. Email:
birdo@internetnorth.com.au (BB904)

AUSTRALIA, CAIRNS, JULATTEN — Located in
Australia’s premier birding region, central to 7 diverse
habitats offering up to 400 species including the Golden
Bower Bird, Bustard and Blue Faced Finch, our 12 acre
rainforest setting hosts 8 endemic birds including the Lesser
Sooty Owl and is abundant with native fauna, notably the
Red Necked Crake, Paradise Kingfisher and Platypus. We
provide modern, spacious S/C suites and expert guiding is
available. Write now for a free bird list to Kingfisher Park
Birdwatchers Lodge, P.O. Box 3. Julatten 4871. Queensland,
Au.stralia. Tel: +61 70 941263 Fax: +61 70 941466.

(BB752)

TARIFA, SPAIN. 3 star hotel. 5 minutes Tarifa, South West
Spain. Migration often directly overhead. Many excellent
sites within easy distance. Bird watchers, independent and
group requirements understood and catered for. Excellent
restaurant and pool. English. Dutch, German and French
spoken. Send for brochure and rate to: “Hotel Balcon de
Espana", 1 1380 Tarifa (Cadiz) Spain. Tel. 00-34-58-684326
F,ax. 00-34-56-684072. (BB0I5)

SPRING MIGRATION IN CANADA! Professional
Naturalist offers personalized guiding service to maximise
your birding experience. 100-150 species possible in 2 to
3 days in May. Up to 20 species of Waterfowl in early April.
Quiet rural setting in SE Ontario, Canada, For details on
rates and birds: David Bree. Gen. Del.. Bloomfield. Ontario.
KOK I GO, Canada. Phone/FAX 613-393-1965. (BB905)

visiting

NORTHERN SPAIN?

Contact local gulijes! Professional wiWIifers.
English, German & French spoken.
Javier Ferreres, Miguel Servet 69
50013 Zaragoza, Spain. Fax +34 76597255

HELL!

Fleeting birds, foul fumes and faulty binoculars. Why
risk that when you can touch paradise? Tropical
Australia is the gateway to World Heritage rainforest,
shimmering coral islands and rugged outback country.
All teeming with exotic and spectacular birdlife. Five
day ground packages to these habitats and more are
now leaving. For details contact me NOW! CHRIS
HARRISS, 9/20 Girralong St.. Woree. Q, AUS-
TRALIA 4868. Fax: 61 70 545998. (BB0I3)

SHETLAND

Timed to coincide with the peak of the seabird
breeding season. Island Holidays’ 7-night guided
tour with Wendy Dickson departs Aberdeen on
17th June 1996. Fully inclusive cost £675. Details
from Island Holidays, Drummond Street, Comrie,
Perthshire PH6 ZDS. Tel: 01764 670107.

ATOL 2725 (BB029)

X

TO ADVERTISE PHONE 01767 640467

H'iELIZE: offers over 500 species. Tamandua, a birdwalch-
i rs paradise, offers acconi. for up to 8 guests in a superb
I ungle location with riverine, forest and organic orchard
i abitats. Details: Dempsey, PO Box 306. Belmopan, Belize.

(BB005)

‘HIGH ISLAND’

UPPER TEXAS COAST U.S.A.

Bed and breakfast for groups of 4 or 8. Tours given.
■Birder’s Haven, PO Box 309, High Island, Texas 77623.

Tel. 409 286 5362 or 214 824 5390. (BB863)

COSTA RICA

EXPERIENCE THE BEST IN BIRDING!
TAILOR-MADE TRIPS FOR INDIVIDUALS & GROUPS
BROCHURES: BIRDWATCH COSTA RICA

APARTADO 7911, lOOOB SAN JOSE
(BB721) COSTARICA FAX: +(506) 228 1573

ISRAEL - EILAT & ARAVA VALLEY

AUTUMN MIGRATION -SEPT 20-DEC 20
SPRING MIGRATION -FEB 15-MAY 20

* 1-2 week tour programme incorporating wide voriety of
habitats with many unique resident and migratory species.

* Impressive raptor migration, seabirds, waders and
songbirds in spectacular desert environment.

* Optional cultural and historicol guided trips to ancient dese
locations.

* Full board, accommodation and guiding inclusive at £345 W.K. $570.
Further details from: James Smith/Michael Livni, Kibbutz Lotan, Door
Na, Chevel Eilot, Israel 88855. Fax 00-972-7-356827 Tel: 356968.

(BB027)

\ VENEZUELA - superb neotropical birdwatching. Tailer-
, nade tours for club groups and others. Geodyssey 0171-
;-:8l 7788 (24hrs).

BIRD INFORMATION

PAGERS

now get your bird news from just

I £7.95 PER MONTH!

j incl Pager+Bird News

I and free personal paging

j “Pagers you can rely on”

i Rare Bird Alert: 01603-767799

1 *t*Plus an annual fee of £30. All prices plus VAT minimum contract 12 months

FOR SALE

BRITISH BIRDS 1979-87. Unbound. Offers. Phone 01 702
339645. (BB026)

WILDLIFE WATCHING/PHOTOGRAPHY

Camouflage pattern materials, poles, frames and fittings.
Leafscreens, scrim, olive green camera straps, padded tri-
pod slings, belts, webbing, clothing, hats, mats, insect repel-
lent, elastic camouflage sleeving for lenses. Outdoor safety
equip, etc. etc.

Details: Kevin Keatley, Wildlife Watching Supplies,
Town Living Farmhouse, Puddington,

Tiverton, Devon EX16 8LW.

Tel, fax and 24 hr (01884) 860692

SMALL ESTABLISHED PUBLISHING COMPANY
with potential for expansion. Change in family circum-
stances call for sale. Enquiries — Coxton Publications.
Eastwood, Beverley Rd. Walkinglon. Beverley HU I 8RP.

(BB0I4)

BRITISH BIRDS 1969-95 (Vols 62-88). unbound. Vgc.
£140 Plus carriage. Phone 01823-331 162. (BB025)

BOOKS

BIRD BOOKS. Good secondhand books, bought and sold.
Free catalogue from and offers to Briant Books, 94 Quarry
Lane, Kelsall, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 6NJ. Tel: 01829
751804. (BB897)

BIRD BOOKS. Out-of-print, uncommon and rare. Quarterly
catalogue. Peacock Books, Box 2024, Littleton. Mass.
01460. USA. (BB908)

The original

BIRDWATCHER’S
LOGBOOK

The most concise way to record your
observations. Monthly, annual and life
columns for 762 species, plus 159 diary
pages. Send £6.75 inclusive P/P to:

Coxton Publications,

Eastwood, Beverley Rd, Walkington,

Beverley, HU17 8RP. 01482 881833

SECONDHAND BIRD BOOKS and Bird Art Books.
Catalogue/Enquiries. Parkins. 01603 811253. (BB030)

BIRD REPORTS

BIRDS OF OXON. 1994. £4.00 inc p&p from R. Overall,
30 Hunsdon Road, Iffley. Oxford 0X4 4JT. (BB009)

DERBYSHIRE BIRD REPORT 1994. 112 pages. Colour
cover and plates. Articles. £5.50 inc p&p. to D.O.S.. 104
Longedge Lane, Chesterfield S42 6PQ. (BBOl I )

Defeat of the Squirrel

They can't climb the pole
Tcslcd by B.T.O. for 12 month.s
Guaranteed 1005 effeclive

NOW YOUR BIRD TABLE CAN BE
SQUIRREL PROOF

Easy to ft,'; parts comprise .10cm ( 12”) discs
which revolve and .Icm (2") baffles in clear plastic
Instruction leaflet supplied

£17.50 plus p,u'king and delivery (UK Mainland) £4.00
Cheque to: Libra Plastics. Kimpton Ind. Estate. Sutton. Surrey SM3 9RW

(BB 028)

HJIRDWATCHING IN LESBOS. Find out the sites to
'isil, the birds to see. Full description of sites with maps
)lus bird list. 45 pages, £5.00. M. Williams, 87 Learn
Terrace. Leamington Spa. Warwickshire CV3I IDE.

(BB887)

OPTICAL EQUIPMENT

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OPEN 9.30-5.30 MON-FRI SAT 9.30-4.00

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range of bird/natural history books.

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British Birds

Volume 89 Number 4 April 1996

157 Mourning Dove in the Isle of Man:
new to the Western Palearctic
Aron Sapsford

1 63 Double-crested Cormorant in
Cleveland: new to the Western
Palearctic T. J. Williams

1 7 0 Looking back

171 Owls of the Moscow Region

V. V. Kontorshikov, O. S. Greenchenko,
A. V Ivanov, A. P. Penisheva,

A. V. Sevnigin and N. G. Clielintsev

Notes

175 Parasitic feeding by Red-crested
Pochard Mark Simmonds

175 Antagonistic beha\iour of feeding
Common Snipe Rmi Plnmmer

176 Rarities Committee news and
annoimcements R. A. Hume

177 Palearctic waders in Western
Australia Dr C. D. T. Minton and
Dr R. J. Chandler

Letters

185 European Storm-petrels and other
seabirds without their toes
Jim Stonehonse; Joe Sultana andjolm
Borg; Bernard ZotijHUo
187 Orientation of Golden Eagle eyries: an
interpretation Dr C. J. Henty

1 89 The Booth Museum, the Citril Finch,
and the Red-billed Tropiebird

Dr W. R. P. Bonnie

1 90 Whistling Oofoo temorises Guatemalans
Bernard Dempsey and Mrs Janet
Dempsey

1 90 The Whistling Oofoo in Mauritius
Carl G. Jones

Reviews

1 92 ‘Where to Watch Birds in Spain’ edited
by Eduardo de Juana Mike Everett
192 ‘An Atlas of Seabird Distribution in
North-west European Waters’ by the
Joint Nature Conserv'ation Committee
Tony Man-

192 ‘Kingfishers of the World’ by Leslie J.
Knowles & James W. Nitchen

Dave Ntimey

1 93 ‘Atlante degli Uccelli Nidificanti in Italia’
by Enrico Meschini & Sergio Frugis Dr
J. T. R. Shairock

193 ‘Where to Watch Birds in Afiica’ by
Nigel Wheatley Martin Woodcock

1 94 Short review's

Announcements
196 Exclusiv'e reduced-price offers

1 96 Investment Fund

1 97 News and comment Bob Scott and
Wendy Dickson

200 Recent reports Bany Nightingale and
Anthony McGeehan

201 PhotoSpot 39 Pygmy Ow'l Alexey V.
Ivanov

202 Monthly marathon

Line-drawings: 157 Mourning Dove {Alan
Harris); 163 Double-crested Cormorant
(Dave Numey); 171 juvenile Tcngmalm’s
Ow'l (Richard Ives); 177 Bar-tailed Godvvits,
Far Eastern Curlew's and Great Knots
(Martin Woodcock)

Front cover: Taw'ny Owl Stiix aliico
(Richard Jarvis); the original of this month’s
cover design, measuring 18.4 X 20.6 cm, is
for sale in a postal auction (see page 46 in
January' issue for procedure)

‘British Birds’ is published by a non-profit-making company for the benefit of ornithology.
© British Birds Ltd 1 996

ISSN 0007-0335

'T

British Birds

Volume 89 Number 5 May 1996

THE NATURAL
HISTORY MUSEUM

-9 MAY 1996

PRESENTED

Dartford Warblers in the UK ill
The Best Annual Bird Report Awards
The United Arab Emirates
White- winged Lark in Norfolk

^British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist’, established 1843

Managing Editor Dr J. 1'. R. Sharrock
Personal Assistant Sheila D. Cobban
Assistant Editor David A. Christie
Editorial Board Dr R. J. Chandler,

R. A. Hume, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

R. J. Ppi therch, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Design Deborah Felts

Photographic Researcher Robin Chittenden
Art Consultants Robert Gillmor, Alan Harris
Circulation Manager & Advertising
Manager Erika Sharrock

Rarities Committee R. A. Hume
(Chairman), Dr Colin Bradshaw,

Peter Clement, Pete Ellis, John McLoughlin,
Doug Page, K. D. Shaw, Andy Stoddart,

Reg 'Phorpe, Grahame NX'albridge; Peter
Colston (museum consultant); John Marchant
(archivist); Peter F'raser & Dr John Ryan
(statisticians); Michael J. Rogers (Hon.
Secretary')

Behaviour Notes Panel Dr C. J. Hibby,

Ian Dawson, Dr J. J. M. Flegg, Derek Goodwin,
Dr I. Newton F’RS, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

Dr J. T. R. Sharrock, Dr K. E. L. Simmons
Identification Notes Panel Dr Colin
Bradshaw, Dr R. J. Chandler, R. A. Hume,

T. P. Inskipp, P. G. I^ansdown, S. C. Madge,
I. S. Robertson, K. E. Vinicombe

Annual subscriptions

(12 issues and index) Libraries and agencies

£55.00, IR£64.00 or S104.00.

Personal subscriptions: UK, Europe and
surface mail £43.20, 1R£50.40 or $81.60;
personal airmail, outside Europe £72.40,
IR£84.50 or $137.00. Single back copies
£5.60, 1R£6.40 or $10.50.

Make all cheques payable to British Birds Ltd.
Payment may be made directly into UK Post
Office GIRO account number 37 588 6303.

Addresses

Please keep correspondence on dilterent items
separate. Please supply SA1£ if reply required.

Papers, notes, letters, itetns for ‘Nezvs and
connnetit’, drau'itigs & photographs:

Dr J. 'P. R. Shamtck, Fountains, Park I^ne,
Blunham, Bedford mk44 .^nj.

Phone & Fax: Biggleswade (01767) 640025

Subscriptions and orders for hack copies:

Mrs lirika Shamock, Fountains, Park Lane,
Blunliam, Bedford MK44 3NJ. Phone:
Biggleswade (01767) 640467.

Advertising:

Mrs Erika Sharrock, BB Advertising,
c/o I'ountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford
MK44 3NJ. Phone: Biggleswade (01767)
640467. Fax: (01767) 640025

Bird netvs for ‘The ornithological year’:

Barry Nightingale & Keitli Allsopp,
c/o 7 Bloomsbury Close, Woburn,
Bedfordshire MK17 9QS. Phone: Woburn
(01525) 290314 (evenings)

Ra rity descriptions:

M. J. Rogers, 2 Churchtown Cottages,
Towednack, Cornwall TR26 3AZ.

Special book and sound-recording offers:

British BirdShop, c/o Subbuteo Books,
Trcuddyn, Mold, Clwyd ch7 41.n. Phone:
Mold (01352) 770581. Fax: (01352) 771590

The journal ‘British Birds’ is published by
a non-profit-making company for the
benefit of ornithology.

© British Birds Ltd 1996

Copyright of photographs remains widi

photographers.

British Birds is published monthly by British
Birds Ltd, 93 High Street, Biggleswade,
Bedfordshire.

ISSN 0007-0335. Printed in England by
Newnorth Print Ltd, Kempston, Bedford.

British Birds publishes material dealing with original observations on the birds of tlie West Palearctic.
Except for records of rarities, papers and notes are normally accepted only on condition tliat material
is not being offered in whole or in part to any oilier journal or magazine. Photographs and drawings
are welcomed. Papers should be typewritten with double spacing, and wide margins, and on one side
of the sheet only. Authors should carefully consult this issue for style of presentation, especially of
references and tables. English and scientific names and sequence of birds follow I'lie ‘British Birds' last
of English Names of Western Palearctic Birds (1993); or, for non-West-Palearctic species, Monroe &
Sibley (1993, A World Checklist of Birds); names of plants follow Dony et al. (1986, English Names of
Wild l■lowcrs); names of mammals follow Nowak & Paradiso (1983, Walker's Mammals of the World,
4th edn). Topographical (plumage and structure) and ageing terminology should follow editorial
recommendations (Brit. Birds 74: 239-242; 78: 419-427; 80: 502). F'igures should be in Indian ink on
good-quality tracing paper, drawing paper, or light blue/pale grey graph paper; lettering should be
inserted lightly in pencil; captions should be typed on a separate sheet. Authors of main papers (but
not notes or letters) receive ten free copies of the journal (five each to two or more authors).

HERTS/BUCKS BORDER

TRING GARDEN CENTRE,
BULBOURNE ROAD,

Nr. TRING, HERTS HP23 SHF

Open: Tues to Sat, 10am-5pm
Sunday (1 1 .OOann to 4.00pm)

Phone/Fax: 01442 825590

Location: On B488, 10 minutes

UNRIVALLED EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE

Kay Optical

- SALES & REPAIRS -

BINOCULARS - TELESCOPES - TRIPODS etc

from A41 nearTring. Very
accessible from Ml, M25, etc.
Viewing facilities (Easy disabled
access) Parking; On Site

Alternative venues to Morden and
Tting, at which you can try and buy
our equipment IN THE FIELD are
given below. Every effort is made
to take our full range of equipment
and payment can be made in all the
usual ways. Repairs can also be
handed in. *10.00 am to 4.00 pm *

1 * PAGHAM HARBOUR LOCAL
• NATURE RESERVE on the B2145
into Selsey, West Sussex, on
£ Sunday 28th April, 26th May and
: 30 June.

1 * SEVENOAKS WILDFOWL
f RESERVE on the A25 between

(BRACKET PRICES WHILE STOCKS LAST)
SWAROVSKI MIRADOR

8x30SLCMklll 549

10 X 42 SLC (659) 735

7 X 42 SLC (599) 670

AT 80 body (45“) 665

ST 80 body 665

AT80 HD body (45°) 960

ST80 HD body 960

22x eyepiece 90

30x (WA) EP (new) 145

20-60X zoom eyepiece 215

Optical camera adaptor (800mm)
145

LEICA

8 X 20 BC Trinovid (269) 278

8 X 20 BCA Trinovid (305) 309

1 0 X 25 BC Trinovid (305) 309

10 X 25 BCA Trinovid (325) 332

Soft Pouch 24

8 X 32 BA Trinovid (689) 728

7 X 42 BA Trinovid 808

8 X 42 BA Trinovid (759) 808

1 0 X 42 BA Trinovid (779) 828

8 X 50 BA Trinovid (889) 924

1 0 X 50 BA Trinovid (889) 924

Carrying strap 26

LEICA APO Televid scope 960

LEICA Std. Televid scope 498

20-60X (B) zoom eyepiece 221

20x (VWy/B) eyepiece 135

40x (B) eyepiece 110

Photo adaptor 204

ER case 98

8 X 42 RP Paraiux Sologne . . . 249
10 X 42 RP Paraiux Soiogne . . 259

KOWA

TSN-1 (45°) or -2 body 349

TSN-3 (45°) or -4 body 699

25x or 40x eyepiece 80

20x (WA) eyepiece 127

30x (WA) eyepiece 162

60x eyepiece 138

77x eyepiece 125

20-60X zoom eyepiece 196

Camera adaptor 800mm 150

Camera adaptor 1 200mm 231

Stay-on case 45

27x (WA) Screw-in-eyepiece 74

TS-611 body (45°) 249

TS-612 body 229

TS-61 3 Fluorite body (45°) 519

TS-614 Fluorite body 469

TS-61 0 accessories:

20x (WA) eyepiece 74

27x (WA) eyepiece 109

20-60X zoom eyepiece 127

20-40X zoom eyepiece 150

Stay-on case 40

BUSHNELL

Spacemaster with 1 5-45x zoom . .259

8 X 42 Natureview 129

10 x 42 Natureview 149

- Riverhead and Sevenoaks Bat and
: Ball station on Sunday 5th May,

4 2nd June and 7th July.

1 * BOUGH BEECH NATURE

F RESERVE/RESERVOIR about 4
miles south of the A25/A21 junction
(with access from the B2042 or

' B2027; the information centre is to
the north of the reservoir) on Sunday

2 21st April 12th, May and 16th June.

. * SLIMBRIDGE, GLOS (off M5)
Village Hall (on the left, halfway
: along village road into the W&WT).

S Saturday 11th May.

ZEISS OPTICAL CENTRE

8 X 20B Classic 225

10 X 25B Classic 265

Classic pouch 20

10 X 25 B7FP (New DS) 359

8 X 20 B/TP (New DS) 349

8 X 30 BGAFF (P) 699

7 X 42 BGATT(P) (699) 769

10x40BGA/T(P) (699)769

7x45 Night Owl 879"

8x56 Night Owl 979*

10 x 56 Night Owl 1059"

‘ex-case

15x60 BGA7T 1,499

20 X 60S Mono 1,995

CANON

12 X 36 stabilised binoculars . . . .799

1 ★ THE KENT TRUST FOR
> NATURE CONSERVATION in the

Tyland Barn, near Saddling,
Maidstone (oft A229, Bluebell Hill,
going south), on Sunday 28th April
i & 26th May 10.30 am to 4.00 pm.

r ★ DINTON PASTURES
C COUNTRY PARK, Near Reading,
Berks, Sunday 19th May and
5 9th June, in the Loddon Room.

• * BEWL WATER, on A21 just
south of Lamberhurst, Kent, in the
Education Centre on Sunday 30th
J June.

SWIFT

7 X 42, 8 X 42 or 1 0 X 42 Ultralite .239

8.5 X 44 HR5 Audubon 289

10 X 50 HR5 Audubon 309

NIKON

8 X 30 ECl

VIKING

7x36 Wide View 124

RANGER

ZM-Makro scope with 1 5-45x
zoom eyepiece 234

OPTOLYTH

8 x 30 Alpin 275

8x40Alpin 298

10x40 Alpin (283)305

10x50 Alpin (315)331

12x50 Alpin (320)340

7x42 Alpin (295)329

TBG80body 530

TBS 80 body 530

TBG or TBS 80 HD 789

30x (WW) eyepiece 190

20x (WW) eyepiece 170

30x or 40x eyepiece 89

70x (WW) eyepiece 210

20-60x zoom eyepiece 210

Cam. adaptor 850mm 185

Stay-on case 44

DISCOVERY

8x42or10x42RP, GA 135

OPTICRON

8 X 32 Dioptron 196

8 x 42 Dioptron 198

1 0 X 42 Dioptron 207

1 0 X 50 Dioptron 214

8x32(HRII) 224

SURREY (H.O.)

89(B) LONDON ROAD,
MORDEN,

SURREY SM4 5HP
Open: Mon to Sat: 9am-5pm
Lunch 1-2pm (Not Sun)

Tel 0181-648 8822
Fax 0181-687 2021

Location: Southern edge of
Greater London, 1 5 mins drive
M25 (eg: via A3 then Merton
turnoff) or 2 mins walk Morden
Underground.

Viewing facilities
Parking: 50 yards past our
premises - 1st left.

8x42(HRII) 225

10x42(HRII) 239

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IV

British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist’, established 1843

The Dartford Warbler in the
United Kingdom in 1994

David W. Gibbons and Simon Wotton

ABSTRACT A survey of breeding Dartford Warblers Sylvia undata
in the UK in 1994 recorded a total of 1,600-1,670 territories,
though it is likely that the actual population was slightly high-
er (1,800-1,890 territories). This represents a near four-fold
increase in population since an earlier survey in 1984. Although
recorded in nine counties, more than three-quarters of the pop-
ulation was restricted to two (Dorset and Hampshire), with most
of the rest in Devon and Surrey. The most Ul^ely cause of the
population increase is the recent run of mild winters, though
habitat change may have played a part. Despite such a marked
increase in numbers, the species’ range is still much reduced
compared with that of earlier centuries, and 75% of its current
population is still restricted to only 24 sites.

In the United Kingdom, Dartford Warblers Sylvia undata are confined largely to
the remaining fragments of lowland heathland and, as a consequence of the
interest in the flora and fauna of this much-threatened habitat, tlieir populations
and ecology have been well studied (Tubbs 1963, 1967; Bibby & Tubbs 1975;
Bibby 1979a & b; Robins & Bibby 1985a; Westerhoff & Tubbs 1991; Catchpole
& Phillips 1992). Historically, the Dartford Warbler had a much wider distribu-
tion, and was presumably more abundant, than in recent years. In the nineteenth
century, its breeding range extended from Suffolk in the east to Cornwall in the

[Bnt. Birds 89: 203-212, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

203

204

Gibbons & Wonon: Dartford VC'arblers in the UK in 1 994

west, and northwards to Shropshire and possibly even Staffordshire. During that
century, however, its population went into steep decline (Alexander & Lack 1 944;
Parslow 1973) and by the middle of the twentieth cenmry it had become largely
restricted to the counties of Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and the
Isle of Wight. Though the precise cause of this decline is uncertain, at least part
of the species’ demise was probably due to habitat loss and fragmentation (Tubbs
1963; Sharrock 1976), with the United Kingdom haKdng lost over 70% of its low-
land heathland since the early 1800s (Farrell 1989). Much of this loss was as a
consequence of reclamation for agriculmre and forestry', and urban and industri-
al development. Though such losses have now largely ceased as a result of
improved site protection, the remaining areas are still voilnerable to degradation
through scrub encroachment, particularly by birch Betula and Scots Pine Ppius
sylvestris, following the demise of traditional methods of pastoral land manage-
ment (Tubbs 1963; Webb & Haskins 1980).

Though Alexander & Lack (1944) considered that egg-collection may have
played a part in the historical contraction of range of this species, more
noticeable have been the periodic population crashes due to severe winter
weather. An estimated national population of 460 pairs in 1960-61 was reduced
to no more than a dozen pairs in 1963 as a result of the two harsh winters of
1961/62 and 1962/63 (Tubbs 1963, 1967). Since 1850, similar population
crashes are thought to have occurred during the winters of 1860/61, 1880/81,
1886/87, 1916/17, the late 1930s/early 1940s and 1946/47 (Tubbs 1963).
Dartford Warblers have a comparatively high nesting success, with about 80% of
nests producing some young, and early-starting pairs can rear two broods in a
good summer (Bibby 1979a); thus, breeding populations can build up again
swiftly following such crashes. Despite this, however, as the species is a year-
round resident at the northern limit of its World breeding range (Tucker & Heath
1994), it is highly likely that it will always suffer from harsh winter weather.

The UK population, all of which is in England, has been well monitored, with
annual population figures published in county bird reports and, since 1974, in the
reports of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. By 1993, the population in the UK was
estimated at just over 1,150 pairs (Ogilvie et al. 1996). Tubbs (1963, 1967) col-
lated the county-bird-report data for the early 1 960s, and national surveys were
undertaken in 1974 (Bibby & Tubbs 1975) and 1984 (Robins & Bibby 1985a),
and the third in this series was organised by the RSPB and English Nature in
1994. This paper reports the results of this most recent surx'ey.

Though the population of Dartford Warblers in the UK is small compared witli
that in southern and western Erance and Spain, the species is considered to be of
conservation concern in Europe because of losses in some of the most valuable
habitats in Spain, including the Mediterranean maquis (de Juana el al. 1988;
Tucker & Heath 1994).

Methods

Sites covered

Since the Dartford Warbler is restricted largely to lowland heathland, the dis-
tribution of which is reasonably well known, tlie 1994 survey was, as for the
earlier ones, based largely on visits to all possible sites. A full list of such sites for
the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex,

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

205

Berkshire and the Isle of Wight was compiled from the reports of the two earlier
national surveys (Robins & Bibby 1985b), from the RSPB/EN Heathland
Inventory (Evans et al. 1994) and from local knowledge. Dartford Warblers have
been recorded from some areas, for example the Purbeck Ridge, which are not
considered lowland heath, so all additional non-heathland sites from which
Dartford Warblers have been recorded were included in the survey. Because
‘sites’ in the New Forest, Hampshire, are rather iU-defmed, the survey there was
based on visits to aU 1-km squares within the Forest’s boundary, rather than to
individual sites. Though the Dartford Warbler breeds in the Channel Islands, this
survey did not cover those islands.

The definition of what constituted a site was largely arbitrary. We have gen-
erally treated each distinct fragment of habitat which could be referred to by a
particular name as a site, as this was the approach used in the earlier surveys (Robins
& Bibby 1985b). In some cases, these individual sites are themselves simply a small
part of a larger ‘site’, for example a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). We
chose not to use such larger sites as our sampling unit for two reasons. First, field-
workers may well have been unaware of the boundary of such sites. Secondly, whilst
it would be straightforward to calculate the total number of Dartford Warbler terri-
tories on a particular SSSI by adding up the counts for each of its constituent
fragments, it would have been much more difficult to do the reverse if the data had
been collected simply in terms of the number of territories per SSSI.

One of the disadvantages of using sites rather than grid squares for survey
purposes is that many sites have the same name. For instance, there are at least
four lowland-heathland sites known as Pirbright, and different observers use the
same name to refer to different sites or similar sites with different boundaries,
which makes comparisons between surveys difficult. It is sites, however, not grid
squares, that are protected for their nature-conservation interests and this is
essentially the rationale behind collecting the data on a site-by-site basis.

Organisation

Much of the fieldwork was undertaken by volunteer ornithologists working
through county or regional co-ordinators to a national organiser (SW). In
addition, substantial amounts of fieldwork were undertaken by staff from the
RSPB and EN.

Field methods

Observers were asked to visit each site (or 1-km square in the New Forest) at least
twice, once during April to mid May, and once during mid May to the end of
June. They were asked to record the number of singing males and other contacts
(for example, calling individuals and adults carrying nesting material or food) sep-
arately, to estimate the total number of territories recorded on each visit and to
provide their ‘best estimate’ of the number of Dartford Warbler territories on that
site (or 1-km square) during the 1994 breeding season. All numeric estimates
were cross-referenced to maps showing the locations of bird registrations. This
crude form of territory-mapping allowed the total number of territories to be
more readily estimated, and gave a more precise grid reference for each ter-
ritory than that of the central grid reference of the site, which was also supplied
by the observer.

206

Gibbons & Wotton: Dartford Warblers in the UK in 1 994

Problems of multiple visits

Though observers were asked to visit each site at least twice, some observers
visited a site only once, and others visited each site many times. This was shown
to influence the number of Dartford Warbler territories recorded (see Results), as
the more visits that were made to a site the more territories were found. In this
paper, correction has been made for any underestimation of population size
caused by insufficient visits to locate all of the territories. To do this, the
cumulative number of territories recorded over one, two, three and four visits to
each of 28 sites (or 1-km squares) was determined from the site maps. On the
assumption that four visits located all territories present, the cumulative proportion
of territories found on one, two and three visits was calculated and used to cor-
rect the estimate for each site (or 1 -km square) depending on the number of visits
made to each. These 28 sites and 1-km squares were those to which four visits
were made, on which Dartford Warblers were present and for which suffi-
cient mapped information was supplied to determine the cumulative number
of territories recorded on successive visits. One further complication was that the
number of visits to a site was not always recorded; for these sites, it was assumed
that they were visited as often, on average, as those sites for which the number of
visits was known. As none of the prewous national population estimates for the
Dartford Warbler have been corrected in this manner, the actual, uncorrected
number of territories recorded is presented for comparison. One assumption
of this method is that four visits were sufficient to record all territories present.
Though the validity of this assumption is unknown, the additional number of
territories recorded on the fourth visit was small (see Results). Similar correc-
tions for sur\'ey efficiency have been used for other species, for example
Red-throated Gavia stellata and Black-throated Divers G. arctica (Gomersall et
al. 1984; Campbell & Talbot 1987) and Girl Buntings Embetiza cirlus (Evans
1992).

A related problem was that of different individuals visiting the same site (or 1-
km square) independently so that two (and in some cases three) recording forms,
and thus two (or three) estimates of the total number of territories, were sub-
mitted for some sites or 1-km squares. There were several potential ways of
resolving this problem: decide which estimate was most likely to be correct, based,
for example, on observer experience; use the maximum of the two or three val-
ues on the basis that this would most Likely approximate the ‘true’ value; compare
the territory maps for each card to obtain a sum of unique (to each card) plus
shared (between cards) territories; or use both values and quote a range. In this
paper we have adopted the last of these options, as we believe this to be the most
objective method.

Population trends of the Dartford Warbler since 1961

Population estimates for each of the years 1961 to 1993 were taken from the
literature for comparison with the 1994 estimate. The following sources were
used: 1961-62, Tubbs (1963); 1963-66, Tubbs (1967); 1967-73, County Bird
Reports for Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex; 1974, Bibby &
Tubbs (1975); 1975-83, RBBP; 1984, Robins & Bibby (1985a); 1985-1993,
RBBP. The population of the New Forest in 1981 is unknown and has been

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

207

calculated here as the mean of the 1980 and 1982 figures. Grid references of
territories for 1963 were taken from Follett (1964) and Tubbs (in litt.), and for
1974 and 1984 from Robins & Bibby (1985b). Some grid references for the
1963, 1974 and 1984 surveys were unavailable.

Results

Table la shows the number of sites (or 1-km squares) that were visited during
the survey. Most of these were visited by a single observer (or team), though a
few were covered independently, and probably unknowingly, by independent
observers. Table lb documents the number of successive visits made to each site
(or 1-km square) and shows that there was great variation in this, some sites being
visited only once, yet others being visited up to ten times. Also shown is the mean
cumulative proportion of territories that were recorded on each successive visit to
the 28 four- visit sites and 1-km squares. On average, the first visit to a site found
60% of Dartford Warbler territories, the first three visits 94%. The small propor-
tion of additional territories found on a fourth visit suggests that further visits
would have yielded only a few extra territories.

Table la. Number of sites (and 1-km squares in the New Forest) visited during 1994.
Number of independent observers covering site (or 1-km square) is given; this is equivalent to
the number of population estimates made for each (see text for explanation).

No. of independent

1

observers

2

3

Total no. of sites
or 1-km squares

Number of sites

261

13

1

275

Number of 1-km squares

166

24

1

191

Total

427

37

2

466

Table lb. Number of successive visits made to each site (or 1-km square) and mean
cumulative proportion of total territories of Dartford Warblers Sylvia iindata found on
each visit.

Mean proportions are based on those 28 four- visit sites and 1-km squares with sufficient infor-
mation (see text for explanation).

No. of successive visits made

1

2

3

4

>4

unknown

No. of sites

26

76

56

36

5

91

No. of 1-km squares
Mean cumulative

35

118

28

10

0

26

% of territories located

59.7

86.9

94.3

100

100

Table 2 lists the number of Dartford Warbler territories recorded in each coun-
ty, along with an estimate for the national population. Corrected values are also
given. During the 1994 survey, some 1,600-1,670 Dartford Warbler territories were
located in ten counties: Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of
Wight, Sussex (East and West), Surrey and Berkshire. Three-quarters (76%) of
the population was, however, restricted to the counties of Dorset and Hampshire,
with most of the rest (a further 20%) in Devon and Surrey. Correcting for vari-
ation in the number of visits to each site suggested that the acmal population may
have been slightly higher (1,800-1,890 territories).

208

Gibbons & Wotton: Dartford Warblers in the UK in 1994

Table 2. Number of Dartford Warbler Sylvia imdata territories in the UK in 1994.

Actual numbers recorded, and numbers estimated following correction (in parentheses), are
given for each county. Manners in which ranges were calculated and recorded numbers corrected
are given in the text. Corrected figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
Percentage figures are based on maximum values.

No. of territories % UK

Min. Max. population

Act.

(Est.)

Act.

(Est.)

Act.

(Est.)

Cornwall

7

(8)

7

(8)

0.4

(0.4)

Devon

156

(167)

165

(177)

9.9

(9.4)

Somerset

7

(7)

7

(7)

0.4

(0.4)

Dorset

652

(733)

653

(734)

39.1

(38.9)

Hampshire
New Forest

479

(567)

524

(619)

31.3

(32.8)

Elsewhere

98

(106)

98

(106)

5.9

(5.6)

Whole county

577

(673)

622

(725)

37.3

(38.4)

Isle of Wight

5

(6)

9

(11)

0.5

(0.6)

Sussex
East Sussex

29

(29)

29

(29)

1.7

(1.5)

West Sussex

5

(5)

5

(5)

0.3

(0.3)

Surrey

155

(169)

173

(190)

10.3

(10.1)

Berkshire

2

(2)

2

(2)

0.1

(0.1)

UK total

1,595

(1,799)

1,672

(1,889)

National and county estimates from earlier surv^eys and selected years are given
in table 3 for comparison, and national estimates for each year during 1961-94
are plotted in fig. 1. Following the population crash after the cold winters of
1961/62 and 1962/63, the population built up slowly but steadily to a maximum
in 1974 and 1975. Thereafter followed three apparent years of decline, with a fur-
ther population low in 1979. From 1980, the population size gradually increased,
though with setbacks, until 1994. The RBBP acknowledges that the 1983, and
possibly the 1976, figures may be unreliable and are probably minima.

Table 3. Trends in Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata numbers over the last 35 years.

Data taken from Tubbs (1963, 1967), Bibby & Tubbs (1975), Robins & Bihby (1985a & b),
Bibby in Gibbons et al. (1993), Ogilvie el al. (1995) and this surc'ey. Estimates of the total UK
population are rounded. The 1994 figures are the number of territories recorded and have not
been corrected, thus allowing direct comparison with other years.

County 1960-61

1963

1974

1984

1990

1992

1994

Cornwall

0

0

0

6

1

2

7

Devon

0

0

3

2

16

73

156-165

Somerset

0

0

0

0

0

7

Dorset

63

4

286

127

334

266

652-653

Wiltshire

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

Hampshire

350

6

255

219

441

530

577-622

Isle of Wight

0

0

0

0

7

8

5-9

Sussex (East and West)

4

1

15

0

8

7

34

Surrey

40

0

1

69

120

37

155-173

Berkshire

0

0

0

0

0

3

2

Approx.
UK total

460

11

560

420

930

930

1,600-1,670

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

209

Fig. 1. Population trend of the Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata in the UK (all in England),
1961-94. Data sources are given in the text. For 1994, the uncorrected population maximum is
used. Estimates for 1976 and 1983 are considered by the RBBP to be minima. Mean winter
(December-February) temperature dropped below 2°C in 1962/63 and 1978/79.

The distribution and geographical patterns of abundance of Dartford Warblers
in the UK during 1963, 1974, 1984 and 1994 are given in figs. 2a-d. The
expansion in range over the 30-year period is striking.

Fig. 2. The distribution and geographical pattern of abundance of the Dartford Warbler
Sylvia undata in the UK in (a) 1963, (b) 1974, (c) 1984 and (d) 1994. Increasing symbol sizes
refer to increasing numbers of Dartford Warbler territories; these are, from tlie smallest to the
largest, 1-4, 5-14, 15-49 and 50+ territories. For 1994, uncorrected population maxima are used.
Symbols are placed conventionally at the centre of each 10-km square; tlius, for some coastal
squares, the symbols may fall in the sea. The following grid references were missing or unavail-
able: one Sussex territory in 1963; all Sussex territories in 1974 (it has been assumed that
they occurred in the same U\'o 10-km squares as in 1994); 40+ New Forest territories in 1974
which were not found but whose existence was surmised from the proportion of the Forest
searched in that year; a few territories in 1984.

210

Gibbons & Wonon: Dartford Warblers in the UK in 1 994

Table 4. Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata sites with 1% or more of the UK population in 1994.
The 1994 figures are uncorrected to allow direct comparison with the 1974 and 1984 figures,
which are also given. The 1994 figures, and the percentage of the UK population that these
represent, are based on maxima.

Number of territories

Site name

County

1974

1984

1994

(% UK)

New Forest

Hampshire

250

194

524

(31.3)

Studiand Heath (E&W)
& Godlingston

Dorset

39

35

57

(3.4)

Holt Heath (N&S)

Dorset

30

4

45

(2.7)

Canford Heath

Dorset

5

5

41

(2.5)

Arne (all heaths)

Dorset

30

18

40

(2.4)

Hankley Common

Surrey

0

10

36

(2.2)

Thursley & Ockley Common

Surrey

0

17

36

(2.2)

Colaton Raleigh Common

Devon

0

0

36

(2.2)

Chobham Common (N&S)

Surrey

0

1

35

(2.1)

Pirbright &

Cleygate Common

Surrey

0

23

34

(2.0)

Povington & West
Holme Heath

Dorset

0

-2

34

(2.0)

Parley Common

Dorset

4

1

32

(1.9)

Harpford Common'

Devon

0

1

32

(1.9)

Woodbury Common

Devon

0

0

29

(1.7)

Town Common &

St Catherine's Hill

Dorset

2

6

29

(1.7)

Ashdown Forest

E. Sussex

?

?

29

(1.7)

Ludshott Common

Hampshire

0

0

28

(1.7)

Hartland Moor

Dorset

17

14

26

(1.6)

Avon Forest Park (N&S)

Dorset

0

0

25

(1.5)

Woolmer Forest

Hampshire

0

0

23

(1.4)

Gore Heath (N&W) &
Great Ovens

Dorset

5

4

22

(1.3)

Upton Heath

Dorset

2

1

21

(1.3)

Barnsfield Heath

Dorset

3

1

19

(1.1)

Wareham Forest

Dorset

5

1

19

(1.1)

Finally, table 4 lists the most important sites for Dartford Warblers in the UK
in 1994. On a site-by-site basis, 75% (=1,252 territories) of the UK population
was recorded on only 24 sites (Pritchard el al. 1992).

Discussion

Populations of Dartford Warblers in the UK are at their highest recorded levels
in recent decades. The national population has nearly quadrupled in size since the
last surv^ey in 1984. Fears that habitat loss would ensure that the population high
of nearly 600 pairs in the mid 1970s would never be reached again (Bibby in
Lack 1986) have proved unfounded (Bibby in Gibbons el al. 1993).
Unfortunately, despite population sizes during the first half of tlie twentieth and
earlier centuries being poorly known, it is probable tliat the Dartford Warbler has
still not regained its former historical range (Burton 1995; Holloway 1995).
Despite occasional records from Suffolk in recent years, the last recorded breed-
ing there was nearly 80 years ago, with the last in Essex in 1948 (Sharrock 1976).
Apparently suitable habitat exists in some of tliese more nortliern and eastern coun-
ties, though the species has not yet spread farther north than Berkshire.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

211

The Meteorological Office’s Central England Temperature Record shows that
the mean winter (December-February) temperature has dropped below 2°C on
only two occasions since 1960, in the winters of 1962/63 and 1978/79. The pop-
ulation in the breeding seasons following both of these winters was very low (fig.
1), and the population trend of this species since 1961 can be seen as two
separate phases of recovery, one following each of these extreme winters
(Westerhoff &: Tubbs 1991). A continuation of the run of current mild winters
might see yet further expansion of range and numbers, possibly into East Anglia,
though that region’s relatively hard winters, the fragmented nature of its heath-
land and its dominance by grasses may limit expansion there. During 1994, there
were up to 11 Dartford Warbler territories at altitudes of over 300 m, six in
Cornwall, four in the Mendips and one on Dartmoor, so the possibility exists that
this species might expand into upland heathland in southern Britain.

More than three-quarters of the UK population of Dartford Warblers was
recorded in two counties, Dorset and Hampshire, with most of the rest in Devon
and Surrey. With 75% of the UK population concentrated at only 24 sites, the
species’ distribution is still markedly restricted.

Although firm evidence is lacking, it is likely that the current expansion in num-
bers and range of the Dartford Warbler is mainly a consequence of a long run of
mild winters. Improved management of the habitat, particularly the removal of
Bracken Pteridium aquilinum and invasive conifers by staff working on the current
county heathland projects in Dorset, northeast Hampshire, Surrey and West
Sussex, will also have played a part. The extensive heathland fires of 1976 may
also have been significant in the recovery, as by the late 1980s and early 1990s
much ot the Dartford Warbler’s heathland habitat would have reached its ‘optimal
quality’ {sensu Westerhoff & Tubbs 1991). The same fires may have been partly
responsible for some of the population decline from 1976 to 1979.

Much of England’s lowland heathland is currently dominated by mature dry
heath and is thus suitable for Dartford Warblers. Inevitably, this heath will
degenerate as it ages, and may become less suitable. Ideally, heathland manage-
ment should aim to create a dynamic mosaic of heather age structures, ensuring
that there is always suitable Dartford Warbler habitat even if in the short term this
would lead to a reduction in the carrying capacity of the habitat.

Though population sizes in the years in which national surveys were under-
taken were generally high, they were not markedly so. Thus, population sizes in
1974 and 1994 were approximately what might have been predicted from the
trends of the preceding decades. This suggests that, with the exception of some
years of inadequate coverage (e.g. 1976 and 1983), reports of county bird soci-
eties and more recently the RBBP have monitored this species successfully for the
past three decades. It also questions whether national surveys are needed at all. If
the population keeps expanding, however, it may become increasingly difficult for
the RBBP to monitor the species successfully, and the need for a further nation-
al survey in 2004 should therefore be kept under review.

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the following people for their help during the planning, running and writing-
up of the survey: Mark Avery, Keith Ballard, R. Brake, Andy Brown, Dave Burges, John Clark,
Steve Clarke, John E}Te, Ian Fisher, Jo Ford, Wendy Grant, Pete Gotham, Phil Grice, Roy

212

Gibbons & VX'otton: Dartford W'arblers in the UK in 1 994

Harman, Leigh Lock, James Packer, Andy Pay, Alan Peny^, Brian Pickess, Mark Preece, Dave
Richardson, Mark Robins, Jane Sears, Ken Smith, Peter Standley, Simon Stennett, Nigel Symes,
Roger Thomett, Colin Tubbs, Diana Westerhoff, Richard White and Dave Wooldridge. Most
of all, however, we should like to thank all those unnamed fieldworkers without w'hom this sur-
vey would not have been possible. The RSPB wishes to acknowledge the financial support
of English Nature. Distribution maps w'ere produced using DMAP.

References

Ai.i:xander, W. B., & Lack, D. 1944. Changes in status among British breeding birds. Bril.
Birds 38: 42-69, 82-88.

Bibby, C. J. 1979a. Breeding biolog\' of the Dartford Warbler Sylvia iindaia in England. Ibis 121:
41-52.

1979b. Mortality and movements of Dartford Warblers in England. Brit. Birds 72: 10-22.

& Tubbs, C. R. 1975. Stams, habitats and consen'ation of the Dartford Warbler in

England. Brit. Birds 68: 177-195.

Bur TON, J. F. 1995. Birds and Climate Change. London.

Campbell, L. H., & Tai-BO T, T. R. 1987. Breeding status of Black-throated Divers in Scotland.
Bril. Birds 80: 1-8.

Catchpole, C. K., & Phillips, J. F. 1992. Territory quality' and reproductive success in the
Dartford Warbler Sylvia imdaia in Dorset, England. Biol. Cons. 61: 209-215.

Evans, A. D. 1992. The numbers and distribution of Cirl Buntings Embeiiza cirlus breeding in
Britain in 1989. Bird Study 39: 17-22.

, Painter, M., Wynde, R., & Michael, N. 1994. An inventory' of lowland heathland: a

foundation for an effective conserx’ation strategy. RSPB Cons. Rev. 8: 24-30.

Farreu., L. 1989. The different tv'pes and importance of British heaths. Boi. J. Linn. Soc. 101:
291-299.

Foij.etp, J. C. 1964. Birds. Proc. Dorset Nat. Hist. Archaeol. Soc. 85: 47-69.

Gibbons, D. W., Reid, J. B., & Chapman, R. A. 1993. The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain
and Ireland: 1988-1991. London.

Gomersau., C. H., Mltrton, J. S., & Wynde, R. M. 1984. Status of breeding Red-throated
Divers in Shetland, 1983. Bird Study 31: 223-229.

Hoij.oway, S. 1995. Tlw Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1875-1 900. London.
DE Juana, E., Santos, T., Suarez, F., & Telleria, J. L. 1988. Status and conser\'ation of
steppe birds and their habitats in Spain, pp 113-123 in Goriup, P. D. (ed.). Ecology’ and con-
servation of grassland birds. Cambridge.

Lack, P. C. 1986. The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and Ireland. Calton.

Ogilvie, M., & THE Rare Breeding Birds Panel. 1996. Rare breeding birds in the United
Kingdom in 1993. Brit. Birds 89: 61-91.

Parslow, j. C. F. 1973. Breeding Birds of Britain and Ireland. Berkhamsted.

Pritchard, D., Housden, S. D., Mudge, G. P., Galbrai th, C. A., & Pienkowski, M. 'X'.

1992. Important Bird Areas in the United Kingdom. Sandy.

Robins, M., & Bibby, C. J. 1985a. Dartford Warblers in 1984 Britain. Brit. Birds 78: 269-
280.

& 1985b. The Status and Habitats of the Dartford Warbler in England 1984. Sandy.

Sharrock, j. T. R. 1976. The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland. Berkhamsted.
Tubbs, C. R. 1963. The significance of the New Forest to the status of the Dartford Warbler in
England. Brit. Birds 56: 41-48.

1967. Numbers of Dartford Warblers in England during 1962-66. Bril. Birds 60: 87-89.

Tucker, G., & Hea th, M. 1994. Birds in Europe: their conservation status. Cambridge.

Webb, N. R., & Haskins, L. E. 1980. An ecological survey of heathlands in tlie Poole Basin,
Dorset, England, in 1978. Biol. Cons. 17: 281-296.

Westerhoh', D., & Tubbs, C. R. 1991. Dartford Warblers Sylvia undata: their habitat and con-
servation in the New F'orest, Hampshire, England in 1988. Biol. Cons. 56: 89-100.

Dr David W. Gibbons, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Didge, Sandy,
Bedfordshire SG19 2DI.

Simon Wotton, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Heathland Profect, 40a East
Street, Wimbome, Dorset BH21 IDX

MONTHLY MARATHON

I

i

Everyone agreed that plate 24 showed the rear view of a perched rap-
tor, but it was named as Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (59%),
Merlin F. columbarius (17%), Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
(7%), Barbary Falcon F. pelegrinoides (6%), Gyr Falcon F. rusticolus
(5%), Red-footed Falcon F. vespertinus (3%), Fanner Falcon F.
biarmicus (3%) and Northern Goshawk A. gentilis (less than 1%). The majority
view was correct, this juvenile female Peregrine having been photographed in
Dumfriesshire by Edmund FeUowes in July 1995.

The leading contenders, Jon Holt and Anthony McGeehan, both got it right

and advance to six-in-a-row sequences of correct answers, more than halfway
towards the prize of a SUNBIRD holiday in Africa, Asia or North America which
awaits the winner.

For a free SUNBIRD brochure, write to PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 idf; or tele-
phone Sandy (01767) 682969.

Plate 90. ‘Monthly marathon’. Photo no. 119: ninth stage in eighth ‘Marathon’. Identify the
species. Read the rules on page 24 of the January issue, then send in your answer on a postcard to
Monthly Marathon, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford mk44 3N], to arrive by 15th June 1996.

[Brit. Birds 89: 213, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

213

The Best Annual
Bird Report Awards

In this, the fifth year of the Awards, the voting procedures were overhauled, taking
into account both the generaUy greatly raised standards (which resulted in last year’s
winner, Essex, achieving a score of 98%) and a variety of suggestions made by
county-report editors and others.

In addition, the usual four judges — representing the Association of County^
Recorders and Editors, Bntish Birds, the British Birds Rarities Committee and the
Society of Wildlife Artists — were delighted to welcome the fifth judge, Derek
Moore (Chairman of the British Trust for Ornithology’s Membership &
Development Committee and himself a former County Report Editor for
Suffolk), now that the BTO has joined the group of organisations making these
annual assessments.

The core of any annual report, the systematic list, was given even greater
importance in this year’s scoring, its general usefulness being rated from 0 to 5
by all five judges (instead of 0 to 4 by four judges, so contributing up to 25 points,
as against previous years’ 16 points). Other changes to the scoring system includ-
ed a revision so that the absence of decorative (as distinct from documentaiyO
drawings and photographs should not detract from a report’s score (average
illustrations and no illustrations both scoring 1, substandard illustrations 0 and par-
ticularly good illustrations 2); it had seemed unfair that those choosing not to
include decorative illustrations for monetary' reasons or because of an absence of
local artistic talent should be penalised. An additional feature assessed was the use
made in the report of surv^ey or census data derived either from local studies or
from BTO projects, reflecting encouragement of fieldwork by the club or society
or good liaison with the local BTO representative.

Assessments of a total of 25 features (eleven as 0-1, ten as 0-2, three as 0-3
and one — separately by all five judges — as 0-5), gave a maximum possible
score of 65. After independent voting by the five judges, there was a three-way
tie for first place. After further assessment of just those three reports, the judges
were still unable to separate them, and, indeed, felt that to do so would be unfair.
All three had strong and weaker points, but were also all greatly admired by all
of the five judges. The top ten reports are shown in table 1.

There are special reasons to congratulate all the three winners: Avon has
achieved top spot after having never before been among the leaders; Essex has
achieved a remarkable hat-trick, having been the winner in both 1994 and 1995;
and Norfolk, which was third in the competition’s first year, has successfully taken
full account of recommendations when continuing the ov^erhaul of its style and
content noted last year. All three fully deserve their success.

Smaller clubs and societies inevitably find it hard to compete with the richer
organisations. Cheshire, Derbyshire and Cleveland (with 200-400 members) and
SK58 (a single 10-km square east of Sheffield), Elamborough and Sheffield (under
200 members) all produced admirable reports.

214

[Brit. Birds 89; 214-216, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

215

kepokt

1994

The birds

& Wirral

Cheshire
Bird Report
1994

•T'SKsaairifrw

Pfcrt^h C

' '•<UH.il

V«RRAL ORNl

Waite,,

Table 1. The top ten annual bird reports for 1994.

County (with positions in

Position 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993) Editors Score

1st=

Avon (-5 9-)

A. H. Davis

82%

lst=

Essex (-2 1 1 )

G. C. Bond, D. Rhymes
& S. D. Wood

82%

1st=

Norfoik (3 23 24 9)

Michael J. Seago

82%

4th=

Cornwail (2 2 4 5)

S. M. Christophers

78%

4th=

Devon { 8)

Keith Grant & Dave Smallshire

78%

6th

London (8 4 3 2)

M. A. Hardwick

77%

7th

Shetiand (4 - 7 -)

Kevin Osborn

75%

8th

Cheshire (8 10 9 5)

D. J. Steventon

74%

9th

Oxfordshire ( )

Ian Lewington

69%

10th

Derbyshire (5 6 7 -)

R. M. R. James

68%

In medium-membership category (200-400 members): 1st Cheshire, 2nd Derbyshire and 3rd Cieveiand {edited by
D. Graham Bell). In small-membership category (under 200 members): 1st SO (edited by M. Thomas & R.
Hardcastle), and equal 2nd Flamborough {edited by Mark Newsome & Paul J. Willoughby) and Sheffieid {edited by
K. R. Gould & A. J. Morris).

216

Sharrock et al.: The Best Annual Bird Report Awards

This year, the judges’ votes and comments have all been made available to
ACRE and a fuller summar>' than is possible here will be published for the
benefit of all report editors in the newsletter Newsacre. Examples of many of the
excellent features in the winning (and other) reports wiU be highlighted there. We
also strongly recommend that anyone responsible for compiling an annual bird
report should buy a copy of one or more of those listed below, for use as a model.

Eor many general points, readers (and especially any new report editors) are
referred to previous accounts of this competition {Brit. Birds 85: 299-308; 86:
163-165; 87: 171-173; 88: 218-220).

This year’s top reports can be obtained as follows:

AVON Dr H. E. Rose, 12 Birbeck Road, Bristol BS9 ibd (£4.00 + 50p p&p)

ESSEX Mrs J. Franks, 112 Longfields, Ongar, Essex CM5 9DF (£8.00 + 60p p&p)

NORFOLK Mrs Mar}’ Dorling, St Edmundsburj’, 6 New Road, Hethersett, Norwich, Norfolk
NR9 3HH (£5.00 post free)

CORNWALL Greg Conway, Tregenna, Cooksland, Bodmin, Cornwall Pt.3i 2AR (£5.50)
DEVON K. R. Grant, Whitcombe Farm, Kenn, Exeter, Devon EX6 7XQ (£4.00 + 50p p&p)
LONDON Mrs V. Friedman, 5 Temple Close, Cassiobuiy', Watford, Hertfordshire WDi 3DR
(£5.00 + 50p p&p)

SHETLAND Ian Sandison, 9 Burnside, Lerwick, Shetland (£4.00)

CHESHIRE D. J. Steventon, Welland House, 207 Hurdsfield Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SKio
2PX (£4.95 incl. p&p)

OXf^’ORDSHIRE R. Overall, 30 Hunsdon Road, Iffley, Oxford ox4 4JK (£4.00)

DERBYSHIRE R. W. Key, 3 Famingham Close, Spondon, Derby de2i 7DZ (£5.50 incl. p&p)
SK58 Mark ITiomas, 2 Windermere Court, North Anston, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S3i 7GJ
(£3.50)

CLEVELAND Colin Dodsworth, 63 Stokesley Crescent, Billingham, Cleveland TS23 ine
(£4.00)

FLAiVlBOROUGH P. J. Willoughby, 55 Holt Park Crescent, Holt Park, Leeds ixi6 7SL (£2.95
+ 40p p&p)

SHEFFIELD Tony Morris, 4a Raven Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield si iSB (£4.50 incl. p&p)

J. T. R. Sharrock (BB), Robert Giijmor (SWLA), R. A. Hume
(BBRC), Derek Moore (BTO) and Michael J. Rogers (ACRE)
do Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford MK44 3NJ

LOOKING BACK

One hundred years ago: ‘Perhaps you may consider the nesting of the Hedge Accentor [Pnmella
modiilaris] on the Bass Rock as worthy of insertion in “The Zoologist”. On May 16th I found a
nest of this bird containing four eggs. The nest was placed under an overhanging tuft of grass
which grew' on a low rock-face. This, I believe, is the first case of the Hedge Accentor breeding
on the Bass. I may mention also at the same time that I found a Blackbird’s nest witli four eggs
in one of the beam-holes in an old house on the rock. {Zoologist 'fhird series 20; 304)

Twenty-five years ago, on 30th May 1971, ‘a small, dull passerine feeding on bare ground
behind the dunes’ at Minsmere, Suffolk, was ‘recognised immediately [by F. K. Cobb] as a
Trumpeter Pinch [Bucanetes githagineus], a species which he had previously seen in Morocco
. . . the unlikelihood of a natural origin caused him to dismiss the bird as an escape.’
Nevertheless — 32 months, extensive investigations and two furtlier relevant records (8th June
1971 on Handa, Sutherland, and 29th October 1973 on Alderney, Channel Islands) later — the
Minsmere record was accepted as the first for Britain & Ireland. {Brit. Birds 70: 45-49)

REVIEWS

Buntings and Sparrows: a guide to the buntings and North American spar-
rows.

By Clive Byers, Urban Olsson & Jon Curson.

Pica Press, Mountfield, 1995. 334 pages; 39 colour plates, isbn 1-873403-19-4. £28.00.

It is a real treat to reVew a book about which one
can say ‘This book is great, go and buy it’. This
identification guide follows a tried-and-tested
formula, and almost every species is relevant to
the Palearctic birder, with 42 Old World
buntings and 64 New World sparrows, many of
which either have occurred or miglit occur as
vagrants in Western Europe. It is a must for the
serious birder.

The layout will be familiar to most birders, but
there are none of the tiny paintings found in
similar books, which were, in my opinion, of little
value. The images are large, accurate and life-
like, and suggest that the talents of Clive Byers
are maturing. The text is excellent, with a clear

and concise discussion of identification followed
by details of plumage, moult, voice, etc.

I could find no major inaccuracies, but felt
that an extra few plates dealing just with
‘confusable’ species (e.g. just female/immature
Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos and
Yellowhammer E. dtrimlla, immatures of all
Spizella sparrows, or a broader range of
Savannah Sparrows Ammodranins sandwichensis
on one plate) would have made this an even
better buy. Despite this, it rivals Mmlt and
Ageing of European Passerines as my choice for
best bird book of the last couple of years. Buy it
now!

CouN Bradshaw

Swifts: a guide to the swifts and treeswifts of the World.

By Phil Chantler & Gerald Driessens.

Pica Press, Mountfield, 1995. 237 pages; 24 colour plates; 97 maps; 62 line-drawings, isbn 1-
873403-31-3. £26.00.

This is the second in the series of Pica Press
books on bird families, and follows the format
of the excellent Woodpeckers (1995; reviewed
Bnt. Birds 88: 287, 456). The present book
covers 92 species of swifts and four species of
treeswifts. All species are illustrated in colour,
some for the first time. The distribution maps
are clear and the text is well set out. The
introductory chapters include an excellent
section on ‘Relationships and taxonomy’,
though this would have been easier to
understand had a glossary been included. The
taxonomy mainly follows Sibley & Monroe
(1990, 1993), with reasons given where a
different approach has been taken. The
species accounts have been well researched

and reflect the autlior’s thoroughness. Gerald
Driessens’s colour plates are generally
excellent, though some of the African
spinetails are surely too fat, with the result that
they resemble the space shuttle. The use of
coloured backgrounds is distracting in some
cases and I much preferred the artist’s work in
Dutch Birding (15: 97-135), where the birds
are depicted against a white background. The
line-drawings are superb.

This is the first book to tackle this extremely
difficult group and, while it is not the last
word, especially regarding the Collocalia
swiftlets, it is certainly the state of the art so far
as swift identification is concerned.

Iain Robertson

Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers.

By Simon Harrap & David Quinn.

A & C Black, London, 1996. 392 pages; 36 colour plates; 115 colour maps, isbn 0-7136-3964-4.
£27.99.

This book, the latest in the award-winning birds which are amongst our most familiar,
series of Helm identification guides, includes Familiarity, we are told, can breed contempt;

[Brit. Birds 89: 217-218, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

217

218

Reviews

some birders even refer to the Paridae as
‘trash birds’. This beautiful book goes a con-
siderable way towards redressing the balance
(although I suspect that a birder who dismiss-
es any species as trash probably does not
read!). And so it should, because this group of
closely related species ( 1 1 0, in four families) is
of great interest for its ecology (small passer-
ines, resident whether at temperate or tropical
latitude) and evolutionary history, which often
is as complex as any found among birds. All
this is well reflected in the present work.

Introductory' chapters, describing systemat-

ics and giving notes on the species texts, are
followed by David Quinn’s superb plates cov-
ering all species, a range of plumages, and with
range maps and brief descriptions. These are
followed by the species accounts, covering
plumages, voice, distribution, movements,
habitat, status, habits, breeding biology', moult,
geographic variation and detailed systematic
relationships. The first-ever ‘monograph’ on
these families, this is comprehensive, authorita-
ti\'e and a delight to read. Serious birdwatchers
w'ill find much of interest.

Andy GosuiR

The Blackcap.

By C. F. Mason.

Hamlyn, London, 1995. 126 pages; 19 colour plates; 4 colour illustrations; 20 line-drawings.
ISBN 0-600-58006-7. Paperback £12.99.

This is another excellent little book in the
Hamlyn Species Guides series. C. F. Mason
has provided us with ‘an authoritative and
highly readable book on [one of] the most
fascinating bird species of Britain and Europe’
(HSGs’ intention). It is dedicated to the
Blackcap Sylvia atncapilla, a splendid little
warbler and one of Britain’s finest songsters
(D. A. Christie in his editor’s foreword). Over
the 126 pages in octavo format, one can find
topics ranging from ‘Blackcaps and their
allies’, ecology and behaviour, breeding.

population biology' and migration to recent
findings on the genetic control mechanisms of
life-history traits and microevolutionary
processes. Although a comprehensive
treatment of the subject is not possible in such
a short book with a bibliography of 160
citations, this volume nonetheless charms its
readers with its vivid sty'le, emphasised by
delightful illustrations. The Blackcap is a
welcome contribution to the public awareness
of this lively and successful species.

P. Bhrthoid

Key Areas for Threatened Birds in the Neotropics.

By David C. Wege & Adrian J. Long.

BirdLife Conservation Series No. 5. BirdLife International, Cambridge, 1995. 311 pages; 15 line-

drawings; 57 site and distribution maps, isbn 0

Following a 20-page introduction and
‘overview'’ of the state of bird conservation in
the neotropics, the main bulk of this meticu-
lously edited and presented book is a country-
by-country listing of the most important
known areas for threatened bird species, with
details of each area and its vegetation, present

46888-31-0. £24.25.

protection (or lack of it) and the status of the
threatened birds that have been recorded. No
birdwatcher with any concern for conserva-
tion, or any hope of being able to make a
contribution, should visit the neotropics w'ith-
out at least consulting this book.

D. W. Snow

ALSO RKCEIVED

Looking After Cage Birds. By David Alderton. (Blandford, London, 1996. 128 pages. ISBN
0-7137-2578-8. Paperback, £8.99)

Falconry: art and practice. By Emma Ford. Revised edn. (Blandford, London, 1995. 191
pages. ISBN 0-7137-2588-5. Paperback, £10.99)

Birds of New Zealand: wild south. By Don Hadden. CD-ROM. (Pro'fech International,
Nelson, 1993-95. About £25.00)

The United Arab Emirates

Colin Richardson

ABSTRACT Like other famous bird-rich areas such as Morocco,
Israel, Turkey and Thailand, the location of the United Arab
Emirates has created an avifauna with elements from more than
one zoogeographical area. This meeting place of Afrotropical,
Palearctic and occasionally Oriental species is a rich area for study
by local ornithologists and acts as a magnet to today’s travelling
birders.

The excitement of birdwatching in the Trucial States (as the eastern Guff States
were called prior to full independence in the early 1970s) was first recognised by
the British Forces stationed in the area. As the Gulf States started to grow in
political and economic importance (Dubai was a main stopover for flying-boats
to the Far East in the 1930s), British servicemen were tasked with subduing
coastal piracy and calming tribal insurgencies. As these outbreaks were minimal,
the expeditionary forces’ policing duties declined and many spent much of their
time documenting the local wildlife, sometimes with the blessing of their
commanders.

Now, thanks to them and to a handful of dedicated people during the 1970s
and 1980s, the United Arab Emirates has perhaps the most comprehensively
studied avifauna in the whole of Arabia. The area remained undiscovered by
itinerant birders (as opposed to ornithologists), however, until about 1983. Shortly
afterwards, enough information had been assembled to compile the country’s first
birdwatching guide. The Birds of the United Arab Emirates (Richardson 1 990a) .

Visiting birdwatchers soon started arriving, though rather hesitantly at first,
encouraged by a species list close to 400, which included several Western
Palearctic specialities which were difficult to find elsewhere. At last, Socotra
Cormorant Phalacrocorax nigrogularis. Sooty Gull Lams hemprichii, White-cheeked
Tern Sterna repressa, Chesmut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus, Black-crowned
Sparrow-lark Eremopterix nigriceps, Hume’s Wheatear Oenanthe alboniger, Plain

[Brit. Birds 89: 219-231, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

219

220

Richardson: The United Arab Emirates

Plate 91. Sooty Falcon Falco concolor, UAE, May 1990 (D. Robinson). About 15-20 pairs breed
on rocky islands.

Plate 92. Socotra Cormorants Phalacrocorax nigrogularis, UAE, autumn 1988 (C. Richatxhon)

Plate 93. Crab-plovers Dromas ardcola, UAE, June 1990 (D. Robinson)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

221

Plate 94. Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor, UAE, June 1993 (C. Richardson)

Plate 95. White-tailed Lapwing Cheltusia leucura, Oman, November 1992 {Hanne & Jens
Enksen). Uncommon passage migrant in the UAE,

222

Richardson: The United Arab Emirates

Leaf Warbler Phylbscopus neglectus and Yellow-throated Sparrow Petronia
xanihocollis were within reach.

The United Arab Emirates is relatively small (about the size of Scotland) and
fast dual carriageways link all cities and towns. Most sites are within an easy day’s
drive. In consequence, a visit of eight to 12 days should allow enough time to see
all the resident specialities and most of the migrants for which the region is famous.
The latest official checklist (Richardson & Aspinall 1996)* includes 395 species,
but the number likely to be seen varies from month to month. For instance, the
Emirates Bird Report: 18 (1994) published a list of 309 species seen during the
whole of 1993, with a maximum of 237 in October, and 225 in March. Winter
months offer about 190 species, while in July numbers dip to about 105 species.

A visit between September and April using a good, well-organised itinerary' should , :
produce around 180 species, a worthy total for such a small, desert country. The f;
UAE is situated on a migratory crossroads (Richardson & Chapman 1988). A
north-south flyway conveys species between the main Palearctic landmass and
Africa, while a less-used east-west route takes birds between the Near East and the
Indian subcontinent. Add to this an influx of Indian Ocean seabirds in summer
and a scattering of Siberian vagrants in autumn and you have a recipe for exciting
birdwatching throughout the year.

The country can be divided simply into four habitat zones:

1. Coasts and mudflats.

2. Mountains and wadis (dr>7wet watercourses).

3. Deserts and gravel plains.

4. Gardens and agricultural areas (man-made irrigated habitats).

^Available (Dhs 40 or UK cheque for £7.00) from Colin Richardson, PO Box 50394, Dubai,
UAK.

223

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

Coasts and mudflats

The Arabian Gulf, with its shallow saline lagoons and extensive mudflats, serves
as an important winter feeding ground for millions of Arctic and central Asian
migrant shorebirds. A total of 126,000 wetland birds was counted in January 1995
during the Asian Waterfowl Census (Aspinall & Richardson 1994), including

41.000 wildfowl, 42,000 waders, 38,000 gi^s and 4,200 terns.

Khor Dubai is the most interesting of the country’s natural wetlands. It holds the
densest assembly of waders, with up to 12,000 present at any one time. It is the
only site in the country where Broad-biUed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus can be
found reliably, sometimes in flocks of up to 4,000 (Uttley et al. 1988). Other species
of interest there are Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga (late October to March only).
Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii, Lesser Sand Plover C. mongolus and
Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva (September to April). Khor al Beidah, at Umm
al Quwain, is the most accessible site at which to see Crab Plover Dramas ardeola
(plate 93) in winter, when over 300 are present at the species’ high-tide roost. Great
Knot Calidris temiirostris is regular there, too. One of the World’s largest colonies
of Socotra Cormorants (plate 92) nests nearby in late autumn (Howe 1989) and
there are often flocks of several thousand flying offshore, visible from the coast.
About 100 km northeast of Dubai is Al Jazeerah Khor, another network of lagoons.
It is a good place to see Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus, while flocks of Slender-
biUed Gulls Lams genei and Saunders’s Terns Sterna saundersi (plate 96) occur in
winter, best viewed from the high dunes which guard the bay. These scrub-covered
dunes usually host several species of Sylvia warbler in winter and spring, including
Desert S’, nana, Orphean S. hortensis and Menetries’s Warblers S. mystacea (plate
105) and Lesser Whitethroat S. cumica of the Siberian race blythi.

On the east coast, south of Fujeitah, lies Khor Kalba. Facing the Gulf of Oman,
this tidal creek has a unique area of relict mangrove forest, inhabited by the
endemic kalbaensis subspecies of Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chbris (plate
100). Fewer than 50 pairs remain and the authorities have still not taken steps to
protect the area. Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata of the race (or species?) rama
breeds in the mangroves and is usually present at least from February to June
(Hirschfeld 1994). This is also the country’s only wintering site of Indian Pond
Heron Ardeola grayii, present from October to early April. Great care should be
taken in separating it from Squacco Heron A. ralloides, which also occurs
(Richardson & Bannon 1991a). Sadly, the mudflats are increasingly being
damaged by four-wheel-drive vehicles, while fishermen catch the crabs which are
the kmgfishers’ primary food.

The sea there is rich in marine life (including several species of turtles, sharks,
rays and dolphins) and seabirds are usually abundant. Sooty Gull, Bridled Tern
Sterna anaethetus, Crested Tern S', bergii, Lesser Crested Tern S. bengalensis,
White-cheeked Tern, Pomarine Skua Stercorarins pomarinus and Arctic Skua S.
parasiticus are seasonally common. The less common Audubon’s Shearwater
Pujfinus Iherminieri of the race (or species?) persicus and Wilson’s Storm-petrel
Oceanites oceanicus are sometimes visible from this 80-km-long coastline.

Mountains and wadis

The UAF has a 40-km-wide easterly backbone of mountains, which rise to about

1.000 m. The highest mountain is Jebel Hafit, near Al Ain, which, at 1,500 m.

224

Richardson: The United Arab Emirates

Plate 96. Saunders’s Tern Sterna saundersi, Oman, September 1989 (Hanne & Jens Eriksen)

Plate 97. Chestnut-beUied Sandgrouse Pterocles exnstus, Oman, November 1993 (Hanne &
Jens Erikseti)

Plate 98. Black-crowned Sparrow-lark Eremoptoix nipriceps, Oman, April 1992 {Hanne Gf
Jens Eriksen)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

225

Plate 99. Indian RoUer Coracias benghalensis, UAE, November 1989 (D. Robinson)

Plate 100. Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris, UAE, November 1989 (D. Robinson)

226

Richardson: The United Arab Emirates

towers above the surrounding plain. Although widespread in most mountain areas,
Hume’s Wheatear (plate 1 02) can often be difficult to find, and Hooded Wheatear
Oenanthe monacha can be even more elusive.

Most of the indigenous species inhabiting the mountains rarely stray far from
this habitat, so it is always worth searching some of the acacia plains and the more-
promising-looking wadis. Those in the cretaceous hills north of the small market
tow'n of Masafi, for instance, can produce a good selection of species, particularly
in spring (Richardson 1988). Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti, White-spectacled
Bulbul Pycnonotiis xanthopygos and Pale Crag Martin Hinmdo obsoleta are easy to
fmd, but Sand Partridge Arnmoperdix heyi. Streaked Scrub Warbler Scotocerca
inquieta and House Bunting Emberiza striolata need a bit more work. Arabian
Babbler Turdoides squamiceps favours areas with cover, sometimes in short supply
in this overgrazed land. Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse Pteivcks lichtensteinii can be
encountered an>where in the mountains, but is more reliably seen (or at least
heard) shortly after dusk at a favourite waterhole.

Of the migrants. Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe xanthoptymna (plate 103) and
Small Whitethroat Sylvia rninula are the most common. Less common. Plain Leaf
Warbler — ^looking like a tiny grey Chiffehaff Phylloscopus colly bita — rarely keeps
silent, and can therefore be located by its quiet, though insistent ‘tch, tch, tch....’
call.

Birds of prey are rather scarce in the Emirates. A few pairs of Barbaiy^ Falcons
Falco pelegrinoides nest on the higher crags, while the mountains are also favoured
by migrant Short-toed Eagles Circaetus galliais and Long-legged Buzzards Bnteo
mfintis. 'Hie most interesting raptor in the area is the Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos
tracheliotus. This negevensis dark race can be a real prize if encountered, usually
soaring high, like a giant flying carpet, north and east of A1 Ain.

Deserts and gravel plains

The desert region lies almost entirely to the west of the mountains. It ranges in
width from 20 km in the north to over 1 50 km in the south and west. Inland, Abu
Dhabi emirate consists almost entirely of sand dunes and gravel plains, where
birdlife is very sparse. In tlie northern emirates, the sand desert is punctuated by
groves of trees, Prosopis cineraria, which host Small Whitethroat in winter,
Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais langnida in spring and nesting Yellow-throated
Sparrow from April to August. Open desert is the best place to find Hoopoe Lark
Alaemon alandipes, Desert Warbler and Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti, while file
flat gravel areas betw'een the dunes are favoured by flocks of Black-crowned
Sparrow-larks (plate 98). Brown-necked Raven Corvus mficollis is usually
encountered in the sand-desert areas, particularly inland from Umm al Quwain.

Nearer the mountains, east of a line from Al Ain to Ras al Kliaimah, the sand
dunes give way to a broad gravel plain scattered with Acacia tortilis. This savannah
plain is relatively rich omithologically, particularly close to tlie base of tlie
mountains. Red-tailed Wheatear (mid October to March) and Arabian Babbler are
most likely tliere, while Variable Wheatear Oenanthe picata (of tlie nominate
subspecies) is a scarce winter visitor from late September to February’ and is likely
to be found perched low in a tree at the base of the foothills. 'Ehe picata subspecies
of Variable Wheatear looks superficially like Hume’s Wheatear, but, when directly

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

227

compared, the latter is obviously strong-billed and large-headed, with a shiny black
body and bright-white beUy and back, whereas the smaller Variable looks rather
sooty black (the female is dark brown), and the white belly looks rather dirty in
comparison. Twelve species of wheatear occur in the Emirates and are best
separated in all seasons using Clement & Harris’s excellent identification paper
{Bnt. Birds 80: 137-157, 187-238).

Gardens and agricultural areas

Without the rmgated man-made habitats, many Arabian migrants would probably
not survive the rigours of the desert. The United Arab Emirates’ rulers have
planted tens of thousands of trees in the desert. There are vast grass fields in the
oases and golf-courses and parks in aU the large cities. These sites attract thousands
of migrant birds. AH are imgated by desalinated water or from fast-depleting
prehistoric aquifers beneath the desert.

The well-established agricultural area around Digdaga and Hamraniyah, south of
Ras al Khaimah, has produced more than its fair share of excitement in the last few
years (Richardson 1991). Besides its resident population of hundreds of Indian
Rollers Coracias benghaknsis (plate 99) and Little Green Bee-eaters Merops orientalis,
the area is well known for its ability to draw in migrant birds of prey. Six species of
eagle have been recorded, including Imperial Eagle Aqidla heliaca and Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatus, and both Pallid Circus macrourus and Montagu’s Harriers C.
pygargus are regular from September to March. The most interesting phenomenon
was the number of Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni attracted to the grass fields in
the springs of 1993 and 1994. Numbers reached a peak of 109 in early April 1994,
with most departing by 19fh April (Aspinall 1993, 1994). They were found to be
feeding on caterpillars of the Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli, which were
abundant during those years. Unfortunately, the quality of water pumped from the
wells dropped in late 1994, many fields were abandoned, and Lesser Kestrel
numbers were lower in 1995. The varying ecology of these large fields seems to
appeal to a number of opportunist colonists. The site hosts the country’s only
breeding Spanish Sparrows Passer hispaniolensis (largest flock, of over 300, recorded
in March 1995) and European Rollers Coracias garrulus (Richardson 1990b), while
Bank Mynahs Acridotheres ginginianus take their chances nesting in old wells
between some of the fields. Flocks of over 500 Pale Rock Sparrows Petronia
brachydactyla (plate 107) are recorded there from mid March to early April.

Also regular at cultivations are a number of interesting central Asian subspecies
which occur from September to April. These include ‘Masked’ Pied Wagtail
Motacilla alba personata (plate 104), ‘Siberian’ Common Stonechat Saxicola
torquata maura, ‘Caucasian’ Bluethroat Luscinia svecica magna, ‘Eastern’ Black
Redstart Phoenicurus ochmros phoenicuroides and ‘Steppe’ Great Grey Shrike Lanius
excubitor pallidirostris. The last species is a regular migrant and it is interesting to
compare pallidirostris with the very black-masked local subspecies, aucheri
(Richardson 1989).

The camel race tracks at Al Ain and Al Wathba (Abu Dhabi) are grassed and
irrigated inside the race-track perimeter. These large areas act as magnets for larks,
pipits, wheatears and other tired and hungry migrants. The rare specialities found
there from October to February include Bimaculated Lark Mekmocory>plm

228

Richardson: The United Arab Emirates

Plate 101. Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus, UAE, March 1990 (D. Robinson)

Plate 102. Hume’s Wheatear Oenanthe Plate 103. Red-tailed Wheatear Oaianthe
albonigcr, \] AE, ]anuacry \99S {C. Richardson) xanthopiyrnna, UAE, January- 1990 (D.

Robinson)

Plate 104. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba of race pcrsonata, UAE, FebruarA' 1995 (C. Richaidscvi)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

229

V

Plate 105. Menetries’s Warbler Sylvia mystacea, UAE, March 1990 (A. Chapma}i)

Plate 106. Purple Sunbird Nectannia asiatica, UAE, April 1990 (D. Robinson). Wcry common
breeding resident.

Plate 107. Pale Rock Sparrows Petronia brachydactyla, UAE, April 1994 (D. Robinson)

230

Richardson: The United Arab Emirates

bi>naailaia, Oriental Lark Alauda gulgula and Blyth’s Pipit Anthus godlewskn (James
1994). Between 08.00 and 09.30 hours throughout the year, flocks of up to 200
Chesmut-beUied Sandgrouse (plate 97) arrive, and by mid morning from
September to March half-a-dozen Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers can often be seen
foraging over the fields, providing opportunities to study the different ‘face’ and
wing patterns (Hirschfeld & Richardson 1992). SmaH groups of Cream-coloured
Coursers Cursoniis amor (plate 94) are attracted to the A1 Ain camel track in
autumn and winter, while Caspian Plover Charadriiis asiaticus and Long-toed Stint
Calidris siibminuta can occur between August and October. Since 1993, the nearby
plantations at A1 Wathba have regularly attracted small groups of Grey Hypocolius
Hypocolius afnpelinus (plate 101) in November and March. Numbers reached 60
or more throughout most of March 1994 and 1995, while up to ten have been
seen together on several occasions in November. As the fruit trees mature, it is
expected that this may become a regular stopover site for this enigmatic species.

Striated Scops Owl Otus bmcei occurs only 1 5 minutes’ drive from the centre of
Dubai. Several pairs nest in Mushrif National Park, and individuals can sometimes
be seen after sunset, feeding under spotlights near one of the leisure centres. At least
one pair of Pharaoh Eagle Owls Bubo ascalaphus nests on the rocky outcrop at Qam
Nazwa. A trip there at sunset can be rewarded by a pair calling from the summit,
just visible in silhouette against the glow from a nearby oilfield flare.

Late autumn is the traditional time for Siberian and other vagrants, and the
parks and gardens of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the best places to find them. Such
interesting species as Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum, Pintail Snipe
Gallinago stenura, Lesser Noddy A}wus lenuirostris, White-throated Bee-eater
Merops albicollis. Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus. Dusky Warbler
Phylloscopus fuscatus, Radde’s Warbler P. schwarzi and Chesmut-breasted Bunting
Ernberiza steward have been recorded in October-November (Richardson & Pitt
1990; Bannon & Richardson 1993; James 1993a, 1993b; Richardson 1993). In
1991, it was estimated that at least a further 50 species were likely to occur in the
UAE (Richardson & Bannon 1991b), and in the subsequent five years no fewer
than 20 of them have been reliably reported: testimony to the amazing potential of
the region for new discoveries to be made.

References

Aspinall, S. 1993. Spring migration of Lesser Kestrel. Emirates Bird Report 17: 47-48.

1994. Spring migration of Lesser Kestrel through the UAE and nortliem Oman in 1994.

Emirates Bird Report 18; 96-99.

& Richardson, C. 1994. Asian Waterfowl Census 1994. Emirates Bird Report 18; 1 17-123.

Bannon, J. K., & Richardson, C. 1993. White-capped Buntings Ernberiza steward in the United
Arab Emirates. Emirates Bird Report 17: 3-5.

Clement, P., & Harris, A. 1987. Field identification of West Palearctic wheatears. Brit. Birds
80: 137-157, 187-238.

Hirschht.d, E. 1994. On the status of Booted Warbler in the UAE. Emirates Bird Rep. 18: 100-104.

& Richardson, C. 1992. Distribution of harriers {Circus pygargushnacroums) in Arabia and

their identification in subadult, juvenile and female plumages. Tnbulus 2(2): 8-10.

Howe, S. 1989. Socotran Cormorant {Phalacrocorax uigrogularis) breeding in the UAE. Emirates
Natural History Group Btdletin 37: 20-22.

James, S. L. 1993a. Dusky Warbler in Bateen Wood, Abu Dhabi. Eriuratcs Bird Rep. 17: 51-52.

1993b. The occurrence of Forest Wagtail in the United Arab Emirates. Emirates Bird Rep.

17: 58-59.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

231

1994. The Blyth’s Pipit story. Emirates Bird Rep. 18: 110-112.

Richardson, C. (compiler) 1987-93. Emirates Bird Reports 1-18.

1988. Sites of interest: The Masafi Area, UAE. Phoenix 5: 7-8.

1989. Status of Great Grey Shrike Lanins excubitor in the UAE. Emirates Natural Elistory
Group Bulletin 38: 2-6.

1990a. The Birds of the United Arab Emirates. Warrington & Dubai.

1990b. New breeding species: European RoUer Coracias garrulus. Phoenix 6: 2.

1991. Sites of interest: Digdaga and Hamraniyah, United Arab Emirates. Phoenix 8: 12-13.

& Aspinall, S. 1996. A Checklist of the Birds of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai.

& Bannon, J. K. 1991a. Notes on identification of non-breeding Indian Pond Heron Ardeola
grayii in the UAE. Emirates Bird Report 15: 34-35.

& 1991b. Prospective new bird species for the UAE. Tribulus 1(1): 9-13.

& Chapman, J. A. D. 1988. Migration patterns through Dubai 1984-88. Sandgrouse 10: 71-

80.

& Pitt, M. 1990. Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura at the fish farm, a first for Dubai. Gazelle

5(11): 4.

Uttley, j. D., Thomas, C. J., Green, M. G., Suddaby, D., & Platt, J. B. 1988. The autumn
migration of waders and other waterbirds through the northern United Arab Emirates.
Sandgrouse 10: 58-70.

Colin Richardson, PO Box 50394, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A joint British Birds-SUNBIRD trip to the United Arab Emirates, led by Paul Holt
and Colin Richardson, will take place during 27th November to 8th December
1996. Until 1st October 1996, bookings will be accepted only from British Birds
subscribers, who also qualify for a 10% discount on the full price. For details,
contact SUNBIRD, PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 IDF; phone Sandy
(01767) 682969) fax Sandy (01767) 692481.

Publication with this paper of plates 91-107 in colour has been subsidised by a
donation from the bird-tour company SUNBIRD.

REQUESTS

Photographs of 1995 rarities needed

Colour prints, black-and-white prints and colour transparencies are needed to illustrate the
Rarities Committee’s next report. Please send prints or slides (as soon as possible) to Mrs Sheila
Cobban, British Birds, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford mk44 3NJ. We rely on readers’
help, so that we can include the best possible selection.

Photo requirements

For fumre features in British Birds, we seek colour transparencies, colour prints or black-and-
white prints of the following:

Monk Vulture Aegypius monachus (in flight
from below)

Large falcons Ealco (Lanner E. biannicus,
Saker F. cherrug, Gyr F. rusticolus, Peregrine
F. peregrinus and Barbary F. pelegrinoides)

Please send transparencies or prints to Mrs
Lane, Blunham, Bedford mk44 3NJ.

Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos synacus
Cedar Waxwing Bornbycilla cedrorum (adult)
Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
All 1995 rarities (see previous Request)

Sheila Cobban, British Birds, Fountains, Park

FROM THE RARITIES
COMMITTEE’S FILES

With the removal from the British’*& Irish List by the BOU
Records Committee of three records of White-winged Lark
Melanocoiypha leucoptera, all from the period before the formation
of the British Birds Rarities Committee in 1958 (1917, 1933 and
1955), just two records now remain fully accepted. Details of the
first, in East Sussex in 1869, were published recently {Brit. Birds 88: 367-368,
plate 101). The second, on the basis of which the species is included in Category
A, was documented in the county report (Lines 1987), but — since, at the time, it
was regarded only as the fifth British record — details were not published in British
Birds. To rectify that, the descriptions and drawings submitted to the BBRC are
now reproduced here (with only minimal subediting).

White-winged Lark in Norfolk

Si’EClliS White-winged Lark.

DATES AND TIMES OH OBSERVATION 22.10.81 (JL) and 24.10.81 GAWM).

RACE King’s Lynn Sugar Beet Factory, Norfolk.

OBSERVERS Dr John Lines and John A. W. Moyes. First found and first identified by JL.
ORHicAl. AIDS 12X50 Pentax.

DISTANCE FROM BIRD 20-30 yards.

specih:s PRiiSENT FOR COMPARISON ALONGSIDE Sky Lark Alauda arvensis.

PRI-VIOUS I-Xl^I-RIENCE OF THE SPECIES Nil.

wiiATHER NOTES 22.10.81; wind northerly, force blustery; light conditions good; visibility good;
cloud cover light.

The bird was first noticed in flight at 13.55 GM'f on 22nd October, when flushed
off open rough ground with Sky Larks, the general pallor of the bird and striking
white wing-bars immediately noticed. Subsequently seen on the ground on three
occasions at a range of 20-30 yards for several minutes at a time, and again in
flight on three occasions before finally being lost to view.

When seen on the ground, the heavier, stouter bill was very noticeable. No
crest present. There was a prominent white superciliary eye-stripe and dark eye.
The crown was a rich rufous brown, slightly less rich on the neck and back; how-
ever, the wing-coverts were a similar rich tone. The scapular feathers were light
brown, having dark shafts and dark subterminal patches. [Letter subsequently
noted that ‘Wing-coverts brown; primary coverts rich rufous brown similar in
quality to the crown, the other coverts less rich.’]

There was slight rufous streaking on the sides of the breast and flanks which
were otherwise white. The overall length of the bird appeared to be the same as
a Sky Lark (i.e. c. 7 inches [c. 18 cm]), but the tail was relatively short, the outer
feathers being white. In flight, the white secondary feathers were ver>’ striking, as
were the white underwing-coverts, and the outer web of the second primary was
noticeably white.

The bird was observed on the ground with the Sky I.arks, and seemed more
timid than they. Also it did not seem readily tolerated by the [otlier] larks, who
appeared not to like it feeding too close.

ZEISS

232

[Brit. Birds 89: 232-234, May 1996) © British Birds Ltd 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

233

The bird was first seen on 22nd by JL, who informed JAWM, who subse-
quently saw the bird on 24th. On both occasions, only one observer was present.

The following notes were supplied by JAWM:

‘White-wmged Lark, King’s Lynn Sugar-Beet Factory on 24th October 1982.

About the size of Sky Lark, but with shorter tail. Looked pale in comparison
with Sky Lark. Jizz, and general behaviour much as Calandra Lark M. calandra
(a species with which I am familiar). Bill intermediate in size, between Sky Lark
and Calandra. Crown, nape and hind neck light rufous brown, back pale brown,
the dark brown shafts and distal tips to individual mantle feathers noticeable at
15 yards distance. AH wing-coverts tinged rufous, being strongest on the prima-
ry coverts and palest on the secondary coverts. The lesser and median coverts
mtermediate in hue between the two extremes, thus creating a reddish patch on
the folded wing. The white bar on the secondary flight feathers was partly visible
when the bird was on the ground feeding, becoming much more noticeable when
in flight. The white outer web to the second primary was also visible on the fly-
ing bird at a range of 10-15 yards. The white underwing linings from the axiUaries
to the wrist (carpal joint) was separated from the dull white area on the under-
side of the secondaries by a band of brown which extended to and merged with
a slightly Lighter shade of brown on the underside of the primaries, thus forming
a unique underwing pattern visible when the bird flew overhead. Sides of neck
and breast Light reddish-buff becoming paier towards the flanks, with sides of the
breast indistinctly streaked brown. Throat, central breast and belly white. Sky
Larks displayed an aggressive tendency towards the White-winged Lark, not tol-
erating a close presence even when in flight.

Bill thick, as Calandra. Well
defined superciliary eye-stripe.

White outer w

primary conspicuous when in flight.

[Drawing shows inner web of

outermost primary white.] lift- b

Fig. 1. White-winged Lark Melanocorypha leucoptera, Norfolk, 24th October 1981 (J. A. W.
Moyes, from field sketches)

Underparts wl
Sides of breas
with a few brc

Underwing
showing
distinctive
w'hite coverts.

234

Lines & Moyes: White-winged Lark in Norfolk

‘The bird was under observation by me for about 30 minutes in good light and
at a closest range of 10 yards using 10X40B Dialyt binoculars.’

EDITORIAL COMMENT The above accounts constitute the documentary evidence
assessed by the two committees.

Although this bird, which stayed for at least three days, was seen only by two
observers, it was accepted (by a vote of 9:1) by the BBRC in 1986 {Brit. Birds
79: 561). Earlier circulations to the Committee, in 1982 and 1984, had been
inconclusive since, at those times, only one member of the Committee had had
any field experience of White-winged Lark (by 1 986, three members were thor-
oughly familiar with the species) . When reviewed by the BOURC in 1 992, it was
accepted unanimously {Ibis 135: 496; Brit. Birds 88: 365-371).

The detailed description of some plumage features compared with the absence
of observation of some others created discussion within both committees. For
example, although Steve Madge commented ‘I found the white outermost pri-
mary very difficult to see in the field [in the USSR in June 1992], but perhaps
June birds are very worn, making this less evident’, and Iain Robertson com-
mented ‘The white outer web to the 2nd (outermost) primary was not seen at all
in the field [in Kazakhstan in June 1 983] and does not show up on any of the
slides’, Peter Colston had advised the BBRC {in litt., March 1982) that ‘The
white 2nd primary is often quite conspicuous and would show in the folded wing
at rest and probably also in flight.’

Reference

Lines, J. 1987. White-winged Lark: a bird new to Norfolk. Norfolk Bird & Mammal Rep. 1 986:

416-417.

NOTES

Bill length and bill shape of Semipalmated Sandpiper
It is well known that Semipalmated Sandpipers Calidris pusilla and Western
Sandpipers C. mauri are difficult to separate, particularly when in winter (basic)
plumage, in part because of the great variability in bill length of Semipalmated.
The range in bill length is, however, even greater than is generally reported. As
examples. Cramp & Simmons (1983) gave a range of 16.6-22.8 mm for bill
length of Semipalmated Sandpiper, and 21.7-27.8 mm for Western, while
Hayman et al. (1986) gave a range of 15-23 mm for Semipalmated and 21-30
mm for Western.

During my three years of participation in Manomet Bird Obser\^atory’s shore-
bird research programme, during 1971-73, we banded (ringed) thousands of
Semipalmated Sandpipers at Plymouth Beach along the soutlieastern coast of

[Brit. Birds 89; 234-237, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

235

Fig. 1. Extremes of bill length of Semipalmated Sandpipers Calidris piisilla (top two: left,
15.5 mm; right 25 mm) compared with a Western Sandpiper C. mauri (25 mm). Traced
from photographs of individuals mist-netted in Massachusetts, USA (see text).

Massachusetts. They occur there on passage, mostly during the months of May
to October. The bill lengths (exposed culmen) ranged from 15.5 to 25.0 mm.
The average bill length was about 20.5 mm, with approximately 1:100 or
1:200 having a bill as long as 25 mm. The line-drawings (fig. 1), traced from
photographs of mist-netted birds, illustrate the extremes of bill length that we
encountered.

In this same period, we netted only one Western Sandpiper, a juvenile, also
shown in fig. 1. As can be seen, a long-billed Semipalmated Sandpiper can on
occasion show considerably more decurvature of the biQ than a Western
Sandpiper with approximately the same bill length.

Paul K. Donahue

PO Box 554, Machias, Maine 04654, USA
References

Cramp, S., & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds.) 1983. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. vol. 3. Oxford.
Hayman, P., Marchant, J., & Prater, T. 1986. Shorebirds — an identification guide. London.

EDITORIAL COMMENT Dr R. J. Chandler has commented: ‘The bill shape of the
Western Sandpiper shown in fig. 1 is not entirely typical of that species, being
straighter than is usually the case. It is also worth noting that it has long been
recognised that “eastern” Semipalmated Sandpipers can be rather long-billed
(see, for examples, BWP), and the birds described here were doubtless from this
population. This Note is of particular relevance to the rather long-billed
Semipalmated Sandpiper that occurred at Felixstowe, Suffolk, in 1 982 {Brit. Birds
79: 545, 609-621; 82: 375-380).’

Orientation of Sky Lark in field

In April-August 1992, during a comparative study of the feeding ecology of the
Sky Lark Alauda arvensis in arable land near Wimbome St Giles, Dorset, and near

236

Notes

Fordingbridge, Hampshire, I located nests by observing the adults’ activities. For
practical reasons, two or three sticks, each with a yellow tag at the top, were used
as reference markers, these being moved several metres every 20-30 minutes in
order gradually to encircle the site of a nest. When the sticks’ positions were
moved as frequently as this, the larks’ time of approach before descending to the
nest was not affected, nor was it when I approached the nest without moving the
stick(s); the larks would usually fly directly to the site of the nest, hover above it
for a few seconds, and then descend to deliver food. By contrast, moving the
sticks after they had been in the same position for several hours (e.g. overnight)
resulted in a much longer approach time: the larks could take 10-35 minutes to
find their nest, all the while carrying the same food package in their bill (a
similar effect was observed when a grass field was mowed).

The observations showed that the larks used the stick(s) as reference points
for the position of the nest in the field, thereby indicating that the Sky Lark is
able to recognise features in the field and to use these as markers for orientation.
If less-prominent features, such as the colour mosaic (different crop densities,
pattern of weeds present) and topographical differences, can also be perceived,
remembered and recognised later, this could explain reports that Sky Larks have
returned to the same field, and in some cases established territory at the same site,
year after year.

John Grynderup Pouinen

Game Conservancy Trust, Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 lEF

EDITORIAL COMMENT In Contrast, the inability of some species to distinguish
between near-identical reference points has been demonstrated by multiple-
nest-building behaviour (e.g. by Blackbird Turdus memla in a stack of lobster
creels, Brit. Birds 42: 183-184).

Phylloscopus warbler persistently following Northern Wheatear
On 30th August 1992, at Grune Point, Cumbria, my son Paul and I flushed a
Northern Wheatear Oerianthe oenanthe from the beach. It flew to perch on a nearby
bush, closely followed by a smaller bird which landed about 1 m from it. I was
surprised to see through my telescope that the smaller bird was a Phylloscopus
warbler. For the next two minutes or so, the wheatear flew short distances to
other bushes and, once, back to the beach; each time, the warbler followed and
landed behind it (even on the beach), remaining constantly at a distance of about
1 m behind. When the wheatear landed in a bush, it always perched at the very
top; the warbler would perch within the bush, and it always flew off immediately
the wheatear did. On one occasion, the wheatear attempted, unsuccessfully, to
drive off the smaller bird. The two finally disappeared near the Point, and on
reaching this area we found several Northern Wheatears feeding on a patch of
grass and a Chiffchaff P. collybita feeding in some bushes, but no sign of any
association between them. I cannot be certain that the Chiffchaff was the same
bird as we had earlier seen associating with the wheatear, but we found no other
Phylloscopus warbler in the area.

John Headon

6 Holland Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 2PQ

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

237

EDITORIAL COMMENT Derek Goodwin has commented: ‘Could it be that, in
places where cover is scarce (such as desert stopovers on migration), a warbler
might be safer if it kept near the only other smallish bird, in this case the
wheatear? Four eyes are better than two, and, if a Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus or
other predator came near, there would be a 50% chance that it would go for the
other potential prey. Previous notes have recorded Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata
associating with Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata (Brit. Birds 68: 196-202;
71: 181-183; 86: 185-186), Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata with Finsch’s
Wheatear O. finschii (Brit. Birds 83: 72-73) and with Desert Wheatear O. deserti
and Spotted Sandgrouse Pterodes senegallus (Sandgrouse 3: 57), and Northern
Wheatear with Corn Crake Crex crex (Brit. Birds 88: 297). While at least some
of these instances involved feeding associations, whereby one bird took advantage
of food disturbed by the other’s activities, P. A. Amies (Brit. Birds 83: 72-73) sug-
gested that in some cases a species may benefit from the greater vigilance of the
other (which would give warning of any approaching predator), a view put for-
ward earlier by Dr C. J. Bibby (Brit. Birds 71: 183) and expanded upon (above)
by Derek Goodwin.

‘The Famous Grouse’ Scotch whisky
Christmas puzzle: the solution

The Christmas 1995 puzzle (page xi in December’s issue) attracted
the greatest-ever number of entries.

The answers to the five questions were; 1. BRAMBLING (a ‘b-
rambling’ finch, not an ‘a-hopping’ finch). 2. TWITCHES (‘itch’
inside an anagram of west). 3. SANDGROUSE (minus sand plus
famous gives Famous Grouse; Pallas’s Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes para-
doxus has bred in Britain). 4. ROLLER. 5. VIREOS (anagram of
souvenirs minus sun). Transferring the appropriate letters gave the
expert’s answer.

The three winners, whose entries were drawn from all the postcards
received, are Jorg Hadasch (Herford, Germany), John Jones (Yelverton, Devon) and C. D. Taylor
(Crowthome, Berkshire), each of whom will receive a bottle of The Famous Grouse Scotch whisky.

LETTERS

Summer feeding of garden birds

In October ‘News and comment’ {Brit. Birds 88: 489), Shelley Hinsley’s letter in
the Nezo Scientist about feeding peanuts in the summer was quoted. Readers may
feel that this reference indicated the wholesale death of nestling tits Pams
nationwide through choking on peanuts. In fact, the letter reported three dead
chicks dissected which had a gut blockage caused by peanuts. These three birds
had caterpillars spilling out of their beaks which had been fed to them after the
peanut pieces.

I think that the feeding regime of tits, and other birds, is so well controlled that
it is almost inconceivable that a parent bird will feed its offspring unsuitable food,
if suitable food is available. After all, the male feeds the female snail shells to help
her calcium intake whilst she is laying the clutch. In the case of these chicks, I
would imagine that the caterpillars were in short supply when the peanut pieces
were fed to them — possibly following heavy rain, when insect larvae are washed
from the trees. It takes them about 48 hours to regain their position on the leaves
and, through this period, the dts may have had to resort to peanuts.

Shelley Hinsley suggested that people should feed other, softer foods during the
summer and not peanuts, even behind wire mesh. This was because squirrel
damage to feeders might allow big lumps to be extracted. She did not suggest that
summer feeding was not a good thing. I am sure that it is, as the garden
environment is not an ideal habitat for birds. Often there is a dearth of native
plants, particularly the forest trees that tits have evolved to depend upon. Even
the garden flowers and vegetables may be kept free of insects by the use of
pesticides, and they are often removed before setting seed.

Summer feeding serves to redress the balance and can be very useful for the
birds. In my own garden, peanuts are taken by the adult tits, from behind secure
mesh, all through the breeding season. Late nestlings (from about day 10) seem
to be fed a few pieces, but the birds are able to find food from the native trees in
the garden to make up the majority of their food. Greenfinches Carduelis chloris
and Chaffinches Fringilla coelebs flock to take the black sunflower seeds from
hanging feeders (and from underneath them) through the whole summer. The
young Greenfinches seem to be brought to the feeders up to a fortnight earlier
than the time at which the literature suggests they should have fledged.

The data from ringing show a peak in recoveries during the spring and early
summer. Indeed, April and May are obviously months of low food supply, as the
insects are not yet breeding and no new plant seed is. yet available. Far from a
safer message being ‘Do not feed birds during the breeding season’, it should be
‘If you feed the birds during the winter, continue through spring and into
summer — rather than abandoning them just when they have the new generation
to bring up.’

Chris Mead

The Nunnery, Hilborough, Thetford, Norfolk IP26 5BW

238

[Bril. Birds 89: 2.'(8-240, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

239

Summer feeding of garden birds

I feed the birds in my garden throughout the year, replenishing up to three times
daily, exclusively with sunflower seeds, and a fat supplement in winter. So far as
tits Pams are concerned, many visit the feeding stations, but these visits stop
completely once breeding starts, recommencing after the young have fledged,
when the juveniles as well as adults enjoy the seeds.

Patrick Nash

Niederrheinstr. 7, 40474 Diisseldorf, Germany

Summer feeding of garden birds

The debate about whether to feed birds during the breeding season continues
{Brit. Birds 88: 489). Some nestling tits Pams choke to death on peanuts (although
there is no correlation with the amount of artificial food fed to a brood and nestling
mortality: Cowie & Hinsley 1988a). Artificial feeding could also harm birds if it
increased their risk of predation, parasitism or disease, as might be expected if a
feeder attracted birds to the same site over a long period. A recent study
concluded, however, that feeders did ‘not appear to expose birds to a higher risk
of predation’ (Dunn & TessagUa 1994). It remains unclear whether the number
of birds killed by summer feeding exceeds the number surviving because of it.

The benefits of summer feeding to Greenfinches Carduelis chloris seem to be
substantial. We studied Greenfinches nesting on the University of Sussex campus
during 1988-90 (Eley 1991). Sunflower seeds (with peanuts and hemp in 1988)
were provided daily in plastic seed trays, placed on the ground at one (1990) or
three sites (1988-89). Greenfinches often nested close to the feeders. In 1989, we
moved the trays distances of 280-490 m, at seven-week intervals, and many
individuals followed these movements. For example, the females paired with 1 1
colour-ringed males always built their nests within 100 m of an active feeder
(mean distance per male used if more than one nest per seven-week period).

Nestlings hatching within 100 m of a feeder were heavier at five or six days
than those hatching farther away.' Heavy broods were more likely to produce
recruits into the local breeding population.^ The diet of nestling Greenfinches can
be inspected through the translucent crop wall (Newton 1972; for agreement with
analysis of faeces from the same chick, see Eley 1991). Very few broods (4%, n
= 71), and only four chicks, had sunflower seeds in their crops when weighed.
We never saw peanuts in the crops of chicks less than 12 days old. Sampling of
older chicks suggested that sunflower seeds were regularly fed to chicks only when
they were more than ten days old (100% of eight broods). The impact of artificial
feeding on chick weight, therefore, seems to have acted indirectly via their parents’
ability to collect natural foods.

Our Greenfinches were regularly polygynous (24% of 769 nests; details in
Cramp & Perrins 1994). The nests of polygynous males were significantly closer
to feeders than those of monogamous males.^ Indeed, over half (55%, n = 183)

1. Mean chick weight for close broods = 13.8 g, n = 55; mean for distant broods = 12.2 g, n =
69; Mann-Whitney test, P <0.001.

2. Spearman rank correlation between brood weight and proportion of brood recruited: r =
+0.336, n = 124, P <0.001.

3. Mean distance was used if male had more than one nest: mean for polygyny = 95 m, n = 34;
mean for monogamy = 235 m, n = 200; Mann-Whimey tests for each year, P <0.05.

240

Letters

of the nests involving polyg>^ny were within 100 m of a feeder, although some
were at least 1 .3 km away. Since the number of young fledged per nest was only
slightly lower for polygynous males, ^ it is likely that polygymous males benefited
substantially from the provision of extra food.

Other studies have shown that artificial feeding during the breeding season can
advance laying date (e.g. Blue Tits Pams caemleus: ,SvQr\s,s>on & Nilsson 1995),
increase clutch size (e.g. Magpies Pica pica: Hogstedt 1981) and increase the
number of young fledged (e.g. Carrion Crows Cowus corone: Richner 1992).
These benefits seem to be better documented than fears about the costs of
artificial feeding, tragic though these may be in individual circumstances.

Many householders feed birds during the summer (52% in a sur\'ey by Cowie
& Hinsley 1988b), and it would seem naive to tr\' to prevent them (as suggested
in Brit. Birds 88: 489). A simple rule to prevent nestlings choking to death on
peanuts, and which avoids all ambiguity about when peanuts are dangerous, is
‘Never feed loose peanuts’.

David G. C. Mariner and Caroune Eley

School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Falrner, Brighton, East Sussex
BNl 9QG

References

CowiK, R. J., & Hinsi-HY, S. a. 1988a. Feeding ecolog>^ of Great Tits (Pams major) and Blue
Tits (Pams caemleiis) breeding in suburban gardens. J. Anitii. Ecol 57: 611-626.

& 1988b. The provision of food and use of bird feeders in suburban gardens. Bird

Study 35: 163-168.

Cramp, S., & Pi-rrins, C. M. (eds.) 1994. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. vol. 8. Oxford.
Dunn, E. H., & Ti-ssagi,la, D. L. 1994. Predation of birds at feeders in winter. J. Field Omithol.
65: 8-16.

Ei.hy, C. C. 1991. Status signalling in the Western Greenfinch Carduelis chbris. DPhil thesis.
University of Sussex.

HOgs ted t, G. 1981. Effect of additional food on reproductive success in the Magpie (Pica pica).

J. Anim. Ecol. 50: 219-229.

Newpon, I. 1972. Finches. London.

Richner, H. 1992. 'Fhe effect of extra food on fitness in breeding Carrion Crows. Ecology 73:
330-335.

SvENSSON, E., & N11.SSON, J. A. 1995. Food supply, territory quality and reproductive timing in
the Blue I’it (Pams caemleus). Ecology 76: 1804-1812.

Aberrant song of Common Whitethroat

M. Tulloch and F. J. Roberts (Brit. Birds 88: 425) asked whether aberrant songs
of Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis are innate or learned. On 25th April
1948, in Bruern Woods, Oxfordshire, I heard one singing a longer song than
usual, the latter part of which was similar to that of a Garden Warbler 5". borin,
one of which was singing nearby. I also heard a Common Whitethroat witli a sim-
ilar song not far off later in the day. The examples cited in BWP show that some,
perhaps most, of the aberrant songs of the species are mimetic. It is of some
interest, however, that the majority of these phrases incorporated into normal
song appear to be mimicked from other Sylvia species.

Richard S. R. Eitter

Drifts, Chinnor Hill, Chinnor, Oxfordshire 0X9 4BS

4. 3.21, n = 14 males, compared witli 3.88, n = 55 monogamous males; Mann-yC'hiinev lest, P
<0.05.

NEWS AND COMMENT

Compiled by Wendy Dickson and Bob Scott

Opinions expressed in this feature are not necessarily those of ‘British Birds’

Of partridges, pheasants and
White-headed Ducks

Whatever your views may be on the ethics of releasing birds for shooting, it is an
extremely widespread practice that has implications for the avifauna of widely
dispersed geographical areas. We have heard it claimed that, with the UK population
of Grey Partridge Perdix perdix having suffered a decline of some 82% in the last 25
years, the rearing and release of the species will assist the declining ‘stocks’.
Regrettably, this course of action takes no account of the reasons for the decline.

Rearing and releasing of a range of game-bird species have had an adverse
effect in several areas. It is now illegal to release Chukar Partridges Alectoris chukar
or Chukar hybrids in the UK, but the damage may well have been done. There
must be plenty of birders who have stared at Red-legged Partridges A. rufa and
wondered. Are the lores white? Is the breast streaked and, if so, how much? Just
how close are the flank bars? It is still possible to find pure Red-legged Partridges
in the UK — although, of course, they also were introduced here, originally in the
late 1700s. News has just reached us from Spain, where the species is indigenous,
that, as a result of Chukar Partridge releases, there are now no pure Red-legged
Partridges left in Spain. The result is that two quite distinct geographical races,
A. r. hispanica (northern Spain and Portugal) and A. r. intercedens (southern
Spain), have been lost forever. A unique genetic resource and a little more
European biodiversity lost.

But this is not the end of the Spanish part of the story. The Grey Partridge has
also been released quite widely in Spain and, once more, a unique subspecies has
disappeared. P. p. hispaniensis was confined to the Pyrenees and Cantabrian
mountains. Augmentation of the population by ‘stock’ from elsewhere in Europe
has resulted in the complete elimination of hispaniensis.

On a recent visit to Italy, we were impressed with how every male Common
Pheasant Phasianus colchicus appeared to be identical — all supporting a bright
clean white neck ring and apparently of the race torquatus. If releases are
continuing in the Emilia Romagna region, there appears to be little evidence of
genetic mixing — unlike the poor old UK, where your guess is as good as ours as
to just which subspecies of Common Pheasant is on the daily checklist. What a
pity that Man insists on interfering.

It is perhaps ironic that two subspecies, unique genetic resources, have been
lost in Spain in recent years without a murmur from the conservation movement.
Yet now we are investing many thousands of pounds in what may prove to be a
futile attempt to save the White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala — a population
that is not unique — in the same country.

[Bril. Birds 89: 241-246, May 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

241

242

News and comment

British Birdwatching Fair 1996

The proceeds from this year’s British
Birdwatching Fair will be going to support a
BirdLife International project in Viemam,
where it is hoped to establish the Ke Go Nature
Reser\’e, an area covering 24,800 ha in the
Annamese lowlands of central Viemam. A
biodiversity hotspot, it forms part of the largest
remaining area of broad-leaved evergreen forest
in the counttyt First and foremost, it is home to
the critically endangered Viemamese Pheasant
Lophura hamihemis, which was discovered only
in 1964 and about which little is known. In

addition, the reser\^e hosts 270 bird species, ten
of which are globally threatened, 47 mammal
species, including Crested Gibbons Hylobaies
concolor and the recently described Giant
Muntjac Aiegamimtiaciis vuqmnghensis, and
567 species"*of plants. This diversity' of Ufe is
one of the reasons why Ke Go was selected for
this year’s project.

'Fhe 1996 Fair will take place at Rudand
Water on 16th- 18th August. Do support it if
you can.

First EOU meeting postponed

The First Meeting of the European
Ornithological Union, planned for Bologna in
August 1996, has been postponed to August
1997. For details, apply to Dr Fernando
Spina, Organising Secretary', Istituto Nazionale
per la Fauna Selvadca, Via Ca’ Fomacetta 9,
40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italia (tel. +39 5 1
65 12 111; fax +39 51 79 66 28).

Contributions for BOU
Conference

'Fhe BOU Autumn Conference 1997 (to be
held in conjuncdon with the Northern Ireland
Office of the RSPB) will take place in the
peace and tranquillity of Stranmillis College in
suburban south Belfast during 5th-6th
September, on the topic of ‘Birds: their science
and conservation’. If you have something
interesting to contribute, either as a talk or as a
poster, please contact the conference organiser:
Dr Julian G. Greenwood, Science Department,
Stranmillis College, Belfast, in'9 sdy; tel: 01232
384264; fax: 01232 664423.

Birds of Algeria

An annotated check-list of the birds of Algeria
is nearing completion. Anyone with important
unpublished data on the birds of this country is
invited to send them to the French co-
author. {Paul Isenmann, CEFE/CNRS, BP
5051, F-34033 Montpellier, France; Aissa Moali,
Insiitut de Biologic, Universite, DZ- 15000 Tizi
Ouzou, Algeria)

Cyprus Breeding Atlas

A breeding-bird atlas project has started in
Cyprus. Anyone interested in obtaining the
record sheet witii instructions or more informa-
tion on the project should contact David
WTialey and Judy Dawes, Armou, Paphos 8522,
Cyprus; phone 06 249788; fax 06 249787.

Bursaries for young wildlife
artists

The Bursary Scheme, run by Lloyds Private
Banking in conjunction with the Society of
Wildlife Artists, was established in 1993. It
encourages young artists aged between 1 5 and
25 by financing a drawing or painting project,
training or field trip. The 1995 award winners
w’ere Karen Dobbs of the West Midlands

(23) , Lauren Dorman of London (23),
Jacqueline King of London (21), Richard
Pitman of Avon (24), and Nik Pollard of Kent

(24) .

Five bursaries will again be awarded in
1996 and each award can be up to £500. The
1 996 Bursary winners will see their work dis-
played at the Society of Wildlife Artists
Exhibition in 1997.

Application forms are available from the
Society of Wildlife Artists, 1 7 Carlton House
Terrace, London swiY sitD, The closing date
for 1996 entries is 7th June 1996.

Of bypasses and SSSIs

It all seems ironic that, at the time of writing,
the battle over the New'bury bypass continues
and Sites of Special Scientific Interest arc
threatened with at best damage and at worst
total loss. They are presumably owned by
private individuals who are happy to see this
course of events, or perhaps tiiere has been
some compulsory' purchase? It does not really
matter, but we have heard of at least one case
elsewhere in the country' where a highw'ays
authority has spent considerable sums of
money diverting a motorway link road around
a piece of land owned by a national
conseiwation organisation — even though the
land w’as of no conservation importance. It
w'ould appear tiiat ownership by tire right
body is more important in the eye of the
developer than the wildlife value of the land.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

243

HarperCollins a winner

The highly respected annual Natural World
Book of the Year Award has been won by
European Mammals: evolution and behaviour by
David Macdonald, published by HarperCollins
at £14.99. Judges’ quotes in the winter issue of
The Wildlife Trusts’ magazine Natural World
included ‘The best book I’ve read since becom-
ing involved in the competition’ and
‘Inspirational writing’.

Runners-up, all ‘Highly commended’, were
Collins Pocket Guide: Birds of Britain and Europe
by Hermann Heinzel, Richard Fitter & John
Parslow (another HarperCollins, price £9.99,
reviewed in Brit. Birds 88; 373), Collins Eield

Guide: Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe by
Michael Roberts (a third HarperCollins suc-
cess, price £14.99), Portrait of Wildlife on a Hill
Farm by Anne McBride & Tony Pearce, illus-
trated by Darren Rees (published by Whittet at
£25.00, reviewed in Brit. Birds 88: 566) and
Forest and Woodland Trees in Britain by John
White (published by OUP at £19.99).

Wherever you live in the UK, there is a
Wildlife Trust near you. Membership is £16
p.a. (cheques to RSNC). To join or for more
information, write to the Wildlife Trusts,
Witham Park, Waterside South, Lincoln ln5
7JR.

HarperCollins prize for young photographer

The famous natural-history publisher
HarperCollins, former co-sponsor of Bird
Photograph of the Year, has continued to pro-
vide book prizes worth £25 for each of the top
three BPY photographers.

This year, HarperCollins will also donate a
prize of £ 100-worth of HarperCollins bird
books for the top-placed photographer aged
under 22 years.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust Annual Review

The Annual Review 1 994-1 995 of the Norfolk
Wildlife Trust has recentiy been published.
While being an overview of its work and
reserve management for all wildlife, it is
inevitable in such a bird-rich county, with
reserves bearing such legendary names as Cley
Marshes, Scolt Head and Holme Dunes, that
much of the information relates to the
feathered department. Thus, we read of the
first breeding record in the Cley reedbed of
Marsh Harriers Circus aeniginosus, while tree-
felling on 25 acres (10 ha) of neglected heath
at East Wretham benefited such species as
Wood Lark Lullula arborea, European Nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeus and Northern

Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe. But it is also
excellent to hear that a project at Thompson
Common has been completed to prevent the
disappearance of the Scarce Emerald
Damselfly Lestes dryas, once thought to be
extinct in Britain, but rediscovered in 1983
and now surviving at only a handful of UK
sites. A map on the back cover shows the
location of reserves, though for non-Norfolk
residents who might visit the county
occasionaOy the addition of a few key place-
names would have been helpful, as would the
address of the Trust office to which to write
for copies of the Review or further
information (tel. 01603-615544).

Hat-trick for ‘BBC Wildlife’

For the third year running, the magazine BBC
Wildlife has won the British Environment and
Media Award for ‘Best Environmental
Coverage’ in the general interest, current
affairs and women’s magazines category.

As time goes by, the ‘BBC’ on the cover
gets smaller, but BBC Wildlife itself seems to
get better and better. The latest issue to hand
(vol. 14, no. 2) includes one of the most artis-
tic wildlife photographs we can recall (a New
Zealand Fur Seal Arctocephalus forsteri passing
through cunTig seaweed fronds, photographed
by Andris Apse) and news stories ranging from

the amazing discovery of a completely new
phylum of animals, the Cycliophora, originally
reported in Nature (378: 711-714), to vital
conservation matters such as the current pro
versus anti raptor-control debate (the anti side
eloquently argued by our own Mike Everett)
and the pseudoscientific whaling by Japan.

BBC Wildlife is on the bookstalls at £2.30;
back issues are £2.50 (or £3.25 overseas);
annual subscriptions are £28 in the UK (or
£32 Europe; £35 rest of the world; 856 USA)
from PO Box 425, Woking, Surrey GU2i igp.

244

News and comment

The millionth NRC approaches

We held the belief that the old field skills of
nest-finding were becoming a thing of the
past, but the latest news from the BTO Nest
Record Scheme shows otherwise.

Well over 30,000 cards were completed in
1994, the grand total now approaching the
magical one million figure; there were over
250 cards for Dotterel Charadrius morinellus,
over 2,000 cards for Red-throated Diver
Gavia stellata, and many, many more.
Regrettably, the number of cards completed
for some key species has faOen to a critically
low level, and this may result in the BTO
having some difficulty in monitoring the
‘health’ of these species. The BTO has set
itself a target of 100 multi-visit cards for these
species. Can you help?

The ‘target species’ are: Eurasian Curlew

Nnmenius arquata, European Nightjar
Caprimulgiis europaeus, Sky Lark Alauda
arvensis, Northern Wheatear Oenanlhe
oenanlhe, Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus
schoenobaenns, Common Whitethroat Sylvia
communis. Blackcap S', atricapilla. Wood
Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, Chiffchaff P.
collybiia. Common Raven Corvus corax,
Bullfinch Pynrhtda pyrrhula, Yellowhammer
Emberiza citnnella, Reed Bunting E.
schoeniclus, and Corn Bunting Miliaria
calandra.

Eurther details of the Nest Record Scheme
are available from BTO, The Nunneiyy
Thetford, Norfolk ip24 2PU.

STOP PRi-ss We hear that the 1,000,000th card
has arrived! More details later.

‘The Bedfordshire Naturalist’

The latest edition of The Bedfordshire
Naturalist made its appearance early in the
year, comprising two parts. The first — the
Journal for the year 1994 — contains mainly
reports of the non-ornithological recorders,
and it is wonderful to see such a diversity of
recording of some of the more obscure
branches of natural history such as fish,
crayfish and lacewings, to name but a few.
'the second part is the Bedfordshire Bird
Report for 1994. The Bedfordshire Bird Club
was formed in 1 993 and is one of the youngest
and fastest-growing of the ornitliological
groups in the country', 'fhc Management
Committee’s report indicates the level of

involvement of the Club, including being
twinned with the New Haven Bird Club in
Connecticut, New England. The report
includes the sj'stematic list, a review of
Dunstable Sewage Treatment Works (well
visited to see the Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus in 1991), a county'
bird list, and a fascinating article entitled ‘Ring
Ouzels [Turdus torqualus]: where from, where
to, why here?’ by Bernard Nau.

Copies of The Bedfordshire Naturalist, Part 2
(price £3.00 + p&p), are obtainable from
Dave Odell, 74 The Links, Kempston,
Bedford MK42 7LT.

Butterflies for the New
Millennium

Butterfly Conservation has launched an
ambitious project to produce a new Atlas of
Butterflies of Britain and Ireland for the year
2000, in conjunction widr the Biological
Records Centre.

So, if, when you are out birdwatching,
particularly in some remote part of tlie
country, you come across some butterflies,
do make a note of your record — it could just
help fill in a missing piece of the butterfly
jigsaw.

Eurther details can be obtained from
Butterfly Conservation, PO Box 22, Dedham,
Colchester, Essex co7 6p:y.

Northampton Report

From its stylish front cover through its readable
systematic list, the Northamptonshire Bird
Report 1995 (covering 1994 records) shows
attention to attractive design as well as to
comprehensiv'e content. Not only does tlie
Report include a section on ‘Escapes and
Petals’, but — a real sign of the times — it also
has an official ‘Adviser on Escapes & Eerals’
(K. Blackwell EZS, MBOU) listed witlt the
Editorial Committee. 'Pcchnical printing prob-
lems delayed its appearance by live weeks, so
it missed this year’s judging for the Annual
Bird Report Awards, but copies of the Report
can now be obtained (price £4. 001 from
Robert W. Bullock, 81 Cavendish Drive,
Northampton NN.t .tin,.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 5, May 1996

245

Code of conduct for birdwatchers

It is perhaps timely to remind readers of die
‘Code of conduct for birdwatchers’, a joint
publication drafted as a result of consultation
between the BOU, the BTO, the RSPB, the
Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, The Wildfowl &
Wetlands Trust and the editors of British
Birds. Several stories have come to our atten-
tion in recent months that range from undue
disturbance of birds, lack of respect for
landowners and suppressing records to possi-
ble disturbance of nesting birds. May we take
this opportunity of reminding all our readers
of the ten key points of the code:

1. The welfare of the birds must come first.

2. Habitats must be protected.

3. Keep dismrbance to birds and their habi-

Is twitching going wrong?

Professional twitcher Lee Evans feels that hi-
tech advances in bird-pager systems are
spelling the demise of ‘traditional’ twitching.
As one who helped launch the first bird
information telephone service in 1986, and
founder of the UK400 club, Lee claims that
today too many younger rare-bird enthusiasts
are simply sitting at home waiting for the
telephone to ring. ‘My hope was pagers and
mobile phones would encourage people out
into the field more, but it’s had the opposite
effect — a lot just sit at home waiting to be
bleeped’, he said. Many would also echo his
comment that these days you meet people who
have little idea about common birds and no
interest in learning. Sure it’s great to go out
and find your own rarity, maybe even have the
kudos of your initials appearing alongside an
accepted mega-rarity, but, if there is any
pleasure in it at all, surely that comes from
groundwork with more common birds? Is it
significant that the term ‘birdwatcher’ seems to
be being replaced — in some quarters — by
‘birder’?

Mersey Estuary promoted

The Mersey Estuary has at last been
designated as a Special Protection Area under
the European Union Birds Directive and as a
Wetland of International Importance under the
Ramsar Convention. In this, the Government
has broken a record not to be proud of: it has
taken ten years to reach agreement on the
international importance of the Mersey Estuary
and has therefore taken longer to promote it
than it has for any other UK site, {habitat vol.
32, no. 1, January 1996)

tats to a minimum.

4. When you find a rare bird, think careful-
ly about whom you should tell.

5. Do not harass rare migrants.

6. Abide by the bird-protection laws at aU
times.

7. Respect the rights of landowners.

8. Respect the rights of other people in the
countryside.

9. Make your records available to the local
bird recorder.

10. Behave abroad as you would when bird-
watching at home.

A leaflet with full details of the code is avail-
able from the RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy,
Bedfordshire SG19 2DL.

New Recorders

Shaun Robson, 5 Pine Road, Corfe Mullen,
Wimbome, Dorset bh21 3DW, has taken over
from Martin Cade as Recorder for Dorset.

Richard E. Harbird, Hat 4, Buckley Court,
16 Woodfield Road, Moseley, Birmingham
B13 9UJ, has taken over from Steve Wliitehouse
as Recorder for Worcestershire.

Steve Cooper, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust,
Eastpark, Caerlaverock, Dumfries dgi 4RS,
has taken over from Ken Bruce as Recorder
for Dumfries & Galloway (Nithsdale,
Annandale & Eskdale).

R. E. Youngman, Atholl Bank, 20 East
Moulin Road, Pitlochry phi 6 shy, has taken
over from Wendy Mattingley as Recorder for
Tayside (Perth & Kinross).

Mike NichoU, 1 Banknowe Grove, Tayport
DD6 9LH, has taken over from Allan Burnett as
Recorder for Tayside (Angus, City of
Dundee) .

Changes of Recorders’
addresses

Steve Haynes, Recorder for Warwickshire, has
moved to 4 Spinney Close, Old Arley,
Coventry CV7 spd.

Dr C. J. Henty, Recorder for Central
(Clackmannan, Falkirk, Stirling), has moved to
Wellwood, 2 Adine Road, Bridge of Allan,
Stirlingshire fk9 4LA.

M. F. Peers, Recorder for Pow^'s (Brecon-
shire), has moved to Cyffylog, 2 Abeiy'scir
Road, Cradoc, Brecon, Powys ld3 9BP.

Chris Jones, Recorder for Gwent, has moved
to 22 Walnut Drive, Caerleon, Newport,
Gwent NP6 iSB.

246

News and comment

‘Welsh Birds’

The second issue of Welsh Birds vol. 1 has just
been produced by the Welsh Ornithological
Society (WOS). Edited by Mike Shrubb and
sponsored by Chevron and by Subbuteo
Natural History Books, this second issue of the
new series includes the Welsh Bird Report for
1 994, a report on bird-ringing, and a paper by
Peter Dare on the breeding success and
territory features of Common Buzzards Buteo
buteo in North Wales. It is available (price
£4.00) from Mike Shrubb, Hillcrest,
LlanwTiyd Wells, Powys lds 4TL. {Contributed
by Stephanie Tyler)

REGIONAL NEWS TEAM

Dave Allen — Northern Ireland

Tim Cleeves — Northeast

David Clugston — Scotland

Dave Flumm — Southwest

Frank Gribble — Midlands

Barrie Harding — East Anglia

Oran O’Sullivan — Republic of Ireland

Don Taylor — Southeast

Dr Stephanie Tyler — Wales

John Wilson — Northwest

M. RECENT REPORTS

Compiled by Barry Nightingale and Anthony McGeehan

This summary covers the period 18th March to 15th April 1996.
These are unchecked reports, not authenticated records.

White-billed Diver Gavia adamsii Blytli
Estuaiy (Northumberland), 20th March to 8th
April.

Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis 'Pittenhanger
Gravel-pits (Hertfordshire), 7th-llth April.

Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus Two
near Girv'an (Strathclyde), 13th-15th April.

Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus Grey-phase
individual. Barm Estuary (Co. Londonderry),
23rd March; Bude (Conwall), 9th April and,
nearby, 13th April.

American Golden Plover Pliwialis dominica
Sennen (Cornwall), 2nd- 10th April.

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes First-
winter, Cloughey Bay (Co. Down), 24th-31st
March; near Warrington (Cheshire), 11th-
13th April.

Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus One, with
Sandwich Terns 5. sandvicensis, Dungarvan
(Co. Waterford), 9tli April.

Brixnnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia
Ardnamurchan Peninsula (Highland), 27th
March.

Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo danrica
Lamorna (Cornwall), 21st April to 2nd
March; near Weymouth (Dorset), llth-12th
April; near St Ives (Cornwall), 12tli April.

Rock Pipit Anthiis petrosus Second to fourth
records for Ireland of Scandinavian race A. p.
littoralis, at St John’s Point (Co. Down),
Groomsport (Co. Down) and Blackrock (Co.
Kerry') in late March and early April (first was
as long ago as 1961).

Water Pipit An thus spinoletta Individual
wintering at Blackrock to at least 12th April
(first record for western Ireland).

Rustic Bunting Emberiza nistica Sheringham
(Norfolk), 27th March to 1st April.

Little Bunting E. pusilla Chew Valley Lake
(Avon), 31st March to 1st April; Nanquidno
(Cornwall), 24th March; Sidlesham Ferry
(West Sussex), 23rd March to 4tli April.

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XI

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British Birds

Volume 89 Number 5 May 1996

203 The Dartford Warbler in the United
Kingdom in 1994 Dr David W.

Gibbons and Simon Wotton

213 Monthly Marathon

214 Ihe Best Annual Bird Report
Awards Dr J. T. R. S/iarrock, Robert
Gillmor, R. A. Hume, Derek Moore and
Michael J. Rogers

216 Looking Back
Reviews

217 ‘Buntings and Sparrows: a guide to the
buntings and North American sparrows’
by Clive Byers, Urban Olsson & Jon
Curson Dr Colin Bradshazv

217 ‘Swifts: a guide to the swifts and

treeswifts of the World’ by Phil Chantler
& Gerald Driessens Iain Robertson

217 ‘Tits, Nuthatches & 'I'reecreepers’ by
Simon Harrap & DaNid Quinn

Dr Andy Gosler

218 ‘4he Blackcap’ by C. P'. Mason
Prof. Dr P. Berthold

218 ‘Key Areas for dhreatened Birds in the
Neotropics’ by Davdd C. Wege &

Adrian J. Long Dr D. W. Snozv

219 Ihe United Arab Emirates Colin
Richanlson

Requests

231 Photographs of 1995 rarities needed

23 1 Photo requirements

From the Rarities Committee’s files

232 White-winged Lark in Norfolk Dr John
Lines and John A. W. Moyes

Notes

234 Bill length and bill shape of
Semipalmated Sandpiper Paul K.
Dotiahue

235 Orientation of Sky l^rk in field Johti
Giyndemp Poulsen

236 Phylloscopus warbler persistently
following Northern Wheatear John
Headon

237 ‘'Ihe Famous Grouse’ Scotch w'hisky
Christmas puzzle: the solution

Letters

238 Summer feeding of garden birds Chris
Mead; Patrick Nash; Dr David G. C.
Haiper and Dr Caroline Eley

240 Aberrant song of Common Whitethroat
Richard S. R. Fitter

241 News and comment Wetidy Dickson
and Bob Scott

246 Recent reports Bany Nightingale and
Anthony McCeehan

Line-drawings: 203 Dartford Warblers (John
Davis); 219 little Green Bee-eaters (Jitti
Lyes); 237 Two birdwatchers {Mike Everett)

Front cover: White-winged Black 'Ferns
Chlidonias leucoptems, Scala Kalloni, Lesbos,
Greece, May 1994 (Ernest Leahy): the
original of this montli’s cover design,
measuring 18.6 X 20.8 cm, is for sale in a
postal auction (see page 46 in January issue
for procedure)

‘British Birds’ is published by a non-profit-making company for tlic benefit of ornithologt'.
© British Birds Ltd 1996

i-

ISSN 0007-0335

British Birds

Volume 89 Number 6 June 1996

Identification of Spectacled Warbler

^ British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘'riic Zoologist’, established 1843

Managing Editor Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Personal Assistant Sheila D. Cobban
Assistant Editor David A. Christie
Editorial Board Dr R. J. Chandler,

R. A. Hume, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

R. J. Prytherch, Dr J. T. R. Sharrock
Design Deborah Felts

Photographic Researcher Robin Chittenden
Art Consultants Robert Gillmor, Alan Harris
Circulation Manager & Advertising
Manager Erika Sharrock

Rarities Committee R. A. Hume
(Chairman), Dr Colin Bradshaw,

Peter Clement, Pete Ellis, John McLoughlin,
Dttug Page, K. D. Shaw, Andy Stoddart,

Reg Thttrpe, Grahame Walbridge; Peter
Colston (museum consultant); John Marchant
(archivist); Peter Fraser & Dr John Ryan
(statisticians); IVlichael J. Rogers (Hon.
Secretary)

Behaviour Notes Panel Dr C. J. Bibby,

Ian Dawson, Dr J. J. M. Flegg, Derek Goodwin,
Dr I. Newton FRS, Dr M. A. Ogilvie,

Dr J. T. R. Shamock, Dr K. E. L. Simmons
Identification Notes Panel Dr Colin
Bradshaw, Dr R. J. Chandler, R. A. Hume,

1'. P. Inskipp, P. G. Lansdown, S. C. Madge,
I. S. Robertson, K. E. Vinicombe

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The journal ‘British Birds’ is published by
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© British Birds Ltd 1996

Copyright of photographs remains w'ith

photographers.

British Birds is published monthly by British
Birds Ltd, 93 High Street, Biggleswade,
Bedfordshire.

ISSN 0007-0335. Printed in England by
New'north Print Ltd, Kempston, Bedford.

British Birds publishes material dealing w'ith original obseivations on die birds of the West Palearetic.
Except for records of rarities, papers and notes are normally accepted only on condition that material
is not being offered in whole or in part to any otlrer journal or magazine. Photographs and drawings
are welcomed. Papers should be typewritten with double spacing, and wide margins, and on one side
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Sunday (1 1 .00am to 4.00pm)

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PAGHAM HARBOUR LOCAL
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: SEVENOAKS WILDFOWL
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AT 80 body (45°) 665

ST 80 body 665

AT80 HD body (45°) 960

ST80 HD body 960

22x eyepiece 90

30x (WA) EP (new) 145

20-60X zoom eyepiece 215

Optical camera adaptor (800mm) .145
Stay-on Case 55

LEICA

8 X 20 BC Trinovid (269) 278

8 X 20 BCA Trinovid (305) 309

10 X 25 BC Trinovid (305)309

10 X 25 BCA Trinovid (325) 332

Soft Pouch 24

8 X 32 BA Trinovid (689) 728

7 X 42 BA Trinovid 808

8 X 42 BA Trinovid (759) 808

1 0 X 42 BA Trinovid (779) 828

8 X 50 BA Trinovid (889) 924

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Carrying strap 26

LEICA APO Televid scope 960

LEICA Std. Televid scope 498

20-60x (B) zoom eyepiece 221

20x (WW/B) eyepiece 135

40x (B) eyepiece 110

Photo adaptor 204

ER case 98

8 X 42 RP Paralux Sologne . . . 249
1 0 X 42 RP Paralux Sologne . . 259

KOWA

TSN-1 (45°) or -2 body 349

TSN-3 (45°) or -4 body 699

25x or 40x eyepiece 80

20x (WA) eyepiece 127

30x (WA) eyepiece 162

60x eyepiece 138

77x eyepiece 125

20-60x zoom eyepiece 196

Camera adaptor 800mm 150

Camera adaptor 1 200mm 231

Stay-on case 45

27x (WA) Screw-in-eyepiece 74

TS-61 1 body (45°) 249

TS-612 body 229

TS-61 3 Fluorite body (45°) 519

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TS-61 0 accessories:

20x (WA) eyepiece 74

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Stay-on case 40

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8 X 42 Natureview 129

10 X 42 Natureview 149

8 X 30 Natureview 120

all station on Sunday 2nd June,
th July and 4th August

BOUGH BEECH NATURE
iESERVE/RESERVOIR about 4
niles south of the A25/A21 junction
vith access from the B2042 or
12027; the information centre is to
le north of the reservoir) on Sunday
6th June, 21st July and 18th
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SLIMBRIDGE, GLOS (off M5)
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Saturday 1 3th July.

ZEISS OPTICAL CENTRE

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CANON

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THE KENT TRUST FOR
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DINTON PASTURES
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lerks, Sunday 9th June, in the '
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■ BEWL WATER, on A21 just
outh of Lamberhurst, Kent, in the
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RANGER

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OPTOLYTH

8 X 30 Alpin 275

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12x50 Alpin (320)340

7x42 Alpin (295)329

TBG80body 530

TBS 80 body 530

TBGorTBS80HD 789

30x (WW) eyepiece 190

20x (WW) eyepiece 170

30x or 40x eyepiece 89

70x (WW) eyepiece 210

20-60X zoom eyepiece 210

Cam. adaptor 850mm 185

Stay-on case 44

DISCOVERY

8x42or10x42RP, GA 135

OPTICRON

8 X 32 Dioptron 196

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Open: Mon to Sat: 9am-5pm
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Viewing facilities
Parking: 50 yards past our
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8x32(HRII) 224

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Roof prism binos (new):

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HR 60mm scopes:

Standard 60s body 236

60/45° body (angled) 310

60/SR body (rubberised) 273

60/SR ED body (rubberised) . . . .475

60/45° ED body (angled) 499

HR 66 326

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15x, 20x, 25x or 40x HR eyepiece 44

20x WW HDF eyepiece 96

28x VWV HDF eyepiece 122

22x W HR eyepiece 57

30x W HR eyepiece 59

60x HR eyepiece 49

20-60X zoom eyepiece 132

Soft nylon case 14

Stay-on case 44

HR 80mm body 390

Eyepieces as above but increase
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Baigish 7 879

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HENFIELD, W. Sussex. Sussex
/ildlife Trust at Wocxfs Mill. Sunday
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DENHAM COUNTRY PARK,

ucks., (A40, M40 junction, A412,
413, etc) Saturday 15th June and
)th July.

★ BEACHY HEAD, Eastbourne,

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Countryside Centre) Sunday 16th
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★ WALSEY HILLS, Cley, on the
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* HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR,

Essex (off A130 North of Basildon)
Sunday 9th June (near the fishing
lodge).

* ALTON WATER, near Ipswich
on the B1080 Holbrook/Sutton
road on Saturday 31 st August.

* RECULVER COUNTRY PARK
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1

II

British Birds

Established 1907; incorporating ‘The Zoologist', established 1843

EUROPEAN NEWS

All records have been accepted by the relevant national rarities committee, unless
marked by an asterisk(*).

Records are included only if they have been sent by the official national
representative, each of whom is listed at the end of this report, or have been
published in the relevant national journal (these sources are always
acknowledged).

As well as covering the whole of Europe, records notified by the national
representatives for adjacent countries within the Western Palearctic are also
included.

This thirty-ninth six-monthly collation includes officially notified reports from
the record total of 39 countries.

These summaries aim to include all records of (1) significant breeding-range
expansions or contractions; (2) major irruptions of erupting species; (3) Asiatic
vagrants; (4) Nearctic species (excluding ducks, waders and gulls in Great Britain
and Ireland, where they are regular); (5) other extralimital vagrants; and (6) major
national rarities, including the first five national records even if the species is
common elsewhere in Europe.

Unless otherwise stated, all records refer to nationally accepted records
of single individuals.

Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica
BELARUS Eirst wintering: one in Minsk from
November 1995 to mid February' 1996.

White-billed Diver Gavia adamsii
DENMARK Wintering and passage: second-best
year ever, with 22 in 1993 (four in January-
February, 1 3 in April-May and five in
September-November), compared with peak
of 35 in 1991 (DOFT S9: 147).

SW1TZER1.AND Second and third records: 24th
January to 9th March 1982 and 12th
December 1994 to 28th Februaiy' 1995 (Oni.
Beob. 92: 459-462, 464).

Pied-biUed Grebe Podilymbns podiceps
FRANCE First record: 17th October 1985 (not
18th October as previously noted; Ornithos 2:
146).

Black-browed Albatross Diomedea melamphis
FRANCE Fourth record: immature on 6th
November 1994 {Ornithos 2: 146).

Yellow-nosed Albatross Diomedea chbro-
rhynchos

NORWAY First record: adult showing

characters of the race chlororhynchos at sea
about 20 nautical miles northwest of Halten
lighthouse, Sor-Trondelag, on 13th April
1994 (first confirmed record for the Western
Palearctic) .

Bulwer’s Petrel Bulweria bulwerii
NEi'HERLANDS First record: Westplaat, Zuid-
FloUand, on 21st August 1995.

Great Shearwater Pujfinus gravis
CHANNEL ISLANDS Third record for Guernsey:
at least 30 off Chouet on 8th September 1995
(previous records were flocks in July 1950 and
September 1959). First record for Jersey: four
off Grosnez Point on 8th September 1995.

Sooty Shearwater Pujfinus griseus
LATVIA Third record: Pape seacoast, Liepaja,
on 13th November 1995* (previous records
were in October 1 98 1 and June 1 994) .

Little Shearwater Pujfinus assimilis
FRANCE Vagrants: four between Cap Gris-Nez
and Ouessant during 25th-27th September

[Brit. Birds 89: 247-266, June 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

247

248

European news

1995*.

CHANNEL isiANDS First record for Jersey: 9th
May 1994 (Arm. Bull. Soc. Jersiaise 26: 321).

European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus
DENMARK Absence: none reported in 1993
(the poorest year during 1977-92 was 1981,
with one record; DOFT 89: 148).

SPAIN Population estimate for northern coast:
more than 1,320 breeding pairs in 29 colonies
(Alauda 63: 299-305).

Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel Oceanodrotna
monorhis

ITALY First record: Genova on 1 1 th August
1991 (Riv. Ital. Om. 65: 65).

Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro
SPAIN Vagrants: tw'o mist-netted at cabo
Silleiro, Pontevedra, on 3rd and 30th July
1994*.

Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii
FRANCE Presumed escape: adult on 16th
August 1994 (Omithos 2: 167).

Northern Gannet Moms bassarius
FRANCE First breeding record on
Mediterranean coast: pair with one egg on pier
in harbour near Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhone.

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
SWEDEN Increasing: about 15,200 pairs in

1994, despite intense legal and illegal
persecution (Vdr Fagelv. suppl. 22: 72).

Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus
BULGARIA Increased wintering and expansion
of winter range: 1,015 at Gorni Dabnik
Reseiv'oir, Pleven region, on 19th January
1996, and 1,800-2,000 at Maritza River, near
Dimitrovgrad, in January 1996.

POLAND Second record this century: two at
Wlocfawek Reservoir on Vistula River on
23rd-24th December 1994 (record in April

1995, Brit. Birds 89: 26, becomes third).

UKRAINE Census: 1,720 wintering on

northwestern coast of Black Sea during
December 1995 to February 1996.

Great Bittern Botaums stellaris
DENMARK Population stabilised: about 104
booming males in 1993, following large
increases in recent years (DOFT 89: 1 49) .

Green Heron Butorides virescens

FRANCE First record: 1st April 1994 (Omithos

2: 147).

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
FRANCE Increasing numbers outside Southern
France: up to 860 in roost at Saint-Just-Luzac,
Charente-Maritime, on 21st August 1995*.

Little Egret Egretla garzetta
CHANNEL ISLANDS Record numbers for
Guernsey: at least 25 in October 1995. Record
numbers for Jersey: 1 47 at Longueville Marsh
on 4th October 1 995 (regularly recorded since
3rd August 1989, when three were noted).
FRANCE Continuing increase: 9,860 in three
roosts in Charente-Maritime at end of August
1995.

ICELAND Fourth record: 4th-15th June 1994
(Bliki 16: 16).

Great White Egret Egretta alba
DENMARK Vagrants: five or six records in 1993
(previous best year 1988, with six individuals;
DOETS9: 149).

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
GREAT BRI'EAIN Census data: the BTO’s
Heronries Census estimated over 6,600 nests
in England and Wales in 1994, the highest
figure since recording began in 1928 (BTO
News 201 : 8).

Black Stork Ciconia nigra
DENMARK Decrease: only 10-11 on passage in
1993, the lowest numbers since systematic
recording began in 1977 (previous poorest
year 1990, with 14; 1977-92 average 22;
DOET S9: 149).

White Stork Ciconia ciconia
BULGARIA Census: about 4,000 breeding pairs
in 1994/95* (about 1,000 pairs fewer than in
1984 census).

DENMARK Breeding decline: further reduction
to only seven pairs and two individuals in
1993 (DOFT 89: 150); only five breeding
pairs in 1995.

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
CANARY ISLANDS Third to fifth records:
Tenerife in September 1991, Gran Canaria in
October 1995 and Tenerife in November
1995.

ESTONIA Fourth record: adult in Haapsalu,
Laane District, on 10th September 1995.

Sacred Ibis Threskiomis aethiopictis
CANARY ISLANDS Second record: two on
Fuerteventura in October 1995* (although
natural origin is not totally rejected, possibly
escaped from a zoological centre on
Lanzarote) .

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea Icncorodia
DENMARK Low numbers: only one in 1993,
the poorest year since none in 1988 (3-12 on
passage annually during 1989-92; DOFT 89:
151).

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

249

MOROCCO Second and third breeding records:
pair bred in 1994 and two in 1995 in colony
of Cattle Egrets Biibiilcus ibis north of Tetouan
(previous breeding record was also in Tangier
Peninsula, in 1967).

Greater Flamingo Phoenicoptems ntber
MACEDONIA First record: about 100 near
Asamati, in Nature Reserve Ezerani on Prespa
Lake, on 9th September 1995.

Mute Swan Cygniis olor
CROATIA Census: breeding population in
northwest Croatia was about 20 pairs in 1995.
FAROE ISLANDS First record: 12 at

Trongisvagur from about 25th May to 22nd
June 1995 (previous records aU related to
introductions, the most recent being in the
early 1960s).

UKRAINE Census: 6,400 wintering on

northwestern coast of Black Sea during
December 1995 to February 1996.

Whooper Swan Cygniis cygnus

LATVIA Breeding increase: up to about 25-30

pairs in 1992 (Putni daba 2: 95-97).

UKRAINE Census: 1,810 wintering on

northwestern coast of Black Sea during
December 1995 to February 1996.

Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
DENMARK Passage: six present in both spring
and autumn 1993 in N-Jutland, where has
occurred regularly over the last five years
(thought to oversummer in Oslo Fjord; DOFT
89: 150).

Ross’s Goose Anser rossii

SWEDEN First record: Ottenby on 21st October

1995* (but possibly an escape).

Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
DENMARK Very high passage numbers: in
1993, largest • spring flock 11,780 over
Sjaelland on 16th April; record numbers in
autumn, including total of 25,000 on 28th
September and, at Blavand on 29th, 11,668,
with flock of 19,900 on ground on 2nd
October (DOFT 89: 151-152).

SWEDEN Increasing: almost 2,400 pairs bred in
1994 (Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 77-78).

Brent Goose Branta bemicla

DENMARK High passage numbers: about

30.000 past Sjaelland in spring 1993;
exceptional autumn passage included over

40.000 on 28th September 1993 (DOFT 89:
152).

NETHERLANDS Influx of the race hrola: largest-
ever, with unprecedented high numbers (more
than 475) and many inland records during
Januar3'-Februar>' 1996.

Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea
CANARY ISLANDS First records and first
breeding: at same location on Fuerteventura;
female in April 1994*, pair with six to seven
young in May 1994* and pair in October
1995*.

MALTA Vagrant: 29th November to 1st
December 1995 (seven previous records).
SWEDEN Unique irruption: at least 50
individuals in 1 994 (117 previous records; Vdr
Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 80-81).

Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
ICELAND Fourth breeding record: pair bred in
1 994 in BorgarfjorSur, presumably the same as
in 1993 {BUki 16: 19).

Wood Duck Aix sponsa

ICELAND Fourth record: adult male on 8th-

16th October 1994 (BUki 16: 19).

Mandarin Duck Aix galericidala
ICELAND Fifth record: male on 8th-9th May
1994 (origin of all five most likely to be
Britain; Bliki 16: 19).

American Wigeon Anas ameiicana
ICELAND Vagrants: three records in 1994 (78
previous records: Bliki 16: 19).

MOROCCO Fourth record: adult male at Lake
of Merzouga (an intermittent wetland in desert
550 km from Atlantic coast) on 30 th
December 1995*.

Common Teal Anas crecca
FRANCE Vagrants of Nearctic race carolinensis:
January to 23rd March 1991 and two on 24th
October 1 992, one staying until 8th November
(Ornithos 2: 148); male at etang du Moulin-
Neuf, Finistere, on 10th-16th December 1995*.
ICELAND Vagrant of Nearctic race carolinensis:
male on 15th May 1994 (43 previous records;
Bliki 16: 19).

NORWAY Vagrants of Nearctic race carolinensis:
Rogaland on 16th April and lst-4th May
1989; individual on 25th-26th April (Biit.
Birds 87: 3) also present on 5th May 1991;
singles at several localities in Rogaland from
20th March to 14th April 1993 and in
Nordland on 23rd Aiay 1993 (total of 16
individuals now recorded).

American Black Duck Anas riibripes
FRANCE Third record: male at Bourgneuf-en-
Retz, Vendee, on 2nd-4th January' 1996*.
SPAIN First record for Iberia: male at
Villaviciosa, Asturias, from at least January’
1993 to February' 1994*.

Blue-winged Teal Atias discors

FRANCE Vagrant: 28th March 1994 (Ornithos

2: 148).

250

European news

ITALY Fourth record; juvenile female at
Arenzano Marsh, Toscana, on 25th October
1960 (Riv. Ital. Om. 65: 65).

NORWAY Second record: male at Holandsosen,
Vega, Nordland, on 16th May 1994.

SWHDEN Vagrants: males on 24th April 1994,
26th April to 2nd May 1994 and 18th May
1994 (nine previous records invoh’ing ten
individuals; Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 129).

Ring-necked Duck Aythya collans
FRANCE Vagrants; five records of three
individuals in 1994 {Ornithos 2: 148) and four
to five wintering in 1995/96*.

ICEI-AND Vagrants: three records in 1994 (26
previous records; Bliki 16; 20).

MOROCCO Vagrant: male at Sidi-Bou-Rhaba
from at least 12th Februarv to 13th March
1995*.

SPAIN Vagrants: two first-winter males and
three females at Aviles, Asmrias, from 31st
October 1994 to April 1995*.
swi-DEN Vagrants: males on 26th March to
19th April 1993 and 2nd & 21st May 1994
(28 previous records involving 15 individuals;
V'dr Fdgelv. suppl. 22; 129).

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

CROATIA First breeding record; Cma Mlaka

fish-pond in 1986 (Lams 44/45: 33-39).

Lesser Scaup Aythya affitiis
CANARY’ isIj\nds Second record: pair on
Tenerife in winter 1995/96 (adult female,
perhaps same as in winter 1994/95, Brit. Birds
88: 267, from November 1995* and adult
male from December 1995*).

FRANCE First records: male in Camargue on
9th February' 1992 and 20th-24th November

1993 (Oniithos 2: 148; 3: 43-45), presumably
same individual recurring up to winter
1995/96 (plate 110).

Ni-'IHERIANDS Second record: male at

Lelystadha\’en, Flevoland, on 1 3th January’ 1 996*.
svci'DEN First record: male on 17th May 1994
(Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 129).
switzf;ri and Escape/vagrant: adult male from
30th January’ to 1 9th March 1 994 ( Om. Beob.
92: 474; other records in 1993 and 1995, Brit.
Birds 88: 267; 89: 29).

Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri
NORWAY Third record: two males and a female
at Vardo Harbour, Finnmark, on 23rd-24th
Februarv 1988 (only accepted record since
1970).

Harlequin Duck Hutrioniciis histrioiiiais
NORWAY’ First record since 1986: male at
Hoylandel, Nord-Trondelag, on 12th May

1994 (six previous records).

Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
FRANCE Vagrants: migrating male in Common
Scoter M. nigra flock at Cap Gris-Nez, Pas-
de-Calais, on 1st October 1995*, and female
at La Turballe, Loire-Atlantique, on 14ih
November 1995*.

ICELAND Vagrants: two adult males on 22nd-
31st July 1994, probably the same as in 1993
(24 previous records; Brit. Birds 89: 29; Bliki
16: 21).

NORWAY Status summaiy: up to October
1994, 35 records involving 36 individuals, not
including knowm remming individuals.

Hooded Merganser Mergus ctiadlatus
ICELAND First record: immature male from
21st May to 30th September 1994 (only
pre\'ious record, in 1 988, was of indi\'idual of
certain captive origin; Bliki 16: 22).

NORWAY Deletion: record in June 1986 (Brit.
Birds 82: 15-16) now rejected (records in
1989 and 1991, Brit. Birds 86: 38-39, now
become second and third).

Smew Mergus albelliis

urrainf; Census: 4,947 wintering on north-
western coast of Black Sea during December
1995 to February 1996.

Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis

FRANCE; Increasing: 41 during October 1995 to

January 1996.

ICI-IAND Third confirmed (and first successful)
breeding record: pair bred and raised at least two
young at lake Vikingavam in 1994; altogether,
eight adults recorded in 1994 (Bliki 16: 22-23).
TTAi.Y Fourth to seventh records: singles at
Setti Schidonias, Sardegna, on 15th January
1 993, at Lake Santu Miali, Sardegna, on 1 9th
January’ 1993 and at Molentargius wedand,
Sardegna, on 26th February 1994 and 4th
February 1995 (Riv. Ital. Om. 65: 66-67).

White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala
HUNGARY Vagrants: adult female at Csaj-to on
25th-26th February 1995* and adult male at
Szeged, Fehcrtb, on 8th November 1995*.

Honey-buzzard Pernis apivoms
MONTENEGRO Census: 1 5-25 pairs in 1 993-
95, no signs of change.

SERRIA Census: 150-175 pairs in 1993-95,
almost uniformly distributed, most in central
Serbia (110-125 pairs); rare until 1970, slight
increase 1970-80, marked increase 1985-95.

Black Kite Milvus tnigrans
mon'tf;nf;gro Status: apparently became
extinct as breeding species during second half
of this century.

SI'RHIA Census: 65-80 pairs in 1 993-95, almost
exclusively along large rivers in north, most in

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

251

Vojvodina (60-70 pairs); after marked
decrease several decades ago, recent

stabilisation or slight decrease in last ten years.

Red Kite Milvus milvus
DENMARK Highest-ever count: 204 at Stevns
Klint, Zealand, on 1st October 1995, arriving
from Falsterbo, Sweden.

MONTENEGRO Status: none.

SERBIA Census: extinct except perhaps for
pairs attempting to breed at three different
sites in Vojvodina in recent years (no regular
breeding stock any more).

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla
DENMARK Passage and winter: in 1993, 38
migrants in spring and 38 in autumn; 16-17
winter ‘residents’ in January-May, 14 in
September-December (DOFT S9\ 155).

EG\TT First record since 1954: juvenile at
Sharm Farm, South Sinai, on 23rd-24th
August 1995 and 19th-21st October 1995
(probably same individual).

MONTENEGRO Census: one to three pairs in
south in 1993-95, almost extinct elsewhere
since 1975.

SERBIA Census: 26-29 pairs in 1993-95,
exclusively in Vojvodina, where populations
apparendy stable in last 100 years, but extinct
elsewhere.

Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus
MONTENEGRO Stams: extinct by beginning of
this century^, but recent observations suggest a
possible recovery.

SERBIA Status: extinct by beginning of this
century.

SLO\TNlA First record: juvenile at Triglav
national park on 20th November 1994
(Acrocephaliis 73: 171-173).

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnoptems
AUSTRIA Vagrant: adult at Seewinkel,

Burgenland, on 11th July 1995.

CZECH REPUBLIC Third record: adult near
Pferov, central Moravia, on 26th May 1994.
MONTENEGRO Census: one to three pairs in
1993-95, almost extinct since 1975.

SERBIA Census: two or three parrs in two
areas in central Serbia in 1993-95, the first
signs of a slow recovery after a long period of
decline.

Griffon Vulture Gyps fiilvus
BULGARIA Census: 12 fledglings in 1995 (14 in
1994; decrease due to late cold weather with
snow in April, when 12 of the 16 pairs lost
their eggs; eight pairs had second clutches).
MONTENEGRO Status: regularly present during
summer in 1993-95, but no proved breeding
colony.

SERBIA Census: ten to 15 pairs in two colonies.
SPAIN Record number for single area: 552 in
Riaza gorges, Segovia, on 13th November
1994.

Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus
MONTENEGRO Census: 30-50 pairs in 1993-
95, no signs of recent change.

SERBIA Census: 60-75 breeding pairs in 1993-
95, mostly in south; population stable for
several decades, perhaps even slightly
increasing in last ten years.

Marsh Harrier Circus aemginosus
ICELAND Fifth record: 2nd May 1994 {BUM
16: 23).

MONTENEGRO Census: 15-20 pairs in south in
1993-95, no signs of recent change.

SERBIA Census: 80-110 pairs in 1993-95,
almost exclusively along large rivers in north,
especially in Vojvodina, where slight decline
continues, but almost extinct south of Sava
and Danube rivers.

Pallid Harrier Circus macrounis
FRANCE Vagrant: male at Sebourg, Nord, on
1 9th September 1 995* (also seen in Belgium) .
SPAIN Second recent record for Balearics: male
at Formentor peninsula, Mallorca, on 27th
March 1994*.

Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus
DENMARK Record spring passage: 135 in
April-May 1993 (DOFT S9: 155-156).
MONTENEGRO Status: none.

SERBIA Census: two or three pairs breed
irregularly and sporadically in Banat,
Vojvodina, and perhaps also a pair in Kosovo;
trends unclear, fluctuating near extinction,
perhaps sHghtiy recovering.

Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
MONTENEGRO Census: 150-200 pairs in 1993-
95, mainly in north and central parts,
population stable.

SERBIA Census: 1,400-1,750 pairs in 1993-95,
uniformly distributed all over woodland areas,
with marked increase during last ten years
since implementation of protective measures
and decrease in persecution.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
MONTENEGRO Census: 175-200 pairs in 1993-
95, mainly in north, no signs of change.
SERBIA Census: 700-900 pairs in 1993-95,
with perhaps a slight increase in last two
decades.

Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes
ITALY Second record: 12th April 1989 {Riv.
Ital. Orn. 65: 67).

252

European news

MONTHNKGRO Census: five to 15 pairs in
1993-95 in south, no signs of recent changes
after dramatic decrease in first half of this
centun,'.

SERBIA Census: 30-40 pairs in 1993-95,
restricted to east, numbers stable or even
slighdy increasing during last ten years.

Common Buzzard Biaeo biaeo
MONTENEGRO Census: 275-350 pairs in
1993-95, apparently at least slight increase
recently.

SERBIA Census: 2,000-2,500 pairs in 1993-95,
almost uniformly distributed, with marked
increase, especially in last ten years in north.

Long-legged Buzzard Biaeo nifiniis
FRANCE Fifth record: 4th October 1994
(previous records w’ere in 1878, 1902, 1972
and 1979; Omithos 2: 151).

MONTENEGRO Ccnsus: Occasional obser\-a-
tions only during summer in south.

SERBIA First breeding record: Jerma Gorge in
1990; further breeding-range expansion
northwards and wesuvards in 1991-95
(Protection of Nature 46-47: 157-161). Census:
12-15 pairs in 1993-95, most in eastern parts
of central Serbia; strong expansion
northwestwards during last ten years.

Rough-legged Buzzard Biiteo lagopus
CHANNI'I. ISIANOS Fourth record for Alderney:
flying o\'er Fort Albert and Whitegates on 1 7th
January 1996 (previous records were in 1877,
1960 and 1988).

FRANCE Influx: 1 1 in September-Novembcr
1994 (also four in Januaiy-March 1994;
Omithos 2: 151).

Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomaiina
MON TENEGRO Census: perhaps one to three
pairs.

SERBIA Census: 25-35 pairs in 1993-95,
uniformly distributed in lowland and montane
w'oodlands, most in Vojvodina (15-19 pairs),
no obvious recent changes.

Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga
ESTONIA First four breeding records: two pairs
(one probably mixed pair with Lesser Spotted
Eagle A. pomarina) in 1 988, and single pairs in
1994 and 1995, all in Tartu District.

Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis
POLAND Vagrants: subadult and immature at
Biebrza Marshes on 19th July 1993 (eighth
record; seventh was of two individuals at same
location in 1992).

Imperial Eagle AquiUt heliaca

mon i’f:nf;gro Census: only occasional recent

summer obser\'ations in south.

Si-RBIA Census: ten to 15 pairs in 1993-95,
slow but steady decline.

SLOVAKIA Increasing: nine successful pairs
reared 21 young in 1995; breeding range
expanding into arable land, w'here species
nests in windbreaks.

SLOVENIA Second record: juvenile at Maribor
on 28th August and at Bled on 1st September
1992 (Vogekvelt 116: 153-157).

Golden Eagle Aquila chiysaetos
MONTENEGRO Census: 18-25 pairs in 1993-
95, stable.

SERBIA Census: 53-57 breeding pairs in 1993-
95, most in central Serbia; stable in last ten
years, after slight increase in 1970s.

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
MONTENEGRO Census: three to five pairs in
1993-95, no sign of recent change.

SERBIA Census: nine to 14 pairs in 1993-95,
apparently uniformly distributed in woodland
areas.

Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus
df;nmark First record: juvenile shot at Sindal,
N-Jutland, in September 1957* (there have
been two subsequent records).

FRANCE Vagrant (outside breeding range):
first-year at Marquenterre, Somme, from 3rd
November 1995 to at least end of January
1996 (perhaps same individual as that in The
Netherlands, see below).

NETHERLANDS Second record: juvenile at
Vlieland, Friesland, on 17th-20th September
1995, flying south over Texel, Noord-
HoUand, on 20th (first record was juvenile
male found dead near Gendringen,
Gelderland, on 24th January 1958).
MONTENEGRO Census: three to five pairs in
1993-95, no signs of change.

SERBIA Status: none.

Osprey Pandiou haliaeius
DENMARK High passage numbers: in 1993,
1,414 in spring and 812 in autumn (DOFT
89: 156).

Lesser Kestrel Falco nautnanni
MONTENiiGRO Status: 0-15 pairs in south,
breeding irregularly, perhaps even extinct.
SI-RBIA Status: rv\'o to ten pairs (fluctuating),
nearly extinct, breeding sporadically (formerly
common in south and regular in north).

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
MON'TENI-GRO Census: 350-400 pairs in 1993-
95, no recent change.

sf:rbia Census: 3,500-4,000 pairs in 1993-95,
recent marked increase, especially in vast open
habitats, where species nests on electric pylons.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

253

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertiniis
LATVIA Irruption: up to 35 daily at Pape,
Liepaja, from 28th August to 25th September
1995 (last significant irruption was in 1979).
MONTENEGRO Status: ‘some late-spring records
may suggest possible breeding in south’.

SERBIA Census: 120-150 pairs in 1993-95,
almost entirely in Vojvodina.

SWEDEN Minor invasion: at least 50 in August-
September 1995.

Hobby Fako subbuteo

DENMARK High passage numbers: in 1993,
424 in spring and 194 in aummn (DOFT 89:
157).

MONTENEGRO Census: 20-25 pairs in 1993-
95, no recent change.

SERBIA Census: 400-500 pairs in 1993-95,
possible sUght increase during last ten years.

Lanner Falcon Fako bianniciis
FRANCE Vagrant: Camargue, Bouches-du-
Rhone, at end of October 1995*.
MONTENEGRO Census: two to five pairs in
1993-95.

SERBIA Census: three to five pairs in 1993-95,
perhaps on way to extinction (formerly
distributed more widely, extinct in several
areas) .

Saker Falcon Fako cheinig
CHANNEL ISLANDS Escape/vagrant: Jersey from
6th November 1994 (not 7th November as
stated previously, Brit. Birds 88: 270) into
1995 {Ann. Bull. Soc. Jersiaise 26: 322).
FRANCE Vagrant: first-winter in Landes on
19th November 1995*.

MONTENEGRO Stams: one pair in 1993-95,
occasional winter records.

SERBIA Census: 34-40 pairs in 1993-95, with
marked increase and recolonisation during last
ten years following adaptation to nesting on
electric pylons.

Peregrine Falcon Fako peregrinus
DENMARK Highest-ever numbers: total of 300-
330 (212-213 passage migrants) in 1993,
compared with 130 in 1990 (71-72 on
passage), 231 (136) in 1991 and 234 (188) in
1992 (DOFT S9: 157-158).

MONTENEGRO Census: 15-20 pairs in 1993-
95, possibly increasing slightly.

SERBIA Census: 50-55 pairs in 1993-95, now
almost stable or even a slight recent increase.

Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix
DENMARK Continuing decline: at the two
remaining localities, numbers in 1993 only half
those of 1991-92; extinction seems imminent
(DOFT S9: 158).

Grey Partridge Perdix perdix
GREAT BRITAIN Census data: the BTO
Common Birds Census index showed
decrease of 73% during the period 1968-91,
between the two breeding-bird atlases
(Conserv. Biol. 9: 1434).

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus
ICELAND Probably extinct as breeder: only five
records in 1994, aU in October-December
(Bliki 16: 23).

Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
DENMARK Very low numbers: only 36-38 in
1993, the second-poorest year since the 1970s
(DOFT 89: 158).

Com Crake Crex crex

SLOVENIA Census: 464 males counted and
population estimated to be about 510 males in
1992-93 (Acroceplmlus 73: 174-180).

Purple Swamp-hen Porphyrio porphyrio
FRANCE Colonisation: five still present at etang
du Canet, Pyrenees-Orientales, to at least 1 9th
August 1995*. Correction: term ‘recolonisa-
tion’ (Btit. Birds 89: 31) is not correct, since
this species never previously bred in France,
current records suggesting possible
colonisation.

Common Crane Gins grus

DENMARK Record spring passage: 5,173 in

Apra-May 1993 (DOFT S9: 159).

ISRAEL Largest-ever wintering numbers: roost
with 12,080 individuals in Hrda Valley alone in
December 1995.

Great Bustard Otis tarda
SLOVENIA First and second records for 50
years: 6th December 1993 (Acrocephalus 16:
194) and male at Losko polje during 17th-
24th February 1996.

Black-winged Stilt Hirnantopus hirnantopus
CROATIA First breeding record: pair nesting
near Virovitica in 1995, but clutch destroyed,
presumably by storm.

NORWAY Fourth record: Fmoy, Rogaland,
from 8th May to 5th June 1993 (previous
three records were of four individuals recorded
at six different localities during 1987).

Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor
CHANNEL ISLANDS Second record for Jersey:
second-year near La Hougue Bie from 30th
September to 17th October 1995 (probably
present from 5th September; previous record
was on 19th October 1896).

Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni
CROATIA First record: Vrana Lake, Dalmatia,

254

European news

on 31st May 1990 {Acrocephalus 55: 180-182).
SLOVAKIA First record: 28th May 1983.

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandninis
CANARY ISLANDS Breeding census: at least 626
individuals and 304 pairs in 1991 (Lanzarote:
111 and 110 pairs; Fuerteventura: 333 and
162 pairs; Gran Canaria: 41 and 20 pairs;
Tenerife: 25 and 12 pairs) {Wader Study
Group Bulletin 76: 43-46).

DENMARK Lovv passage numbers: only 12-13
recorded away from breeding sites in 1993
(DOFT S9: 160).

SWEDEN Declining: five pairs in 1994 {Var
Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 90-91).

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii
CYPRUS Correction: First records of race
crassirostris {Brit. Birds 89: 32): single in flock
of 20 of the race columbinus at Potamos
Liopetrie in March 1994 and single there in
flock of ten of the race columbinus in July 1994.
Amendment: it is the short-billed race

columbinus (not crassirostris, of which there are
only two records of singles as listed above)
which is likely to be and has been misidentified
as Lesser Sand Plover C. mongolus (Peter Flint
& Peter Stewart in Cypnis Orn. Soc. (1957)
Nezvsletter (May 1995): 2-3).

ERANCE Fourth and fifth records: 17th July
1994 (previous records were in June 1969,
May 1970 and May 1980; Ornithos 2: 154).

Dotterel Charadrius morincllus
CZECH REPUBLIC Vagrants: one to two in
Krkonose Mountains on 15th-26th May
1993 (where breeding occurred in 1903 and
1946).

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
ERANCE First record: adult killed by hunter in
baie de Somme, Somme, on 15th July 1994.
NORWAY Vagrants: adult female at

Nffilandsstranden, Ha, Rogaland, on 1 1 th-
13 th June 1993, and adult male with above
female there on 13th June 1993 (five previous
records) .

s\YiiDEN Vagrants: Ottenby, Oland, and at
Rivet, Oland, on 1st August 1995* (19
previous records) .

American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica
c;anar'>’ islands Vagrant: juvenile on Tenerife
in October-November 1995*.

FRANCE Vagrants: 13th- 17th September 1994
and 1st October 1994 {Ornithos 2: 154); adults
at Le Plantay, Ain, on 1 2th August 1 995*, and
in baie d’Audierne, Finisterc, on 9th-25th
September 1995*.

ici'LAND Vagrant: 2nd October 1994 (seven
pre\'ious records; Bliki 16: 23).

SWEDEN Vagrant: Hullsjon, Vastergofland, on
8th-9lh September 1995* (ten previous
records; record at Hoburgen, Gotland, on
25th September 1994 was accepted only as
Pluvialis dominical fulva) .

American Golden Plover/Pacific Golden
Plover Pluvialis dominicaJP. fulva
NORWAY Vagrant: Lista fyr, Farsund-Agder,
on 14th September 1993.

Sociable Lapwing Chettusia gregaria
BULGARIA First record: 24th May 1985
{Neophron 1/96).

FRANCE Vagrants: four in October-December
1994 {Ornithos 2: 154); Chambeon, Loire, on
3rd November 1995*.

PORTUGAL Vagrant: Lagoa de Santo Andre,
near Sines, on 24th October 1995.

SWEDEN Vagrant: Visby, Gotland, on 1st
September 1995* and one, presumed same, at
Gislovshammar and Hagestad, Skane, from
12th September to 9th October 1995*.
SVCTIZERLAND Fifth and sixth records: 26th
March 1994 and 7th October 1994 {Orti.
Beob. 92: 466).

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
SPAIN Population estimate: 1,130-1,354

breeding pairs in 1992-95 {Quercus 119: 16-19).

Red Knot Calidris canutus
UKRAINE: Highest-ever winter numbers: 55
with Dunlins C. alpina on 1 1 th- 1 6th Januar\'
1995.

Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
CANARY ISLANDS First record: juvenile on
Tenerife in October 1995*.

FRANCE Vagrants: 6th- 10th September 1994
(five previous records; Ornithos 2: 154, 157);
adult in Vendee on 13th August 1995*,
juvenile in Loire-Atlantique on 25th-26th
August 1995* and adult in Pas-de-Calais on
5th- 12th November 1995*.

Red-necked Stint Calidris mficollis
FRANCE First record: adult in breeding

plumage in Pas-de-Calais on 15th-21st July
1994 {Ornithos 2: 154, 183-184).
sWEttEN Vagrant: 18th August 1994 (eight
previous records; Var Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 133).

Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii
DElNMARK Good passage numbers: 310 in
spring and 264 in aummn 1993 {DOFT S9:
160-161).

ES I ONIA First breeding record: pair with four
eggs at Kasari River delta, Matsalu Nature
Reserve, Laiine District, on 19th May 1993.

Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
ERANCE: Vagrant: first-winter in Pas-de-Calais

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

255

from 26th October to 11th November 1995*
(seven previous records).

ITALY First record; found dead at Novi di
Modena, Emilia-Romagna, on 12th February'
1994 (Riv. Ital. Orn. 65: 65).

White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
CANARY ISLANDS Vagrants; juvenile and two
adults on Tenerife, and juvenile on El Hierro,
in October 1995.*

FRANCE Vagrants: Pissevaches, Aude, on 23rd
October 1995*, and juvenile at Hoedic,
Morbihan, on 25th October 1995*.

ICELAND Vagrant: 27th July 1994 (45 previous
recordsj Bliki 16: 25).

SWEDEN Vagrants: 14th-20th August 1993 and
2nd October 1994 (nine previous records; Vdr
Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 133).

Verdal, Nord-Trondelag, on 25th-28th July

1993, Gaulosen, Helhus, Sor-Trondelag, on
9th August 1994, juvenile at Klastadkilen,
Larvik, Vestfold, on 2nd-3rd October 1994,
and Oteren, Storfjord, Troms, on 30th May
1994 (total now 50 records involving 56
individuals) .

SWEDEN Vagrants: 29th April to 1st May

1994, 5th June 1994, 17th- 18th September
1994 and 17th September 1994 (83 previous
records; Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 133).
SWITZERLAND Vagrant: Chavomay on 3rd-9th
and 12th September 1989; report on 16th
September 1989 not accepted.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata
IRELAND First record: 6th-21st August 1994
{Irish Birds 5: 337, 339).

Baird’s Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
FRANCE Vagrants: 30th August 1993, 9th- 1 1th
August 1994 and 2nd October 1994 (Ornithos
2: 155); Hoedic, Morbihan, on llth-12th
September 1995*, Ouessant, Finistere, on
13th-14th September 1995* and Ampoigne,
Mayenne, on 16th-20th January 1996*.
ICELAND First record: 3rd September 1994
{Bliki 15: 52-56; 16: 25).

Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
BELGIUM Vagrant: Oudenburg on 29th

October 1995 (plate 108).

FRANCE Vagrants: 18 records involving 16
individuals in August-September 1994
{Ornithos 2: 155); eight during aummn 1995*.
ICELAND Vagrants: three records in 1994 (23
previous records; Bliki 16: 25).

IRELAND Summer records: seven, involving
eight individuals, in May to early August
1994, plus usual aummn records {Irish Birds
5: 339).

NORWAY Vagrants: Makkevika, Giske, More &
Romsdal, on 27th August 1991, adult at 0rin,

Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus
DENMARK Very poor passage numbers: only
five in spring and 27-28 in aummn 1993
(lowest total since 1977; DOFT 89: 161).
SLOVENIA Second record: Secoveljske soline on
5th September 1993 {Acrocephalus 73: 197).

BufF-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites submficollis
CANARY ISLANDS Vagrant: juvenile on Tenerife
in October 1995*.

DENMARK Vagrant: Ribe, S-Jutland, from 15th
August to 8th September 1995* (nine
previous records).

FRANCE Vagrants: one on 22nd September

1993 and five records involving six indi\iduals
in August-October 1994 {Ornithos 2: 155);
nine, mainly in Brittany, in September 1995*.
ICELAND Vagrants: two on 3rd September 1994
and one from 25th September to 2nd October

1994 (five previous records; Bliki 16: 25).
SWEDEN Vagrants; 9th-llth May 1994, 10th-
1 1 th September 1 994 and 2nd-3rd October
1994 (15 previous records; Vdr Fdgelv. suppl.
22: 133), and Hagestad, Skane, 8th-19th

Plate 108. Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos, Belgium, October 1995 {Luc Verroken)

256

European news

October 1995.

swrrzKRLAND Fifth record: 2nd-3rd

September 1994 {Orn. Beob. 92: 466).

Great Snipe Gallinago media
DENMARK Ver\’ low numbers: only seven in
1993 (one in April and sL\ in August-
September; DOFT S9: 161).

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodrornus
scobpacem

PRANCE Vagrant: juvenile at Falguerec,

Morbihan, from 2nd to at least 24th October
1995*.

NORWAY Vagrant: juvenile at Revtangen^
Klepp, Rogaland, on 24th-25th November
1991 and again at Koines, Sola, Rogaland,
from 19th Januar\’ to 1st March 1992 (five
previous records).

Asian Dowitcher Idmnodromiis semipalmatus
PRANCE Deletion: May 1990 report {Brit.
Birds 84: 6) has been rejected by the French
Rarities Committee.

Black-tailed Godwit Ldmosa limosa
SPAIN Range expansion: two half-grown
young with several adults at Miguel Esteban
Lake, Toledo, on lOlhJune 1993 {ArdeoLi A2\
222).

Slender-billed Curlew Numenius leuidrostns
PRANCE Vagrant: single in flight in Camargue
on 2nd December 1995*. Deletion: two
previous records (Camargue on 7th April
1988 and Ouessant on 29th May 1991, Bni.
Birds 82: 18; 85: 9; 87: 317) now rejected.
MOROCCO Absence: none reported during
winter 1995/96.

Eurasian Curlew Nunietiius arquala
MOROCCO First record of race orienialis: Merja
Zerga on 4th Januar\- 1996.

Upland Sandpiper Bariramia longicauda
NETHERLANDS First record: juvenile at

Maasvlakte, Zuid-HoUand, on 28th October
1995.

Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
PRANCE Fifth record: Le Hourdel, Somme, on
2nd January 1 996*.

NORWAY First record: 8th-9th May 1993 {Vdr
Fiiglefaum 18: 248-249).

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
PRANCE Vagrant: etang de Poulguidou,

Finistere, on 19th September 1995*.

TTAl.^’ Fifth record: Caprolace lake, Lazio,
from early July to September 1994 {Riv. Itai
Orn. 65: 65).

MOROCCO Fourth record: Oucd Sous esmar>'
on 24th JanuaiA' 1995*.

NORWAY Vagrant: juvenile at Lista fyr,
Farsund, Vest-Agder, on 17th August 1993
(seven previous records).

Spotted Sandpiper Actilis macnknia
PRANCE Vagrants: 24th September 1994
{Ornithos 2r 156); juveniles at etang du
Moulin-Neuf, Finistere, on 12th September
1995* and at Belle-Ile, Morbihan, on 12th
October 1995*.

Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropns iricobr
PRANCE Vagrant: Pas-de-Calais on 5th-19th
November 1995*.

NORWAY’ Fourth record: juvenile at Orrevam,
Klepp, Rogaland, on 20th September 1994.
Deletion: record on 26th July 1988, Bnt. Birds
84: 6, now rejected (record in June 1993, Bril.
Birds 87: 7, becomes third).

Pomarine Skua Siercorarius pomarinns
CHANNEL ISLANDS Third to fifth records for
Guernsey: Chouet on 2nd Januarv’ 1995, 28th-
29th August 1995 and 29th September 1995
(previous records were in whiter 1879/80 and
on 3 1 st August 1 982) .

Long-tailed Skua Siercorarius bngicaudus
P’RANCp: Influx: 41 during autumn 1995.
GREAT BRITAIN Exceptional passage: over
1,000, mostly adults, off North Sea coasts
during August 1995.

Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichthyaetus
CANARY ISIANDS First record: adult in full
summer plumage on Tenerife in March
1995*.

CZECH RI-PUBLIC First record: juvenile near
Zahlinice, central Moravia, on 27tli September
1992 (cf increasing number of records for
inland Europe: Hungary, Brit. Birds 87: 7;
Austria, Bril. Birds 86: 283; Germany, Brit.
Bird^ 88: 35).

POLAND Influx: seven records in April-
September 1995 (only nine previous records).

Laughing Gull Laws alricilb

i-RANCE Vagrant: juvenile on 28th August

1994 {Ornithos 2: 157).

PORTUGAL Escape/vagrant: Parede, near

Lisboa, on 5th-7th January' 1996 (regarded as
probable escape).

swliDiiN Fifth record: Hulterstad, Oland, on
18th October 1995*.

Little Gull Larus niinutus
PRANCP; First possible breeding record: pair
possibly reared two young at lac de Grand-
Lieu, I,oire-Atlanlique, in 1994, and at least
five pairs there in 1995, but no definite proof
of breeding success {Ornithos 3: 41-43).

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

257

Sabine’s Gull Lams sabiiii
CHANNEL ISLANDS Second record for Jersey:
adult and first-winter on 8th September 1995
(previous record was on 29th September
1988).

EGYPT Third record: on Mediterranean coast
77 km west of Alexandria on 2nd March
1995.

FRANCE Influx: at least 850 in Les Sables-
d’Olonne harbour, Vendee, on 7th September
1995 ( Omithos 3 : 11-13).

Bonaparte’s Gull Lams Philadelphia
DENMARK Second record: second-winter at
Hirtshals Harbour, N-Judand, from 6th
November to 4th December 1995*.

Slender-billed Gull Lams genei
SWEDEN Second and third records: 29th April
(not 30th April as noted previously, Brit. Birds
88: 36) to 1st May 1994 (Vdr Fdgelv. suppl.
22: 135) and Ekesakra, Skane, on 8th-9th
October 1995*.

Audouin’s Gull Lams audoidnii

MALTA Vagrant: ringed in January 1996 (13

previous records).

Ring-billed Gud Lams delawarensis
FRANCE Vagrants: nine records involving two
individuals in 1994 (Ornithos 2: 157-158).
ICELAND Vagrants: two records in 1994 (41
previous records; Bliki 16: 28).

NORWAY Vagrants: second-winter at Bergen,
Hordaland, on 29th-30th March 1992, first-
winter there from 10th January to 17th March
1993, adult there on 26th January’ 1994, and
first-winter there on 16th- 19th November
1 994 (17 records in total; thirteenth record, in
May and July 1992, Brit. Birds 87: 318, now
becomes fourteenth).

PORTUGAL Vagrant: first-winter at Caxias and
Oeiras, near Lisboa, on 24th-29th December
1995.

Common GuU Lams canus

MAt;PA Fourth record: January’-February 1996.

Yellow-legged GuU Lams cachinnans
CHANNEL 1S1.ANDS Second record for
Guernsey: adult at St Peter Port Harbour on
27th October 1995 (previous record was in
November 1982).

Iceland GuU Lams glaticoides
DENMARK High numbers: 24 in 1993 (19 in
January-June and five in September-
December) compared with average of eight
per year in 1977-92 (DOFT S9: 164).

Great Black-backed GuU Lains marinus
SLOVENIA Second record: Pmjsko jezero from

26th November to 4th December 1994
(Acrocephaliis 68-69-70: 82-83).

Ross’s GuU Rhodostethia rosea
DENMARK Vagrant: Skagen, N-Jutland, from
17th May to 21st June 1995* (found dead on
11th July 1995*; six previous records; records
during winter 1994, Brit. Birds 88: 36, will
probably be regarded as referring to two
different individuals).

NETHERLANDS Vagrant: second-winter at
IJmuiden, Noord-Holland, on 7th-llth
November 1995 (seven previous records).

GuU-biUed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
NORWAY Fifth record and first since 1971:
Molen, Vestfold, on 15th May 1994 (total of
eight individuals).

SWITZER1.AND Vagrants: Panel on lst-2nd July
1995 and two at Thun on 28th August 1995.

Caspian Tern Sterna caspia

SWEDEN Declining: about 480 pairs in 1994

{Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 95-96).

Royal Tern Sterna maxima
MOROCCO Unusually large numbers in late
summer 1995: flocks of about 200 at Skhirat
plage, south of Rabat, on 13th August 1995,
17 at Oued Chebeika estuary on 28th August
1995, 80 off Khnifiss Lagoon on 29th August
1995, 25 off Sidi Akhfennir and 120 at
estuary of Oued Laouar on 30th August
1995.

Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis
SLOVENIA First record: 5th June 1993

{Acrocephaliis 16: 170-171, 195).

Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis
HUNGARY Fourth record: two adults at
Fertoujlak, Mekszikdpuszta, on 16th- 17th
May 1995.

MACEDONIA First and second records: four at
Carina, Prespa Lake, on 1 8th September 1 989
and six near Nikolic, Dojran Lake, on 14th
AprO 1994.

Common Tern Sterna himndo

SPAIN First inland breeding records: nest with

eggs at Cuerda del Pozo resen^ir, Soria, and

two ■ young raised at gravel-pits in Velilla de

San Antonio, Madrid, in 1995 {Ardeola 42:

224).

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
HUNGARY Fourth record: Naszaly-

Ferencmajor-fishponds on 16th September
1995.

Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus

FRANCE Vagrants: 7th July 1992 and 20th

August 1994 {Ornithos 2: 158; not 29th

258

European news

August 1994 as noted previously, Bnt. Birds
88: 273).

Little Tem Sterna albifrons
CZECH REPUBLIC First breeding record: one
unfledged and, later, two fledged young in
colony of Common Terns 5. hinindo near
Karv ina town, northern Moravia, in July 1995.

Inca Tem Larosierna itica
ERAKCE Presumed escapes: at least a dozen
records between Dunkerque and Saint-
Nazaire from July 1994 to Januair 1995
{Orniihos 2: 167, 184-185).

Whiskered Tem Chlidouias hybridus
HEIARUS Third breeding record: 10-15 pairs in
tem colony at Lakht'a fish-breeding farm,
Luninets district, Brest region, in June 1995.
NORWAY Fifth record: Havsteinen, Giske,
More & Romsdal, on 6th July 1985.

Black Tem Chlidotiias niger
ICELAND Vagrants of Nearctic race
siirinarnensis: adult male on 10th June 1956,
adult female on 6th June 1957 and adult male
on 21st-22nd June 1970 (Bliki 2: 44-55).

White- winged Black Tem Chlidouias
leiicopiems

CHANNEL ISIANDS First record for Guernsey:
first-winter at the Vale Pond on 4th-5di
October 1995 and at Rue des Houges on 18ih
October 1995.

Little Auk Aik alk

AUSTRIA First record: Vienna on 4th

November 1995.

DENMARK Highest-ever numbers: 2,300

passing Hanstholm, N-Jutland, 1,978 passing
Vejlby Klit, W-Judand, and 1,628 passing
Blavands Huk, W-Judand, all on 28th October
1995.

PRANCE High numbers: at least 370, mainly off
Nord and Pas-de-Calais, from 30th October
to 19th November 1995.

GRliA'P BRI TAIN Major influx: huge numbers
appeared inshore off eastern England from late
October and into November 1995, with
40,000 at Flamborough Head, Humberside,
alone during first half of November.

Tufted Puffin Liiiida cinhata

SWEDEN First record: 1st and 8th June 1994

{Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 136).

Turtle Dove Streptopelia tiirtur
GREAT BRITAIN Census data: the B'FO

Common Birds Census index showed a
decrease of 72% during the period 1968-91,
between the two breeding-bird atlases
(Conserv. Biol. 9: 1434).

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orieiitalis
NORWAY Fourth-record date extension:
juvenile showing characters of the race
oriemalis at Borhaug, Farsund, Vest-Agder, on
16th- 17th Febmaiy 1992 (same individual as
that in More & Romsdal from 25th January to
12th Februar\’ 1992, Bnt. Birds 88: 273).
SWTDEN Vagrant: 3rd Januart- to 1 8th March
1994 (17 previous records involving nine
individuals^ Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 137).

Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegaktisis
ITALY Fourth and fifth records: two at
Pantelleria, Sicilia, on 29th March 1994 and
one at Cagliari, Sardegna, on 1st September
1994 {Riv. Ital. Oni. 65: 67).

Mourning Dove Zeiiaida macroitra
ICELAND First record and second for the Western
Palearctic: Heimaey on 19th October 1995*.

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
MOROCCO Introduced population: up to three
sighted regularly at Casablanca, Anfa district,
during 1990-95, and single at Asilah on 3rd
January 1996.

Great Spotted Cuckoo CUimator gkmdarius
t;ROA'TiA First breeding record: egg in nest of
Carrion Crow Coivns corone comix in Trogir,
near Split, on 7tli May 1988 {Lams 41/42:
151-164).

NORWAY Deletion: record on 9th May 1985
{Bnt. Birds 82: 20) now rejected, so record on
25th AprU 1993 {BHt. Bird^ 87: 9; 88: 37)
again becomes fourth.

POIAND Second record: adult at Brzeszcze,
Upper Silesia, on 13th August 1995 (first was
in August 1986).

Didric Cuckoo Chysococcyx capnits
ISRAEL First record and second West
Palearctic record: already noted {Bnt. Birds
87: 319; 88: 37), see plates 111 & 112.

Common Cuckoo Cuculus caiioms
MALTA First breeding record: recendy fledged
juvenile, probably fostered by Cetti’s VC'arblers
Cettia cetti, on 17th Julv 1993 {Il-Mcrill 28:
22).

Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops

EAROP; ISIANDS Second record: Husa\’ik on 1 1th

August 1995 (first record was in May 1954).

Little Owl Athctic iioctiia
DiiNMARK Highest-ever breeding numbers: 45
confirmed pairs (plus six ‘probable’ and eight
‘possible’) in 1993 {DOF'F S9: 169).

Short-eared Owl A.no flamtncus

STAIN Breeding population established:

following population explosion of Common

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

259

Voles Microtus awalis, 360 + 166 pairs
estimated in the Northern Meseta in 1994
{Qiiercus 119: 19-22); species previously just
wintering, with only sporadic breeding.

Red-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus ntficollis
DENMARK First record: male killed by car at
Skagen, N-Jutland, on 4th October 1991*.

White-throated Needletail Swift Himndapiis
caiidacutiis

SWEDEN First record: 22nd-27th May 1994
(Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 137).

Pallid Swift Apiis pallidus

NORWAY Fourth record: Utsira, Rogaland, on

3rd June 1995.

Alpine Swift Apiis melba
CHANNEL ISLANDS Second record for
Alderney: 13th and 15th September 1995
(first w'as on 29th March 1988).

Little Swift Apus affinis

CANARY ISLANDS Vagrant: Gran Canaria in
July 1994*.

C\TRUS Third to fifth records: Asprokremmos
Dam Pool on 9th April 1 995, Phassouri Reed-
beds on 14th April 1995, and Paphos
Lighthouse area on 22nd April 1995.

Pied Kingfisher Ceiyle nidis
MONTENEGRO First record: male and female
on 26th July 1993 and male and two females
on 27th July 1993 (Acrocephalus 65-66: 136).

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops siiperciliosus
FRANCE Fifth record: 15th October 1993
(Omithos 2: 158).

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster
AUSTRIA High breeding numbers: at least 250
pairs in eastern Austria in 1995.

Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinicus
EGYFF Fourth record and fifth for Western
Palearctic: Abu Simbel on 29th September
1995.

Hoopoe Upiipa epops

DENMARK First breeding record since 1977:
pair bred in 1993 (DOFT S9: 171).

Wryneck jfynx torqinlla

DENMARK Poor numbers: 155-200 in 1993,

with only one confirmed breeding pair (plus

two ‘probables’ and three ‘possibles), one of

lowest totals in the last ten years {DOFT 89:

172).

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos
leucotos

SWEDEN Declining: eight confirmed and five
probable breeding records and about 32 individuals
in 1994 {Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 101-102).

Thick-billed Lark Ramphocoris clolbey
EGYIM' First breeding record: two adults south
of Marsa Matruh, Western Desert, on 12th
June 1995, and two recently fledged young
with one adult there on 14th June 1995.

Crested Lark Galerida cristata
DENMARK Continued decline: probably 50-75
pairs in 1993, compared with an estimated
300-500 pairs in late 1980s; current trend
would lead to extinction within 20-30 years (as
has already occurred in Sweden and
Switzerland, Brit. Birds 85: 10; 88: 274;
DOFT 89: 173).

Wood Lark Ltdlula arborea
CHANNEL ISLANDS Second record for Herm:
six on 14th October 1995 (previous record
was of 30 on 25th March 1958).

Oriental Lark Alauda gulgula
EGYIH' Third record: Sharm Farm, South
Sinai, on 13th- 14th October 1995, and two
there on 20th-21st October 1995.

Homed Lark Eremophila alpestris
DENMARK Continued increase: total of 5,563
in 1993 (1,213 in January-May and 4,350 in
September-December) (DOFF 89: 173-174).

Plain Martin Riparia paludicola

ISRAEL Third record: Beit Shean Valley on

20th December 1995.

Wire-tailed Swallow Hinmdo smithii
EGYPT First record for Egypt and Western
Palearctic: Wadi Hagul on 30th March 1995*.

Richard’s Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
DENMARK Vagrants: 48 in 1993 (including
third-ever spring record), the second-best year
after peak of 50 in 1988 {DOFT 89: 174); 29
in September-November 1995.

EGVTT Largest-ever number: ten at Sharm
Farm, South Sinai, on 13th- 14th October
1 995, and at least 1 1 there on 20th October
1995.

FRANCE Vagrants: 25 records invoking 38
individuals in September-November 1994
{Ornithos 2: 159); 25 in aummn 1995, and
two wintering at Agen, Lot-ct-Garonne, and
two other individuals in Crau, Bouches-du-
Rhone, from end of December 1 995 to at least
17thjanuar>' 1996*.

GIBRALI'AR First record: ringed on 30th April
1995.

MOROCCO Wintering records: singles at Massa
on 27th December 1995* and at Merja Zerga
in December 1995*.

SVXT.DEN Vagrants: 50 in 1994 (about 255
previous records; Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 102-
103).

260

European news

Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris
MAi.l'A First and second breeding records:
single pairs each seen feeding single newly
fledged voung in earlv Julv 1993 {Il-Merill 28:
22).

Olive-backed Pipit Anthiis hodgsoni
FRANCE Fifth record: 5th November 1994
(Oniithos 2: 159).

NORWAY Vagrant: Rovier, Haugesund,

Rogaland, on 1st November 1994.

Pechora Pipit Anthus gusiavi
FRANCE Deletion: record in 1987 {Bnt. Birds
83: 14) now rejected (record in September
1990, Bnt. Birds 84: 233, now stands as the
only one; Oniithos 2: 159).

NORWAY Third and fourth records:
Harestadmyra, Randaberg, Rogaland, on 1st
October 1992 and Fedje, Hordaland, on 10th
October 1994.

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cenhnus
DENMARK Low passage numbers: fewer than
usual in 1993, with 141 (29 in spring and 1 12
in autumn), compared with 335 in 1991 and
307 in 1992 (DOFT 89: 174).

Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

Dl-NMARK Invasion: about 100 during winter

1995/96*.

svn-DEN First and second records: 22nd-23rd
October 1993 and 19 individuals from 22nd
December 1994 {Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 138).

Citrine Wagtail Motadlla citreola
1-rancf: Fifth record: juvenile at La Belle-
Henriette, Vendee, on 9th September 1995*.
ICELAND Fourth record: 1 1th September 1994
{Bhki 16: 31).

hai.y Vagrant: male at Bilancino dam,
Barbarino del Mugello, Toscana, on 10th May
1994 (five previous records; Riv. Ital. Oni. 65:
67).

Ni-THEREANDS Fifth record: first-winter at
Petten, Noord-Holland, on 25th-29th
September 1995.

swiiDEN Influx: at least 12 during autumn
1995*.

SWTFZERlAND Second and third records: males
on 21st April 1994 and lst-2nd May 1994
(On;. 92: 471, 4*73).

UKRAINE; Colonisation: in Volyn’ region, first
record on 13th April 1989, pair and male on
1 st May 1 992, bred for first time in 1 993; also
observed in Ternopil region from 1985, in
Lviv region from 1986 and in Rivne region
from 1988 {Troglodytes 3: 61).

Pied Wagtail Motadlla alba

di;nmark First breeding record of pair of race

yarrellii for 20 years: one pair bred in 1993
{DOFT 89: 174).

Cedar Waxwing Bombydlla cedronim
grf;.yi BRITAIN Vagrant/escape: Nottingham
from 20th February 1 996 into at least March*
(first, in June* 1985, is included in Category D,
so this winter record is a potential first for
Category A).

ICEIAND First record: from mid April to late
Julv 1989 {Brit. Birds 89: 38; Bliki 16: 7-11,
31).

Bohemian Waxwing Bombydlla garnilus
FRANCE Small influx: from 22nd January 1 996
onwards, mairily in Northern France (maxi-
mum of 15 together).

grf;a'T brti AIN Major irruption: around 6,000
arrived during January 1 996.

NORW'A’i’ Largest irrupdon for many years:
many thousands in southern Norway during
autumn and winter 1995; exact number not
yet available, but three flocks, totalling 10,000
indi\'iduals, at Elverum, Hedmark, on 15th
December 1995 are noteworthy.
swf;df:n Influx: occurs every winter in
southern Sweden, but excepdonal numbers
during winter 1 995/96.

Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampdinus
eg^’FT Second record: male at Abu Simbel on
16lh November 1995; male, perhaps same
individual, and female/juvenile there on 8th
December 1995 (prerious record was in 1938).

Robin Enthacus mbccula

ICI-IANI;; Highest total in one year: 170 in spring

1994, most in early April {Bliki 16: 32-34).

Siberian Rubythroat Lusdnia calliope
DiiNMARK Second record: juvenile male at
Chrisdanso, Bornholm, from 30th October to
2nd November 1995*.

Bluethroat Lusdnia svedca
iAl IWIA Correcdon: breeding records of race
svedca in 1992 and 1993 {Brit. Birds 88: 275)
related to Slovakia, not Latvia.

SLOVAKIA See L.atvia, above.

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanunis
ISRAEL First record: overwintering near Zefat,
northern Israel, from 1st Januaiy 1996.
NORWAY Vagrant: Eigersund, Rogaland, on
8th October 1995*.

POLAND First record: immature male at
Darfowo, Baldc coast, on 30di October 1995.
swf:df:n Vagrant: female at Vastergarn,
Gotland, on 1st September 1995* (ten
pre\'ious records; record from K\-ikkjokk on
14th August 1994, Brit. Birds 88: 275, not
accepted) .

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

261

White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis
SWEDEN Fifth record: Hoburgen, Gotland, on
9th August 1995*.

Moussier’s Redstart Phoenicunis moussien
rrALY Third record: male at Zannone isle,
Lazio, on 10th- 15 th November 1993 (Riv.
Ital. Orn. 65: 65).

Common Stonechat Saxicola lorquata
DENMARK Continued increase: 52 in 1993,
mostly passage migrants, the largest number
recorded in the period since 1977 (DOFT S9:
175). Vagrants of eastern race manralstejnegeri:
9th October 1993 (DOFT 89: 106), 22nd
September 1994, 26th September 1994 and
15th October 1995* (21 previous records).
NORWAY Vagrants of eastern race rnaural
stejnegeri: 7th-8th October 1989, 28th

September 1991, 12th October 1991, 5th May
1992, 27th September 1992 and 15th October
1994 (11 previous records, aU in 1977-88; Vdr
Fiigkfaima 17: 259-278).

PORdUGAt. First record of eastern race rnaural
stejnegetr. 13th November 1993 (Pardela 1(2): 8).

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina
swltDEN Second record: 6th April 1994 (Vdr
Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 139).

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pkschanka
POLAND First record: female/immature at
Jastamia, Hel Peninsula, on 14th October 1995.

Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti
DENMARK Third record: Fano, S-Jutiand, on
23rd-26th November 1995*.

Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe rnonacha
CYPRUS Amendment: records on 21st and
23rd April 1995 (Brit. Birds 89: 39)
considered to refer to the same individual.

Black Wheatear Oenanthe kucura
FRANCE Vagrant (outside breeding range):
Hautes-Pyrenees on 10th August 1994
(Omit has 2: 159).

Swainson’s Thrush Catharus ustulatus
FRANCE Second record: Ouessant on 16th-
19th October 1995*. Deletion: report of 22nd
October 1993 (Brit. Birds 87: 321) was
rejected.

SWEDEN First record: Solleron, Dalama, on
22nd-23rd October 1995*.

Dusky Thrush Turdtis naumanni

FRANCE Vagrant: 21st January 1994 (Omithos

2: 160).

Dark-throated Thrush Turdus mficollis
FRANCE Vagrant: male with characteristics of
race atrogularis on 22nd October 1994
(Omithos 2: 160).

NFri'HERi.ANDS Third record of race atrogularis:
first-winter female in Den Helder, Noord-
Holland, from 5th January to at least 17th
February 1996 (plates 113 & 114).

SWEDEN Vagrant: 27th February to 26th
March 1994 (13 previous records; Vdr Fdgelv.
suppl. 22: 139).

American Robin Turdus rnigratorius
SWTiDEN Second record: 10th April 1994 (Vdr
Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 140).

Zitting Cisticola Cisticola jtmcidis
FRANCE Increase: some singing males north to
baie de Seine, Seine-Maritime, Normandy,
during summer 1995*.

Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides
NORWAY Fifth record: Molen, Vestfold, on
11th June 1989 (record of 28th May to 7th
June 1992, Brit. Birds 89: 40, becomes sixth;
total of eight records).

SWITZERIAND Breeding census: 260-300 pairs
in 1992, 90% at Lake Neuchatel (first
colonised in 1956; Orn. Beob. 92: 435-453).

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola
FRANCE Fifth to seventh records: two in
August and one in October 1994 (Omithos 2:
160).

itUNGARY Third record: trapped in Hansag on
2 1st July 1995*.

NORWAY Second record: adult ringed at
Gunnarsmyr, Farsund, Vest-Agder, on 26th
September 1992.

POLAND First record: adult trapped near
Nowakowo, Vistula Lagoon, on 9th July
1995.

Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus
dumetonirn

FRANCE Second record: 23rd October 1994
(Omithos 2: 160).

Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata
NETHERLANDS Fifth and sixth records: De
Cocksdorp, Texel, on 19th September 1995*
and Maasvlakte, Zuid-Holland, on 6th
October 1995.

SWEDEN Fourth record and first of race rama:
26th August 1993 (Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22:
140).

Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata
NETHERLANDS Second record: male at

Westkapelle, Zeeland, from 26th Nov^ember to
3rd December 1995.

SWEDEN Third record: 8th October to 2nd
November 1994 (Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 140).

Tristram’s Warbler Sylvia deserticola
CANARY ISLANDS First record: adult male on
Fuerteventura in October 1995*.

262

European news

Menetries’s Warbler Sylina mystacea
ISRAEL Second or third record: male at
Yotvata, southern Israel, on 29th March 1984.

Desert Warbler Sylvia nana
SWEDEN Vagrant: 22nd October to 1st
November 1994 (ten previous records; Vdr
Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 140-141).

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia cumica
GiBRAi/LAR First record: 24th October 1995.

Greenish Warbler Phylbscopus trochibides
DENMARK Third-best year ever: at least 38
(excluding breeders) in 1993, the majority in
May-June; one pair bred (pre\ious breeding in
1990 and 1992) (DOFF 89: 176-177).
UKRAINE Second record of race nitidiis: near
Odessa on 5th-7th August 1994.

Pallas’s Leaf Warbler Phylbscopus pwregulus
DENMARK Vagrants: three or four in October
1993 (four or five annually since 1989)
(DOFT 89: 177); six in October-November
1995.

ERANCE Vagrants: four records involving six
individuals in October-November 1994
{Omithos 2: 161); singles at Cap Gris-Nez, Pas-
de-Calais, on 28th October 1995*, on Ouessant
on 31st October 1995* and at Marquenterre,
Somme, on 15th November 1995*.
ri'Ai.v First record: ringed at Staranzano, Friuli
Venezia Giulia, on 31st October 1994 {Riv.
Ital. Om. 65: 66).

NORWAY Vagrants: More & Romsdal on 23rd
October 1982, Vest-Agder on 10th October
1989, Vest-Agder on 12th October 1989,
Rogaland on 15th October 1989, Vest-Agder
on 22nd October 1989, and Rogaland on
14th- 15th October 1994 (total of 48 records
involving 56 individuals).

UKRAINE Vagrant: 8th November 1986

(Troglodytes 3: 12).

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylbscopus itiomatus
DENMARK Vagrants: eight in September-
November 1995.

FRANCE Vagrants: 60 records involving 65
individuals in September-November 1994
(Omithos 2: 161). Third and fourth records of
race humei: singles on Hoedic, Morbihan, on
24th-28th October 1995* and in Crau,
Bouches-du-Rhone, from 17th January 1996*
onwards.

sWEDliN Vagrants: 50 in 1994 (not 48 as
stated in Biit. Birds 89: 41; total of 545
previous records; Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 111).
Vagrants of race humei (treated as separate
species in Sweden’s totals): five during 24th
October to 21st November 1994 (six previous
records; Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 141).

Radde’s Warbler Phylbscopus schwarzi
FRANCE Fourth and fifth records: 9th

November 1994 (not 8th November as stated
pre\iotisly, Brit. Birds 88: 278; Omithos 2: 160,
161), and on Ouessant on 28th October 1995*.
svniDEN Vagrants: five during 25th September
to 23rd October 1994 (26 previous records;
Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 141).

Dusk\' Warbler Phylbscopus fuscatus
FRANCE Vagrants: 13th November 1994

(Omithos 2: 162), on Sein, Finistere, on 21st
October 1995* and on Ouessant on 16th
November 1995*.

ITALY First record: ringed at Giannutri isle,
Toscana, on 8th May 1993 (Riv. Ital Om. 65:
66).

iJVrviA First record: trapped at Pape, Liepaja,
on 17th October 1995*.

NORWAY Second and sixth records: ringed at
Utsira, Rogaland, on 20th October 1984 and
juvenile ringed at Sele, Klepp, Rogaland, on 3 1 st
October 1993 (earlier third and fourth records,
Bril. Birds 86: 291, become fourth and fifth).

Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedub paiva
FAROE iSLANt)S Fifth record: female ringed on
Nolsoy on 28th June 1995 (previous records
all in autumn).

FRANCE High autumn numbers: 20-25

different individuals on Ouessant in
October/early November 1995*.

Bearded Tit Pauums biarmicus
Bi-iAiRUS Second breeding locality: pair in
reedbeds in area abandoned after Chernobyl
accident, soudi of Khoiniki, Gomel region, in
late May 1995.

DENMARK Continued increase and expansion:
record numbers at several localities in 1993,
including annual total of 4,411 in Vejlerne
(DOFT S9: 177).

Siberian Tit Pams ductus
SWEDEN Large irruption: usually sedentaiy,
but occurred in large numbers in autumn
1994, with some as far south as Soderman-
land (Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 113-114).

European Nuthatch Sitta curopaea
FINIAND Largest irruption of race asiatica
since 1970s: in Septembcr-October 1995,
already noted (Bril. Birds 89: 42).
lAi i viA Iraipfion of race asbtica: more titan 50
trapped or seen at Pape, Liepaja, during 3rd-
31st October 1995.

SWEDEN Irruption of race asbtica: probably at
least a few thousand in northernmost
provinces of Norrbotten, Vasterbotten and
Lappland, first seen in early September 1995,
with numbers peaking before Christmas.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

263

Plate 109. House Crows Corvus splendens, Netherlands, August 1995 (Arnoud B. van den Berg)

Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla
DENMARK Expansion: continued spread

northwards in Judand in 1993, probably a
result of recent mild winters (DOFT 89: 178).

Pendtdine Tit Rerniz pendulinus
DENMARK Status: total of about 330 in 1993,
including 50-57 pairs breeding {DOFT 89:
178).

Isabelline Shrike Lanins isabellinus
AUSTRIA First record: Rheindelta, Vorarlberg,
from 1st May to 6th October 1994.

CYPRUS Third record: female at Paphos
Lighthouse area on 6th May 1995.

GREECE First record: adult male at Evros Delta
on 28th September 1995.

SWEDEN Vagrants: 8th- 17th October 1994
and 20th October to 3rd November 1994
(six previous records; Vdr Fagelv. suppl. 22:
142).

Great Grey Shrike Lanins exenbitor
DENMARK First record of race pallidirostris:
Sydlangeland, Fuen, on 22nd-23rd October
1995*.

GREAT BRI'I’AIN Winter numbers: no more than
75 wintered annually during 1986-92 {Bnt.
Birds 88: 478-484); this figure is less than half
that estimated by the BTO’s Winter Atlas for
1981-84, and adds to the evidence for long-
term decline.

Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes
DENMARK IiTupdon: more than 1,000 during
aummn 1995.

FINLAND Irruption: from July 1995 onwards
already noted {Brit. Birds 89: 42).

LATVIA Irruption: more than 3,000 at Pape,
Liepaja, between 19th August and 20th
October 1995; of 32 trapped, almost all were
of slender-billed eastern race macrorhynchos.
NORWAY Largest irruption of race
macrorhynchos for many years: probably
involving many thousands in southern Norway
during August 1995, with individuals
remaining into December 1995; flocks of up
to 400, at Lista, Vest-Agder, noted on direct
migration.

SWEDEN Largest irruption in modern times of
race macrorhynchos’. starting in mid August
1995, occurring all over Sweden, with second
wave arriving in late October/early November
1995, with a few still present in January 1996.
(Ornamental Arolla Pines Finns cembra were
especially favoured.)

Daurian Jackdaw Corvns dauuriens
FRANCE First record: adult at ile de
Noirmoutier, Vendee, on 22nd June 1995
(perhaps same individual as that in the
Netherlands in May, Brit. Birds 89: 42).

House Crow Coivns splendens
NETHERLANDS First records: two at Hoek van
Holland from 10th April 1994 to at least 4th
February 1996 (plate 109), a third individual
at Renesse, Zeeland, from 21st November
1994 until at least 14th November 1995
{Dutch Birding 18: 6-10).

Common Starling Stnrnns vnlgaris
MAl.TA First breeding records: pair reared
three young in May-June 1994 {Il-Merill 28:
21; also breeding in 1993 and 1994 on
Comino after adults released from captivity).

264

European news

Rosy Starling Slimius roseiis

AUS TRIA Vagrants: small influx in spring 1995,

with at least five records in eastern part of

Austria.

BULGARIA Breeding: over 1,000 pairs bred
near Kamobat, Burgas region, in 1995.
ICKLANU Vagrant: three records in August
1994 (ten previous records; Bliki 16: 41).
ISRAEL First winter record: adult in Beit Shean
Valley on 26th December 1991.

Snowfinch MoniijHngilla nivalis
CROATIA Second record: adult male and
immature at Medv’ednica Mt., near Zagreb, on
7th November 1993 (first record was at Ston,
near Dubrovnik, in 1893).

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivacens

GREAT BRITAIN Highest total in one year:

about ten in October 1995*.

ICELAND Highest total in one year: at least four
in autumn 1995* (five previous records).

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
TRANCE First record of North African race
spodiogenys: Lozere on 27th March 1994
(Omithos 2: 163).

European Serin Seriniis seiiniis
dt;nM/\rk Influx: 53 in 1993, with one pair
possibly breeding (DOFT 89: 179).

Common Redpoll Carduelis flcunrnea
DENMARK Largest invasion since winter
1986/87: tens of thousands during autumn
1995, with highest-ever one-day count w'hen
5,000 passed Nordmandshage, N-Jutland, on
2nd November.

LAITIA Second and third records of race
cabaret: two trapped at Pape, Liepaja, on 31st
October and 9th November 1 995 (first record
was in October 1990).

NORWAY Large irruption of race jlammea:
many thousands, probably hundreds of
thousands, in southern Norway during
autumn and winter 1995 (flocks also included
a higher number of Arctic Redpolls C.
honiemauni than usual).

Arctic Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni
DENMARK Invasion: more than 1 00 individuals
during autumn/winter 1995/96.

FRANCE Vagrant: Quimper, Finistere, from 7th
to at least 1 6th January 1 996* and at least one
at Hardelot, Pas-de-Calais, from 24th January
to 4th Febmary 1996*.

SLOVAKIA Second record: one, together with
others exhibiting characters intermediate
between Common Redpoll C. Jlammea and
Arctic Redpoll, trapped in East Slov’akia in
w’inter 1995/96.

Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucopiera
DENMARK Small influx: 13 in 1993 (five in
spring and eight in autumn) (DOFT 89: 179).
SWEDEN Irruption: large numbers in Lappland
during autumn 1995, but only a few farther
south (unusual, since inv'asions usually spread
southw’ards later in the season).

Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytyopsittacus
DENMARK Invasion: 591 in June-December
1993, the largest number since the record
5,600 in 1990 {DOFT 89: 179-180).

Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagiiieus
FRANCE; Third record: Territoire de Belfort on
30th June 1994 {Omithos 2: 163).

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythnnus
FRANCE Colonisation: nine records involving
over 40 individuals in 1994 {Omithos 2: 163).
STAIN Increasing: after first record in Algeciras
on 8th November 1986, Uvo in 1988, singles
in 1990 and 1993, two in 1994 and four in
1995 (all of individuals ringed in aummn).

Pine Grosbeak Pinicola emteleator
DENMARK Influx: two passing Nord-

mandshage, N-Jutland, on 2nd November
1995* and 6-13 individuals at Skagen, N-
Judand, 13th- 19th November 1995 (highest
numbers for several decades).

NORWAY Largest migration count: 640 passed
Molen, Vestfold, in four-hour period on 28th
October 1995.

FACING PAGE

Plate 110. Male Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis (right) and male Tufted Duck A. fuligula,
France, February 1996 {Arnoiid B. van den Berg)

Plates 111 & 112. Male Didric Cuckoo Chysococcyx caprius, Israel, March 1994 {left, A.
Noeske; tight, S. Pfiitzke)

Plates 113 & 114. First-winter female Dark-throated Thrush Turdus mficolUs of race
atrogtilaiis, Netherlands, January 1996 {large, Atic Otneerkerk; small, Anthony McGeehan)

Plate 115. Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia, Iceland, 8th November 1995 {Gnnnlangur
Petursson). The first record for Iceland.

266

European news

SWHDEN Irruption: first reports in Gotland in
late September 1995, later oceurring in large
numbers in central Sweden, but ver^' few
south of Varmland-Sbdermanland.

Bullfinch Pyrrhiila pyrrhiila

CROA TIA Large influx; both inland and on the

coast in winter 1995/96.

ICELAND Influx: 33 in 1994, first in late
October and some well into 1 995 (37 pre\ious
records; Bliki 16: 43).

Teimessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina
GREAT BRITAIN Fourth record: St Kilda,
Western Isles, on 20th September 1995.

Northern Parula Parula americatia
FRANCE Second record: Ouessant on 21st
October 1995*.

GREA T BRTTAIN Vagrant; St Agnes, Scilly, on
10th October 1995.

Chestnut-sided Warbler Dendtxriai pensy>kwtica
GREIA'T BRI TAIN Second record; Prawie Point,
Devon, on 18th October 1995.

Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia
ICELAND First and second records: Bakki i A-
Landeyjum from 29th September to 7th
December 1995* (plate 115), and at Seltjbm i
Njardv’ik on 21st-23rd October 1995*.

Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata
GREAT BRITAIN Vagrant: North Ronaldsay,
Orkney, on 13th October 1995.

BlackpoU Warbler Dendroica striata
GRitA'T BRI TAIN Vagrants: St Agnes, Scilly, on
27th October to 6th November 1995, and
Kenidjack, Cornwall, on 29th October 1995.

Bay-breasted Warbler Dendroica castanea
GREAT BRITAIN First record: Land’s End,
Cornwall, on 1st October 1995*.

Lapland Longspur Cakarius lapponiciis
DENMARK High numbers: 1,021 in autumn-
winter 1 993, with marked peak in September
(DOFT S9: 180).

Pine Bunting Ernberiza kucocephalos
SWTDEN Vagrants: Utklippan, Blekinge, on
14th-22nd October 1995*, Karlstad,
Varmland, on 28th December 1995* and
Jonkoping on 25th-26th Januar}' 1996* (nine
previous records).

Little Bunting Ernberiza pusilla

iCElANi:) Fifth record: 18th November 1994

{BUki 16: 43).

MOROCCO Second record: Oued Massa

estuarx’ on 4th April 1995* (perhaps same
individual as that at Agadir on 21st October
1994, Brit. Birds 89: 44).

Yellow-breasted Bunting Ernberiza aureola
FRANCE Fourth record: 24th-27th October
1994 (Ornithos 2: 164).

Red-headed Bunting Ernberiza bmniceps
NORWAY Vagrant: adult male at Sandoy, More
& Romsdal, on 4th June 1 993 (at present, all
Norwegian records of this species are admitted
to the A list).

Com Bunting Miliaria calandra
GREAT BRITAIN Census data: the BTO

Common Birds Census index showed
decrease of 76% during the period 1968-91,
between the two breeding-bird atlases
(Conserv. Biol. 9: 1434).
swi'DiiN Declining: five singing males, but
only one confirmed breeding record in 1994
(Vdr Fdgelv. suppl. 22: 121).

Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus

FRANCE Second record: juvenile at Trunvel,

Finistere, on 15th-17th August 1995*.

Official correspondents

ANDORRA Jacqueline Crozier; AUSI'RIA Hans-Martin Berg; BEIARUS Dr Michael E. Nikiforov;
BELGIUM Rene-Marie Lafontaine; bui.garia Dr Petar lankov; CANARY ISLANDS Juan Antonio
Lorenzo; channel islands Ian Buxton; Croatia Jelena Kralj; Cyprus A. E. Sadler; czech
REPUBLIC Professor Karel Stasmy; DENMARK Brian Rasmussen; EOXa^'T Sherif Baha El Din &
Mindy Baha El Din; ES TONIA Dr Vilju Lilleleht; FAROE islands Soren Sorensen; FINLAND Pekka
J. Nikander; France Dr Philippe J. Dubois; Germany Peter H. Barthel; Gibral tar Charles E.
Perez; great Britain John Marchant; Greece George I. Handrinos; hungarx' Dr Gabor
Magyar; ICEIAND Gunnlaugur Petursson; IRELAND Pat Smiddy; iSRAiii. Hadoram Shirihai; I TALY
Marco Gustin; ia iwia Dr Janis Baumanis; Lithuania Dr Petras Kurlavicius; luxe;mbourg Tom
Conzemius; MACEDONIA Branko Micevski; MAL TA Joe Sultana; MON TENEGRO Dr Vojislav F.
Vasic; morocco Michel Thevenot; nf;therlands Arnoud B. van den Berg; norwax’ Andrew'
W. Clarke; poianix Dr Tadeusz Stawarezyk; POR'ITIGAL Dr Jo3o Carlos Farinha; SI'RBIA Dr
Vojislav F. Vasic; SLOVAKIA Dr Alzbcta Darolova; si.ovf:nia Iztok Geister; Spain Dr Eduardo de
Juana; swi-DEN Tommy Tyrberg; SWITZERLAND Dr N. Zhinden; Tunisia Thierrx' Gaultier;
UKRAINE; Dr Igor Gorbah.

Response of Booted Eagles to
human disturbance

Jacques Carlon

ABSTRACT A long-term study of the Booted Eagle Hieraaetus
pennatus m southwest France has revealed a marked change in
the general distribution of the 58 breeding pairs in this relatively
large population. A variety of forms of human disturbance has
caused a marked movement of breeders away from some large
previously undisturbed forest areas into other, less-typical
habitats, and the species has also begun to hunt in urban areas
and in villages. This ability to adapt to change may help to
explain why this species seems currently to be increasing in
western Europe. The total French breeding population is now
estimated at 800-1,200 pairs.

Until quite recently, scant enthusiasm had been shown for the smdy of Booted
Eagles Hieraaetus pennatus during the breeding season. Compared with other
eagles, this species is rarely seen in the open when nesting, even within its
territory, and breeding-season studies require a rigorous method and a
considerable investment of time.

During the 13 years 1982-94, a thorough and sustained study of the Booted
Eagle population was carried out in the departement of Pyrenees-Atlantiques
(provinces of Bearn and the French Pays Basque), in southwestern France.
During this period, I made a total of 1,400 hours of field observations, these being
supplemented by further observations by other workers and colleagues. The
fieldwork included, in the first five years (1982-86), an exhaustive census of the
breeding population.

In Bearn, where this species reaches its highest density in France, it prefers the
sunny southern and southwestern slopes, and its productivity declines noticeably

[Brit. Birds 89; 267-274, June 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

267

268

Carlon: Booted Eagles and human disturbance

in years with wet springs and low temperatures, confirming the hypothesis that
the Booted Eagle is dependent on favourable climatic and eco-geographic
conditions to maintain or even increase its numbers. Within the study area, the
three main habitat zones comprise forested areas in:

1. Lowland plains and hills (plate 116).

2. Submontane hills (plate 117).

3. Lower alpine slopes (plate 118).

This paper summarises a particularly interesting finding of the study: namely,
the reaction of the eagles to human dismrbance and to changes in the general
environment of the area. The results were originally published in full, in French,
as part of a special issue of the local Groupe d’Emdes Ornithologiques Bearnais
publication La Mane-Blanqiie (vol. 4, 1995).

Negative impact of human beings

Booted Eagle pairs are well known for their fidelity to their nest sites over a
number of consecutive years, unless they succumb to disturbance, or worse, from
human beings.

During the past two decades, and especially since the mid 1980s, regular
human invasion of the woods and forest of the Plaine du Gave de Pau and the
lower slopes of the Pyrenees has sharply increased. This has led to a substantial
proportion (about 30%) of the nest sites being abandoned and, as a secondary
effect, to a decline in both the diversity and the total numbers of forest bird
species on which the Booted Eagle essentially preys.

The most prejudicial negative factors are all a result of socio-economic
development. Principal among these are motorcycle scramblers, who career
through the entire area, sometimes in groups of four or five, often for hours on
end and in a deafening uproar, causing untold damage to the flora. Scarcely less
constricting is the clear-felling or thinning of certain parcels of forest in spring and
summer, the traditional and more rational felling in autumn no longer being
adhered to by some foresters. It is generally acknowledged that modern methods
of silviculture have an adverse influence on this species, so particular in its choice
of nest sites (e.g. Gensbol 1986).

Hunters are increasing in inverse proportion to the numbers of their quarry,
but they are not generally regarded as prejudicial to raptors, since shooting does
not begin until after the breeding season. This, however, overlooks the fact that
their permits allow them to roam the forest in spring, as well as in summer, and
from time to time they even move up to the ridgetops in powerful four-wheel-
drive vehicles, transforming the narrow paths into virtual roadways. As a result,
between 1985 and 1990, three pairs of eagles breeding along one 1,200-m ridge
all deserted their nest sites.

Furthermore, in recent years a veritable invasion of mountain-bikes has been
wimessed. Their riders, not content with using tracks and footpaths, go

I'ACING PAGE

Plate 116. Typical habitat of lowland plains and hills (zone 1) (J. Carkvi)

Plate 117. Nest site of Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pcnnatns in submontane hills (zone 2) (J.
Carlon)

Plate 118. Typical habitat of lower iilpine slopes (zone 3) (J. Carbii)

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

269

270

Carlon: Hooted Eagles and human disturbance

everywhere, even along the beds of streams and rivers in the dry season.

Ramblers, horseriders, and Sunday strollers with their uncontrolled dogs
complete this edifying picture of the damaging effects of human activities.

With the modern desire to visit and enjoy the countryside and to explore
wilderness areas, it is hardly practical to demand a tCtal ban on the incursion of
human beings in such large numbers, even though such a policy may be judged
desirable. At the same time, amid evidence of an ever-growing awareness of the
importance of wildlife conserv'ation, it would not seem unreasonable to suggest
that, for example, mountain-bikers and scramblers be restricted to specified large
areas in which they may freely pursue their activities.

Emigration

Between 1986 and 1990, there was a clear drop in the numbers of Booted Eagles
breeding in the lower-lying parts of the study area (zones 1 and 2). One factor
contributing to this may have been competition for nest sites with the Black Kite
Milvus migrans, which arrives a month earlier than the Booted Eagle and whose
numbers increased greatly in this region up to 1990; this is one typical factor
limiting the increase of the eagle, which will readily desert its nest in the face of
competition from the kite.

Nevertheless, although most emigrations in the animal kingdom are the result
of overpopulation or interspecific competition, it seems clear that the combined
effects of all the above-mentioned types of human disturbance are the basic cause
of the abandonment of breeding sites.

In Bearn, however, this desertion of traditional habitats, combined with
important though temporary changes in climatic conditions, has been
counterbalanced by a virtually equivalent movement into the lower alpine zone 3.
Two facts enabled this conclusion to be reached. First, the 1982-86 census
showed that zone 3 was occupied by only 15% of the area’s total number of
breeding pairs; subsequently, however, accurate and regular counts of Egyptian
Vultures Neophron percnoptenis undertaken from 1987 onwards in the principal
valleys of this zone led to the discovery of 1 4 new sites occupied by breeding pairs
of Booted Eagles which had not been present in 1986 or before. Secondly, this
additional population, estimated at 24% of the total within the study area,
corresponds exactly to that which deserted zones 1 and 2 (table 1).

This short-distance emigration covers only 25-50 km, but zone 3 is, to date,
clearly less subject to the various forms of dismrbance described above. The eagle
has apparently opted for the best available strategy in its search for a less disturbed
breeding habitat.

This phenomenon has played a major role in the maintenance of, or even
increase in, the population, since it expands the species’ range and could

Table 1. Comparative distribution of nest sites of Booted Eagle Hicniactus pennatiis in
Beam, Pyrenees-Atlantiques, in 1986 and 1994.

1986 1994

Forested areas No. pairs (%) No. pairs (%)

Zone 1. Hills and lowland plain
Zone 2. Submontane hills
Zone 3. Lower alpine slopes

49 (85%)
9 (15%)

35 (60%)
23 (40%)

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British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

271

evenmally lead to a genetic adaptation to new habitats (see Lidicker 1962;
Christian 1970). On the other hand, this emigration has forced the eagle to move
from its favourite biotope of warm, dry oak Quercus forest, preferably on southern
or southwestern slopes, which it occupied in zones 1 and 2, to larger and colder
forest of Beech Fagus sylvatica and fir Abies generally more distant from its
traditional hunting grounds.

In a previous study (Carlon 1994), I described a comparable population
transfer of the Great Grey Shrike Lanins excubitor, which winters on the northern
slopes of the West Pyrenees. It is equally interesting to note that the Griffon
Vulture Gyps fulvus, in its search for additional food sources following its
exceptional increase in numbers during recent decades (Carlon & Dunoguiez
1990), shows a reverse tendency: it occupies zone 3, but now also visits zones 1
and 2, in which, prior to 1990, it was rarely seen; it has been observed a number
of times up to 40 km north of its breeding sites.

Table 1 illustrates the extent of the emigration to zone 3, and the current
distribution by general habitat of the 58 known pairs of Booted Eagles in the
Bearn study area.

Changes in hunting behaviour

Forest habitat

Owing to the progressive degradation of the habitat for the reasons given above,
certain predators have been forced to make continual adaptations in order to
survive in a constantly changing environment.

Since the end of the 1970s, three censuses, taken at five-year intervals in two
woods, of 300 ha and 600 ha, in the Gave de Pau plain, have registered a marked
decline, both qualitative and quantitative, in the avian populations, apart from a
few exceptions. It is interesting to note that in these census areas a sharp decrease
was also recorded in the numbers of migrant birds of a range of species both in
spring and in aummn, probably again due to human dismrbance. Clearly, this has
adverse consequences for bird-eaters such as the Booted Eagle. Indeed, according
to Kenward et al. (1987), the presence of such predators is governed by the
existence of prey rather than of forests. This view is supported by the Booted
Eagle’s present-day occupancy of woods ranging in size from 70 ha to 200 ha,
whereas at the time of our 1982-86 census the average was often well over 300 ha.

Partial change of strategy

While analysis of earlier data, mostly prior to 1960, shows the Booted Eagle as
hunting over the forest and its environs and only rarely over open country
(Cramp & Simmons 1980; Glutz von Blotzheim et al. 1971), it is not surpnsmg
to find it, under present-day conditions, changing its hunting strategy to include
areas hitherto rarely visited. These are open landscapes, cultivated land and semi-
natural areas, riverine tree-belts and, most unexpectedly, towns.

These diverse habitats, incidentally, are sometimes a relatively long distance (4-
10 km, occasionally even more) from the species’ nesting territories, whereas
previously, in Bearn, the Booted Eagle always hunted within 2-3 km of its eyrie
(such ‘stay-at-home’ behaviour often enabled ornithologists to locate nests

272

Carlon: Booted Eagles and human disturbance

quickly). In other parts of France, with less forest cover, individuals may be
obseiv^ed during the breeding season at considerably greater distances from the
nest site, and in Algeria this eagle has been observ'ed hunting far from its breeding
territories (Maoli & Gaci 1992). In the study area in Pyrenees- Atlantiques, the
area of the hunting range varies between 12 km' and' 74 km^

Hunting in towns and villages

Because of the size, configuration and diversity of all the habitats in the study
area, it is virtually impossible to ensure a sustained series of observ'ations on
predation in built-up areas. Nevertheless, the data, albeit fragmentary, are
sufficiendy numerous to confirm the regularity of these occurrences. For
instance, a Booted Eagle was seen to capture a Blackbird Turdus rnerula in a park
not far from the centre of Pau (J. Tischmacher verbally), and on 12th July 1991
I saw a Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto taken as it flew from a telegraph pole
on a busy boulevard on the outskirts of Pau. Over the years, my colleagues and
I have on a number of occasions seen this eagle flying low over built-up areas,
always during the most active stage of the breeding period (mid June to mid
August) .

The data, in all, indicate that the ever-spreading urban environment, which
harbours an increasingly larger number of prey species, has become a regular
hunting ground for the Booted Eagle in regions where it has a strong population.

This hunting in or around towns demonstrates, moreover, an expansion of the
diet linked to changes in the availability of prey species, which could be explained
by the proliferation of the Collared Dove alone: an adaptation to the urban
ecosystem, following the example of other species. To an even greater extent.
Booted Eagles also now visit rural centres, generally closer to the nest site, where
many penned and free-range domestic fowl are reared. Numerous attacks have
been reported in the very centres of villages or in the enclosures of isolated farms,
and I have twice wimessed the taking of three-month-old to six-month-old pullets
in this way. The many prey remains found at eyries during the final pre-fledging
stage of the young (late June to late July) bear wimess to the heavy toll paid by
gallinaceous birds (Galliformes), pigeons and doves (Columbidae) and ducks and
geese (Anatidae). These prey categories may represent only a small part of the
Booted Eagle’s diet in this region over the whole breeding period, but, in view of
the average weight of each individual prey item, contribute significantly to the
total biomass consumed.

Over the past 20 years or so, the Booted Eagle has been noted prospecting
diverse new habitats and on occasion has readily taken carrion. It has been seen
many times flying over or perched on public refuse tips in the company of Black
Kites, Red Kites M. milvus, Common Ravens Corvus corax. Magpies Pica pica,
Eurasian Jays Gamdus glandarius and Carrion Crows C. corone, or else at the
feeding stations for vultures. These visits demonstrate that the eagle is (or has
become) an opportunist and can make do with carrion and refuse of all kinds. It
should be added, however, that these sites, which have continually increased in
number and in size in recent years, are visited by Booted Eagles, as weU as by
Northern Goshawks Accipiter gentilis and Eurasian Sparrowhawks A. nistts, in
order also to prey on the numerous other species, especially passerines and
rodents, that frequent them.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

Further remarks

273

Throughout this 13-year study, it has become apparent that the Booted Eagle
demonstrates plasticity as regards the diversity of its hunting grounds, its hunting
methods and behaviour, its choice of prey, its breeding sites, and its ability to react
promptly to changes in the environment with which it is confronted.

It also appears to be a rather more successful breeder in Bearn than in other
parts of its range. Some authors (e.g. Brown & Amadon 1968; Cramp &
Simmons 1^80; Gensbol 1986) have stated that the Booted Eagle normally
fledges only one young; Bezzel (1985), however, indicated that the rearing of
two young is not uncommon, while del Hoyo et al. (1994) gave an average of
1.5 chicks reared per pair. During the Bearn study, there were numerous cases
of two young fledging. In 1984, two young fledged from two out of three nests
(Carlon 1984), and this productivity was maintained in the same territories
during the three drought years 1988-90: three nests each produced two young,
and one young was reared regularly at a fourth, giving a mean productivity of

I. 75.

Although the level of investigation has increased considerably during the past
20 years, the appearance or increase of this species in many departements of
France encourages us to revise upwards our former estimate of the total French
population (rniriimum of 500 pairs: Carlon 1987) and to place it somewhere
between 800 and 1,200 pairs. This compares with the latest estimate of the
Spanish population of ‘perhaps 3,000 pairs’ (del Hoyo et al. 1994).

Ackno wle dgments

I am particularly grateful to Michel Cuisin for his many comments and advice during the course
of my work. I also thank all my colleagues and co-workers for their assistance and participation,
and my many friends of the Groupe d’Etudes Omithologiques Bearnais, notably Maurita &
Richard Cruse, J. Luc Dunoguiez, Robert Houert, Catherine & Olivier Truillier, H. Navarre and

J. Tischmacher.

Richard Cruse initially brought my work to the attention of Bntish Birds and suggested the
publication of a modified version of it, and R. D. Chancellor kindly translated my original French
into English for this purpose.

References

Bezzel, E. 1985. Kompendium der Vogel Mitteleuropas. Wiesbaden.

Brown, L. H., & Amadon, D. 1968. Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World. Feltham.
Carlon, J. 1984. Observations sur le comportement de I’Aigle botte Hieraaetus pennatus. Alauda
52: 189-203.

1987. Effectifs, repartition et densite de I’Aigle botte Hieraaetus pennatus (Gmelin 1788)

dans les Pyrenees-Atlantiques. Alauda 55: 81-92.

1994. La pie-grieche grise Lanius excubitor sur le versant nord des Pyrenees occidentales.

Contribution a son ecologie. Marie-Blanque vol. 3.

& Dunoguiez, J. 1990. Observations eco-ethologiques sur une reproduction en altitude du

vautour fauve Gyps fulvus dans le palearctique occidental. OREO 60. 243-248.

Christian, J. J. 1970. Social subordination, population density, and mammalian evolution.

Sc%&yicB 168* 84”90-

Cramp, S., & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds.) 1980. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. vol. 2. Oxford.
DEL Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J. (eds.) 1994. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol.

2. Barcelona. , Ar- j ;

Gensbol, B. 1986. Collins Guide to the Birds of Prey of Britain and Europe, North Africa and the

Middle East. London.

274 Carlon: Booted Eagles and human disturbance

Gi.Ltrz VON Blotzhi-im, U. N., Bauer, K. M., & Bhzzel, E. 1971. Handbuch der Vogel
Mittekuropas. vol. 4. Frankfurt am Main.

Kj^nward, R., Widen, P., ei al. 1987. Rapaces en migration et sur leurs lieux d’hivernage. In
CirciiLiire No. 6 of the GTMR.

Lidicker, W. Z., Jr. 1962. Emigration as a possible mechanism permitting the regulation of
population densiU’ below carr\’ing capacity. Arner. Nat. 96: 29-33.

Maoei, a., & Gaci, B. 1992. Les rapaces diumes nicheurs en Kabylie (Algerie). Alaiida 60: 164-
169.

Jacques Carlon, 1 2 rue Rabelais, 64000 Pau, France

[The 51 -page special issue of La Maiie-Blanque (vol. 4, 1995), all in French, containing the fuller
version of this paper together with other results of the Booted Eagle study, can be purchased
either direct from the author or from Richard Cruse (106 rue Navarrot, 64400 Oloron-Ste-
Marie, France).]

LOOKING BACK

One hundred and fifty years ago: ‘Avocet, Recurvirostra avosetia. The avocet is occasionally killed
in spring, but is now a rare bird in Norfolk. It was formerly not uncommon, and nested
habitually in some of the marshy parts of the county. It is said that a colony which once bred in
marshes at Salthouse, was destroyed in order to obtain the feathers, for the purpose of making
artificial flies.’ (Zoobgist 4: 1373, June 1846)

One hundred years ago, but perhaps relevant again now: ‘A Plea for the Jay and Magpie. In
a recent notice in the “Saturday Review” of a new ornithological work, the reviewer, after
lamenting the decrease in our country of most of the more interesting birds, to make room for
a monotonous plethora of game, remarked that the Jay [Gamdus gbndanus] and Magpie [Pica
pica] were getting very scarce, and he hinted that they were no particular loss, except from the
point of view of the picturesque. A few lines further on he regretted the great and increasing
abundance of Wood Pigeons [Columba palumbus]. I have not the remotest idea who the writer
of the review in question may be; but, taking him from his writing to be a field-naturalist of some
experience, the wonder in my mind is that it did not occur to him to connect these tw'o facts
together, because they seem to me to be the cause and effect.’ {Zoobgist Third series 20: 232-
233, June 1896)

Also one hundred years ago: ‘On June 4th [1896] I made an expedition to the Hoppen “Petts”
for the purpose of inspecting the colony of Black-headed Gulls [Lams ndibiindus] . These “petts,”
which lie about four miles south-east of Lydd, consist of two large pieces of water of unknown
depth. They are furthermore fringed with treacherous reed-beds wLich possess all the qualities
of a dangerous bog. They are also the home of many leeches. When within a mile of these
“petts” I could discern a number of Black-headed Gulls lining the banks, and looking like so
many lumps of white chalk. On a nearer approach they all rose up, full of clamorous
consternation.’ {Zoobgist Third series 20: 250-251)

Fifty years ago, a sign of things to come: ‘eiei.deares in de.rhysiiire in june:. I should like to
record the presence of four Fieldfares {Tardus pibns) on each of the two evenings of June 19th
and 20th and five on June 21st at a hamlet, Wiglcy, near Chesterfield, ahiuit a thousand feet
above sea level.’ {Riit. Birds 39: 342-343)

NOTES

Identification of male Spectacled Warbler

With the acceptance of the male Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata at Filey,
North Yorkshire, in May 1992 (Brit. Birds 87: 554; Ibis 136: 254), following the
reassessment and subsequent rejection of the previously accepted records (Brit.
Birds 83: 482-483; 84: 431-432; Ibis 133: 219-223), it may be helpful to clarify
the identification of male Spectacled Warbler in spring. Smce 1988, 1 have studied
the species in the field in Poitugal, Mallorca and Cyprus during the months of
March to June, as weU as exarniriing skins at the Natural History Museum, Tring.

The identification of Spectacled Warbler was recently covered in detail by
Hadoram Shirihai, Alan Harris & David Cottridge (Brit. Birds 84: 423-430). Key
features distinguishing Common Whitethroat S’, communis and Subalpine Warbler
S. cantillans from Spectacled Warbler were discussed, mostly in relation to the
‘difficult’ female and first- winter plumages. Males in spring, generally regarded as
‘easier’, were to some extent neglected, and this note aims to complement the
earlier paper.

STRUCTTJRE AND BEHAVIOUR

Spectacled is smaller and slimmer than Common Whitethroat, and the first
impression is of a small nervous, ‘excited’ Sylvia warbler, more akin to Desert S.
nana or Dartford Warbler S. undata. When flushed, its flight recalls that of a leaf-
warbler Phylloscopus or a tit Pams, and it often disappears low into vegetation,
from which it may then hop along the ground (again resembling Desert or
Dartford Warblers) or inquisitively work its way towards the top of the bush,
where it may sing, call or fly off

'When relaxed. Spectacled has a distinctive head shape, similar to that of a
Desert Warbler or Lesser Whitethroat 5. curruca: a steep forehead flattens onto
the crown, forming a more rounded head shape than that of Common
Whitethroat, with the bill appearing quite long and spiky. The wing strucmre is
also different from that of Common Whitethroat (cf Svensson 1992), most
notably in its short primary extension and the fact that the closed wing seems to
occupy a smaller proportion of the total area on the bird. Given good views, it is
possible to see the short projection of the primaries beyond the tertials on
Spectacled Warbler— about four (or five), which bunch towards the wing tip-
compared with the longer projection on Common Whitethroat — six or seven
(sometimes eight) evenly spaced primary tips. The shortness of the wing helps to
emphasise the impression of a proportionately long tail, and together these
features contribute to the species’ distinctive character.

The call of Spectacled is a characteristic ‘tchrrr’ or ‘tchh tchh’. The song is like
that of Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata, but more rapid and with harsher

notes.

PLUMAGE AND BARE PARTS

Although behaviour and structure may suggest this species, plumage details are

\Bnt. Birds 89: 275-280, June 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

275

Ad. S spring

Ad. 9 aurumn

Ad. 6 autumn

Ad. Spectacled
autumn

Ad. Common
Whitethroat autumn

Ist-w. Subalpine

Fig. 1. Spectacled Warblers Sylvia conspicillata (Briati Small)

Top left, first-winter male; middle, adult male in spring; right, adult male in autumn.

Centre bird, adult female in autumn.

Bottom bird, first-winter female.

Wings: left, adult Spectacled in autumn; middle, adult Common Whitethroat S', communis in
autumn; right, first-winter Subalpine Warbler S. cantillans.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

277

crucial to its identification. In particular, observations should concentrate on the
head, wing-coverts and tertials, as well as the underparts, rump and tail.

On the head, the most important feature is the black loral area, which extends
more or less above the eye, onto the crown sides, and below it, onto the anterior
ear-coverts. The black accentuates the white crescents above and below the eye.
The black may be mottled with dark grey on first-summers or be obscured by
pale grey feather tips when newly moulted, in autumn, winter or early spring. The
crown and ear-coverts are a deep blue-grey, slate-grey or indigo-grey (recalling
the colour of a male Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertiniis) . The nape and mantle
feathers are usually tipped tawny, sometimes appearing greyish or brownish
depending upon wear.

The wing-coverts and tertials are the most crucial areas to examine. These are
an extremely bright rufous, almost orange after the complete aumrnn moult, but
less so in spring, when the feathers are worn. The greater coverts in aummn
appear as a plain area of orange-rufous (actually a rich raw sienna), but with close
scrutiny they can be seen to have orange-rufous outer webs and darker, browner
inner websj these dark areas may appear on worn and displaced coverts in spring.
On the tertials, the contrast between the black feather centres and the bright
rufous or orange-rufous fringes creates a neater, more contrasting pattern than
that on Common Whitethroat. The shape of the tertial centres is a thin, pointed
‘arrowhead’, especially on the inner two, but more rounded on the longest.

The white chin, throat and submoustachial area contrast with the black lores.
A grey area appears as a result of abrasion on the throat, being most noticeable
in June, thus reducing the extent of white. The breast and flanks are orange-pink
in fresh plumage, abrading to a more intense vinous-pink, like the skin of a peach;
the colour grades into the white of the belly and the off-white or buffish-white of
the vent.

The grey rump contrasts with the browner mantle, and grades darker onto the
central tail feathers. The prominent white on the outer rectrices contrasts
markedly in flight with the very dark (almost black) inner feathers.

The bill of Spectacled Warbler is slender and pointed, with a dark, horn-black
upper mandible and tip to the lower, and ochre-pink or straw-pink (more or less
yellow) lower mandible and cutting edge of the upper. The legs are more intense
m colour, being orange or straw. The orbital ring was noted by Svensson (1992)
as brick-red, but on most of those of which I have had good views it has appeared
as a black outline to the olive or reddish-brown iris (cf. Shirihai 1988). In my
experience, the eye always looks darker than that of Common Whitethroat.
Brian Small

20 Willow Green, Worlingworth, Suffolk IP13 7LP
References

Shirihai, H. 1988. Iris colour of Sylvia warblers. Brit. Birch 81: 325-328.

^ Harris, A., & Cotfridge, D. 1991. Identification of Spectacled Warbler. Brit. Birch 84;

423-430. o ,

Svensson, L. 1992. Identification Guide to Etcropean Passerines. 4th edn. Stockholm.

278

Notes

Carrion Crows killing several Northern Lapwings
Just after 08.00 gmt on 12th November 1992, at Pitsford Reservoir,
Northamptonshire, I witnessed up to eight Carrion Crows Coi-vus corone
acting in a particularly aggressive manner. My attention was drawn to a
nearby flock of Northern Lapwings Vanelliis vanellus in a cereal field, when
at least one of the plovers shrieked in alarm and the flock took flight. In
typical fashion when alert to a hunting raptor, the flock tightened and swirled
upwards. At least two Carrion Crows flew swiftly across the field as I looked
in vain for the expected Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus or something
similar. Failing to locate a predator, I watched the crows in case they had
managed to latch on to it. One of them was standing in the field right next
to a Lapwing which was clearly disabled and unable to fly; the Carrion Crow
quickly killed the Lapwing with two or three heavy stabs to the head. At this
point, I assumed that the Lapwing had been downed by the unseen raptor,
and the Carrion Crow, ever the opportunist, had simply taken advantage of
an easy meal. The second crow joined the first, and the unfortunate victim
was plucked with much gusto.

As I watched, several other Carrion Crows (seemingly linked in pairs)
arrived in the same field, by which time the Lapwings had remrned. During
the next 15-20 minutes, all of the Carrion Crows attacked and killed a total of
eight Lapwings. Each attack was the same; a single crow (but not the same one
each time) would fly quickly towards a single Lapwing which was either on the
ground or flying low over it; with incredible ease, the crow would tumble a
flying Lapwing, breaking or dislocating a wing, then land alongside the
incapacitated victim and quickly kill it with downward stabs; Lapwings caught
on the ground were simply stabbed in the head or upper breast. The victims
were normally killed before a second crow arrived, and the pair usually
demonstrated with head-bowing and raucous cawing. All of the Lapwings
which were pursued and killed had appeared to be perfectly healthy.

Only one Lapwing was plucked and eaten, and more than just the original
two Carrion Crows fed from this corpse. The remaining Lapwings were
mostly ignored shortly after the fatal blow. On scanning the field, I noticed
several other Lapwing bodies strewn around; there were also two injured
Lapwings, which were soon spotted by the crows and similarly despatched.

Although aggression is common between Carrion Crows, I have never seen
such behaviour targeted at an unrelated species. I find it hard to accept that
this massacre was food-related, and I think it likely to be an ‘aggressive display'
between rival pairs.

The field is regularly used by flocks of Northern Lapwings and small
numbers of Carrion Crows, but I have not witnessed any interaction before or
since. The Lapwings soon ‘forgot’ the event and ceased to give alarm calls
when the corvids were in their midst.

Ni-il A'IcM.-ihon

Oiiolc House, 5 The Croft, Haugitig Houghton, Northamptonshire NN6 9HW

HDri'OKiAi, coMMHN'r Most members of the Behaviour Notes Panel found this
account amazing and had never seen anything similar, but Derek Goodwin
commented: ‘I am also surprised that a healthy Lapwing, unless very tired for

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

279

some reason, could be caught by a crow. I have, however, frequently seen the
male and more rarely the female (though very often unsure which sex) of a
pair of Carrion Crows that come daily to my garden make such attacks in fast
flight, and most often in a fast swoop, from the air or high in an oak Quercus,
which culminates in an astonishingly fast-seeming pursuit flight, on Magpies
Pica pica, Eurasian Jays Garrulus glandarius, Wood Pigeons Columba palumbus,
domesticated Rock Doves C. livia and Collared Doves Streptopelia decaocto. So
far, I have never seen the attacked bird actually grappled with, but I felt sure
that the Carrion Crow would have attacked in earnest had it managed to catch
the bird it flew at. Magpies appear to be positively hated, and the Carrion
Crow will turn and swerve with great agility, but so far without success. Jays
are “next on the list”, but seldom give a Carrion Crow what appears to be a
good enough chance (more or less in the open) to stimulate the sudden “hawk-
like” attack. Magpies and Wood Pigeons, though they appear terrified during
a chase, often remrn at once, and if the crow is on the lawn they may feed
quite near it. The Carrion Crows never swoop at feeding Common Starlings
Stnrnus vidgaris (though these are eating the same food), but when just-fledged
young Starlings are there they often fly suddenly at one to try to catch it,
although I have not seen them succeed.

‘I think that Mr McMahon’s idea that there was an element of redirected
aggression by rival pairs of Carrion Crows (not of course in the case of the
initial strike) is probably right. His observations that the second-comers were
“seemingly linked in pairs” and the mumal display when its mate joined a
“killer” ring very true.’

Nest-sharing by female Blue Tits

In spring 1988, while inspecting nestboxes in Marley Wood, Wytham,
Oxfordshire, I discovered two female Blue Tits Pams caeruleus incubating
simultaneously in the same nest. Egg-laying commenced on 28th April, and on
11th May a female at least two years old was trapped and ringed while
incubating an apparently complete clutch of three eggs, one of which was
abnormally small. On 16th May, I found two females, the original one and an
unringed first-year, side by side in the nest cup, both in the normal incubating
posture, and facing in the same direction; both had well-developed brood
patches. A third Blue Tit of unknown sex arrived, and gave alarm calls in the
vicinity of the nest in response to alarm calls given by the females on release
after examination. This third tit may, however, have been one of a pair nesting
in an adjacent box. Both females were still incubating together on 31st May,
well after the eggs should have hatched. By 6th June, the eggs were abandoned,
presumably because they were infertile.

Nest-sharing, with more than one female using the same nest simultaneously
for breeding, is not unknown among passerines, but simultaneous sharing of a
nest cup is extremely unusual. Sharing is occasionally recorded among cavity-
nesting polygynous species, but the clutch is usually twice the normal size and
only one female incubates at a time (e.g. Pied Flycatcher Ficedida hypoleuca:
Holmes 1990). Polygyny occurs regularly among Blue Tits (Dhondt 1987).
Instances of three adults feeding the young in a single nest (Wassmann 1989,

280

Notes

Wassmann & Butz 1990) were also assumed to involve polygyny, even though
it was not known if more than one female had incubated, the sexes of the birds
were unknown and both clutches were of normal size for a single clutch; brood
adoption by an additional adult feeding the nestlihgs cannot be ruled out in
these cases. My observation could be a result of polygyny, particularly if the
third (unsexed) tit was a male, although, given the abnormally small clutch
size, it is unlikely that both females had laid in the nest. It is also unusual for
two female Blue Tits to tolerate each otlier’s presence during incubation;
indeed, they will occasionally kill intruding conspecifics in nestboxes.

An alternative explanation is that pairs of territorial species may occasionally
share nest sites if these become limited. Willis (1935) and Tuchet-Jesson
(1950) both recorded two pairs of Blue Tits sharing a site, but using separate
nest cups. Hudde (1988) reported two female Blue Tits simultaneously
incubating the same clutch, and two males subsequently fed the young; in this
case, the density of nesting Blue Tits was three times higher than in the
previous three years, so nest-site availability may have been a limiting factor,
forcing two pairs to share a nest. Although the density of breeding tits in
Marley in 1988 was higher than in previous years (by a factor of 1.5), plenty
of nest sites still remained available.

A third possibility is the formation of a female-female pair. This has
occurred with Red-backed Shrikes Lanins collurio, and can result in
simultaneous incubation by both females (Owen 1946; Pounds 1972). This
seems the most plausible explanation for this instance of nest-sharing by Blue
Tits in Marley Wood, and it could explain why the eggs were infertile and the
clutch abnormally small.

JliRliMY K. BiAKHY

Edward Grey Imiiiute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, South Parks
Road, Oxford OXi 3PS

References

Dhond i , a. a. 1987. Reproduction and survival in the polygynous and monogamous Blue
Tit Pams caerulei/s. Ibis 129: 327-334.

Holmks, P. R. 1990. Female Pied Flycatchers sharing the same nestbox. Ringing & Migration
11: 42.

Hudde, H. 1988. Vier adulte Blaumeisen (Pams caemleus) an einem Nest. Vogekvarte 34:
234-235.

Owen, J. H. 1946. The eggs of the Red-backed Shrike. Oologists Record 20: 38-43.

Pounds, H. E. 1972. Two Red-backed Shrikes laying in one nest. Bnt. Birds 65: 357-358.
Tuchet-Jesson, G. A. 1950. Two pairs of Blue Tits nesting in one box. Bnt. Birds 43: 57.
Wassmann, R. 1989. Gemeinsame Jungenaufzucht dutch drei Blaumeisen. Vogekvarte 35:
81-82.

& Butz, H. 1990. Erneuter Eall gemeinsamer Jungenaufzucht dutch drei Blaumeisen

Pams caemleus. Vogelkdl. Ber. Niedersachs. 22: 78-79.

Wii.Lis, E. A. 1935. Two Blue Tits building in a beehive. Brit. Birds 29: 215.

REVIEWS

Palearctic Birds: a checklist of the birds of Europe, North Africa and Asia
north of the foothills of the Himalayas.

By Mark Beaman.

Harrier Publications, Stonyhurst, 1994. 168 pages. ISBN 0-9523391-0-2. Paperback £12.50.

The core of this book, comprising one-third of
the whole, consists of a list of scientific and
English names of species-level taxa of birds
which occur or have occurred in the Palearctic
region. Other parts are devoted to notes on
taxonomy, distribution, omitted species, and
lengthy discussions on English names. Both
higher and species-level taxa are presented in
a ‘standard order’, which is adopted from
VooLis. The reader is cautioned, however, that
such a standard order should not be taken to
imply taxonomic relationships. Notwith-
standing this warning, it may be noted that the
‘much-liked’ Voous order is directly derived
from that of Wetmore, whose sequence of
families in mrn can be traced back to the work
of Furbringer and Gadow. Doubtlessly, the
family sequence worked out, some 100 years
ago, by these great German anatomists
represented the best estimate of phylogenetic
relationships that they could achieve, given
systematic theory and methods of analysis
prevalent at the time, and it has ser\^ed as the
base-line for many decades of systematic
work. An alternative for the ‘standard order’
would be that of Sibley & Monroe (1990),
based on the work by Sibley & Ahlquist
(1990). Although often termed ‘revolutionaiy'’

or ‘highly controversial’ in the popular
literature, both Sibley & Ahlquist’s work and
the ‘standard order’ result from the same
traditional theoretical and methodological
premises (phenetic clustering based on general
resemblance in either molecular or
morphological data sets, ignoring problems of
homology and homoplasy) and neither is more
controversial than the other. An alphabetical
sequence of families, and of species within
families, would indeed be without implications
about taxonomic relationships and could also
be used ‘with ease and familiarity’, a stated
purpose of this book. Because of the Mayrian
approach adopted, the listing of species-level
taxa does not allow for a very precise reflection
of real-world avian diversity, but this will
probably not be considered a great drawback
by its intended users. Clearly, the present work
does not pretend to offer more than a
catalogue of ‘species’ which birders are
‘allowed’ to add to their lists of obser\'ed taxa.
As such it win probably sert'e its purpose,
although the addition of a column for ‘ticks’
would have added to its usefulness in this
respect.

C. J. Hazevoet

Where to Watch Birds in Northeast England (Northumberland, Tyne &
Wear, Durham and Cleveland).

By Dave Britton and John Day.

A & C Black, London, 1995. 382 pages; over 30 line-drawings; over 60 site maps. ISBN 0-7136-

3847-8. Paperback £12.99.

As a relative newcomer to Northeast England,
I have found it difficult to get to grips with the
diversity and richness of its many habitats,
but, with the arrival of this new ‘Where to
Watch’ guide, my troubles are over. Following
the tried-and-tested format of the series, this
book provides an extraordinary amount of
information about where and when to go
birding in the Northeast.

Looking at the few sites that I know well, I

found the book remarkably accurate.
Extending my search, I decided to visit areas
of which I had no prior knowledge with my
only reference being this book, and, on this
count also, I found the information extensive
but concise. Whether you are regularly birding
in or just visiting this part of the country^ this
book is int'aluable.

Steve Votier

[Brit. Birds 89: 281-282, June 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

281

282

Reviews

The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Northumbria.

Compiled and edited by John C. Day, Mike S. Hodgson and Nick Rossiter.
Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club, Benton, 1995. 340 pages; 118 line-drawings; 375
distribution maps. ISBN 0-9522039-5-2. £24.00.

The Northumberland & Tyneside Bird
Club, with only 300 members, covers one of
the largest bird-recording areas in Britain.
This large-format volume gives the results of
the Club’s 1988-93 tetrad survey in the
traditional style (dot-distribution map facing
a page of explanatory text, with an
appropriate line-drawing). For ease of
comparison, there are small inset maps
showing the 10-km-square distributions for
1967-72 and 1988-93 as well as the larger-
scale, more-detailed tetrad map (which has
superimposed on it the distribution of land
over 600 ft (183 m) above sea-level). The

texts are excellent, summarising national
trends as well as the results of past local
surveys.

The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Northumbria
is dedicated to the memory of Geoff
Macfarlane, with whom I shared a tiny
caravan on adas fieldwork in the Scottish
Highlands in 1971. Geoff would have been
very proud of the achievements of John Day,
Mike Hodgson, Nick Rossiter and all their
collaborators in the Northumberland &
Tyneside Bird Club.

J. T. R. Sharrock

The Birds of Israel.

By Hadoram Shirihai.

Academic Press, London, 1996. 876 pages; 500 colour plates; 200 line-drawings; numerous
maps. ISBN 0-12-640255-8. £65.00.

Every’ once in a while, a book appears and you
say to yourself ‘I wish I’d written that’. For
me, this is one such book.

First, a brief general description of the
package is required: large format, some 6-cm
thick and over 900 pages of text and plates on
high-quality paper. With its striking dust-
jacket of wheatears in a desert wadi contrasting
with a vivid blue Middle Eastern sky, terms
such as monumental and lavish spring to mind
for this giant of a national avifauna.

Part I is a general introduction, covering the
history' of ornithology in Israel and a detailed,
ecologically based analysis of the breeding,
wintering, migratoiy and vagrant species that
have occurred.

The bulk of the tome comprises one-page
to two-page accounts of Israel’s 511 species.
Each starts with a brief statement of the World
and Middle East distributions. Then follows a
paragraph ‘Status, Habitat and General
Occurrence’, after which is a detailed section
‘Distribution, Numbers and Annual Cycle’.
ITiis is enhanced by clear maps, often in
colour, displaying distribution in the breeding
season, in winter and during spring and
autumn migration; there can be up to five
maps for a single species.

One’s first impressions on looking at these
maps (especially those which record, by way
of symbols, breeding densities and sporadic

and localised distributions) is that they must
be the result of many years of pre-planned,
atlas fieldwork developed on a grid system.
This is, in fact, not the case; infonnation has
simply been gathered from a variety of
sources, especially obser\'ers’ notebooks, by a
team of co-ordinators. When Israel’s first
comprehensive breeding Atlas is produced
(probably by the end of the Millennium), it
will be interesting to compare it with the
present work.

Under the species texts, the subspecies
occurring in Israel are listed with a brief
statement on their status. In most cases,
comprehensive accounts of subspecific
identification are given, which I found
particularly useful.

The whole text is enlivened by numerous
line-drawings by Alan Harris, and 96 plates
(several species to a plate) of good-quality
photographs covering many of the Israeli
specialities. They are the finest set of
photographs of Middle East species I have
ever seen pulled togetlier in one volume.

So, here is a model avifauna for others to
aspire to. Hadoram Shirihai, tire editors (Ehud
Dovrat and David A. Christie) and the ten
atlas area co-ordinators all deser\e much
praise.

Richard Portrr

DIARY DATES

Compiled by Sheila D. Cobban

This list covers June 1996 to June 1997

27th June institute for environmental
HISTORY. Conference on ‘Species history;
introductions and extinctions since the Ice
Age’. SNH Conference Centre, Batdeby,
Perth. Details from Mrs M. Richards,
University of St Andrews, Institute for
Environmental History, St John’s House,
South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9QW.

13th July BOU RECORDS COMMITTEE OPEN
FORUM. Cley Village Hall, Norfolk. For
details see page 285.

25th July to 9th August SOCIETY of
WILDLIFE artists’ ANNUAL EXHIBITION
(including display of winning entries in ‘Bird
Illustrator of the Year’ and ‘The Richard
Richardson Award’ competitions). The Mall
Galleries, The Mall, London swi. Open 10
a.m.-5 p.m. Admission £2.00 (free to SWLA
members) .

16th- 18th August British birdwatching
FAIR. Egleton Nature Reserve, Rutland
Water, Leicestershire.

31st August to 1st September SCOTTISH
birdwatching fair. Vane Farm RSPB
Reserve, Kinross. Details from RSPB
Scottish Office, 17 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh ehv sbn.

1st September YOUNG ornithologists of
THE year: closing date for entries.

7th-8th September IRISH birdwatching &
wildlife fair. Lough Neagh Discovery
Centre, Oxford Island NNR, Craigavon, Co.
Armagh, Northern Ireland. Details from
RSPB Northern Ireland Office, Belvoir Park
Forest, Belfast bt8 4QT.

27th-29th September BRITISH ornitholo-
gists’ union autumn meeting. ‘Birds,
words and images.’ Dartington Hall, Devon.
Details from BOU, do Natural History
Museum, Akeman Street, Tring,
Hertfordshire HP23 6AP.

lst-3rd November SCOTTISH ornitholo-
gists’ club annual conference. Duke of
Gordon Hotel, Kingussie. Details from SOC,
21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 sbt.

15th-17th November SCOTTISH ringers’
conference. Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar.
Details from Bill Taylor, 22 Forbes HiU,
Forres, Morayshire.

22nd-24th November UK joint nature
conservation committee and the
seabird group international symposium.
Seabirds in the Marine Environment.
Glasgow, Scodand. Details from Dr J. B.
Reid, JNCC, 17 Rubislaw Terrace,
Aberdeen abi ixe.

6th-8th December bto annual
conference & agm. Hayes Conference
Centre, Swanwick. Details from BTO, The
Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU.

3rd-5th January BTO ringing and
MIGRATION conference. Hayes Conference
Centre, Swanwick. Details from BTO.

31st January BIRD photograph of the
year: closing date for entries.

7th-9th March rspb/irish wildbird
conservancy all-ireland conference.
Details from RSPB, Northern Ireland Office.

15th March BIRD illustrator of the
year: closing date for entries.

4th-6th April JOINT BOU ANNUAL
conference and BTO WORLD BIRDING
CONFERENCE (in association with the African
Bird Club, the Neotropical Bird Club, the
Oriental Bird Club and the Ornithological
Society of the Middle East). Hayes Conference
Centre, Swanwick. Details from BOU or
BTO.

4th-6th April RSPB members’ weekend.
University of Warwick. Details from
Christine McDowell, RSPB, The Lodge,
Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL.

Mrs S. D. Cobban, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunharn, Bedford MK44 3NJ

283

NEWS AND COMMENT

Compiled by Bob Scott and Wendy Dicksoti

Opinions expressed in this feature are not necessarily those of ‘British Birds’

Been to or going to Greece?

The Hellenic Ornithological Society is currently revising the Greek Important
Bird Areas (IBA) List. Information from foreign birdwatchers is extremely valuable
for this work and for bird conservation in general. All birdwatchers who have
visited Greece are asked to send information about birds observed in sites that are
or which might be designated as IB As. If the name of the site is not known, the
name of the nearest village or town should be used; rough maps and descriptions
of sites are useful. Data sent should be quantitative if possible (even the roughest
numerical estimation is more useful than vague abundance estimations such as
‘many’ or ‘scarce’). Data on wintering and migrating birds in wetlands and
breeding birds everywhere are of particular importance.

All birdwatchers planning to visit Greece in 1996 are invited to contact the
HOS, mentioning the areas that they plan to visit, and will be informed about
existing and prospective IBAs there, so that they can help by making field
obseiA'ations. In case of breeding records, standard atlas criteria for confirmation
should be used. All contributors will be acknowledged. Please write mentioning
‘IBA Project’ to: Hellenic Ornitliological Society, Em. Benaki 53, GR-106 81,
Athens, Greece; tel. /fax +30 1 3811271. {Contnbiited by C. Papaconstaniinou, IBA
Scientific Co-ordinator)

Lottery money for Staffordshire birds

A National Heritage Memorial Lotteiy Eund
grant of ,((220,000 to the Staffordshire Wildlife
Trust will benefit a range of species, including
Merlin Falco coliimbariiis, Black Grouse Tetrao
letrix, European Golden Plover Pluvialis
apricaria, Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago,
Eurasian Curlew Nnmenuis arquata, Whinchat
Saxicoki ntbetra, Ring Ouzel Tiirdus torqnatus,
and Twite Carduelis Jlavirostris. The money, to
match funds being raised by the Trust, will
enable the acquisition and initial management
of 240 acres (97 ha) of land within the Leek
Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest. The

Trust currently manages the 63-acre (25-ha)
Baldstone nature reser\'e, some 10 km north of
Leek, and the new acquisition, in two blocks,
will add 103 acres (42 ha) of moorland at
Black Bank and 137 acres (55 ha) of
woodland at Gib Torr and Brund Hill. At over
300 acres (120 ha) the site will be the Trust’s
largest nature reserx'e.

Offers of help will be welcomed and more
information is available from the Staffordshire
Wildlife Trust, Coutts House, Sandon sris
UDN, telephone 01889 508534.

RSPB President’s Award goes to non-birdwatcher

The latest recipient of this Award is Alan
Stubbs, well-known expert on hoverflies, crane
flies and insect conserv'ation generally. The
Award was in recctgnition of his voluntary
contribution to the work of the Biodiversity
Challenge Group, where he represents

Butterfly Conservation and has provided most
of the input on invertebrate species. He is a
rare example of a non-bird person receiving
one of these awards, and it is nice to see the
RSPB operate a hiodiverse policy in relation to
its awards.

284

[Brit. Buds 89: 284-289, June 1996] n British Birds Ltd 1996

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

285

BOURC open forum

The BOU Records Committee is offering birders
an opporttmity to quiz its members on the thorny
topics of categorisation (what about those Asian
Brown Muscicapa dauwica and Mugimaki
Rycatchers Ficediila muginiaki, for instance?), the
assessment of potential escapes (Black-faced
Bunting Emberiza spodocephala comes to mind),
old records (such as the White-winged Larks
Melarioccnypha kiicopiem discussed in British Birds
88: 365-371) and taxonomic changes and the
British & Irish List (e.g. Greenish/Green/
Two-barred Warblers PhyUoscopiis trochiloidesIP.
(t.) mtidusIP. (t.) plumbeitarsus', and Grey-

Sussex Grasshopper
Warblers

To update the news (Brit. Birds 88: 571),
only five breeding-season records of
Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia were
reported in Sussex in 1995 (SOS Newsletter
136: 6).

cheeked/Bicknell’s Thrushes Cathanis minimus/C.
(m.) bickiielli, Brit. Birds 89: 1-9).

Question-time is likely to be lively, though the
BOURC itself notes that ‘Obviously, attendance
will be influenced to some extent by the
presence of rare birds in other parts of the
country!’.

The meeting, open to the public, will be held
at Cley Village Hall from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. on
Saturday 13th July 1996. If you plan to go,
please send a postcard to Tony Marr, Two
Hoots, Old Hall Farm Bams, Cley next the Sea,
Norfolk NR25 7RY.

Field Studies Council courses

Once again, an enormous range of over 400
special-interest courses is available at Britain’s 1 1
Field Smdies Centres, while a further
programme of Overseas Study Tours is also on
offer. Write to the Field Studies Council,
Preston Montford, Shrewsbury SY4 IHW.

Sussex no’w and then

The 144-page Sussex Bird Report (no. 47, for
1994), edited by Mrs S. J. Patton, contains
not only the usual splendidly full systematic
list and papers on local surveys and censuses
(Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo. Corn
Buntings Miliatia calandra, Grey Wagtails
Motacilla cinerea and the Brede Valley), but
also a nostalgic look at ‘The South Downs in
the 1940s’ by Bill Bourne, a schoolboy there
in the late 1930s and 1940s: ‘I have
subsequentiy been to a lot of good places for
birds all round the world, but none have been
better than the South Downs at dusk on a

fine night in June before the bulldozers came,
with butterflies giving way to moths over the
flowers on the lynchets. Hobbies overhead,
Nightingales, Nightjars and Woodlarks
mrning up all round and Stone Curlew
calling in the distance. It is sad that more was
not done to save them, but nobody said a
word about it at the time and their fate
appears to have been forgotten.’

The Membership Secretary of the Sussex
Ornithological Society is J. E. Trowell,
Lorimar, Main Road, Icklesham, Winchelsea
TN36 4BS.

Spurn BO 50

Congratulations to Spurn Bird Observ'atoiy',
which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this month
with a get-together at the Riverside Hotel in
Kilnsea from 2 p.m. on Saturday 8th June. For
more details, telephone Ian Walker on 01423
879408.

Although predated by island obsen^atories such
as Heligoland and Fair Isle, the establishment of
Spurn BO in 1946 was the first for a mainland site,
making it the first to be really accessible to large
numbers of local birdwatchers. Apart from its
ornithological records, it has serv^ed as a training
ground for hosts of budding ringers and censusers,
and as a great social centre for birdwatchers from
near and far. The Riverside Hotel seems likely to be
overflowing on 8th June (unless, of course, there are
too many birds around).

IWRB becomes Wetlands
International

During the International Conference on
Wetlands and Development in Malaysia in
October 1 995, a new' global alliance for
wetland conser\'ation was created. The new'
organisation is called Wetlands International
(WI), and integrates three existing
international water-bird and wetland
organisations: the International Waterfow'l and
Wetlands Research Bureau (IWRB, based in
the UK), the Asian Wetland Bureau (AWB,
based in Malaysia) and Wetlands for the
Americas (WA, based in North America and
Argentina) .

Wetlands International was launched on 1st
Januar}' 1 996 and is now fully operational.

286

News and comment

Moroccan records

The recently created Moroccan Rare Birds
Committee, noting that most of the birders
visiting Morocco are English and that many
are British Birds readers, has requested as
many records as possible, supported by
descriptions. A list of the species for which
notes are required by the MRBC can be
obtained by writing to the Secretary of the
MRBC: Prof Jacques Franchimont, Quartier
Abbas, Lmsahdi, rue n°6, n°22, 50.000
Meknes, Morocco.

Hants, better late . . .

In his editorial, Trevor Carpenter apologises
for the late appearance of the Hampshire Bird
Report 1 994, published in March 1 996, owing
to an increase from 17,000 records received
and processed in 1993 to 24,000 in 1994. He
expresses the hope that the 1995 Report will
appear before the end of the year. We hope
so too, for this excellent 160-page
compilation would be a strong contender for
honours in the Best Annual Bird Report
Awards.

The 1994 Report costs £5.00 (+50p p&p)
and is obtainable from G. J. S. Rowland, 14
Dunmow Hill, Fleet, Hampshire GUt3 9AN.

New Guinea news

Phil Gregor^’ has contacted us with some
mouthwatering bird records and details of two
New Guinea publications. Apart from turning
green with enw, what do you do when
someone casually drops into the middle of a
letter the fact that he has recendy been
watching Black Munia Lonchura stygia.
Mottled Munia L. hwisteitii, New Guinea
Eagle Harpyopsis novaegtdneae and New
Guinea Flighdess Rail Megacrex itiepla? Phil
comments that he is always happy to advise
and assist visidng birdwatchers and can be
contacted at PO Box 69, Tabubil 332,
Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

The two publications are, first, a
promodonal edidon of Phil’s The Birds of the
OK Tedi Area, available from the OTMI.
Environmental Dept, PO Box 1, Tabubil 332,
Western Province, Papua New Guinea, and,
secondly, the May 1 995 edidon of Murttk, the
journal of the Papua New Guinea Bird
Sticicty (PNGBS), containing a range of
articles on bird records from throughout the
country. The PNGBS can be contacted via
Phil Gregory' at the above address.

Bird bucks

Birds on the Texas coast generate significant
spending by birdwatchers. It is said that
Yellow'-gre&n Vireos Vireo flavoviridis at
Laguna Atascosa refuge bring in SI 00,000 to
the local economy, w'hile the excidng
migration at High Island sanctuary is
responsible for a tourist spend of S2.5 million.
Endangered Whooping Cranes Grus
amencana at the Aransas reserv^e bring SI -2
million to nearby towns. Meanw'hile, in
Kansas, the Department of Wildlife and Parks
has recendy created a hunting season for
Sandhill Cranes Oms canadensis, against the
advice of biologists and conserv'adonists, who
claim that, of the 600 shot each year (with
proposed increases next year), at least 40% are
from populadons in need of protecdon. The
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
recognises the value of its birds and is
preparing the Great Texas Coastal Birding
Trail with 50 bird hotspots: better to see birds
than shoot them and economically more
beneficial? Details of the trail from TP&WD,
4200 Smith School Road, Ausdn, Texas
78744. {Contribnted by Rob Hume)

Cambridge Report

The latest, 1 03-page Report of the Cambridge
Bird Club, covering 1994, includes the
obligatory, indeed quintessendal systemadc
list, an account of the finding of the county’s
first-ever Rusdc Bundng Ernberiza mstica in a
bundng flock on 26th January' (it over-
wintered, staying over six weeks), and
discussion of the increase in numbers and
range of breeding Grey Wagtails Motacilla
cinerea since the 1970s.

Copies are available (£6.50 incl. p&p) from
Bob Jarman, 9 Romsey Road, Cambridge cm

3DD.

‘Rare Birds in Norway’

For a forthcoming book, the Norsk
Sjeldenhetskomite for Fugl (Norwegian Rare
Birds Committee) requests details of any
Spectacled Eiders Somateria fischeri or other
rare birds which have been seen in Norway
by visiting birdwatchers. There are,
apparently, rumours of a number of
significant observations which have never
been officially reported. Details of interesting
observations and descriptions of rarities will
be gratefully received by Andrew W. Clarke,
Gronlia, Kyrresvingen 21, .3186 Horten,
Norway.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

287

Seabirds in the south and west

I can clearly remember one February day,
boarding the Stranraer to Larne ferry, and
anticipating a little seabird-watching. I was to
be unlucky, and recorded nothing. If I had
had access to the recently published Joint
Namre Conservation Committee’s QNCC)
report Vulnerable Concentrations of Seabirds
South and West of Britain, I would have been
aware that this was the least-productive month
for seabirds in that sector of the Irish Sea. The
report contains clear and precise maps of
seabird distribution, on a monthly basis, from
Dungeness westward and then north to Cape
Wrath and the Faroe Islands. The list of
bodies sponsoring the JNCC’s ‘Seabirds at
Sea Programme’ is impressive and includes
not only the Department of Trade and
Industry, but also several of the oil companies,
including Esso, Shell, BP, Amoco and Elf. It is
a little ironic that, as I write this, the media is
full of details of the events resulting from the
grounding of the Sea Empress at the entrance
to Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. A quick
check through the maps shows that almost any
time of the year, other than January' and
February', would have seen the oil hit major
concentrations of seabirds. History shows that,
wherever man transports oil, spillage will
inevitably occur. At least we now have details
of where and what is most vulnerable to
marine pollution. {BS)

If you are planning any pelagic birding
trips, this latest publication will provide useflil
information. Further details from the Seabirds
at Sea Team, 17 Rubislaw Terrace, Aberdeen
ABl IXE.

Peregrine papers

The first issue of Acta Ortiithobgica vol. 30 is
devoted to the proceedings of the symposium
on the ‘European Peregrine Falcon Ealco p.
peregrinus — its status and future’, held in
Poland in November 1994. The 15 papers are
in English (or, in one instance, German),
rather than Polish, with English abstracts and
Polish summaries, so are very accessible to
English-speaking Peregrine students.

For further details, to subscribe or to order
a single issue ($20 pay'able to the Museum &
Institute of Zoology at Powszechny Bank
Kredytowy SA, XIII 0/Warszawa, nr.
370044-3450, A1 Jerozolimskie 7, 00-495
Warsawa, Poland), write to The Museum &
Instimte of Zoology', Polish Academy of
Sciences, Wilcza 64, PL 00-679 Warszawa,
Poland.

The Royal Mail does it again

How nice for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Tmst
to have its fiftieth anniversary recognised by a
special issue of stamps.

But why, oh why was TunnicUffe artwork
(nice as it is) used instead of wildfowl
paintings by the late Sir Peter Scott, founder
of the Tmst?

As with that ‘Ragged Robin’ Christmas
stamp fiasco (Brit. Birds 88: 571), one
wonders who, if anyone, advises the Royal
Mail. For all natural history' subjects, it ought
to be the Society of Wildlife Artists.

Norwegian Mammal Atlas

The Norwegian Zoological Society (NZF) is
undertaking a national mammal atlas project.
Records from 1 980 onwards will be used, and
data collection will continue until at least the
end of 1997, based on 10-km squares. All
mammal species (both terrestrial and marine)
will be included, as will records from the
Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The NZF
welcomes records from visitors to Norw'ay,
including obser\'ations of tracks, feeding signs,
shed antlers and so on.

Please send details of (1) species; (2) date
(at least year and month/season); (3) place —
give accurate grid references (UTM-system) if
possible, otherwise an accurate description of
the location (e.g. 1 km north of Sel church);

(4) county (fylke) and district (kommune);
and (5) ty'pe of obser\'ation (e.g. animal seen,
tracks found, etc.) together with any
comments. For some species (e.g. bats,
whales) photographs, or at least full descrip-
tive accounts, are required, and for species
such as shrews and small rodents skuUs and/or
lower jaws are needed as documentation.
Photographs of tracks should include an object
that can be used to judge size (such as a mler
or matchbox). Please supply a duplicate print
or transparency, not the original. All obser\'ers
will be acknowledged in the published Atlas.

Please send observations to Pattedyratias,
The Norwegian Zoological Society, Postbox
102 Blindern, N-0314 Oslo, Norway.

288

News and comment

Restoring Dorset’s heaths

In Februan’j a new agreement was signed
between Forest Enterprise and English Nature
to give the go-ahead for a unique grazing
project in Wareham Forest. For the past five
years, foresters have been re-creating
heathland in the area as part of the Forests
and Heathlands Project. Now they are to
begin ten years of trials to test the impact of
grazing on 800 acres (325 ha) of Wareham
Forest’s heaths and forestry- plantation, in a
bid to prove that low-level grazing will not
harm young trees. If successful, it could boost
the return of traditional grazing management
to heaths throughout the region, which in turn
should increase numbers of heathland rarities
such as the Silver-studded Blue Butterfly
Plebejiis argns, Marsh Gentian Getniaua
pHeumonanthe and Wood Lark Liilliila arborea.
More than 85% of Dorset heaths has been lost
during the last 200 years, but, despite that,
Britain still holds the largest remaining area of
‘Dorset’-type lowland heaths in the World.

Waterways code

Following the fiasco on the River Ivel last June
{Bril. Birds 88: 441), it was good to hear the
following intentions regarding our canals: ‘A
draft Code of Practice, designed to ensure
good environmental management of canals
and river navigations, has been launched by
British Waterways, which runs the countr\’’s
canals. This document will ensure staff seek
more environmental information before
planning routine w'ork programmes, w'aterside
developments or engineering and repair
works. Rather than acting as a set of detailed
instructions, it is designed to raise issues,
provide information, and suggest actions
fitting local circumstances. Environmental
issues addressed range from the conseiration
of habitats and species, to assessment of water
and sediment quality, the repair of historic
structures and aesthetic impacts of w'ork. A
final version of the Code wall be produced in
April after consultation with a range of
organisations and users.’ {habitat vol. 32, no.
1, January 1996)

Ouse Washes anniversary

At the end of last year, the Wildfow'l &
Wetlands Trust’s centre at Welney on the
Ouse Washes celebrated its 25th anniversary^
Originally conceived by the late Sir Peter
Scon, whose first visit to the area in the 1930s
as a Cambridge undei 'iraduate left him with a
lasting impression, the creation of the reser\'e
began in 1967 with tlie donation of a 102-acre
("41 -ha) wash to the 'Prust that he founded in
1946. Lagoons were created for the birds and
access created for visitors, with the main
obseiratory completed in 1970. Since those
early days when visitors obtained permits from

the house of the first warden, Josh Scon, a
wash shepherd, other land was acquired,
bringing the total area of the reserve up to
1,000 acres (400 ha). Subsequently, a
reception centre sprang up in the mid 1970s
catering to visitors’ needs and, a year ago, a
£75,000 extension to the main observatory
was opened.

For further information about visiting this
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust reser\-e, phone
01353-860711. We wash those invoLed every
success for the next 25 years and beyond.

New Solent Visitor Centre

The National Lottery Fund gave Hampshire
County Council’s Solent coast a Valentine’s
Day present by aw'arding £206,000 to convert
a former coastguard cottage on the seafront at
Hill Head into a new visitor centre for the
Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve,
'the Leader of the Council, Cllr Mike
Hancock, said that it was a great opportunity
to build on the huge investment that the
Council had made in coastal conser\’ation and
environmental protection. Council rangers
currently look after 670 ha of the East Solent
coast from the upper stretches of the Ri\'er
Hamble to I'itchfield Haven, including a
number of different habitats. Titchfield Haven

itself, 1 1 6 ha in extent, is an SSSI, proposed
SPA/Ramsar site and proposed SAC, on
account of its being an important resort for
wintering w'ildfow'l, including large numbers of
Eurasian Wigeons Attas penebpe and Common
Teals A. crecca, and internationally important
numbers of Black-t ailed Godwits Linwsa
limosa. The rich wetland breeding-bird
community includes a nationally important
population of Cetti’s Warblers Cettia cetii and
is the only regular Hampshire breeding site for
Bearded Tits Panums biamtiais.

Further information can be obtained from
the site manager on 01329-662145.

British Birds, vol. 89, no. 6, June 1996

289

Butterfly distribution

Many birdwatchers also use their close-
focusing binoculars to look at butterflies.
Those in the Home Counties are likely to
find a new Butterfly Conservation
publication of great interest. A 44-page
report on butterflies in Hertfordshire and
Middlesex in 1995 includes not only tetrad
maps and weekly-occurrence charts for each
species, but also long, fascinating
explanatory texts summarising trends and
speculating on reasons for them.

Copies are available (price £2.00) from
John Murray, Field End, Marshalls Heath,
Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire al4 8HS.

Tundra or Whooper or Mute?

The difficulties of separating juvenile swans
Cygniis are addressed in a 35-page, well-illus-
trated paper by Dieter Konigstedt and Peter
Barthel (in German, but with an English sum-
mary) in the latest issue of Limicola.

A single back issue costs DM16 from Uber
dem Salzgraben 11, OT Driiber, D-37574
Einbeck, Germany.

Butterfly Conservation
Symposium

Butterfly Conservation is holding its 2nd
International Symposium, at Warwick
University during 6th-8th September 1996.
Non-members are eligible to attend the
Symposium, and further details can be
obtained from Butterfly Conservation, PO
Box 222, Dedham, Colchester, Essex C07 6EY.

REGIONAL NEWS TEAM

Dave Allen — Northern Ireland

Tim Cleeves — Northeast

David Clugston — Scotland

Dave Flumm — Southwest

Frank Gribble — Midlands

Barrie Harding — East Anglia

Oran O’Sullivan — Republic of Ireland

Don Taylor — Southeast

Dr Stephanie Tyler — Wales

John Wilson — Northwest

MONTHLY MARATHON

' ' Plate 24 obviously showed a pratincole Glareola, but which one? Entrants

/ y decided on Oriental G. nialdivamm (50%), Collared G. putiitcola (27%)

( I or Black-winged G mrdmanni (23%). The most-chosen species was the

right answer. This Oriental Pratincole was photographed by Dr R. J.
Chandler in Western Australia in March 1995.

Most competitors are now near the start, with 0, 1 or 2 correct answers; there
is a small bunch of ten entrants on three correct answers; Michael J. Tarrant
(Lincolnshire) has achieved five in a row; Dick Forsman and Hannu Jannes (both
Finland) are on six in a row; and Jon Holt (Buckinghamshire) and Anthony
McGeehan (Co. Down) still lead the field with seven-in-a-row sequences of
correct answers.

Just one wrong answer and the misidentification catapults the competitor back
to the starting line. With a combination of skill and luck, someone will, however,
eventually beat every other competitor to win the SUNBIRD holiday in Africa,
Asia or North America. As they say: ‘It could be you!’

For a free SUNBIRD brochure, write to PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19

IDF; or telephone Sandy (01767) 682969.

[Brit. Birds 89: 289-290, June 1996] © British Birds Ltd 1996

290

Monihiv marathon

Plate 119. ‘Monthly marathon’. Photo no. 120: tenth stage in eighth ‘Marathon’. Identify the
species. Read the rules on page 24 of the Jamtary issue, then send in your answer oti a postcard to
Monthly Marathon, Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, Bedford MK44 3NJ, to arrive by 1 5th July
1996.

RECENT REPORTS

Compiled by Bany Nightingale and Anthony McGeehan

This summary' covers the period 16th April to 12th May 1996.
These are unchecked reports, not authenticated records.

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus Near
Snettisham (Norfolk), 1st- 12th May.

Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Douglas
(Strathclyde), 12th May.

Gyr Falcon Falco msticolus White-phase
individual, Tory' Island (Co. Donegal), 24th
April.

American Coot Fidica arnericatia Stodmarsh
(Kent), 16th-28th April.

Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus Saltee
Islands (Co. Wexford), 6th May; Cape Clear
Island (Co. Cork), 8th-9th May (first records
since 1990).

Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola
Draycote Water (Warwickshire), 12th May.

Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus
Fairburn Ings (West Yorkshire), 12th May.

Lesser Yellowlegs Tiinga Jlavipes Kinsale
Marsh (Co. Cork), 27th April.

Spotted Sandpiper Actitis maeularia St
Agnes (Scilly), 6th-9th May.

Laughing Gull Lams atncilla First-year,
Blennerville (Co. Kerry), 8th April.

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
Portland Bill (Dorset), 5th May.

Red-n.imped Swallow Himndo daurica At
least five and perhaps up to eight individuals
from 2nd May.

Dark-eyed Junco Juneo hyetnalis Id\'crpool
(Merseyside), 29th April; Andover (Hamp-
shire), 5th May.

Rare Bird News supplies all its information free to ‘British Birds’.

Call 0881-888-111 for the latest, up-to-date news

(25p'min cheap rate; .39p'min other titnes; inel. VAT)

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viii

New from Academic Press

THE

Birds of Israel

HADORAM SHIRIHAI

This monumental new work will be invaluable, both to the
visiting birdwatcher and to the more studious ornithologist. It
contains more information packed into its pages than any
previous country avifauna. The information in it is of relevance
well beyond the borders of the country it describes and will be of
use to anybody with an interest in birds throughout the Middle
East and North Africa - and, indeed, throughout most of the
Palearctic as well.

The text is illustrated with over 200 line drawings by Alan
Harris, and by an extraordinary collection of over 500 colour
photographs of some of the most exciting species.

0-12-640255-8 Nov 1995 876 pages £65.00

New from T & AD Poyser

The Historical Atlas of Breeding
Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1875-1900

SIMON HOLLOWAY

This new book presents maps with accompanying text, showing
the distribution of Britain’s and Ireland’s birds during the last
quarter of the nineteenth century. Together they paint a fascinat-
ing picture of Britain’s and Ireland’s birds before the growth of
modern agriculture, but during a period when changes in the
balance of rural and urban population began to alter the face of
the countryside forever.

0-85661-094-1 Nov 1995 448 pages £25.00

Available from your local bookseller or directly from

ACADEMIC PRESS, MARKETING DEPARTMENT
24-28 Oval Road, London NWl 7DX. Fax: 0171 267 0362 Tel; 0171 267 4466

IX

ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Join US

today!

m promotes the study and conservation
of birds throughout the Middle East

■ encourages the standardised recording
of bird observations

■ brings together knowledge of the
region's birdlife

■ maintains a conservation anci research
fund to support small-scale projects by
members

■ publishes Sandgrousc twice a year,
sent to all members

To join (UK fee £10 a year), write to
Membership Secretary, OSME do The
Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL UK

United Arab Emirates

for Crab Plover, Great Knot,
Hypocolius, Hume's Wheatear and
Plain Leaf Warbler?

No problem (usually)

As festured in this issue, all you need to know
about the superb birdlife of this trouble-free
Middle Eastern state

THE BIRDS OF THE UNITCD ARAB EMIRATES

1 80 pp, 280 sketches, 100 colour photos, mops,
Birders Guide, etc. covering 360 species

ISBN 1-872839 00 2 £17.00

THE BREEDING BIRDS OF THE | ^ I J W
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | L I ^ A

1 78 pp, mops, 60 colour photos including 'seven of the
best ever token of Middle East Species”. .. .D I M.
Wolloce Birdwakh (Apr 96). 101 breeding species

ISBN 1 -872839 04 5 £ 1 4.99

Available now from Hobby Publications,
Mediafine Limited, Port of Liverpool Building,
Liverpool L3 1 BZ

Plf AS! MAKE CHEQUES/PO's PAYABIE TO ttOBBY PUBUCAT10NS

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Best Days

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^ Their most exciting birdvvatching

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Ian Prestt Chris Mead

Guy Mountfort Peter Grant

Bill Oddie & inanv others

Edited by Malcolm Ogiliie & Stuart Winter
Published by British Birds Ltd, Park Lane,
Blunham, Bedford mk44 :i\)

Available from all good bookshops
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Superb cuisine, en-suite, log fires. Redstarts, flycatchers
nest within grounds, kites all around. Wonderful walks,
unspoiled countryside. Caravan available. Brochure, tel.
01974-282289. (BB035)

Neuaddlas

Country Guest House’

WTB

Commended

ell-recommended: for infomative brochure 01974 298905

(BB032)

WESTERN PYRENEES. Resident English local guide for
Western Pyrenees and Northern Spain (Hecho/Riglos area).
Contact Richard Cruse, 106 Rue Navarrot. 64400 Oloran
Ste Marie, France. Tel. (0033) 59-39-47-75. (BB873)

HONG KONG — Superb birding Sept-May. Richard
Lewthwaite, 2 Villa Paloma, Shuen Wan. Tai Po. Hong
Kong. Tel: (+852) 2665 8506. Fax: (+852) 2665 8190.

(BB875)

NEW ZEALAND. Experience our unique plant and bird
community in diverse and dramatic landscapes. Our tours
are customized to suit birders, photographers and natural-
ists. Information: Manu Tours, 106 Ocean Beach Road,
Tairua, 2853 New Zealand. PH/Fax (64) (7) 864 7475.

(BB008)

PROVENCE, CAMARGUE. Farm cottage, apt., b&b.
Rogers. Mas d’Auphan. Le Sambuc, 13200 ARLES,
France. Tel: (0033) 90972041, fax 90972087. (BB038)

BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS

DISCOUNT

FLIGHTS

CAR HIRE
ACCOMMODATION
SEA TRAVEL
PACKAGE HOLIDAYS

RETURN FLIGHTS FROM:

CALIFORNIA E238 SPAIN E89
NEW YORK £183 TURKEY £139
CANADA £199 HARARE £435
VENEZUELA £324 DAR ES SALAAM £373
BRAZIL £485 JAKARTA £421

BOLIVIA £648 BANGKOK £31 9

AUS/NZ AND ROUND THE WORLD
FROM £499

SUBJECT TO AIRPORT TAXES

GROUPS AND

EXPEDITIONS TftiiDc Aun uftimAvc

worldwide tours and holidays

ANTARCTICA &

THE FALKLANDS

1997/8 ON SALE SOON,
ADVANCE BROCHURE ORDERS
BEING TAKEN NOW!

OR 01603 767757
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE,
BANK ROAD, BRISTOL M112U

^^1 ©

ABTA v. ■'

AUSTRALIA, CAIRNS. .lULATTEN — Located in
Australia's premier birding region, central to 7 diverse
habitats offering up to 400 species including the Golden
Bower Bird. Bustard and Blue Faced Finch, our 12 acre
rainforest setting hosts 8 endemic birds including the Lesser
Sooty Owl and is abundant with native fauna, notably the
Red Necked Crake. Paradise Kingfisher and Platypus. We
provide modern, spacious S/C suites and expert guiding is
available. Write now for a free bird list to Kingfisher Park
Birdwatchers Lodge. P.O. Box 3. Julatten 4871, Queensland,
Australia. Tel: +61 70 941263 Fax: +61 70 941466.

(BB752)

XI

TO ADVERTISE PHONE 01767 640467

HELL!

Fleeting birds, foul fumes and faulty binoculars. Why
risk that when you can touch paradise? Tropical
Australia is the gateway to World Heritage rainforest,
shimmering coral islands and rugged outback country.
All teeming with exotic and spectacular birdlife. Five
day ground packages to these habitats and more are
now leaving. For details contact me NOW! CHRIS
HARRISS. 9/20 Girralong St.. Woree. Q.
AUSTRALIA 4868. Fax: 6I 70 545998. (BB0I3)

BELIZE: offers over 500 species. Tamandua, a birdwatch-
ers paradise, offers accom. for up to 8 guests in a superb
jungle location with riverine, forest and organic orchard
habitats. Details: Dempsey, PO Box 306, Belmopan, Belize.

(BB005)

SRI LANKA -

ORNITHOLOGISTS PARADISE -

Home to 426 species 21 of which are endemic.
Specialist guides provided for tours from
individuals to groups - Best period November
March - Contact Delmege Tours.

101, Vinayalankara Mawatha,

Colombo 10. Sri Lanka.

Telephone: 0094 1 693361 - 8. 699500 & 699984

Telex : 21320 LEWIS CE, 21536 DFSHtP, 22766 DELAIR CE

Fax ; 0094 1 698139, 699413, 686149

Email ; delmege@sri.lanka.net (BB042)

COSTA RICA

EXPERIENCE THE BEST IN BIRDING!
TAILOR-MADE TRIPS FOR INDIVIDUALS & GROUPS
BROCHURES: BIRDWATCH COSTA RICA

APARTADO 7911, lOOOB SAN JOSE
(BB721) COSTA RICA FAX: -r(506) 228 1573

VENEZUELA - superb neotropical birdwatching. Tailor-
made tours for club groups and others. Geodyssey 0171-
281 7788 (24hrs). (BB034)

DIVISION OF NICK'S TRAVEL

100 LONDON ROAD, LEICESTER LE2 OQS

‘FLIGHTS FOR BIRDWATCHERS’

LOW COST AIRFARES SPECIALISTS - WORLDWIDE.
DISCOUNT CAR HIRE/INSURANCE

TELE: (0116)247 0600

YOUR TRAVEL IS OUR BUSINESS

(BB04I1

E CZ LJ /V P <3 R

SUPREME BIRDING TOURS with

AVESTRAVEL CIA. LTDA.

Customized Low Budget Tours for Small
Croups & Individuals. Contact
Robert Jonsson, Resident Director & Guide
Telf. Fax Ecu,idor 09 - 446695 Interrvilional 593 - 9 - 446695
P. O. BOX 1 7 - 07 - 921 9 Quito • Ecuador
./VNZES •y^n/V!

xii

ISRAEL - EILAT & ARAVA VALLEY

AUTUMN/WINTER/SPRING - SEPT 20 MAY 20.

* 1-2 week fully guided tour progromme incorporating
wide variety of nobitols with many unique resident &
migratory species.

* Impressive raptor migrotion, seobirds, waders, & songbirds
in spectacular desert environment.

* Birds on your doorstep!! More than 100 species in o day
possible within a 3 Kilometre radius of your room on Lotnn.

* Optional cultural & historical trips with quloified tour guide.

* Trips to Northern Israel also available for 3-4 doys by
negotiation.

* Full boord, accommodation & guiding inclusive ot £355.00 per
week, or $570.00 dollors. Rotes for B & B, or half hoard
without guiding ovoilnble on request.

Full details and booklet from: James Smith/Michael Livni;

Kibbutz Lotun, Door No Chevel Eilol, 888S5 ISRAEL.

Fox 00-972-7-356827. Tel:-356935 (BB045)

CHINA 1997. Travelling companion wanted. 1-2 persons
for 12 weeks in April-June 1997. Hard birdwatching,
searching for rare birds and endemics. Itinerary: Hong
Kong, Ba Bao Shan. Emei Shan, Wolong. Jiuzhaigou.
Koko Nor. Lhasa. Beijing. Hohhot. If time also: Yunnan
and/or Nangquian-Yushu area. Some sightseeing, eg Li
River and the Wall. Medium/high budget which includes a
few nights. Write to: Leif Gabrielsen. PO Box 42, N-4063
VOLL, NORWAY. Phone -f5 1 42 22 29 (Evenings). (A5 1 1 )

BOOKS

BIRD BOOKS. Good secondhand books, bought and sold.
Free catalogue from and offers to Briant Books. 94 Quarry
Lane, Kelsall, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 6NJ. Tel: 01829
751804. (BB897)

BIRD BOOKS. Out-of-print, uncommon and rare. Quarterly
catalogue. Peacock Books. Box 2024. Littleton. Mass,
01460, USA. (BB908)

SECONDHAND BIRD BOOKS and Bird Art Books.
Catalogue/Enquiries, Parkins. 01603 811253. (BB030)

BIRD REPORTS

HAMPSHIRE BIRD REPORT— 1994 £5.50 inc. p&p
Cheque payable H.O.S. c/o 5 Clarence Road, Lyndhurst.
Hants S043 7AL. (BB040)

WILTSHIRE BIRD REPORT 1994. £5 inc P&P from
N. Pleass, 22 Ferrers Drive, Swindon. Wilts. SN5 6HJ.
Back issues available. (BB049)

FOR SALE

WILDLIFE WATCHING/PHOTOGRAPHY

Camouflage pattern materials, poles, frames and fittings,
Leatscreens, scrim, olive green camera straps, padded
tripod slings, belts, webbing, clothing, hats, mats, insect
repellent, elastic camouflage sleeving for lenses. Outdoor
safety equip., clothing etc. etc.

Details: Kevin Keatley, Wildlife Watching Supplies.
Town Living Farmhouse, Puddington,

Tiverton, Devon EX16 8LW.

Tel, fax and 24 hr (01 884) 860692 BB044

(BB05I)

TO ADVERTISE FAX 01767 640025

Defeat of the Squirrel

They can't climb the pole

Tested by B.T.O. for 1 2 months
Guaranteed I00‘7c effective

NOW YOUR BIRD TABLE CAN BE
SQUIRREL PROOF

Easy to fix parts comprise 3l)cm 1 1 2") discs
which revolve and 5cm (2" I bafltes in clear plastic
Instruction leaflet supplied

£17.50 plus packing and delivery (UK Mainland) £4.00
Cheque to: Libra Plastics, Kimpton Ind. Estate. Sutton. Surrey SM.t 9RW

(BB 028I

ARCHIBALD THORBURN. British Birds Vols I to IV
including supplement. 82 plates in colour. Published 1915.
Contact tel. 01344 882098 (eve) or fax 890476. (BB052)

BRITISH BIRDS bound: Vol 13 (1919/20); Vol 14
(1920/21); Vol 26 (1932/33). A. Cole, 14 Derrycroft Rd,
Bishopsworth. Bri.stol BSI3 7RY. Tel: 0117-9781194

(weekends). (BB050)

1947 TO 1956 BOUND VOLUMES of British Birds.
Unbound copies 1963-66 & 1973. 1977 to 1984 (with
index). 01225 865904. (BB048)

BB VOLS 77-81 bound, vols 82-86 unbound. £150. Birding
World vols 2-6. £100. Tel. 01708 862207 (eves). (BB046)
BB VOLS 75-82, complete, unbound. For sale/swap BB pre
1974. Tel. 01252 614486. (BB047)

BWP vols 1-9, £450. Phone Dr Kelt 0171 959 7016 (work).

(BB043)

ATLAS OF BREEDING BIRDS IN NORTHUMBRIA

produced by the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club.
Edited by J. Day, M. Hodgson and R. Rossiter. Available
from: J. Day (Atlas). 2 Grange Ave. Benton. Newcastle
upon Tyne NEI2 9PN. Price £24 + £4.50 p&p. (cheques
made to N.T.B.C.).

Our own Conservation Area
makes us unique. A pool and
woodland adjacent to the
showroom attract numerous
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BIRD INFORMATION

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xiii

British Birds

Volume 89 Number 6 June 1996

247 European news 282 ‘The Birds of Israel’ by Hadoram

Shirihai Ridiard Porter

267 Response of Booted Eagles to

human disturbanee Jacques Carloti 283 Diary dates Sheila D. Cobban

214 Looking back
Notes

275 Identification of male Spectacled
Warbler Brian Snuill

278 Carrion Crows killing several Northern
Lapwings Neil McMahon

279 Nest-sharing by female Blue Tits
Dr Jeremy K. Blakey

Reviews

281 ‘Palearctic Birds: a checklist of the birds
of Europe, North Africa and Asia north
of the foothills of the Himalayas’ by
Mark Beaman C. J. Hazevoet

28 1 ‘Where to Watch Birds in Northeast
England (Northumberland, 'Pyne &
Wear, Durham and Cleveland)’ by
Dave Britton & John Day Steve Voder

282 ‘The Atlas of Breeding Birds in
Northumbria’ compiled and edited by
John C. Dav, Mike S. Hodgson & Nick
Rossitcr DrJ. T. R. Shanvek

284 News and comment Bob Scott and
Wendy Dickson

289 Monthly marathon

290 Recent reports Bany Nightingale and
Anthony McGeehan

Line-drawing: 267 Booted Eagles (Andreiv
Stock)

Front cover: Black-winged Stilts Hhnantopus
himantoptis, Albufera, Mallorca (Dan Pozeelt)'.
the original of this month’s cover design,
measuring 18.6 X 20.8 cm, is for sale in a
postal auction (see page 46 in Januaiy issue
for procedure)

‘British Birds’ is published by a non-profit-making company for the benefit of ornithology.
© British Birds Ltd 1 996

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