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Madeiran Storm-petrel
Moult and ageing of Falcated Ducks
Honey-buzzards in the New Forest

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British Birds

Volume 1 05 • Number I • January 20 1 2

THE NATURAL
HISTORY MUSEUM

1 0 JAN 2012

PRESENTED
TRING LIBRARY

2 Madeiran Storm-petrel off Scilly: new to Britain Robert L. Flood

I I

From the Rarities Committee’s files

Moult and ageing of male Falcated Ducks in autumn
John P. Martin and Martin Garner

23 Honey-buzzards in southern England E. J. Wiseman

Regular features

29 Conservation research news

Guy Anderson, Elizabeth Charman
and Ian Johnstone

32 Letters

The retLirn of the Red-billed
Chough to Cornwall Richard M.
Meyer, Ian Johnstone

Common Cranes in the UK
Phil Palmer

Eastern race, aberrant morph, runt
or Oriental? D. I. M. Wallace

The correct gender of Poecile and
the scientific name of the Willow
Tit Normand David and Michel
Gosselin, Andrew H. J. Harrop

37 Notes

A record influx of Balearic
Shearwaters in Devon and
Cornwall Mark Darlaston and
Russell B. Wynn

Curlews feeding in stubble fields
Bryan Sage

Tawny Owl hanging upside down
in response to aggressive Carrion
Crows Ian Bennell

Nest defence behaviour by Marsh
Tits in response to a stuffed

Weasel Richard K. Broughton

Aggressive intraspecific behaviour
among male Black Larks in winter
Ruslan Urazaliev, Timur Iskakov
and Johannes Kamp

Wrens foraging in the tree canopy
in harsh winter conditions
Mike Archer

43 Reviews

Avian Survivors

The RSPB Anthology of Wildlife
Poetry

The Atlas of Birds

The Breeding Birds of Malta

The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern
Birds

Birds of Seychelles

Birds of Trinidad and Tobago

Finding Birds in Estonia

49 News and comment

Adrian Pitches

53 Recent reports

Barry Nightingale and
Harry Hussey

A

FSC

n<oc«OKe*

British Birds aims to: * provide an up-to-date magazine for everyone interested in the birds
of the Western Palearctic; * publish a range of material on behaviour, conservation, distribution,
ecology, identification, movements, status and taxonomy as well as the latest ornithological news
and book reviews; maintain its position as the journal of record; and
interpret scientific research on birds in an easily accessible way.

© British Birds 2012

Madeiran Storm-petrel
off Scilly: new to Britain

Robert L. Flood

Abstract A Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro was seen and
photographed from a boat approximately 12-14 km southeast of Scilly on 28th
July 2007. The bird made two close passes to the boat, some 50 minutes apart,
making it possible to note the key identification features and to reconfirm these
during the second sighting. A record photograph was obtained. A previously
accepted record of Madeiran Storm-petrel, one found dead at Milford, Hampshire,
in November 191 I, was removed from the British List in 2008 and thus the Scilly
bird becomes the first accepted record for Britain.

On the evening of 28th July 2007, 1 was
on board MV Sapphire, south of the
Isles of Scilly, together with four
other birders - Alan Hannington and John
Higginson from Scilly, Tony James from
Newcastle, and Ken Adelsten Jensen from
Norway - and skipper Joe Pender, who also
has an interest in seabirds. The southwesterly
wind had increased after we left the harbour,
from a force 3 to a force 5. There was 100%
cloud cover and earlier rain had all but
ceased, although there was some sea spray
that was a problem when looking into the
wind. The light and other observation condi-
tions were good looking downwind. When
we were approximately 1 2 km southeast of St
Mary’s quay we began drifting and chum-
ming, and were soon watching European
Storm-petrels Hydrobates pelagicus heading
in from downwind, which we carefully
checked in the hope of finding a Wilson’s
Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus.

At about 18.55 hrs, I was located on the
port side of the cabin, looking downwind.
Through binoculars I saw a long-winged,
black-brown storm-petrel rise over the crest
of a wave, heading directly towards the boat.
Immediate impressions said it was not a
Wilson’s. Compared with Wilson’s it was
larger, the arm relative to the hand was
longer, and the wings were not flattened but
were held in a shallow M-shape. Neither did
those first impressions resonate with Leach’s
Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa, in par-

ticular because the jizz and flight behaviour
of the bird were steady and methodical rather
than tern-like. The possibility of Madeiran
Storm-petrel O. castro flashed into my mind.
For those reasons, and for only the second
time in 12 years of pelagics out of Scilly, 1
yelled to the other birders: ‘Get on this
storm-petrel!’

Despite those very early impressions, my
next stage of thinking, during the following
ten seconds or so, was like trying to force a
square peg into a round hole, trying to make
this storm-petrel a Wilson’s - perhaps
because a Madeiran off Scilly was just too
incredible to believe. Moreover, in those early
stages, there were some similarities between a
Wilson’s and our bird, such as a relatively
straight trailing edge to the wing and pur-
poseful travelling flight behaviour. And, of
course, we were expecting to see Wilson’s!
Conversely, Leach’s was never a serious can-
didate.

When it was about 30 m from the boat,
this mystery storm-petrel hanked to its right
and began methodically quartering the sea
surface. At this distance I could see an upper-
wing-covert bar that did not reach the leading
edge (in Leach’s it does reach the leading
edge) and was not as pronounced as on a
typical Leach’s. The white rump was broader
than it was long (that of Leach’s is normally
longer than it is broad), extending to the
lateral undertail-coverts (unlike Leach’s), and
was still clearly visible when the bird banked

2

© British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

Madeiran Storm-petrel off Scilly: new to Britain

away showing its underside (in similar cir-
cumstances the white rump on Leach’s is then
hard to see). Therefore, the ‘band rump’ was
seemingly always visible as the storm-petrel
manoeuvred around, a feature not apparent
on Leach’s. The tail of our bird was short and
the rear end looked particularly short relative
to the wingspan (in comparison, the rear end
of Wilson’s looks relatively long, even when
the feet are retracted and the toe projection
thus eliminated). There was no toe projection
beyond the end of the tail (Wilson’s typically
has obviously projecting toes).

The bird was approaching close to the
stern and I expected it to pass the stern and
head into the slick off the starboard side and
feed. Instead, it banked to its left and flew
parallel to the port side, some 12 m from the
boat. We had front-row seats for this per-
formance and the differences from Leach’s
and Wilson’s quickly became apparent: the
relatively thick bill (thinner in Leach’s and
Wilson’s); the chunky body (relatively slim in
Leach’s and Wilson’s); the leading edge of the
wing was mildly angular at the carpal joint
and the trailing edge was gently angular
(both sharply angular in Leach’s, and the
trailing edge in Wilson’s is all but straight);
the arm was broad (narrow in Leach’s); and
the wing-tips were moderately blunt (very
pointed in Leach’s and Wilson’s). In addition,
the underwing was evenly black-brown,
similar to the body. These plumage features,
among many other plumage and structural
features, also eliminated both species of
Fregetta storm-petrel - White-bellied Fregetta
grallaria and Black-bellied F. tropica - which
both show largely white underwing-coverts
and belly (normally with a dark central stripe
in Black-bellied). The European Storm-
petrels present were simply dwarfed along-
side our bird as it continued by.

The jizz was consistently methodical,
almost predictable: not buoyant and some-
times unpredictable as Leach’s; not hirun-
dine-like as with Wilson’s; and not like a
small bat as with European. It rose up to 3 m
above the sea surface on several occasions
(this is very rare in Wilson's and European,
which almost always keep within a metre of
the sea surface).

By now I was trying to accept that this
storm-petrel had to be a Madeiran, but could

it really be? Having noted all relevant struc-
tural and plumage features, flight behaviour,
and briefly considered other possible storm-
petrel species, I was now confident enough to
call it: ‘It’s a Madeiran!’. The bird continued
on, past the bow, and then, banking to its left,
moved away from the boat and was lost to
sight. The whole event lasted about a minute.
The precise location was 049°51.741’N
006°08.781’W.

When I first saw the Madeiran, my instant
reaction was: ‘This is really different!’ I
shouted so loudly that even Joe Pender,
fishing off the stern, heard me through the
wind and turned around to see the bird fly
by. However, after I yelled out, nobody
uttered a word, and this, coupled with
incredulity, slight panic, and some resonance
with the jizz of Wilson’s (see above), led me
to doubt my first impression and, after a
short while, to say questioningly: ‘It must be
a large Wilson’s?’ John Higginson replied that
it was too large, and this helped to calm my
mind a little, but not totally. Experience in
many oceans alongside the world’s seabird
experts reminded me that even the best have
been tricked by size illusion - Madeiran for
European Storm-petrel is one example that
comes to mind (also see Flood 8c Fisher 2011,
pp. 25-26) - and to begin with there was no
opportunity for comparison with local
storm-petrels. What’s more, Wilson’s vary
significantly in size, and the jizz of a small
Wilson’s is quite different from that of the
largest. Flight actions of one especially large
Wilson’s, seen well and photographed off
Scilly in 2005, set it apart from others and
will be remembered by birders on board at
the time (see plates 3 8c 4). John Higginson
also noted the lack of toe projection, but here
again I was aware that Wilson’s can retract
their legs thus eliminating toe projection,
‘when it can look remarkably like band-
rumped [Madeiran]’ (Killian Mullarney in
Robb et al. 2008). In 2000, in the early years
of Scilly pelagics, Kris Webb, Ashley Fisher
and I watched a Wilson’s off Scilly with legs
retracted, which caused considerable confu-
sion in the identification. Put simply, a lack
of toe projection does not eliminate Wilson’s.
It was the combination of key characteristics
of flight behaviour, plumage aspect, and
structure, described above, that allowed

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

3

Joe Pender

Flood

I. Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro, 27th July
2007, c. 12 km southeast of St Mary’s quay, Scilly. The
combination of structure and visible plumage aspect shown
in this image are unique to Madeiran. Note the long
outstretched wings, considerable length of the arm relative
to the hand, that the leading edge is mildly angular at the
carpal joint and the trailing edge gently angular, the wing-tips
are moderately blunt, the tail is short relative to the
wingspan, the ‘band rump’ extends much deeper on the
underside than in Leach’s, and the underwings and body are
all dark. Also note that the Madeiran is about three metres
above the sea surface. This record shot clearly shows several
key field characteristics that in combination are diagnostic of
Madeiran Storm-petrel.

identification to click into place.

In reality, even though it was such a
momentous bird, the identification was clear-
cut and categorical, given the close pass and
excellent views with all key field identifica-
tion features seen, and so celebrations began
immediately. However, we did not have an
experienced photographer on board and
none of us amateur photographers had a

camera at hand, instead keeping them bagged
because of the sea spray. The lack of photo-
graphic evidence was niggling at the back of
my mind. Half an hour or so later, the revelry
had passed its peak and we had mostly fallen
quiet as the facts had begun to sink in.

And then, at about 19.45 hrs, I was
amazed to see the Madeiran approaching the
boat for a second time. We were treated to an

Fig. |. Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro, 28th July 2007, off Scilly.

4

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

Tony James

David Shoch

Madeiran Storm-petrel off Scilly: new to Britain

almost carbon-copy performance and an
opportunity to once again run through all
key field-identification features. This time I
yelled to the skipper, Joe Pender, to take
photos and he had time to run into the cabin,
turn on his all-in-one camera, and take a
couple of photographs (Joe now has top-of-
the-range equipment...). One snatched
record shot shows enough of the features
mentioned above for the bird to be identifi-
able as a Madeiran Storm-petrel (plate 1).
The exact location of the second sighting was
049°51.590’N 006°07.422’W, c. 13.5 km
southeast of St Mary’s quay.

The Scilly Madeiran was clad in what
looked like very fresh plumage, and was pre-
sumably a recently fledged juvenile or freshly
moulted immature or adult, and was cer-
tainly not in wing moult. Different popula-
tions of Madeiran Storm-petrel in the
Atlantic breed at different times of the year,
some of them ‘time-sharing’ burrows, with
each population having non-overlapping
breeding and dispersal periods, and hence
different moult timings. Unfortunately, the

state of plumage of the Scilly Madeiran does
not obviously point to the age or origin of
the bird.

It was extremely helpful though quite
astonishing that this sighting occurred just
two weeks after publication of the article in
BB that deals with identification of ‘black-
and-white’ storm-petrels of the North
Atlantic (Flood & Thomas 2007). Prelimi-
nary details of this sighting appeared in
Flood (2007).

Description

Jizz Like a European Nightjar Caprimulgus
europaeus. Chunky-bodied and fairly heavy-
billed, black-brown, flight methodical and
predictable - overall rather plain.

Body length and wingspan Medium-sized,
appearing much larger than accompanying
European Storm-petrels - Alan Hannington
commented at the time that: ‘It’s like a small
shearwater.’ Taking into account size illusion
among storm-petrel species at sea, I would
estimate the body length and wingspan ratios

2. Madeiran Storm-petrels Oceanodroma castro , Hatteras, North Carolina, USA, 27th May 2009.

The wing pose shown here is typical of travelling Madeirans, with wings held outstretched. Both
the leading edge and the trailing edge are moderately angular, and the wing-tips are bluntish.

The upperwing-covert bars are greyish-brown and fairly conspicuous, but they are not long and
teardrop-shaped and do not reach the leading edge, as on Leach’s.The ‘rump patch’ is narrow with
the longer uppertail-coverts tipped dark. The thigh patch is fairly wide and extends farther onto the
underside than on Leach’s.The tail is fairly long, square-ended, and the corners are slightly rounded.

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

5

David Shoch

Flood

for European Storm-petrel versus the Scilly
Madeiran Storm-petrel to be in the region of
the (known) ratio of 1:1.4.

Structure This bird was not in moult, thus
there were no moult-related issues that
affected structure. Wing shape Long, broad
arms, blunt-ended wing-tips, most of the
time held straight out so that the leading and
trailing edges were only moderately angular
at the carpal joint. Head-on profile Slightly
bowed in a shallow ‘M’, the arm of medium
length, the hand long. Tail Shape Shallow
fork/notch, but appeared square-ended when
fanned as the bird manoeuvred. Toe projec-
tion None. Body build Chunky. Bill shape and
proportions Relatively thick, bulky, and quite
heavily hooked.

Plumage General colour Black-brown and
overall rather plain-looking. Upperwing-
covert bars At range, quite uniformly dark
upperwings with fairly indistinct covert bars.
Closer views showed a dull bar formed by
the greater coverts that stopped short of the
leading edge. Underwing-coverts and axillary
feathers Uniformly black-brown. White rump
patch Narrow, rectangular, broader than
long, extended to lateral undertail-coverts
and rear flanks, seemingly always visible.
Belly All dark. Bill Black. Eyes Dark. Legs Not
seen.

Flight behaviour In travelling flight, steady
and buoyant with short runs of shallow
wingbeats, low banking turns, small-
shearwater-like glides, occasionally rising to
3 m above the sea surface in these manoeu-
vres. When searching for food, the bird
weaved a regular zigzag route and quartered
areas of the sea surface.

Elimination of other storm-petrel
species

European Storm-petrel European is much
smaller and those present on the evening of
28th July were dwarfed by the Madeiran.
European Storm-petrel has a weak and flut-
tery bat-like flight, enhanced by the short
arm and hand and by blunt-ended wings that
are always strongly angular at the carpal joint
on both the leading and the trailing edge. It
shows a compact, short body and a short,

gently rounded tail; a pale upperwing ‘pencil
line’ bar, and white underwing-covert panels.
The bill of European is short, slim, and only
slightly hooked.

Wilson’s Storm-petrel Wilson’s is smaller
than Madeiran (but see comments on
judging size - above) and, indeed, we had
seen a reasonable number of them off Scilly
in the preceeding two months, so the larger
size of our Madeiran when it first appeared
was immediately apparent. The flight behav-
iour and jizz of Wilson’s is well characterised
by the ‘hirundine’ simile, quite different
from the methodical nightjar-like flight of
Madeiran. Structurally, Wilson’s has an
evenly proportioned body with long and
spindly legs that typically project beyond the
tail in travelling flight. The wingspan of the
Scilly Madeiran was visibly longer than that
of a Wilson’s (based on those recent observa-
tions), which has shorter wings that are
more angular at the carpal joints on the
leading edge and straighter on the trailing
edge. The head-on profile of Wilson’s shows
the wings held straight and stiff, with a short
arm and medium-length hand. The tail is of
medium length, slightly concave with
rounded corners, and the rear end looks
quite long relative to the wingspan, unlike
the rear end of the Scilly Madeiran, which
looked particularly short. Wilson’s typically
shows obvious and broad upperwing-covert
bars that begin short of the leading edge and
extend to the body, and which are much
more obvious than the covert bars on the
Scilly Madeiran. The bill is of medium
length and only slightly hooked; the Scilly
Madeiran had a relatively bulky bill that was
heavily hooked.

Leach’s Storm-petrel Leach’s flies with
buoyant and graceful, deep, languid wing-
beats, and may make unpredictable changes
in flight speed and direction. The wings are
long, quite narrow, show decidedly pointed
wing-tips, and the leading and trailing edges
are markedly angular. In comparison, the
Scilly Madeiran was longer-winged than
Leach’s, this impression being especially so
when the wings were held outstretched, so
that the leading and trailing edges appeared
only moderately angular, and the wing-tips

6

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

Madeiran Storm-petrel off Scilly: new to Britain

3. Wilson’s Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus, 1 3th August 2005, Isles of Scilly. A large Wilson's, with
a protruding head and neck, long body, long wings, long caudal projection, and a long toe projection.

4. Wilson’s Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus, 19th March 2006, Grytviken, South Georgia. There
is observable variation in size in Wilson’s (clinal or subspecific) from short dumpy birds to longer
slimmer birds. Consequently, flight behaviour is quite fluttery in small birds, stronger and swifter
in large birds. Plates 3 and 4 respectively show a large and a small Wilson’s (notwithstanding
a different angle of photograph) that give the feel/jizz of two quite different storm-petrels.

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

7

Bryan Thomas Bryan Thomas

Flood

Fig. 2. Madeiran Storm-petrels Oceanodroma castro breed in the northeast
Atlantic (orange dots; in summer, or winter, or both), but rarely move north
to western Europe, where they are an extreme vagrant (blue dots). Wynn
& Shaw (2009) reported four at sea in late August, notably north of the
breeding grounds: two at 45° 1 4’N 1 2° 1 2’W, and two at 46°25’N II 0 1 6’W
(the latter about 650 km southwest of Scilly). Brereton et al. (2003)
reported one in the Bay of Biscay.There are 21 extralimital records in
Europe (including Fennoscandia) to the end of 2010, as follows: Finland
(one wrecked January), France (five - one at sea August, one at sea
September, three in October with two at sea and one wrecked), Ireland
(one October hit lighthouse and died), Spain (12 - one wrecked January,
one wrecked February, one at sea June, two ringed July, four at sea August,
one wrecked October, two wrecked November), Switzerland (one wrecked
December) and the UK (one at sea July) (Flood & Thomas 2007 updated).

were blunt. The Madeiran looked longer-
winged than a Leach’s because its wings were
mainly held outstretched. In comparison
with Madeiran, Leach’s tends to hold its
wings swept back, the body is rather long and
slim, the tail is deeply forked and scooped,
and the bill is relatively long and slender, and
appears only slightly hooked. The upper-
wing-covert bars of Leach’s are normally
striking, stretching across the wing-coverts to
the leading edge. Leach’s shows a white rump
patch that is dull and not gleaming white,
barely extends to the undertail-coverts and
rear flanks, is longer than it is broad, and is

hard to observe at
sea, especially when
the bird banks
away.

Black-bellied and
White-bellied
Storm-petrels

These are fat and
compact birds, fly
like an exhibition
windsurfer and
tend to skim close
to the sea surface.
The wing shape of
Fregetta storm-
petrels is broad
with a short arm,
but with strongly
curved leading and
straight trailing
edges that taper to
pointed wing-tips.
When they are seen
head-on, their
profile shows
slightly arched
wings held in a
shallow-M, with a
short arm and long
hand. The Fregetta
tail shape is short
and square-ended,
and the bill shape is
short, broad-based,
and finely hooked.
On both Fregetta
species the upper-
wing-covert bars
are normally even less conspicuous than
shown by Madeiran, and the underwings
have obvious white covert panels. Both also
show extensive amounts of white on the
belly, and although the pattern varies, neither
species ever shows an entirely dark belly as
the Scilly Madeiran did.

Status on the British List

Madeiran Storm-petrel was formerly
included in Category B of the British List
based upon a bird said to have been found
dead on the beach at Milford, Hampshire, on
19th November 1911. During its review of

8

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

Madeiran Storm-petrel off Scilly: new to Britain

this record, BOURC was unable to locate any
published description of the bird and, as the
specimen was untraceable, its identification
was not verified. Moreover, there was no
indication whether or not the bird, found
dead on the beach, had actually died in
British waters. Consequently, this record was
deemed to be unacceptable and the species
was removed from the British List in 2008
(BOU 2009).

As this was a potential first for Britain, the
Scilly claim was assessed by BBRC and the
file then forwarded to BOURC for review.
Owing to the difficulties involved in assessing
seabird records, this process took four years
to complete, in part because of the extent of
research required. However, in September
2011, the Scilly bird was accepted and
Madeiran Storm-petrel was added to
Category A of the British List.

References

Brereton.T. M., Weir, C., Hobbs. M„ & Williams, A. D.
2003. A low-cost, year-round seabird monitoring
programme in the English Channel and Bay of
Biscay: preliminary research results 1 995-200 1 .
Ornis Hungarica 12-13: 1 05- 1 1 3.

British Ornithologists' Union (BOU). 2009. Records
Committee: 37th Report. Ibis 151: 224-230.

Flood, R. L. 2007. The Madeiran Petrel off the Isles
of Scilly. Birding World 20: 298.

— & Thomas. B. 2007. Identification of 'black-and-
white' storm-petrels of the North Atlantic.

Brit Birds 100:407-442.

— & Fisher, E. A. 20 1 I . North Atlantic Seabirds: Storm-
petrels and Bulwer's Petrel. Pelagic Birds and Birding
Multimedia ID Guides, Isles of Scilly.
www.scillypelagics.com

Miles, W. 20 10. Variation in the appearance of adult
and juvenile Leach's Storm-petrels on St Kilda.

Brit Birds 103:721-727.

Robb, M„ Mullamey. K., & the Sound Approach. 2008.

Petrels Night and Day. The Sound Approach, Poole.
Wynn, R. B., & Shaw, K. D. 2009. Madeiran Storm-
petrels in the Bay of Biscay. Brit. Birds 1 02: 28-29.

Robert L. Flood, 14 Ennor Close, Old Town, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly TR21 0NL;
e-mail tubenose@tiscali.co.uk

Editorial comment Adam Rowlands, Chairman of BBRC, commented: ‘This has been one of
the more complex records that BBRC members have had to consider. It was originally submitted
by Bob Flood (RLF) in autumn 2007 and the initial BBRC circulation occurred between
November 2007 and June 2008. The original file consisted of RLF’s description, two photographs
from Joe Pender, and field notes and sketches from Tony James.

‘After the circulation had begun we realised that corroboration of the circumstances and
identification of this potential ‘first’ would be essential. Submissions were sought (and obtained)
from other observers on the boat. There were some discrepancies about the circumstances of the
find but the key identification details remained consistent. At about the same time, BOURC began
a review of the only other British record and it was quickly apparent that the Scilly record would
have to be considered as the first for Britain. During the circulation, Killian Mullarney was
approached and asked to comment on the best photograph and the sketches, given his significant
field experience with birds in the “Madeiran Storm-petrel complex” for the production of Robb
et al. (2008), and he provided a positive endorsement of the record.

‘Members were asked at the end of the circulation period to consider their votes and comments
in the context of all the additional information that had arisen during the assessment process and,
despite some reservations relating to the circumstances of the find, there was agreement on the
identification and the record was accepted unanimously by BBRC and passed to BOURC for
consideration in late summer 2008.

‘However, in the light of new evidence (about the identification of Madeiran Storm-petrel)
which came about during the assessment by BOURC, the file was returned to BBRC in early 2009
for reconsideration, an unusual step but in this case wholly justified. By this stage the file
contained a significant volume of information and had grown rather complex and challenging to
assimilate and review. As a consequence, the recirculation was rather protracted, lasting from
February 2009 to April 2010. However, after all the material presented by BOURC was considered,
the conclusion of BBRC members remained the same. The record was accepted unanimously and
returned to BOURC for consideration.

‘Records of fly-by seabirds are some of the most difficult to assess and the Committee requires
particularly convincing evidence to be sure that a genuine mistake has not been made. The

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

9

Flood

Committee can empathise with the difficulties confronting observers compiling descriptions of a
major rarity seen only in flight and in the challenging circumstances of a small boat in a rolling
sea. Nonetheless, it assists the assessment process no end if observers endeavour to provide a clear
recollection of events, avoiding the uncertainty that inevitably creeps in if details appear to be in
any way contradictory. In this case the discrepancies were ironed out and the record accepted
unanimously by BBRC in both its initial and final circulations.’

Martin Collinson, Chairman of BOURC, commented: ‘When BBRC has accepted a potential
first, it is relatively unusual for BOURC to decide that the identification is not proven. This is
effectively what happened to this record on its first circulation, which is one of the reasons for
the four-year delay before its final acceptance, and deserves some explanation. Relating to the
descriptions, some members questioned whether this level of structural and plumage detail could
be observed accurately on a moving bird in a rising force 5 wind, whether it could be definitively
stated that the bird was not in moult, and whether the second sighting could automatically be
assumed to relate to the same individual or species as the first. However, these issues had already
been considered by BBRC. What ultimately led to the file being returned to BBRC on first assess-
ment were two new pieces of evidence. The first related to the record shot (plate 1). There were in
fact two photographs submitted, apparently showing the bird flying away at speed, the better of
which has been reproduced here. BOURC was able to show that a Leach’s Storm-petrel pho-
tographed at a similar angle, range and resolution would appear structurally similar to the bird
in plate 1, could possibly show an apparently unforked tail and still have a visible white rump.
While the submitted photograph was, therefore, undoubtedly consistent with Madeiran Storm-
petrel, it was considered far from diagnostic. The second line of evidence was that BOURC
members became aware of new levels of plumage and structural variation in Leach’s Storm-
petrel. It was shown that some Leach’s Storm-petrels are in tail, but not wing, moult in July, and
this could lead to an individual showing a reduced tail fork. The presence of a short, squarer tail
also makes individuals appear long-winged. Examples of Leach’s Storm-petrels with proven
square ‘band’ rumps and unbroken white rumps also came to light. Some of these data were sub-
sequently formally documented in Miles (2010). Enough BOURC members were sufficiently
concerned that the possibility of an aberrant or unusual Leach’s Storm-petrel had not been suffi-
ciently critically assessed to determine the identification as not proven, and it went back to BBRC
with this information, which subsequently endorsed the record.

‘On the second circulation, BOURC concurred with this decision. The conclusion from Miles
(2010) was that only about 1 in 2,000 Leach’s would show a combination of all-white, band-
shaped rump, short squarish tail and apparently long wings, and even this would not explain the
presence of a bird off Scilly in July, where Leach’s Storm-petrels are virtually unprecedented, nor
would it explain the other structural and flight-pattern characteristics observed and described
accurately by the observers, one of whom is an acknowledged expert on identification of storm-
petrels at sea. It can perhaps be stated that the level of photographic evidence for this record
compares unfavourably with that available for two other seabird ‘firsts’ in previous years, Fea’s
Petrel Pterodroma feae and ‘Scopoli’s Shearwater’ Calonectris diomedea diomedea, but there seems
to be no further doubt that the observers saw and correctly identified a Madeiran Storm-petrel.
The subspecies cannot be ascertained, and in light of potential future splits, it is possible that
Madeiran Storm-petrel’s residency in Category A is going to be short-lived.’

10

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10

From the Rarities Committee’s files

Moult and ageing of
male Falcated Ducks
in autumn

John P. Martin and Martin Garner

Abstract A male Falcated Duck Anas falcata in Devon in winter 2006/07 was a
subject of much debate in terms of the bird’s age. Research on the subject
involving the study of captive birds and museum specimens concluded that the
Devon bird was a first-winter male. The wider results of that research, concerning
the moult and ageing of this species in autumn, are presented in this paper.

Introduction

A male Falcated Duck Anas falcata fre-
quented Bowling Green Marsh and nearby
sites on the Exe Estuary, in Devon, from at
least 18th November 2006 to 11th January
2007. This attractive duck is kept widely in
captivity yet the species is also highly migra-
tory in the wild and it is entirely plausible
that genuine vagrants could reach western
Europe. Although by no means conclusive, an
immature would generally be considered as a
more persuasive candidate for wild vagrancy
than an adult, so a good deal of attention was
given to establishing the bird’s age.

Initially, the Devon bird was thought to be
a first-winter (Langman 2006). However, after
comparing photographs of this individual
with specimens held at the Natural History
Museum (NHM), Tring, as part of the BBRC

and BOURC assessment process, MG and Ian
Lewington (IL) concluded that it showed
characters more consistent with an adult. Two
‘first-winter’ specimens of Falcated Duck at
NHM, Tring, collected in the wild (in China
and Japan) in October and December, were
still in virtually full juvenile plumage (all the
juvenile tertials and tail feathers were
retained, for example) at a time when the
Devon bird was much more advanced
towards an adult-like plumage. In particular,
the Devon bird seemed to show two ages of
tail feather, neither of which displayed the
typical pattern shown by juvenile ducks - a V-
shaped notch at the feather tip and a pro-
truding shaft; furthermore, the tertial pattern
was also thought to be a better fit for an
eclipse adult. These findings were sum-
marised by MG in the BBRC Report for 2006

1 1

© British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 1 1-22

Alan Harris

Martin & Garner

(Brit. Birds 100: 751-752), which concluded
that the bird was probably an adult, but also
highlighted the need for further research into
ageing and moult of this species. MG and
JPM collaborated in that follow-up research,
which is now presented here.

Moult strategy in ducks and
terminology

The moults of wildfowl are complex and
poorly understood (Howell 2010), which is
perhaps surprising considering that various
species are of considerable economic impor-
tance and that many are kept in captivity. The
following summary is a simplification, in
part because the partitioning of moult
periods is a convenience that allows patterns
to be discerned. The reality is often more
complicated.

The best way of understanding the moult
cycle is to start with a juvenile bird with its
first set of feathers. Juvenile dabbling ducks
have a partial moult, involving the head and
body feathers but not the primaries and sec-
ondaries, usually between about September
and December of their first year. The
resulting plumage, which we would conven-
tionally describe as ‘first-winter’, looks essen-
tially similar to that of adults at the same
time of year.

After breeding, adult (including second-
calendar-year) male dabbling ducks moult
into a drab eclipse plumage and look superfi-
cially similar to females and juveniles. In late
summer, they begin their complete autumn
moult by shedding the primaries and second-
aries simultaneously, which renders the bird
flightless for a few weeks. This is followed by
replacement of head and body feathers,
usually starting in September and finishing
by December, by which time males have the
colourful plumage in which they court and
breed during late winter and spring. For sim-
plicity, we have called this ‘adult winter’
plumage in this paper, even though it also
represents the birds’ breeding plumage.

Falcated Ducks at Slimbridge:
initial findings and further research

To gain a better understanding of the appear-
ance of adult and juvenile Falcated Ducks,
and to learn more about the timing of their
moults, JPM studied the birds held in the

collection at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucester-
shire. In 2007, three juvenile male and three
adult male Falcated Ducks, together with
a number of females, were studied and
photographed in September and again in
November.

At least one of the Slimbridge juveniles, a
female, was apparently replacing a tail feather
in mid September 2007 (plate 6), but by early
November all the moulting juvenile drakes
showed two generations of tail feathers, with
the fresh, grey, second-generation inner
feathers contrasting with the browner (worn)
retained juvenile outer feathers (plate 8).
However, the ‘classic’ juvenile tail-feather
pattern (the V-shaped notch at the tip with
protruding shaft) was not apparent on those
juvenile feathers, even when viewed down to
a few metres. Although this age-diagnostic
pattern can be seen on juvenile Falcated
Duck tail feathers in the museum specimens
we examined, it seems that it is often effec-
tively impossible to detect in the field. The
key finding here was that some young males,
with two generations of tail feathers, looked
remarkably similar to the Devon bird in this
respect.

Juvenile males in November also showed
two generations of tertial feathers. The new
feathers (fresher-looking, blackish-centred,
with a greyish-white shaft streak and fringe)
contrasted with the juvenile tertials, which
were often worn, brown feathers with a
simple narrow buff fringe (plate 7).

These observations demonstrated that
some captive juvenile/first-winter male
Falcated Ducks in autumn could be consider-
ably more advanced than at least some NHM
specimens of a similar age. It was also clear
that the tertial and tail-feather patterns
shown by the juvenile males at Slimbridge
were in fact similar to those of the Devon
Falcated Duck, which once again raised ques-
tions about the age of that bird.

Further research was clearly desirable,
although we did not realise at the time just
how long it was going to take. The study at
Slimbridge was repeated in 2008 when, unfor-
tunately tor us, all three juveniles were females
(though at least three adult males were also
studied in autumn). These data were supple-
mented by MG’s observations of moulting
adult male Falcated Ducks at Martin Mere

12

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

Moult and ageing of Falcated Ducks in autumn

WWT, Lancashire, in October 2008, although
no young were raised there. These wildfowl
collections were visited again in 2009 (when at
least two more juvenile males were in the
Slimbridge collection) and 2010.

The extent and timing of moult may vary
somewhat between birds in captivity and
those in the wild, although in most cases it is
likely that overall patterns of moult sequence
and feather replacement will not be affected
significantly. One caveat is that the processes
controlling plumage coloration are inde-
pendent from those controlling moults
(Howell et al. 2004; Pyle 2005; Howell 2010).
Furthermore, one of the limitations of this
study is that it involved a rather small sample
of captive birds and further research is needed
on the extent, timing and variation of moult
in Falcated Ducks in the wild. For example,
some ducks in eastern Asia, including Shov-
eler A. clypeata and Eurasian Wigeon A. pene-
lope , appear to moult out of eclipse plumage
up to four weeks later than their European
counterparts (P. Kennerley in lift.). Once
underway, moult occurs rapidly, so the
appearance of an individual can change con-
siderably within a surprisingly short period.

In addition to our observations of captive
birds, 46 specimens of male Falcated Duck at
NHM were examined by IL and JPM in 2010,
and again by JPM and MG in 2011. Of these
at least 13 are considered to be first-winter
birds, based mainly on covert patterns (dis-
cussed below), and the great majority of
these are much more advanced than the two
largely juvenile-plumaged birds described
earlier.

Plumages and moults of immature
and adult birds

Approach to ageing in autumn

Once their respective moults are completed,
young male Falcated Ducks in first-winter
plumage look much like adult males in
winter plumage. However, in autumn, when
those moults are still in progress, the birds
retain varying amounts of juvenile or eclipse
plumage respectively. The key to ageing at
this time is to identify consistent differences
befween the plumage of juvenile and eclipse
(adult) males. If unmoulted feathers can be
identified as either juvenile or eclipse, then
the bird can be aged.

Juvenile

Juvenile Falcated Ducks of both sexes look
similar, and have similarly patterned tertials:
plain brown with a narrow pale buffish
fringe. However, the tertials of young males
tend to have a broader, greyer fringe to the
base of the outer web than those of females.
On average, juvenile male plumage is slightly
darker and more richly coloured than that of
females. The scapulars are simply patterned,
being dark brown with a warmer and paler
brown fringe. At this age, the sexes differ
most obviously in the pattern of the lesser
and median upperwing-coverts. In males
these vary from plain grey with fine dark
shaft streaks to duskier grey with a slightly
paler fringe. The greater coverts are similar
but are whiter in their distal third, sometimes
with warm brown tips to the central feathers
(plate 5). In females, the lesser and median
coverts are a dusky mid grey with a strongly
contrasting pale grey fringe, while the greater
secondary coverts are duller grey than those
of the males (plate 6).

Juveniles at Slimbridge in mid to late Sep-
tember showed only limited signs of moult.
One of the females appeared to be growing a
new central tail feather, which was shorter
and greyer than the remainder, though this
might have been an adventitious replace-
ment. Six weeks later, all the juveniles were in
moult and the appearance of the males had
changed radically.

Juvenile to first-winter

By early November 2007, the three young
drakes at Slimbridge had replaced much of
their juvenile body plumage with second-
generation feathers that closely resembled
those of adult-winter males (plates 7 & 8).
There was limited individual variation in the
extent of moult, with much of the head,
breast and belly, mantle and tail being
replaced, while the lower scapulars, flank
feathers and parts of the head and neck
showed retained juvenile feathers. New ter-
tials (blacker centres, a pale shaft streak and
a greyish-white fringe to the outer web,
widest at the base) were apparent, these
appearing fresher than the already worn
(brownish) juvenile tertials. The new central
tail feathers were plain grey and contrasted
with the brown and narrowly pale-fringed

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

13

John P. Martin John P. Martin John P. Martin

Martin & Garner

5. Juvenile male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 9th
September 2007. Sexed
by the plain grey smaller
wing-coverts, in this
individual not easy to
distinguish from those
of an adult male,
although they are
slightly duskier. This bird
also shows brown tips
to the central greater
coverts. Note the simple
scapular pattern of dark
brown centres with a
paler, rufous fringe.

6. Juvenile female
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 9th
September 2007. Most
readily sexed by the
dusky grey smaller wing-
coverts with contrasting
whitish tips. Note that
this bird is apparently
growing at least one
new (greyer) central tail
feather.

7. Juvenile moulting to
first-winter male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 7th
November 2007. New
first-winter body
feathers are now
obvious but the simply
patterned juvenile
scapulars are retained.
Note the contrast
between new grey
central tail feathers and
browner juvenile outer
feathers. Two ages of
tertial are also evident,
with the older, browner
feathers already worn.

14

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

Moult and ageing of Falcated Ducks in autumn

8. Juvenile moulting
to first-winter male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 7th
November 2007. Note
the clear contrast
between the new grey
adult-type central tail
feathers and the
retained juvenile outer
tail feathers. Even in a
good view of the tail like
this, the classic worn
juvenile tail-feather
pattern, that of a V-
shaped notch at the tip
and protruding shaft,

is not evident.

9. Eclipse male Falcated
Duck Anas falcata,
Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 2 1 st
September 2008. Note
the vermiculated grey
base to some of the
scapulars. The pattern
of the eclipse tertials is
similar to the fresher
tertials of the young
bird in plate 7. Note
also the all-grey tail.

10. Eclipse adult male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 9th
August 2009. The
appearance of birds in
eclipse varies; this bird
shows some scapulars
with buff subterminal
bars as well as grey
vermiculation. Such buff
internal markings are
described for juveniles
in BWP but were not
observed in known
juveniles at Slimbridge.
The tertials and tail are
much like those of the
bird in plate 9.

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

15

John P Martin John P. Martin John P. Martin

Martin Garner John P Martin John P Martin

Martin & Garner

I I. Adult male Falcated
Duck Anas falcata
moulting to winter
plumage, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 25th
October 2009. This
bird’s moult is well
advanced, though it
retains some typical
eclipse-patterned lower
scapulars and a few
flank feathers. All the
tertials have been shed
simultaneously. The adult
male in the background
(left) is in a similar
plumage state but
retains all its eclipse
tertials.

I 2. Adult male Falcated
Duck Anas falcata
moulting to winter
plumage, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 29th
October 2008. This bird
is only a little more
advanced than the one
in plate I I but its new
set of partly grown
adult-winter tertials is
now visible. Note their
contrasting black-and-
white coloration, falcate
shape and pointed tips.

13. First-winter male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata, Slimbridge,
Gloucestershire, 30th
December 20 10. This
bird is beginning to
grow a set of falcate,
adult-like tertials
(arrowed), some two
months or so after
adults do so (the adult
in plate 20 is at a similar
stage of tertial growth
in mid October). These
could thus be this bird’s
third set of tertials since
fledging: an unexpected
moult strategy.

16

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

Moult and ageing of Falcated Ducks in autumn

juvenile outer tail feathers. The contrast in
colour was quite evident between the two
generations of tail feather but, as described
above, the classic juvenile pattern (V-shaped
notch at the tip, with protruding shaft) was
not apparent in the field, even with really
close views. This is in effect a one-way char-
acter: if, in exceptional circumstances, it is
possible to see it in the field, it confirms that
the bird is a first-year; if it is not seen, the
age is not certain.

Eclipse male

In September, adult males have already
replaced their primaries and secondaries but
otherwise retain their dowdy eclipse plumage
(plates 9 & 10). In this plumage they differ
from juveniles in several ways, which are
important for ageing later in the autumn.
The scapulars and mantle feathers are colder
brown with paler buff edgings, the latter
lacking the rich chestnut hues of fresh
juvenile scapular fringes. Some adult scapu-
lars, most consistently the smaller leading
feathers from the lower rows, have a distinc-
tive pattern. They are vermiculated with grey
at the base and show a plain brown subter-
minal area and pale fringe (juvenile scapulars
are plain dark brown with a paler, rufous-
buff fringe). Some eclipse drakes show
internal buff markings in some scapulars, a
pattern not seen by us on any known juvenile
males but described for some juvenile males
in Cramp & Simmons (1977). Adult tail
feathers are rather broad and more or less
plain grey with pointed tips (juvenile tail
feathers are somewhat narrower, and brown
with a narrow pale fringe). Beware of adults
moulting their tails, which can show contrast
between clean grey new feathers and worn
(duller) old feathers.

The eclipse tertials are typically grey with
a blackish outer web showing a neat white-
fringe, a whitish shaft streak, and often a
more tapering, pointed tip than on the
usually more round-tipped juvenile tertials.
Note, however, that the tertials of some juve-
nile/ first-winter birds in autumn look
extremely similar to the typical eclipse-male
pattern, so the tertials are not an entirely reli-
able ageing feature in their own right. Note
also that the angle of view can affect the per-
ceived appearance of the same tertials.

1 he upperwing patterns of ducks are often
useful for ageing. The median and lesser
coverts of adult male Falcated Ducks are
clean pale grey with a faint dark shaft streak.
They differ from those of juveniles that show
dusky coverts with paler fringes but less so
from those of juveniles with plainer coverts.
Differences are subtle and affected by light, so
are not particularly easy to use as an ageing
character in the field. Some adult males show
narrow, contrasting cinnamon or rusty-
brown tips to the middle few greater coverts.
Cramp & Simmons (1977) stated that this
colour is weak or absent in juveniles,
although the juvenile in plate 5 has warm
brown tips to these coverts and it is quite
visible in some of the images of the Devon
bird (e.g. plate 16). Some of the adults at
Slimbridge showed these rusty tips to the
middle greater coverts but others did not,
indicating that this is probably not a helpful
character for ageing in the field.

To summarise, the shape, pattern and
colour of the scapulars, tail, wing-coverts and
perhaps the tertials differ between juvenile
and eclipse males, although there may be
subtle differences in other feather tracts.

Eclipse male to adult-winter male

Like juveniles, eclipse males moult rapidly in
the autumn. Retained juvenile or eclipse
feathers provide the best method of ageing
moulting males in autumn.

Most adult males at Slimbridge (n=10+)
dropped their eclipse tertials simultaneously
in October, although timing varied and some
were retained well into the month. The shed-
ding of the tertials occurred when the moult
was well advanced, with usually just a few
retained eclipse scapulars and flank feathers
apparent (plate 11). In November, the
juvenile males at Slimbridge had two ages of
tertials and are not believed to drop them
simultaneously, at least not at this time (we
suspect they do so later in the winter, in some
cases at least, in January). Birds with no ter-
tials at this time of year are therefore likely to
be adults. Interestingly, an adult male (of
unknown origin) shot in Orkney in
November 2000 had tertials ‘so short that
they would not have been visible in the field'
(Bob McGowan pers. comm.), so this
unusual moult strategy (perhaps unknown in

British Birds 105 ‘January 2012 • I 1-22

17

Rob Laughton Rob Laughton

Martin & Garner

14 & 15. First-winter male Falcated Duck Anas falcata , Bowling Green Marsh, Devon, 30th
November 2006. Plate 14 shows the dusky smaller wing-coverts with narrow paler fringe typical
of juveniles.

any other dabbling duck) is not necessarily
confined to captive birds. New adult-winter
tertials grow quickly to replace the shed
eclipse feathers and are more curved
(falcate), have more pointed tips, and are
black and white (plate 12). These long
feathers inevitably take some time to reach
their full length and splendour (even though,
overall, the autumn moult occurs quite
quickly).

Ageing the Devon bird

Following the statement about the Devon
bird’s age in the BBRC report for 2006,
doubts began to emerge that prompted this
further research (Brit. Birds 100: 751-752,
101: 575). Fortunately, the bird had been
studied closely and photographed on
numerous occasions throughout its pro-
longed stay (e.g. plates 14-18). Reference to
these and a number of other images provide

18

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

Moult and ageing of Falcated Ducks in autumn

16. First-winter male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata , Bowling
Green Marsh, Devon,
November 2006. All
the retained scapulars
have the typical simple
juvenile pattern -
plain brown centres
and warm fringes with
no grey vermiculation.
The tertials are
compatible with those
of either a juvenile or
an eclipse male.

I 7. First-winter male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata , Bowling Green
Marsh, Devon, 23rd
November 2006. From
this angle (cf. plate 1 6)
the tertials are clearly
round-tipped, and
therefore not adult-
winter feathers, but the
apparent pattern varies
subtly with the angle of
view and it is difficult to
distinguish them from
eclipse adult feathers
(cf. plate 1 9).

18. First-winter male
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata. Bowling Green
Marsh, Devon,
November 2006.

The browner juvenile
outermost tail feather
on the bird’s right-hand
side contrasts with
greyer, second-
generation feathers.
The juvenile structure
of a notched tip and
protruding shaft is
not visible, even in this
instructive photograph.

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

19

Paul Hackett Mike Longman Brian Heasman

Martin & Garner

several clues to why we now believe that it
was, indeed, a first-winter.

Main features

Pattern of the lower row of retained
juvenile scapulars

The lower scapulars are dark brown with
a simple pale fringe, which is typical of
juveniles. If the bird had been an adult, at
least some retained eclipse scapulars from the
lower rows would be expected to show a
more complex pattern, typically a vermicu-
lated grey base with a plain brown distal
third and pale fringe. This provides the best
support of the bird’s age, as also noted by
Langman (2006). Some eclipse drakes can
show some scapulars with buff internal
markings, usually as a subterminal band.
Contra Cramp & Simmons (1977), this
pattern appears not to occur in juvenile
males (or if it does, it is extremely rare) and
might prove to be another useful feature.

Tail

This shows a distinct contrast between
mainly grey adult-type central feathers and
the retained, browner, outermost feathers.
We now know (i) that this combination is
typical of juveniles moulting to first-winter
plumage, which replace their central tail
feathers first; and (ii) that the age-diagnostic
juvenile pattern of a V-shaped notch and
protruding shaft at the tip is extremely hard
to see in the field on young Falcated Ducks
(at least in part due to the close overlap of
tail feathers). This pattern is not visible in
photographs of the Devon bird and could
not be seen on juvenile Falcated Ducks of
either sex in the collection at Slimbridge,
which were watched down to a few metres.
In adults, however, all the tail feathers are
more or less grey, although some birds can
show a subtle contrast between browner-
toned older feathers and fresher plain grey
ones.

Upperwing-coverts

The variability in the pattern of the upper-
wing-coverts in juveniles (see above) means
that this feature should be used with caution
in terms of ageing, but it should be useful
with at least some birds. Some photos of the
Devon bird show a paler fringe to rather

dusky-grey smaller coverts - a pattern typical
of juveniles and not matched by adults as
far as we know. The Devon bird showed
obviously warm brown tips to the greater
coverts (e.g. plate 18); although this feature is
more characteristic of adults, it was not
shown by all adult males at Slimbridge,
whereas some juveniles did show such
warmer feather tips. This is a feature worth
noting but is of limited use as an ageing char-
acter in the field.

Tertials

Photographs show that by late November the
Devon bird had full-grown blackish-brown
tertials with a narrow, whitish-fringed outer
web and broader grey fringing at the feather
base. This pattern is the same as that shown
by first-winter males but is also similar to the
pattern of some eclipse male tertials. Some
adult males retain their eclipse tertials until
at least late October, but the majority will
have dropped them simultaneously at this
time leaving no visible tertials. More
advanced adults can show part-grown adult-
winter tertial feathers from mid October
onwards. These long and beautiful falcate
feathers are often not fully grown until after
the end of November. The tertials of the
Devon bird are considered more likely to be
first-winter feathers than retained adult
eclipse ones.

Minor features

Flank feathers

This was mentioned as a possible ageing
character for the Devon bird by Langman
(2006). The shape and pattern of flank
feathers in juvenile and eclipse males are
quite variable, however, and we could find no
consistent differences.

Conclusions

Correct ageing of moulting male Falcated
Duck in autumn is best achieved by carefully
looking for distinctive retained feathers,
either juvenile or eclipse male. Although it is
acknowledged that we still have only a partial
understanding of the moult of this species
and that more work on both captive and wild
birds would be useful, we are confident that
the Falcated Duck in Devon in 2006/07 was a
juvenile male moulting to first-winter

20

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

Moult and ageing of Falcated Ducks in autumn

plumage. The features supporting this are as
follows:

• Retained juvenile lower scapulars have
plain brown centres and pale warm
brown fringes. This feature alone enables
the bird to be aged as a first-winter. In
contrast, an adult in eclipse would nor-
mally show a more complex patterning to
these feathers, usually with grey vermicu-
lation at the bases of at least some scapu-
lars.

• Moult contrast in the tail between new
grey central first-winter feathers and
browner retained juvenile outer feathers
also supports ageing as a first-winter.

• The rather dusky smaller wing-coverts
show a paler fringe; this is a pattern
typical of juveniles, with adults usually
showing uniformly paler and cleaner grey
smaller coverts.

• A possible supporting feature is the ter-
tials, which match those of first-winter
males, but are similar in pattern to those
of some adult males in eclipse. Adults
drop their eclipse tertials simultaneously
in October or November, so any bird
lacking tertials at this time of year and
stage of moult is likely to be adult, though
the variation in timing of this moult
means that the converse is not necessarily
the case.

19. Adult male eclipse
Falcated Duck Anas
falcata, showing round-
tipped tertials, which
are duller toned than
adult winter tertials.

20. Captive (pinioned)
adult male Falcated
Duck Anas falcata ,
showing a full set of
adult-type grey tail
feathers (though some
are slightly brown-
washed, and stained);
Martin Mere WWT,

1 7th October 2008.

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

21

Martin Garner Martin Garner © NHM.Tring

Barry Wright

Martin & Garner

Acknowledgments

Peter Kennerley kindly redrafted two discussion papers
by the authors on the Devon bird to form the basis of
this paper while Chris Kehoe and Roger Riddington
later made significant improvements to the text. Steve
N. G. Howell made helpful comments on an earlier
draft and also provided the draft text on wildfowl prior
to publication of his book on moult, which helped to
give us a better grasp of some of the complexities of
wildfowl moult. Mark Adams at NHM, Tring, kindly
allowed access to the skins in their collection, and
Ian Lewington provided insightful comments while
examining specimens with JPM. WWT at Slimbridge,
particularly Martin McGill and James Lees, were most
helpful in allowing access to the breeding pens to study
the juvenile birds.

References

Cramp, S., & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds.) 1 977. Birds of the
Western Palearctic.Vol. I . OUR Oxford.

Howell, S. N. G. 20 1 0. Peterson Reference Guide to Molt
in North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
Boston.

— , Corben, C., Pyle, R, & Rogers, D. I. 2003. The first
basic problem: a review of molt and plumage
homologies. Condor 105:635-653.

— , — , — & — 2004. The first basic problem revisited:
reply to commentaries on Howell et al. (2003).
Condor 106:206-210.

Langman, M. 2006.The Falcated Duck in Devon.

Birding World 1 9: 456.

Pyle, R 2005. Molts and plumages of ducks (Anatidae).
Waterbirds 28: 208-2 1 9.

John P. Martin, 34 Cranmoor Green, Pilning, Bristol BS35 4QF;

e-mail jandjmartin34@waitrose.com
Martin Garner, 16 Daniel Hill Terrace, Upperthorpe, Sheffield S6 3JE;
e-mail martin.go@virgin.net

John Martin is a former member of BBRC who has authored several identification papers in BB in recent years.
Living within easy reach of Slimbridge, he has a particular interest in wildfowl identification. Martin Garner is a
current voting member of BBRC and is well known for his love of identification pioneering, notably through his
popular website Birding Frontiers (http://birdingfrontiers.com) as well as his recent book Frontiers in Birding.

21. Eclipse male Falcated Duck Anas falcata, Kent, 17th August 2008. The tell-tale grey vermiculation
of this (presumed escape) adult male in eclipse plumage is just visible on the otherwise brownish
scapulars. However, the tertials (at least in this photograph) are indistinguishable between those of
eclipse and first-winter male, while it is hard to tell whether the tail feathers are grey or brown!
Ageing Falcated Ducks in autumn is not easy - proceed with caution!

22

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • I 1-22

Short paper

Honey-buzzards in southern England

Abstract This paper describes an amateur study of the breeding Honey-buzzards
Pernis apivorus of the New Forest area, in southern England, which began in 1954
and continues today. Over the 58-year period to 201 I, at least 214 breeding
attempts were recorded, of which 194 (91%) were successful, with a minimum of
346 young reared. Nest-sites, aspects of breeding biology and breeding density of
the study population are discussed.

This paper is a summary of a study of Honey-
buzzards Pernis apivorus in southern England,
one that began in 1954 and continues to the
present day. It is dedicated to those individ-
uals, including four no longer with us, who
have kept watch and contributed data. The
survey is a rather simple yet focused long-term
population study, by amateur birdwatchers, of
a group of breeding and summering Honey-
buzzards in and around the New Forest,
Hampshire. The work is most notable for its
originality and for the fact it has spanned
nearly 60 years. During that time, the prin-
cipal aim has been to ensure maximum
breeding success of the pairs within the study
area. The accumulation of scientific data, for
example by frequent and close attention to
nest contents, has been less of an aspiration -
such work has been and is carried out else-
where within the Honey-buzzard’s European
range, where the species is more common (e.g.
Bijlsma 1998). Furthermore, given that the
study area is in southern England, densely
populated by humans, we have consciously
tried to avoid drawing needless attention to
nest-sites, since too close an approach (such as

nest-climbing, particularly at vulnerable
periods of the breeding cycle) can have a nega-
tive impact. We have, for example, recorded an
instance of a Honey-buzzard, on the point of
laying its first egg, deserting its nest when dis-
turbed; and cases where juveniles were flushed
from the nesting tree before strong enough to
fly, and as a consequence have been grounded
and perished. Nest searches or visits, particu-
larly late in the season, can result in adult
Honey-buzzards becoming very vocal, which
may advertise their presence unnecessarily.
Instead, given the species’ rarity, and long
history of persecution (e.g. Saunders 1899),
we followed the maxim of David Bannerman
(Bannerman & Lodge 1953-63): ‘If, as almost
certain, the bird has nested in recent years, it is
certainly wise to keep the locality dark,
judging from past experience.’

Recording area

The recording area encompasses the 57,000
ha of the New Forest National Park (created
in 2005) and is inclusive of the 37,900 ha of
crown and private land within the New
Forest perambulation (legal boundary). Of at

© British Birds 1 05 • January 20 1 2 • 23-28

23

D.I.M. Wallace

Short paper

least 28,150 ha of woodland and unenclosed
land there are 8,379 ha of plantation (4,744
ha conifers, 2,744 ha hardwoods and 891 ha
mixed); 211 ha of natural pinewood; 3,671 ha
of oak Quercus , Beech Fagus sylvatica and
Holly Ilex aquifolium ancient pasture wood-
land; and about 15,900 ha of a mosaic of
mire, wet, humid and dry heath and grass-
land (Tubbs 1986).

Nest-sites

Nesting Honey-buzzards in the study area
have shown a preference for predominantly
broadleaf woodland, where 62% of the total
of 214 nesting attempts was made. The
remaining nests were situated in predomi-
nately coniferous woodland (25%) and mixed
conifer/broadleaf (13%). Most nests were sit-
uated 12-15 m above ground level, though
several were 24-27 m above the ground. The
nesting tree species for 212 nests is shown in
table 1 (note that there are no details for two
of the 214 nesting attempts on record).

Most nests were situated in large, mature
trees, though some were in thin, spindly
ones, particularly oak. Some were extremely
difficult to see, especially when concealed by
thick Ivy Hedera helix. Nesting was not neces-
sarily confined to large woods or blocks of
woodland, and small woods and plantations
were sometimes used. It is unusual for active
nests in the study area to be less than 3.2 km
apart, though in one instance the distance
between two such nests was less than 1 km.
Alternative Honey-buzzard nest-sites in the
study area are often 3-4 km apart, some con-
siderably more. However, loss of a nest-site,

Table I. Tree species used by nesting
Honey-buzzards Pernis apivorus in the

study area, 1954-201 I.

Tree species No.

Oak Quercus 91

Beech Fagus sylvatica 55

Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa 1

Total broadleaf 147

Douglas Fir Pseudostuga menziesii 31

Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris 26

Larch Larix spp. 5

Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla 2

Corsican Pine Pinus nigra 1

Total conifer 65

for example due to tree felling, does not nec-
essarily result in the pair moving its nest-site
a long distance in the following season.

The length of individual site and nest
occupancy has varied enormously. In one
particular broadleaf wood, where one nest in
an oak has been used on at least ten occa-
sions over a period of 1 1 years, eight of which
were consecutive, at least 22 nesting attempts
have taken place during the study period. In
the same wood, another nest, also in an oak,
was used for six years during 1997-2003.
Another, predominately coniferous, wood has
been used on at least 14 occasions over a
period of 15 seasons, with 11 nesting
attempts in Douglas Fir and three in Scots
Pine. Conversely, many woods have been
used only once or twice during the study
period, while others appear to be avoided.
There is sometimes a lapse of many years
between renesting in individual trees; for
example, a gap of 18 years before one such
re-occupancy, when a pair built a new nest in
the same crotch in the same oak.

Recent evidence reveals a tendency for
some pairs to move away from what we con-
sider to be ‘traditional’ sites. One example
concerns a pair, identifiable by plumage
pattern, which has moved, over a period of
ten years, 8 km to a second site then a further
8 km to a third site, some 12 km in a direct
line from the original nesting wood. It is pos-
sible that pairs are moving in response to an
increasing Northern Goshawk Accipiter gen-
tilis population, but could be due to other
reasons such as greater recreational activity.

Aspects of breeding biology

The Honey-buzzards in the study area are
regarded as a single population, and moni-
tored as such. More correctly, most breed
within a distinct core area of Hampshire, with
individual ‘outlying’ pairs sometimes moving
outside the county boundaries in different
years. The discovery of breeding pairs, addi-
tional pairs and individuals, as well as
minimum nest totals and young reared, within
the recording area during the breeding seasons
of 1954-2011 are shown in fig. 1. Others
found elsewhere in the region but outside the
study area, including some monitored less sys-
tematically, are not included in this table.

Honey-buzzards in the study area are very

24

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 23-28

Short paper

Table 2. Factors responsible for failed Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus nesting attempts in the
study area, 1 954-20 1 I .

Reasons unknown (eggshell remains found on ground below nests on five occasions) 7

Infertile eggs ^

Nest robbed by humans 1

Nest blown from tree 1

Eggs predated after human disturbance 1

Chick probably dying soon after hatching 1

Chick(s) possibly predated by Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis 2

successful breeders, even in years when wasp
(Vespidae) numbers are low. For the pur-
poses of this account, a breeding attempt is
defined as one of four possible situations: a
pair apparently sitting on eggs; a nest with
young; when behaviour or circumstances
suggest that a pair has lost eggs or young; or a
nest is discovered during the post-breeding
season that had obviously been ‘active’ during
the current year. Consequently, the totals of
observed attempts are absolute minima. In
the study area, between 1954 and 2011, at
least 214 such attempts were recorded. Of

these, 194 (91%) were successful, with a
minimum of 346 young reared (thus 1.78
young per successful nest and 1.62 young per
breeding attempt). Successful pairs reared
152 broods (78%) of two young and 42
broods (22%) of at least one young. Of the
latter, 33 pairs reared one young from prob-
able single-egg clutches and nine pairs reared
one young from apparent two-egg clutches.
Known losses of eggs or young in those nine
pairs are as follows: on four occasions an egg
failed to hatch; on three occasions a chick
succumbed in the nest and on two occasions

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

I

0

m

TH 2 2

j 2(|2j2 2

■ 2 | 2|l/2|lj I I 2 | 2

2 2 2 12 2 2 2

2

TtT

rf-TT

I

2 N

|i 2
2 1/2 2 | 2
2 2 2 j 2
2 2 2 j 2
2 2 2 2

I I I

/2 2|l/2
l|2
2|2
2|2
2 I 2

54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

2 | 2 I 1 1 2 1 2 212 2
2 2 2 2| 2 2 2 2 2

l/2| I I I I 2 2

2 2 2 2

2 I 2 I 2 2

I I

| I j 2

1/2 I j 2 | N

2 I 2 1 1/2

I 2 | 2 | I

1 2 j 2 j 2

2 2 2 j 2

2 2 I 2 I 2

1

2

ji

; i

N

1

1

1 2

N

: i

N

1

|n

2

1

1

I2

1 2

N

| 2

2

1 2 | 2

2

u

U

2

2

2 | 2

2

I2

1 2

1 2

1 2

2

2 j 2

2

I2

2 1 2 |

1 1

2

1 2 | 2

2

12

2

2 1

:

2

lill

04

05

06

07 08 09

10 1 1

Fig. I. Details of breeding Honey-buzzards Pernis apivorus in the New Forest study area, 1954-201
Key: Bird(s) present (number of individuals shown)

■ Pair present (N indicates nest(s) built/refurbished)

■ Pair laid eggs (number shown) but no young reared

■ Successful pair (number fledged shown)

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 23-28

25

Richard Richardson

Short paper

Fig. 2. New Forest Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus in flight, by Richard Richardson (painted in 1967).

a fully feathered young was found dead on
the ground close to the nest tree. We have
recorded no three-egg clutches though, in
one instance, two eggs were laid after the
probable loss of a first egg.

During the study period, 19 nesting
attempts (9%), including 16 when the eggs
did not hatch, were unsuccessful. Failed
nesting attempts, and the causes of failure
where known, are shown in table 2. An addi-
tional incident occurred outside our study
area when, after the nest tree was climbed (by
persons unknown), the two small young dis-
appeared. There is just one recorded instance
of a female relaying after the loss of a first
clutch. This concerned a pair whose first two
eggs, in a nest in a Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga
menziesii, were predated after disturbance by
two groups of birdwatchers on the same day.
The pair moved to another wood about 2 km
from the first, where, in a replacement nest,
also in a Douglas Fir, they were incubating a
second clutch by early July and two young
were reared.

Non-breeding pairs and individuals often
renovate or build nests, decorate them with
fresh greenery but fail to lay eggs. One such
pair was known to build, or refurbish, at least

three nests in one season. In the study area,
Honey-buzzards have twice nested successfully
in prefabricated nest structures (built by us).

At two sites where nest trees were climbed
frequently (not by us), single dead young
were found on the ground close to nests,
while at a third such site, a live fully feathered
youngster was replaced in the nest and subse-
quently fledged successfully. We have also
recorded, outside our area, a dead, fully
feathered juvenile on the ground, some 12 m
from a nest tree also climbed by others
unknown. One site, again outside the study
area, was subsequently deserted after persons
unknown climbed an active nest tree; as far
as we know, the site has not been reoccupied
in the 14 years since.

The failure rate of 9% (19 attempts) of
214 nesting attempts compares favourably
with that of 10.6% recorded during a study
by Roberts et al. (1999), when five nests, of a
total of 47 nesting attempts, were unsuc-
cessful. In the Netherlands, Rob Bijlsma
apparently recorded a breeding failure rate of
'22% of 180 nests visited by climbing the
[nest] tree on one or two occasions, com-
pared with 26% of 43 nests not visited’ (Brit.
Birds 92: 345-346).

26

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 23-28

Short paper

On two occasions in the study area, at dif-
ferent sites and in different years, newly
fledged juvenile Honey-buzzards were
observed apparently attempting brief display-
type flights over nest territories.

Breeding density

Honey-buzzard breeding density is difficult to
measure. During the study we found that nest
spacing was highly variable between years and
dependent on factors such as whether a
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo was occupying
a previous year’s nest on a Honey-buzzard’s
return. During the period 1982-1991, when
few pairs were breeding in the study area (fig.
1), the two or three known active nests were
in different 10-km squares, except for 1983
when two of three pairs were breeding in one
10-km square. A total of three active nests is
the most recorded in the same season in one
10-km square.

The local terrain may affect breeding
density. Particularly in strong sunlight, the
pale underwings of a displaying male often
reflect light in the manner of a heliograph
and are clearly visible at some distance; this
may well affect the spacing of breeding pairs.
Though our relatively gently undulating
landscape is hilly in part, the highest point is
less than 200 m above sea level. Displaying
birds in more rugged country might be less
visible to rival pairs and perhaps nest at
greater density than those in more open
countryside such as ours. Roberts & Lewis
(2003) reported a mean distance of 2.4 km
between three active nests in an upland
conifer plantation and 5.8 km between seven
active nests in mixed lowland woodland in
2001. We measured mean distances of 8.6 km
between six nests (one of which was 2 km
outside the study area) in 2005 and 7.7 km
between seven nests in 2009.

Discussion

Nineteenth-century writers gave rather little
insight into national population totals or
population trends of the Honey-buzzard in
Britain, but it is clear that, for at least two
centuries after the first written mention of
the species in Britain (in John Ray’s The
Ornithology of Francis Willughby, in 1678), it
was found nesting in many parts ot the
country (see Holloway 1996, though note

that nesting records for Somerset in 1898 and
1899 have apparently been overlooked;
Ballance 2006).

Hampshire figured predominantly in
nineteenth-century literature regarding
Honey-buzzards, as a result of the New
Forest population becoming widely known to
egg and skin collectors. Witherby et al.
(1938-41) documented few reports of
breeding within Britain, though it is possible
that the species at that time was under-
recorded throughout much of the country.
The first pairs of Honey-buzzards that
formed part of the present study, located in
1954, 1955 and 1956, may or may not have
bred successfully. The first known successful
nest in our study, in a Beech tree in 1958, was
discovered in the same wood in which
Desmond Nethersole-Thompson saw a nest
with two young, also in a Beech, in 1932.

It is now difficult to be sure whether the
small numbers of breeding pairs found
during 1954-63 reflected the observers’ rela-
tive inexperience or whether nesting was gen-
uinely at a low ebb at that time. By the mid
1960s we were confident that we had located
most nesting birds, although some active
nests may remain undetected even now.
Between five and nine pairs were recorded
each year from 1964 until the early 1980s.
Between 1983 and 1991, however, numbers
fell to two to three breeding pairs, with few
non-breeders, before showing a steady
recovery to pre-1983 levels. There is no
obvious explanation for that decline, and
indeed breeding populations elsewhere in
Europe have been subject to similar fluctua-
tions (Cramp & Simmons 1980).

Honey-buzzards are highly mobile and
the New Forest birds have been recorded for-
aging up to 12 km from the nest. Non-
breeders often move great distances during
the same season; non-breeding pairs and
single birds have sometimes appeared in the
study area for varying amounts of time, with
July a favourite month for such wandering
birds. Such sightings may include the victims
of failed breeding attempts as well as inex-
perienced birds seeking a territory.

Honey-buzzard breeding population esti-
mates must always be tempered with extreme
caution. Data presented by the Rare Breeding
Birds Panel (RBBP) for 1973-99 were known

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 23-28

27

D. /. M. Wallace

Short paper

to be incomplete but, during the ten years
from 2000 (the year that the first UK-wide
survey was undertaken), in which it might
reasonably be assumed that most known
nest-sites were surveyed annually, RBBP data
has shown fluctuations but no clear trends
(see Ogilvie et al. 2004 and fig. 3 in Holling et
al. 2011). Even our long familiarity with
Honey-buzzards has probably not conveyed
an exact assessment of breeding pairs in any
given season, although those remaining
undetected would not significantly affect the
status of the population of our study area.
Hopefully, this paper will stimulate a review
of the current official assessment of the
national status of this very special raptor.

Acknowledgments

i became aware that such a bird as the Honey-buzzard
existed as a 1 4-year-old schoolboy, but Peter LeBrocq
first kindled my special interest in the species, in the mid
1 950s. An enthusiastic raptor watcher; Peter had seen
his first Honey-buzzard display-flighting in east
Hampshire in August 1951, and three years later
rediscovered them in the New Forest. Other
birdwatchers, mainly from Hampshire but also from
elsewhere, took up the baton between 1 954 and 1 958;
the most recent field observers, whose observations
are incorporated into this account, appeared on the
scene in the 1 970s. Those with whom I have
collaborated for over 50 seasons have been of similar
character; in that almost without exception they
developed a passion for birds and other wildlife at an
early age. It is reputed that one of the three 1 950s 'old
guard', still involved in the study, stayed overnight alone
in the woods, wrapped in an army greatcoat, when six
or seven years old. I recall with both great joy and
extreme sadness four departed fellow enthusiasts,
Derek Chilcott, Colin Tubbs, Peter LeBrocq and Bob

E. J. Wiseman, 3 Broom Hill Cottages, East End,
e-mail ed.wiseman@virgin.net

Emmett; they are all greatly missed. I am acutely
conscious of the influence of unnamed friends who
have shared their observations, experiences and
knowledge with me and, knowingly or not, have added
immensely to my appreciation and understanding of
Honey-buzzards and their ecology. In 1 975 Colin Bibby
posed the question 'Who took the birds out of British
ornithology?' (Brit. Birds 68: 1 00- 1 02). I am able to state
with conviction that my birdwatching companions of
the past half-century are not guilty. I am also greatly
indebted to Ian Wallace for contributing the vignettes
and for commenting on an earlier draff, as well as to the
late Richard Richardson who painted my accompanying
Honey-buzzard watercolour; will we ever forget his
usual greeting, in that characteristic and well-known
stammer 'H- h- h- how are the H- h- Honey-buzzards?'-

References

Ballance, D. 2006. A History of the Birds of Somerset
Isabelline Books, Penryn.

Bannerman, D. A., & Lodge, G. E. 1953-63. The Birds of
the British Isles. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh.

Bijlsma, R. G. 1 998. Handleiding veldonerzoek Roofvogels.
KNNV, Zeist.

Cramp, S„ & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds.) 1 980. The Birds of
the Western Palearctic.V ol. 2. OUR Oxford.

Holling, M„ & the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. 2011.

Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 2009.
Brit Birds 104:476-537.

Holloway, S. 1 996. The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds
in Britain and Ireland. Poyser London.

Ogilvie, M„ & the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. 2004.

Rare Breeding Birds in the United Kingdom 2002.

Brit Birds 97: 492-536.

Roberts, S. J., & Lewis, J. M. S. 2003. Observations of
European Honey-buzzard breeding density in
Britain. Brit. Birds 96: 37^44.

— , — , & Williams, I.T 1999. Breeding European
Honey-buzzards in Britain. Brit. Birds 92: 326-345.
Tubbs, C. R. 1 986. The New Forest. Collins, London.
Witherby, H. F„ Jourdain, F. C. R.,Ticehurst, N. F„ &

Tucker B. W. 1 938-4 1 . The Handbook of British Birds.
Witherby, London.

Lymington, Hampshire S041 5SX;

Conservation research news

Compiled by Guy Anderson, Elizabeth Charman
and Ian Johnstone

protected areas and bird foraging ranges

Pushing the boundaries -

A protected area for a key bird species, or any
other species, should ideally include the
whole range of resources required by that
species. The Special Protection Area (SPA)
network is a key system of site designation
for bird conservation purposes within the
European Union. SPAs typically cover an area
of habitat where the bird species of interest
is/are known to breed, or a well-defined area
of non-breeding habitat - typically a
wetland. Drawing SPA boundaries to con-
serve wide-ranging species effectively may,
however, be problematic.

Recent radio-tracking studies of
Montagu’s Harriers Circus pygargus in
Catalunya, Spain, have shown that breeding
birds use much larger areas for foraging than
are covered by SPAs designed to protect their
breeding habitat (Guixe & Arroyo 2011). In
fact, on average less than 20% of the foraging
range of the harriers was within the SPA
boundaries, partly because the habitats used
for foraging differed from those used for
nesting. If the preferred foraging habitats and
food resources are not in short supply and

under no threat, then in practice this is not
necessarily a big problem: if the SPAs protect
the key limiting resources for breeding, then
they will still be an effective conservation
measure. However, if the availability of for-
aging habitat is a key limiting resource, then
the lack ot protection over these areas could
render the SPAs ineffective.

This highlights the need for Protected
Area designation to be based on good knowl-
edge of how and where birds of conservation
importance find all the key resources they
need. Another good example of this is the
need for data on the breeding season for-
aging ranges and wintering areas of seabirds
in Europe, in order to inform future marine
SPA designation. Recent advances in bird
tracking technology are helping us to start
gathering this data.

Guixe, Q, & Arroyo, B. 20 1 I . Appropriateness of
Special Protection Areas for wide-ranging species:
the importance of scale and protecting foraging, not
just nesting habitats. Animal Conservation 1 4:
391-399.

Grass can feed birds as well as cows

The declines of seed-eating farmland birds in
the UK are now a familiar story. Even
numbers of the still-widespread Yel-
lowhammer Emberiza citrinella have fallen by
23% in England and 35% in Wales since
1995. The once-familiar 'little bit of bread
and no cheese’ song is being heard in ever
more localised areas.

Research into the causes of these declines
strongly implicates a shortage of seed food
during winter. In the arable-dominated areas
of eastern Britain, this has been caused
mainly by increasingly efficient cereal cultiva-
tion: herbicides kill weeds that provide seed,
little grain is missed by harvesters and
autumn sowing has often replaced over-
winter stubbles. In western parts ol Britain,

growing cereals for livestock has been aban-
doned as farmers can easily buy feed in from
elsewhere.

Current agri-environment measures that
aim to provide seed food during winter focus
on the provision of weed-rich stubbles and
the growing of seed-bearing crop mixes (wild
bird seed mixtures or WBSM) specifically
designed to provide food for birds. However,
seed provided by WBSM is usually exhausted
by Christmas, resulting in the so-called
‘hungry gap’ in late winter. Furthermore,
WBSMs have not been popular with livestock
farmers, who may lack the experience or
access to equipment needed to grow them.
Finding a practical way to provide winter
food for seed-eating birds in livestock-

© British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 29-3 I

29

RSPB-images.com

Conservation research news

22. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella.

dominated western Britain has therefore
become a conservation challenge.

Scientists at the RSPB have found a way to
use Perennial Rye-grass Lolium perenne (the
main grass grown for forage in western
Europe) to keep seed-eating birds well fed
throughout the winter and (potentially) to
plug the hungry gap. This fast-growing grass
is used for grazing and in particular for
winter feed (when cut and made into silage),
yet if it is left uncut rather than letting live-
stock graze the ‘aftermath’ it readily produces
abundant seed, suitable for finches and
buntings like the Yellowhammer.

Experiments showed that Perennial Rye-
grass cut once, in late May, would go on to
produce abundant seed that continued to
attract Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings

E. schoeniclus until the
following March. The
birds continued to feed
on fallen seed even
after the trial plots
were cleared of vegeta-
tion in the following
April. The body weights
of buntings using these
grass plots were similar
to those of birds using
high-quality seed
sources in arable areas.

The costs to the
farmer of allowing rye-
grass to set seed
included the loss of a
second cut, no after-
math grazing and a
modest loss of yield in
the first cut of the fol-
lowing year. Costs were lower for Italian Rye-
grass L. multiflorum, from which two cuts
could be taken without compromising seed
production. One way to minimise costs to the
farmer would be to fence off strips of grass
along the edge of silage fields and allow these
to set seed, while the rest of the field is cut
and grazed in the normal way. The authors of
this research (Buckingham et al. 2011) hope
that seeded rye-grass might be incorporated
into the UK’s range of agri-environment
schemes, which would allow payments to
farmers to offset any production costs.

Buckingham, D. L, Bentley, S., Dodd, S„ & Peach, W. J.
2011. Seeded ryegrass swards allow granivorous
birds to winter in agriculturally improved grassland
landscapes. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
142: 256-265.

Some trees are tastier than others: could the chemistry of pine needles
influence Capercaillie habitat preferences?

Life is hard as a Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus.
The last Conservation Research News reported
on a series of studies showing the negative
effects of human recreational disturbance on
their physiology. Now it seems that some of
their food plants are doing their best to avoid
being eaten. Conifer needles are a major com-
ponent of Capercaillie diet, but these can
contain a large variety of plant secondary
metabolites (PSMs), chemicals produced by

the trees, some of which are known to deter
some herbivores. The production of these
chemicals is genetically controlled, with new
defensive compounds evolving by mutation
and natural selection until their ‘enemies’ (the
herbivores) evolve counter adaptations and
the process is repeated. Put another way,
conifers and herbivores may be co-cvolving in
a chemical arms race.

Scientists working in Abernethy Forest,

30

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 29-3 1

Conservation research news

23. Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus.

Highland, recorded which mature Scots Pine
Finns sylvestris trees (a tree species known to
be favoured by Capercaillies) were used for
foraging and roosting, and which were not.

They then compared PSM levels in pine
needle samples collected from trees that were
used by Capercaillies with those that were
not used. Plants containing more of the
dominant monoterpene a-pinene and the
minor compound p-ocimene were avoided
by Capercaillies. This avoidance may act as
positive selection pressure for the production
of these defensive plant compounds, i.e. the
individual trees that produce more of them
suffer less herbivory
and therefore reproduce
more successfully,
passing the trait on to
their progeny.

The conservation
implications of these
findings are important
and challenge scientists
to explore them further.

For example, there may
be forest areas that
appear suitable for
Capercaillies in other
respects, but which are
rendered unfavourable
for feeding and roosting
owing to the presence
of trees that produce 24. Abernethy Forest, Highland. April 2009.

high monoterpene levels in their needles. If
this is the case, management for Capercaillie
conservation could be enhanced through
knowledge of the distribution of suitable and
unsuitable trees. The Capercaillie population
in Scotland remains small and restricted. Any
such addition to our knowledge base on how
to create good habitat for Capercaillies is
welcome and important.

lason, G. R., O'Reilly- Wapstra, J. M.. Brewer, M. J„
Summers, R. W„ & Moore, B. D. 20 1 I . Do multiple
herbivores maintain chemical diversity of Scots Pine
monoterpenes? Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 366: 1 337- 1 345.

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 29-3 I

31

Roger Riddington RSPB-images.com

Letters

The return of the Red-billed Chough to Cornwall

The recent paper on the return of the Red-
billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax to
Cornwall (Johnstone et al. 2011) was an
interesting resume of the last decade of RSPB
involvement in the saga of the ‘Cornish
Chough’. However, I should like to make the
following points.

The current initiative, described by John-
stone et al. (2011), superseded ‘Operation
Chough’, which was launched in August 1987.
My own interest in Chough ecology began in
the early 1970s, when the last truly Cornish
Chough was still alive, at Stem Cove near
Mawgan Porth. (Johnstone et al. stated that
the last breeding record for Cornwall was in
1947, but at least one chick hatched in a cave
nest at Stem Cove in 1963; A. Archer-Lock
pers. comm.) My early enquiries were subse-
quently consolidated in five years of doctoral
research (Meyer 1991).

Naturally sedentary, Choughs have made
occasional and irregular invasions into Corn-
wall. These are mostly single individuals, but
occasionally pairs; 1 spent ten weeks in the
severe winter of 1986 studying a pair on
Rame Head (Meyer 1990), which was an
interesting precursor to subsequent events.

Ecologically, and particularly in the
context of safeguarding the future of the vul-
nerable Lizard population, it is important to
compare like with like. On several occasions,
Johnstone et al. (2011) drew on evidence
from other populations in Britain & Ireland
yet disregarded, to a large extent, data from
west Wales (here taken to refer to the coun-
ties of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire),
where the nearest and most equivalent
habitat to Cornwall is found. However, the
behaviour of Choughs in Scotland and
upland Wales should be used only with great
caution before conclusions are applied to
populations in southwest Britain and Brit-
tany; for example, rough grazing is far less
important for Choughs in these areas than in
Scotland.

According to table 1 (in Johnstone et al.),
the only area where earthworms (Lumbri-
cidae) were recorded as being a favoured part

of Chough diet was in west Wales. Lumbricids
are certainly preyed upon elsewhere (e.g.
Bignal et al. 1987) but can remain undetected
unless microscopic faecal examination reveals
the characteristic chaetae, and this is often not
done (Judy Warnes pers. comm.). Since they
are a transport host for Gapeworm Syngamus
trachea, a suboptimal diet bulked out with
earthworms may have fatal consequences for
Choughs, particularly if the birds are stressed
through intercurrent disease and/or are mal-
nourished. Meyer & Simpson (1988) gave an
account of the demise of one Chough due to
Gapeworm. Earthworms are a by-product of
pastoral agriculture, and Johnstone et al.
made much of ‘targeted habitat management’,
in a partnership involving farmers and the
National Trust. However, care should be taken
not to run away with the idea that habitat
management is the most important thing.
Natural cliffs, with their infinite range of for-
aging possibilities throughout the year (which
are often impossible to survey, certainly using
broad-based survey methods), are of primary
importance for lowland Choughs. The work
in west Wales has demonstrated clearly that
the agricultural hinterland is of secondary
importance to the natural cliffscape. This
reinforces my point that west Wales and
Cornwall are quite different in ecological
terms from north Wales. The existence of
bare-earth exposures within natural vegeta-
tion mosaics, often accommodating small
annual plants - most notably the key indi-
cator species Early Hair-grass Aira praecox -
formed the most important single feeding
complex in west Wales (Evans et al. 1989;
Meyer 1989). It is also important to note that
Choughs using naturally eroded cliffscapes
were more relaxed and showed better for-
aging success than those dependent on
pasture. Choughs are expert at utilising tem-
poral edaphic zones and ecotones. They also
feed beneath vegetation, exploiting habitats
invisible to casual or remote observation.

Finally, not enough attention is paid to
nestling food. Choughs prefer to nest near
habitats rich in ant colonies, especially Lasius

32

© British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 32-36

Letters

alienus and L. fluvus , which favour open,
sunny, non-cultivated sites. Susan Cowdy’s
work on Ramsey Island (again in west Wales)
confirmed that ants are vital nestling food
(Cowdy 1973). They are offered to chicks in
the form of a bolus, and I often witnessed
Chough parents digging so feverishly for
ants that they disappeared from sight in a
deep hole amidst a cloud of sandy soil!
The UK distribution of L. alienus
(see www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds6/
insectinfocuslasiusalienus.htm) is interesting,
and bears some resemblance to the distribu-
tion of Choughs, at least along western coasts
of Britain.

Acknowledgment

I should like to thank Alison Hales who provided helpful
comments on an earlier draft of this letter.

References

Signal, E., Bignal, S., & Still, E. 1 987. Gapeworm infection
in Choughs. Ring. & Migr. 8: 56-58.

Cowdy, S. 1 973. Ants as a major food source of the
Chough. Bird Study 20: II 7- 1 20.

Evans, S. B. E„ Meyer, R. M„ & Haycock. R. J. 1989.
Botanical survey of key Pembrokeshire Chough
feeding sites. Unpublished report to NCC Dyfed-
Powys.

Johnstone, l„ Mucklow, C., Cross,!, Lock, L, & Carter I.
201 I .The return of the Red-billed Chough to
Cornwall: the first ten years and prospects for the
future. Brit. Birds 1 04: 4 1 6-H3 1 .

Meyer R. M. 1 989. Ecology of the Chough in West
Wales. Unpublished report to NCC Dyfed-Powys.

— 1 990. Observations on two Red-billed Choughs in
Cornwall: habitat use and food intake. Bird Study 37:
199-209.

— 199 1. The feeding ecology of the Red-billed
Chough in west Wales and the feasibility of re-
establishment in Cornwall. Unpublished PhD thesis,
Glasgow University.

— & Simpson, V. R. 1988. Gapeworm infection in
Choughs: further evidence. Bird Study 35: 223-226.

Richard M. Meyer, Witsend Cottage, Winsxvell Water, Peters Marland, Torrington, Devon EX38 8QB;
e-mail: richardmeyer@lundybay.net

Richard Meyer makes some interesting
observations, including those based on his
own unpublished reports and personal com-
munications. Indeed, there is much informa-
tion about Choughs in the ‘grey’ literature
and we would have liked to include more of
it in our paper had space allowed.

Nevertheless, because we now have ten
years of data from Cornwall, his observations
have only limited bearing on our approach to
the re-establishing population. For example,
veterinary post-mortems show no evidence
as yet that Gapeworm is a problem among
Cornish Choughs (see Johnstone et al. 2011,
table 4). Furthermore, no Choughs have been
seen eating earthworms, and survival rates in
Cornwall have been encouragingly high.
Ants, on the other hand, are an important
prey (table 1), but we are aware of no pub-
lished evidence to support the suggestion
that availability determines site selection or
breeding success. One of the several studies
we refer to from coastal north Wales showed
that favourable grazing management can
positively influence field usage by Choughs,
resulting in a net gain of foraging habitat
(Ausden & Bateson 2005). Furthermore, a
study in Brittany has advocated grazing

inland in order to mitigate the impact of
increasing numbers of tourists using coastal
paths on Chough survival rates (Kerbiriou et
al. 2006) - a situation relevant to Cornwall.

Our emphasis has been based very much
on the precautionary principle - maximising
the potential for success of every breeding
attempt by encouraging favourable agricul-
tural management on adjacent coastal slopes
and clifftop fields. As we make clear in the
paper, we have no direct evidence that this
benefits the birds in Cornwall (an experi-
mental design was not possible for obvious
reasons), but to not adopt this approach in
the early stages of natural recolonisation
could have made the difference between the
success we describe, and another failure by
Choughs to re-establish in Cornwall.

References

Ausden. M.. & Bateson, D. 2005. Winter cattle grazing
to create foraging habitat for Choughs Pyrrhocorax
pyrrhocorax at South Stack RSPB Reserve, Anglesey,
Wales. Conservation Evidence 2: 26-27.

Kerbiriou, C„ LeViol, I., Robert, A., Porcher E.,
Gourmelon, F„ & julliard, R. 2009. Tourism in
protected areas can threaten wild populations: from
the individual response to population viability of the
Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax. J.Appi. Ecol. 46:
657-665.

Ian Johnstone, RSPB North Wales Office, Unit 14 Llys Castan, Parc Menai, Ffordd Y Parc,
Bangor LL57 4FD; e-mail ian.johnstone@rspb.org.uk, on behalf of the co-authors.

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 32-36

33

Letters

Common Cranes in the UK

Having read the excellent paper chronicling
the recolonisation of Common Cranes Grus
grus in the UK (Stanbury et al. 2011), I
thought that the limited coverage of the
Yorkshire breeding birds gave readers a
slightly misleading perspective. The paper
referred to a pair summering in 2001 and
breeding from 2002 when, in fact, a lone
male wandered around Yorkshire in spring
2000 and established a territory then.

In early June 2000, I was surprised when I
heard a Crane calling from my workplace in
Yorkshire and I soon found a male looking at
home in perfect breeding habitat. I consid-
ered it possible that a female might have been
incubating in the area and so the news was
not broadcast widely. The site was private
with no public access. This bird had visited
various places before taking a liking to my
‘patch’; it was present from June until late
August and called regularly at night, appar-
ently in the hope of attracting a mate. No
other bird was seen before it departed but I
hoped that it might return the following
spring with a mate.

In spring 2001, what was presumably the
same male did indeed return, with a female,
probably a young bird, and they proceeded to
establish a territory. I suspected that a
breeding attempt may have occurred and that
the many Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes on the site
presumably thwarted this (in later years, I
watched Cranes behaving aggressively
towards Foxes that approached the nest area
and the disappearance of small young was
always attributed to predation by Foxes). The
pair departed in late summer 2001 and
returned again in 2002 (and in each subse-
quent year, as the recent paper states).

The fact that a single bird wandered
around Yorkshire before establishing a terri-
tory in June suggests that it was not originally
part of the Norfolk population - it seems
more plausible that an unsuccessful Norfolk

bird would have returned to the Broads
much earlier in the summer rather than
remain alone in Yorkshire until late August
(as wandering birds in Norfolk appear to do).
Moreover, the Yorkshire pair has always been
migratory, unlike the Norfolk population.
Once they arrive in Yorkshire in spring, they
do not roam or make temporary return visits
to Norfolk, which surely suggests a conti-
nental origin for the male at least (the male
found its mate on the wintering grounds in
2000/01, and it is conceivable that this could
have been in Norfolk).

I find it strange that the birds from the
Norfolk population, along with the recently
released birds in Somerset, never attempt to
migrate, while all other Cranes visiting the
UK do. The birds from other breeding
attempts listed by Stanbury et al. (Yorkshire
and Caithness), along with the summering
pairs in various parts of the UK, have all
departed at the end of the breeding season.
The non-migratory behaviour of the Norfolk
birds mirrors that of other released crane
species derived from captive stock, for
example Siberian Cranes G. leucogeranus at
Bharatpur, in India, and Whooping Cranes
G. americana in Florida, USA.

The behaviour of other species, for
example various introduced geese and the
Bald Ibises Geronticus eremita at Biricek, in
Turkey, which were prevented from learning
migration routes from their parents, have
also adopted non-migratory behaviour or
have followed surrogate parents to the
‘wrong’ wintering grounds. For this reason, it
seems that the Norfolk population is most
likely derived from captive stock or birds
injured in some way that prevented natural
migratory behaviour.

Reference

Stanbury, A., & the UK Crane Working Group. 2011.

The changing status of the Common Crane in the

UK. Brit. Birds 104:432-447.

Phil Palmer, 72 Grove Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 7JN; e-mail
phil@birdholidays.fsnet.co.uk

Editorial comment Andrew Stanbury has commented as follows: ‘Records from the Yorkshire
Bird Recorder suggest that there were two single Cranes summering in 2000, one from 5th June
(presumably the bird referred to by Phil Palmer) and the other for five months from late March.

34

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 32-36

Letters

There are a number of unanswered questions and much conjecture surrounding the origins of
the UK Cranesjhe fact that the Norfolk birds are non-tnigratory does no, rule ou, the possi-
bihty of them .being ot wtld ortgtn: several other bird species are mainly migratory in mainland
F,"°pe and Scandinavia but are largely resident in the UK as a result of its mild climate,
tnc uc ing Red Kite M,/vus mi/v„s, Common Buzzard Buteo buleo and Eurasian Bittern Botaurus
stdhms. In addition. Common Crane populations around the Black Sea also appear to be largely
sedentary. As we pointed out in our paper, the Yorkshire birds are believed to winter in Norfolk,
which doesn , necessar.ly mean that that’s where they originated from, and they could indeed be
of continental origin. DNA from birds in the UK breeding populations is currently being
analysed, and being compared with samples from elsewhere in Europe, including Germany and
Scandinavia, and farther east. It is hoped that this may answer some of the questions and it is our
intention that any results will be published in BB.

Eastern race, aberrant morph, runt or Oriental?

During the preparation of the recent paper
on ‘eastern’ Skylarks Alauda arvensis (Lees &
Ball 2011), I looked at the original photo-
graphs of the Butterwick and Whalsay birds
and two worries arose. Firstly, the flight
feathers of the former lacked completely the
signal flight character of the subject species,
i.e. the usual bright whitish trailing rim to
most remiges. Secondly, the latter’s seeming
squatness (stemming from the short projec-
tion of primaries from tertials and tail tip
from wing-tip) suggested the structure of the
congeneric (and not utterly impossible)
Oriental Lark A. gulgula. Hence 1 am disap-
pointed to find neither issue addressed in
their revised statement.

In my experience of Skylarks of the races
cantarella, dulcivox and kiborti (Vaurie 1959)
in their breeding ranges, no observed indi-
vidual failed to show a pale trailing edge to
the wing. Furthermore, although no Euro-

pean claim of Oriental has yet succeeded,
some individuals do move at least 1,500 km
southwest of their southern core range (e.g.
Shirihai 1996, Eriksen et al. 2003).

None of this should detract attention
from the call by Lees & Ball for more atten-
tion to the likely vagrancy of eastern Sky-
larks. It is just ‘Sod’s Law’ that the two
individuals that they illustrate may have had
wonky genes!

References

Eriksen, J„ Sargent. D. E., & Victor R. 2003. Oman Bird
List. 6th edn. Sultan Qaboos, University of Oman.
Lees, A., & Ball, A. 20 1 I . Shades of grey: 'eastern'

Skylarks and extralimital subspecies identification.

Brit Birds 1 04: 660—666.

Shirihai, H. 1 996. The Birds of Israel. Academic Press,
London.

Vaurie, C. 1 959. The Birds of the Palearctic Fauna: a
systematic reference. Order Passeriformes. Witherby,
London.

D. I. M. Wallace, Mount Pleasant Farm, Main Road, Anslow, Burton on Trent, East Staffordshire
DE13 9QE

Editorial comment Alex Lees and Alan Ball have replied as follows: ‘We thank Ian for his letter
and continued interest in the identification of Alauda taxa. In the end we decided not to “muddy
the waters” by opening up a discussion of Oriental Lark given space constraints, although this
species certainly needs to be borne in mind. However, a white trailing edge is visible in the images
of the Butterwick lark, though it was more prominent in real life (it’s not particularly obvious
even in the “normal” bird), and Oriental can be ruled out easily on biometrics and other plumage
characteristics (AB had field experience of gulgula from Israel prior to the capture of the
Lincolnshire individual and was aware of this potential pitfall). Like Ian we anticipate a future
European vagrant...’.

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 32-36

35

Letters

The correct gender of Poecile and the scientific name of the
Willow Tit

Following Andrew Harrop’s letter on this topic {Brit. Birds 104: 668-669), we have received
correspondence from both of the main protagonists in the debate. This is summarised below, and
correspondence on this topic in BB is now closed. Eds

From Normand David and Michel Gosselin:

While trying to prove that Poecile can be only
feminine, Andrew Harrop (in the longer
version of his letter, on the BB website)
summarily dismissed the -is, -is, -e Latin
endings for the sole reason that they are
supposedly non-existent in Latin nouns. Yet
when Kaup (1829) established the avian
genus Poecile, he clearly wrote that it was
based on poikilos (a Greek masculine
adjective, not a noun). It is not unusual for
zoological generic names to be derived from
adjectives (e.g. Criniger, Incatia, Megastictus) .

This point only strengthens our view that

Kaup’s Poecile should be classified as a word
of ‘common or variable ending’, and
therefore treated as masculine.

As for Leptopoecile, instead of quoting
what Severtsov (1873) actually wrote (i.e.
that Leptopoecile means ‘related to tits’),
Harrop speculates that it is derived from the
Latin noun poecile (‘a celebrated hall or
portico in the market-place at Athens’).
Jobling (2010), though, had already cogently
recognised that Leptopoecile is the genus
name Poecile Kaup, 1829, with the Greek
prefix leptos [delicate]. Therefore,
Leptopoecile should be treated in the same
way as the generic name Poecile.

Normand David, 10385 A Clark Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3L 2S3;
e-mail normanddavid@videotron.ca

Michel Gosselin, Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443 Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
KIP 6P4; e-mail mgosselin@mus-nature.ca

From Andrew Harrop:

I agree with David & Gosselin that
Leptopoecile and Poecile should be treated in
the same way. The crux of the matter is
therefore the correct gender of poecile, which
I have already clarified and discussed in some
detail previously {Brit. Birds 104: 668-669).
David and Gosselin imply that it somehow

needs to be proved that poecile is feminine,
yet this is not the case: the Greek word poikile
and the Latin word poecile (which is the same
word, as I have explained previously) are
both feminine in Greek and Latin
dictionaries respectively, and feminine
according to Greek and Latin grammar. This
is a matter of fact, not interpretation.

Andrew H. J. Harrop, 30 Dean Street, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6AF;
e-mail andrew.harrop@virgin.net

References

Jobling, J. 20 1 0, The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird
Names. Christopher Helm, London.

Kaup, J. 1 829. Skizzirte Entwicklungs-Geschichte und
Naturliches System der Europaischen Thierwelt.
Darmstadt.

Severtsov, N.A. 1 873.Vertikal'noe i ghorizontal'noe
raspredyelenie Turkestanskikh Zhivotnuikh.
Imperatorskoe Obshchestvo Lyubitelei Estestvoznaniya
Antropologhii i Etnoghrafii, Izvyestiya 8 pt 2.

A fuller version of the arguments presented here can be found on the BB website at
www.britishbirds.co.uk/category/letters

36

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 32-36

Notes

A record influx of Balearic Shearwaters in Devon and Cornwall

The Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretan-
icus is classified as Critically Endangered on
the 1UCN Red List because of its declining
breeding population (currently estimated to
be c. 3,200 pairs; Arcos 2011), and yet post-
breeding numbers arriving in UK waters have
apparently increased in recent years (Wynn
& Yesou 2007; Wynn 2009). The species is
currently a focus for conservation action in
southwest England, with numbers continuing
to be monitored by the SeaWatch SW team
(www.seawatch-sw.org) in partnership with
MARINElife, JNCC and RSPB. Here, we
describe a major influx of the species into the
region in September 2011, with new record
day counts for both Devon and Cornwall.

The origin of the influx was almost
certainly a major aggregation of around
5,000 Balearic Shearwaters off southern Brit-
tany in late August, which had largely
dispersed by 2nd September after the onset of
southwesterly winds (Laurent Thebault pers.
comm.). Some of these birds evidently
shifted north into UK waters, since 101
passed southwest off Start Point (all sites
mentioned in this note are in Devon, unless
stated otherwise) on 3rd September, the first
significant UK count of 201 1.

Over the next few days, a generally south-
west to west airflow facilitated movement
of more birds into Lyme Bay, and on 5th
September a gathering of around 6,000
shearwaters was seen feeding distantly
off Berry Head. Although these were
mostly Manx Shearwaters Puffinus
puffinus, sample counts of closer birds
revealed around 6% to be Balearic
Shearwaters, indicating a major influx
(perhaps 300+ birds).

On 6th September a low-pressure
system arrived from the west, with
strong to gale force SSW winds. It
looked likely that the Devon record
day count (145 on 2nd September
2009) would be broken in such condi-
tions, and hopes were not disap-
pointed: observers at Berry Head saw
304 Balearics pass south, those at Start

Point had 238 pass southwest, while at Prawle
Point (just outside Lyme Bay) 160 were
logged heading west.

A few days later the highest numbers of
birds were recorded in the northern part of
Lyme Bay. On 11th September, another
Devon record was set when 376 passed
Orcombe Point. Large counts at nearby sites
included 220 off Dawlish Warren and over
250 moving west off Budleigh Salterton,
while farther west and east there were counts
of 100+ at Hope’s Nose and 140 at Chesil
Cove (Dorset), respectively.

On 12th September the remnants of
Hurricane Katia swept in and the Devon
record was broken yet again, with at least 383
Balearic Shearwaters leaving Lyme Bay and
moving southwest off Start Point. Also that
morning, 229 were seen moving southwest
off Dawlish Warren. Many of the Start Point
birds apparently continued westwards, as a
comparable total of 416 were seen moving
west off Gwennap Head (Cornwall) on
12th- 13th September.

At least 200 Balearic Shearwaters were still
feeding in the northern part of Lyme Bay on
14th, with notable counts continuing there
until 17th September (including 63 birds
foraging behind a single trawler off Berry
Head on 16th September!). It is possible that
the westwards exodus of these birds con-
tributed to a new Cornish record day count of

1 = Gwennap Head

2 = Prawle Port
3= Start Pont

4 * Berry Head

5 = Hope's Nose

6 = Oawfeft Warren

7 = Orcombe Port

8 = Budteigh Safcerton

9 = CbesiCove

10 = Portland B*

Fig. I. Observations points in southwest England
referred to in the text; Lyme Bay is the area between
Start Point (3) and Portland Bill (10).

© British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 37-42

37

Mark Darlaston Mark Darlaston

Notes

25. Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus, off
Start Point, Devon, September 2011.

26. Manx Puffinus puffinus and Balearic Shearwaters
P. mauretanicus, off Dartmouth, Devon, July 2010.

283 past Gwennap Head on 18th
September (the same date that the
same observer broke the Cornish
record one year earlier). Few
remained in Lyme Bay after this
date but good numbers continued
to circulate off Gwennap Head,
with three day counts of 150-200
in the period 1 9th— 26th Sep-
tember. Taking into account as best
we can the duplication of sightings
between different observation
points, we estimate that more than
600 birds were present off Devon
and Cornwall in mid September
2011. This equates to 2.5% of the
estimated world population of
c. 25,000 individuals (Arcos 2011),
highlighting the increasing impor-
tance of this region for this
Critically Endangered seabird.

References

Arcos, J. M. 20 1 I . International Species
Action Plan for the Balearic
Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus.
Report to SEO/BirdLife and BirdLife
International.

Wynn. R. B. 2009. Balearic Shearwaters in
UK and Irish waters from 2004 to
2006 .Brit. Birds 102:350-351.

— & Yesou, R 2007.The changing status
of the Balearic Shearwater Puffinus
mauretanicus in northwest European
waters. Brit Birds 1 00: 392-406.

Mark Darlaston, 123 Oaklatids Park, Buckfastleigh, Devon TQ11 0BW;
e-mail mark.darlaston@tiscali.co.uk

Russell B. Wynn, National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SOM 3ZH;
e-mail rbwl @noc. ac.uk

Curlews feeding in stubble fields

There is no mention in BWP of the Curlew
Numenius arquata feeding in stubble fields,
and reference to other literature has similarly
proved negative. Intrigued, 1 found that I
have recorded this species feeding in stubble
fields on just three occasions, all in Norfolk:
on 9th March 2002 (six, feeding among c. 50
Wood Pigeons Columba palumbus in a field
of grassy stubble at South Creake); on 2nd
January 2004 (23 feeding in a stubble field

which had a good growth of thistles Cirsium
and Ragwort Senecio jacobaea near Cock-
thorpe); and on 13th January 2011 (43
feeding in a barley stubble, which had
recently thawed out after being snow- and
frost-bound, at Wells-next-the-Sea). In all
three instances the birds were picking items
from the ground surface and not probing. Is
the behaviour genuinely rare or simply
unrecorded?

Bryan Sage, Waveney House, Waveney Close, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1HU;
e-mail bryan.sage@btinternet.com

38

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 37—42

Ian Bennell

Notes

Tawny Owl hanging upside down in response to aggressive
Carrion Crows

On 28th March 2011, while working in Cas-
siobury Park in Watford, Hertfordshire, I was
asked to look at an owl that a member of the
public was concerned about. Expecting that it
would be one of the resident Little Owls
Athene noctua , I was surprised to find an
adult lawny Owl Strix aluco hanging upside
down from a branch, just 6 m from the
ground! It seemed that it had been attacked
by two Carrion Crows Corvus corone where-
upon it had flown into the tree to adopt this

unusual posture, hanging like a bat! 1
managed to take two photos of the owl on my
phone (plates 27 & 28) before it flew off,
when the two crows immediately attacked it
once more. BWP makes no mention of such
behaviour and 1 can only speculate as to the
reasons. It is possible that it was partially
stunned in the earlier attack, or that it was
adopting an unusual form of camouflage,
trying to avoid showing its characteristic
outline in an effort to outwit the crows.

27 & 28. Tawny Owl Strix aluco , Hertfordshire, March 2011.

Inn Bennell, 32 Cobb Green, Watford, Hertfordshire WD25 7HZ; e-mail ianbennell@hotmail.com

Nest defence behaviour by Marsh Tits in response to a stuffed
Weasel

Among the Paridae, the well-studied family of
Holarctic tits and chickadees, there are sur-
prisingly few descriptions of adult defensive
behaviour against predators at the nest-site.
The most common behaviour, which may be
universal in the family, is the hissing display
given by incubating/brooding females to nest
intruders (Broughton 2005). But some species
have also been recorded giving visual displays
and calls against potential predators from
outside the nest chamber. Betts (1958)
observed a male Great Tit Parus major
reacting to a Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris
near its nest (containing young) by flicking
the wings, giving hiss and tink calls, and flying

at it with outstretched wings. Long (1982)
described the elaborate nest-site distraction
display of the Black-capped Chickadee Poecile
atricapillus, in which adults faced the predator
and slowly raised and lowered their outspread
wings, twisting the body from side to side and
uttering a loud fzz call. Similar visual displays
have also been reported for some nuthatch
Sitta species (Matthysen 1998).

During a long-term study of the Marsh Tit
Poecile palustris at Monks Wood in Cam-
bridgeshire, I tested the anti-predator behav-
iour of adults by placing a stuffed Weasel
Mustela nivalis outside a nestbox containing a
brood of eight-day-old young. The parents

British Birds 105 ‘January 2012 • 37—42

39

Ian Bennell

Notes

were both colour-ringed, of known sex and
two years of age. In the late morning of 19th
May 2006, the Weasel was placed on top of the
nestbox and the response of the adults was
recorded on a digital video camera for three
minutes from their arrival from foraging.

The reaction of the birds to the Weasel was
immediate and involved two stylised visual
displays with associated calls, and also physical
attacks on the Weasel mount. The first display
involved both parents adopting an upright
posture with the head positioned forwards
and the feathers of the nape, cheeks and throat
(but not the crown) held erect. The body
feathers were sleeked and the wings held
closed and pointing downwards, below the
tightly closed and slightly cocked tail. The
birds regularly changed their body orientation
from side to side while repeatedly giving chur-
ring calls composed of a rapid string of dee
notes, for example deedeedeedeedee-dee-dee.

Both parents also engaged in a display that
was identical to the nest-site distraction
described for the Black-capped Chickadee by
Long (1982), in which the birds faced the
Weasel from perches 1-2 m away, with body
leaning forwards and a fanned tail, intermit-
tently waving the outstretched wings and
swaying the body from side to side, while fre-
quently changing perches and occasionally
jerking forwards and uttering a rasping hiss
call (similar to that described for incubating
females by Broughton 2005). The male esca-
lated this display into diving attacks on the
Weasel, striking the head of the mount at
least twice with the bill while in flight, ulti-
mately with such force that the Weasel was

knocked over. On removal of the Weasel the
adults resumed feeding the young, which
later fledged successfully.

While the wing-waving nest-distraction
display is performed by at least one other
species in the Poecile genus, the upright
posture with erect cheek, throat and nape
feathers does not match any of the previously
reported visual displays for the Marsh Tit or
any other parid, although it shares some ele-
ments with several (Smith 1991; BWP). There
is incomplete information on the range of
visual displays and postures among these
species, however, so it may not be unique to
the Marsh Tit.

Weasels are the most dangerous nest pred-
ator for breeding Marsh Tits at Monks Wood,
occasionally killing females on the nest as
well as chicks and eggs (Broughton et al.
2011), so physical attacks by the male indi-
cated a high level of investment in the
breeding attempt.

References

Betts, M. M. 1 958. The behaviour of adult tits towards
other birds and mammals near the nest. Brit Birds
5 1 : 426M28.

Broughton, R. K. 2005. Hissing display of incubating
Marsh Tit and anti-predator response of young. Brit
Birds 98: 267-268.

— , Hill, R. A., Bellamy, R E„ & Hinsley, S. A. 20 1 I . Nest-
sites, breeding failure, and causes of non-breeding in
a population of British Marsh Tits Poecile palustris.

Bird Study 58: 229-237.

Long, C. A. 1 982. Comparison of the nest-site

distraction displays of Black-capped Chickadee and
White-breasted Nuthatch. Wilson Bull. 94: 2 1 6-2 1 8.
Matthysen, E, 1 998. The Nuthatches. Poysen London.
Smith, S. M. 1991. The Black<apped Chickadee:
behavioral ecology and natural history. Cornell
University Press, New York.

Richard K. Broughton, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford,
Wallingford, Oxon 0X10 8BB; e-mail rbrou@ceh.ac.uk

Aggressive intraspecific behaviour among male Black Larks in
winter

Few birds can endure the winter on the
hostile steppes of northern Kazakhstan,
where temperatures regularly plummet to
-40°C or below and blizzards can last for
days. A remarkable exception is the Black
Lark Melanocorypha yeltoniensis, a breeding
endemic to the steppes of Kazakhstan and the
adjacent regions of Russia. After the breeding
season, females migrate to southern Central

Asia, Pakistan and Iran, but most males
remain on the breeding grounds in winter. A
number of morphological features, such as
the relatively large body size, a heavy bill and
sturdy legs, have been interpreted as adapta-
tions to aid survival in the harsh conditions
in the steppe in winter, although the black
plumage of the males appears anomalous.
I he heavy bill is used like a small hammer;

40

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 37—42

Notes

29 & 30. Male Black Larks Melanocorypha yeltoniensis digging for food in snow-covered steppe,
Korgalzhyn region, Kazakhstan, January 2011.

seeds of steppe plants (mainly feather grass
Stipa ) and inside spilt grain are ‘threshed’ out
of the glumes by a very fast, but vigorous
series of precise pecks (Dolgushin et al.
1970).

A flock of about 300 Black Larks was found
on 15th January 201 1 between the villages of
Korgalzhyn and Shalkar in Kazakhstan’s
Akmola district (at 50°28’N 70°02’E). On
29th January, the site was revisited for the
purpose of making an exact count and
behavioural observations. By this time,
numbers had risen to 864 birds, exclusively
males. The temperature was -7°C, but strong
winds and drifting snow generated Arctic-
like conditions. The birds were feeding fran-
tically, using their legs to dig deep holes into
the snow cover (5-10 cm deep) to reach seeds
of feather grass and wormwood Artemisia.
They were followed by Shore Larks Ere-
mophila alpestris and Common Redpolls
Carduelis flammea, which collected the left-
over seeds in the holes.

Although the Black Larks had congregated
in a dense flock, unusually aggressive behav-
iour was observed: many males chased off

others from holes that they had dug, and
even applied targeted strikes to the body and
head of approaching competitors. After the
flock had moved on, we examined the
feeding area carefully. Surprisingly, six dead
Black Larks were found on the tunnelled
ground (plate 31). Around the dead birds,
bloodstains were visible on the snow, sug-
gesting that they had been moving before
they died. On closer inspection, the birds
were found to have bleeding wounds on their
heads, and the fresh blood suggested they
had died very recently from their injuries, or
had frozen to death after being weakened
by excessive blood loss. Although we were
not able to confirm this by direct observa-
tion, the aggressive behaviour observed
earlier seemed to be the obvious cause of the
injuries. No avian or mammalian predators
were observed in the area on either day of
observation.

Although the feeding behaviour of Black
Larks in winter has been described before
(Dolgushin et al. 1970), we are not aware of
any photographic documentation. In addi-
tion, there is no mention in the literature of

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 37-42

41

Ruslan Urazaliev Ruslan Urazaliev

Ruslan Urazaliev

Notes

1970). It seems likely that the labour-
intensive feeding behaviour we
observed requires a high energy
investment. Fierce defence of the
seeds in the excavated holes (which
function as a type of ‘micro terri-
tory’) against intruders looking for
an easy meal might explain this
aggressive behaviour. Similar behav-
iour has been observed under very
different but equally challenging
environmental conditions in the
Raso Lark Alauda razae, where dom-
inant males digging for Cyperus
bulbs defended burrows (Donald et
al. 2007).

3 I . Black Lark Melanocorypha yeltoniensis presumably killed
by another member of the flock, Korgalzhyn region,
Kazakhstan, January 201 I .This bird had severe injuries at

the back of its head, and blood stains from the bird
extended for more than I m from the corpse.

aggressive behaviour among wintering flocks.
Black Lark mortality is known to increase
during long, snowy winters (Dolgushin et al.

References

Dolgushin, I, A., Korelov, M. N„ Kuz'mina,

M. A., Gavrilov, E. I., Gavrin, V. F„ Kovshar;
A. E, Borodikhin, I. F„ & Rodionov, E.F.

1 970. [Birds of Kazakhstan.^/ ol. 3.] Alma
Ata. (In Russian)

Donald, R F„ Hille, S„ Brooke, M. .Taylor R.,
Wells, C. E„ Bolton, M„ & Marlow, T 2007.
Sexual dimorphism, niche partitioning
and social dominance in the feeding
ecology of the critically endangered Raso Lark
Alauda razae. Ibis 149:848-852.

Ruslan Urazaliev and Timur Iskakov, Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan
(ACBK), 18 Beibitshilik koshesi, office 406, Astana 010000, Republic of Kazakhstan;
e-mail ruslan.urazaliev@acbk.kz

Johannes Kamp, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, SGI 9 2DL, United Kingdom;
e-mail johannes.kamp@rspb.org.uk

Wrens foraging in the tree canopy in harsh winter conditions

On 3rd December 2010, I observed a Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes foraging c. 13 m above
ground in a sunlit tree at Forge Dam,
Sheffield. There was at least 30 cm of snow
on the ground at the time, and I saw another
Wren a short distance away at ground level,
floundering on snow-covered twigs and
clearly in difficulty. On 19th December, in
similar conditions in the Botanical Gardens
in Sheffield, I saw another Wren seeking food
on a tree at c. 8 m above ground level. The
mean 24-hour temperatures were -8°C and
-4°C respectively.

Armstrong (1955) commented that Wrens
feed most frequently at or near the ground in

winter, tending to feed higher only as the
leaves of deciduous trees open in the spring,
while BWP also suggests that males will feed
in the tree canopy only occasionally, in
spring; I have found no mention of higher-
elevation feeding in the winter (though see
Brit. Birds 94; 602). These observations were
presumably an adaptation by resident birds
to the harsh weather, with invertebrate food
being more easily obtained well above
ground level.

Reference

Armstrong, E. 1 955. The Wren. Collins, London.

Mike Archer, 14 The Elms, Chesterwood Drive, Sheffield S10 5DU;
e-mail mikearcher@care4free.net

42

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 37—42

Reviews

Avian Survivors: the history and biogeography
of Palearctic birds

By Clive Finlayson
Poyser, 20 1 1

Hbk, 304pp, colour photographs, maps, histograms, tables
ISBN 978-0-7136-8865-8 Subbuteo code M20609
£50.00 BB Bookshop price £45.00

As a birder with a
particular interest in
biogeography, I was
looking forward to reviewing this book, though
from the enigmatic title was unsure what to
expect. I found that it does not focus on recent
changes but instead looks at the history of
Palearctic birds over the very long term, at their
current distribution and their climatic and ecolog-
ical characteristics and relationships.

Introductory chapters which discuss changes
since the Tertiary are followed by 15 species
account chapters, which form the main section of
the book. The analyses in these chapters are based
on an appendix which lists the 862 breeding
species covered, together with 12 characteristics
for each, for example climates, latitudes, and
Palearctic regions occupied. The compilation of
this appendix would have required detailed infor-
mation on the distribution of every species, pre-
sumably from regional handbooks, but none are
cited. Each main chapter includes an introduction
to the families within it, sections on climate,
habitat, migration, fossils, a genus-by-genus
account and conclusions. Species are discussed
within their genera, some at length, others only
briefly, for example: ‘ Dryocopus: One species
(14.29% of the world’s species) occupies the
Palearctic. The Black Woodpecker [D. martius ] is a
bioclimatic moderate omnivore of temperate (Lat-
itude Category C) forests. It is a resident with a
pan-Palearctic range that is discontinuous in the
Western Palearctic.’

Despite their relevance, the geographical limits
of the Palearctic chosen by the author are neither
shown on the very poor map nor described in the
text. He divides the Palearctic into Western,
Central and Eastern regions, but the border
between the first two passes through the White
Sea; thus the Western Palearctic in this book is
confusingly different from that in BWP. There are
no distribution maps and I had to cross-refer to

the BWP maps to clarify some of the author’s
points. Many tables are included, along with his-
tograms of climatic tolerance and habitat occupa-
tion. However, the terms ‘bioclimate’ and ‘climate’
often appear to be synonymous, as do ‘annual
rainfall’ and ‘humidity’. A section of well-chosen
colour photos depicts typical species with differing
histories and characteristics.

More discursive final chapters cover climate
and the history of Palearctic birds, island
endemics, characteristics of the survivors of
climate change, and the avifauna of the past,
present and future. From them we learn that rari-
ties do not make good island colonisers; and that
the achievement of wide climatic tolerance by a
species usually excludes others in its genus from
that position. A second appendix categorises Euro-
pean Pleistocene fossil birds by period and fre-
quency.

The author’s basic argument in the book is that
Palearctic birds are the toughened survivors of
past extinctions, expert at surviving climate cycles
by changing their ranges. He believes that they will
respond in a similar manner again and is certain
that few if any will go extinct as a result of future
climate change. This controversial statement has
been quoted in the national media as evidence that
if the predicted climate change does occur, the
birds will adapt and survive. I’m not so sanguine:
species restricted to islands and mountains may be
unable to change their ranges, nor may tundra
species if their habitat becomes forest. There may
also be indirect consequences as species face new
competitors; for example, Sardinian Warbler Sylvia
melanocephala is rapidly colonising Cyprus, appar-
ently because of the now much milder winters,
and where it spreads the Cyprus Warbler S. melan-
othorax declines and in some areas has disap-
peared. The author’s opinion is also at variance
with A Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds
(Huntley et al. 2007, published by Lynx), which
predicts that more than a quarter of European

Ti Ah

Avian Survivors

IK«- HUtnry Hiugt-ngr jpK\ <4
Ihlrjnttc Bird*

ClIVI tlNIAYSON

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© British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 43-48

43

Reviews

species may be at high risk of at least regional
extinction by the end of this century. However, he
rightly stresses human population as a key adverse
factor in the future of Palearctic birds: in my life-
time it has trebled, from 2.3 to 7 billion, with asso-
ciated habitat loss and increased hunting/trapping.
When combined with predicted climate change,
the future for many species seems bleak.

Throughout there is lack of attention to detail,
for example the unusual division of the genus
Oenanthe has no citation; Harlequin Duck
H. histrionicus is not named within its single
species genus; some of the percentages/totals (e.g.

Ficedula) are clearly wrong; and many citations are
missing from the references. The text is also stu-
dious, factually dense and not easy reading.
However, despite its faults, the book adopts a dif-
ferent, even unique approach, and is often
thought-provoking. For readers who persevere, it
also provides a wider understanding of the origins
and relationships of the birds around us, and an
appreciation that we see only a snapshot in a
process of constant change over geological time.

Peter Flint

The RSPB Anthology of \Wildlife Poetry

Selected by Celia Warren
A&C Black, 201 1

Hbk, 168pp, colour and black-and-white illustrations
ISBN 978-1-4081-3118-3 Subbuteo code M21043
£16.99 BB Bookshop price £15.25

Poetry and nature go
together as far back as
it is possible to go.
Some of the earliest
poets in the young English language were some of
its first birdwatchers. James Fisher memorably
described how the accuracy of the ornithological
observations in 'The Seafarer’ poem (written down
in the tenth century) led him to be sure that the -
unknown - poet was a seasoned birdman with
particular knowledge and experience of the
Gannets of the Bass Rock. To this day it is hard to
find a poet who hasn’t written a bird poem.

Happily, this anthology won’t make that task
any easier. This is an attractive addition to the
widening shelf of nature writing with two partic-
ular merits: it mixes birds with other wildlife and
plants and it is beautifully illustrated. It would
make an ideal starter collection. There is colour on
most pages and a very wide selection of paintings
and drawings accompany the poems. Greg Poole’s
Hobbies, Swifts and reeds in blue-green bright
Somerset Levels make for a standout double-
spread, illustrating poems by Christina Rossetti
and Robert Browning.

The 140 poems by around 100 poets chosen by
Celia Warren have been selected mostly for their
appeal to children, though there are many old
friends for all ages to enjoy. Thomas Hardy, John
Clare, Emily Bronte, William Wordsworth, Edward
Thomas and Ted Hughes rub along with new
poems from newish poets including rather too

many (five, no-one else has more) from our
anthologist. Many of the newer poems are short
and eminently gettable. Almost all are fairly
straightforward celebrations of what they describe.
There are very few dead bodies in this book, no
bird flu or oil slicks, habitat loss or climate change.
Not that this makes the selection escapist.

If a single theme comes from the more than
200 years of poetry here, it would be that clear-
eyed looking - hard, close attention to what is
actually in front of you - is key to the making of a
good poem. A few taste ‘off’: a Common Sand-
piper poem has the call right but the legs too long,
a few have no news to report (Tennyson’s ‘The
Eagle’ has always seemed superfluous to me), but
many are worth having and mostly the antholo-
gist’s eye is clear and her ear is sharp. A Bullfinch is
‘a flying peach’, a young Adder ‘a bootlace’. Warren
has also included some recent poems of real value
- like Kathleen Jamie’s ‘The Dipper’, a poem from
a poet who has brilliantly rewritten the poetic con-
tract with nature in the last ten years: her tender
but knowing reaching out towards wild things,
seeking contact without possession, might be the
best definition we have for the current flowering of
nature writing and the mood of the times behind
it. There are also less serious things to enjoy in the
anthology. The title of John Hegley’s poem
‘(Unbridled) Guillemot’ says nearly all you need to
know, but his funny lines capture some essence of
Guillemot, and the Bass Rock poet of ‘The Sea-
farer’ would surely recognise the same species.

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With all the current scientific talk of bird person-
alities, it is good to know that a poem of comic
anthropomorphism can also intimate what it
might be like to be inside a guillemot’s head:

I’m a guillemot

I find the fishes tend to lose one-nil a lot

I’m a guillemot

I do my speccy reccy from my rocky window sill a lot
I’m a guillemot
Am I not ?

Tim Dee

The Atlas of Birds: mapping avian diversity,
behaviour and habitats worldwide

By Mike Unwin
A&C Black, 2011

Pbk, 144pp, many colour photographs, maps and diagrams
ISBN 978-1-4081-3470-2 Subbuteo code M20779
£16.99 BB Bookshop price £15.25

This book is an attrac-
tive, generously illus-
trated and colourful introduction to bird biology
and conservation worldwide. Maps appear on
most pages, showing the global distributions of
different bird orders, different habitats, land-use
systems, threats and conservation matters - in fact,
almost anything that can be conveniently shown in
map form. The book is divided into eight parts,
the titles of which give some idea of the overall
scope: Introduction to Birds, Where Birds Live,

Birds in Order, How Birds Live, Birds and People,

Birds Under Threat, Protecting Birds, Bird Table (a
table of statistics for each country giving informa-
tion on land area, human population, length of
coastline, number of bird species, number of
Ramsar sites and other details). The author is a
wildlife writer, photographer and illustrator, and
much of the information in the book is attributed
to BirdLife International in Cambridge.

The entire book is laid out as a series of double-

page spreads, each of which gives a few paragraphs
of text, one or more maps and diagrams, and several
bird photographs, all with extended captions.
Picking a few topics at random, we have spreads on
Feathers, Important Bird Areas, Australasia, Pigeons
to Cuckoos, Finding Food, Flyways, Conflicts with
Birds, Birds in Culture, Extinction, Infrastructure
and Pollution, Campaigns and Conventions. From
this short list, you will gather that the book covers a
wide canvas, giving a bit about everything, and in
fact a lot of information in limited space. Neverthe-
less, the text is friendly and readable, and the maps
and diagrams are easy to understand.

It is difficult to judge who this book is aimed
at, but anyone from interested teenagers to experi-
enced birders could enjoy dipping into it. Some of
the information assembled is not readily available
elsewhere without a lot of digging around.
Another attractive feature of the book is its price.

Ian Newton

0*-

m

ATLAS of

BIRDS

The Breeding Birds of Malta

By Joe Sultana, John J. Borg, Charles Gaud and Victor Falzon
BirdLife Malta, 2011

Hbk, 379pp, many colour photographs, diagrams and maps
ISBN 978-99957-33-14-8 Subbuteo code M21 111
£34.95 BB Bookshop price £30.00

BirdLife Malta is an
extraordinary organi-
sation. Since time
immemorial, the
Maltese have trapped
and shot birds on a scale that has to be seen to be
believed: it is deeply embedded in their culture.

Yet, through the efforts of BirdLife, aided by Euro-
pean legislation, the scale of the problem has been
much reduced. Complementing and supporting
their direct conservation work, the ornithologists
of Malta have engaged in a range of studies of
their birds and this book is one of the products of
that. It is packed with information, provided

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through concise but readable text, masses of pho-
tographs of the birds, their eggs, nests and habitats
and well-designed maps and graphs.

The introductory material comprises a compre-
hensive description of the ecology of the Maltese
islands, a brief review of their avifauna, an account
ot the past and continuing threats and information
on the work of BirdLife Malta. The bulk of the
book is made up of full accounts of the 19 regular
breeding species. On average there are 13 pages for
each species, starting with information on its
range, characteristics, voice and diet, followed by
comprehensive reviews of its status, habitat,
breeding behaviour, history, trends and conserva-
tion. Each account also includes the results of
studies of the species in Malta: the information is,
of course, different for each species but generally

covers longevity, age of first breeding, movements,
moult, ectoparasites, time of breeding, clutch size,
breeding success, fledging period, foraging and
diet. Finally, there are briefer accounts of the 27
species that have bred irregularly since 1950 and of
eight introduced or feral species.

The book is not only packed with information
but it is well-designed, making it a delight to read.

I recommend it without reservation to those with
any interest in the birds of the Mediterranean. If
you are one of those who has hesitated over vis-
iting Malta because of its dreadful history of
shooting and trapping, buy the book, be inspired
by the book to make that visit and do what you
can to support the fine work of BirdLife Malta.

Jeremy Greenwood

The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds

By Richard Crossley

Princeton University Press, 201 1

Pbk, 544pp, many colour photos, maps

ISBN 978-0-691-14778-9. Subbuteo code M20884

£24.95 BB Bookshop price £22.49

This book on North
American birds was
long anticipated,
launched with a
fanfare of publicity, and promised to be, to quote
the first word of the back-page blurb: ‘revolu-
tionary’. For anyone who missed the publicity over
its launch, it uses a host of digitally manipulated
photographs of each species arranged against a
single background, with no paintings and minimal
text.

Three things become obvious when you first
see the book, even before opening it: the word
‘field’ is missing from the title; the volume covers
only ‘Eastern Birds’; and the book itself is decid-
edly hefty (over 1.6 kg in weight). This is not a
book that many people will even consider taking
into the field, and if you head to the west coast
you’ll need another guide (although the definition
of ‘eastern’ in this volume goes right to the
foothills of the Rockies).

The plates themselves are impressive. Most
species get a full page, although some get only half
or a quarter of a page, and each plate shows mul-
tiple photographs of the named species (there are
30 or more individuals on some plates), set against
an appropriate background. There is an awful lot
going on in some plates and although the reviewer

uses reading glasses only occasionally, they were
required frequently when looking at this book. The
sheer volume of work involved is astounding.
Almost every photograph has been taken by the
observer, and the post-production of the photos is
equally impressive. Despite the varying light condi-
tions in which the photos must have been taken,
the plates all look consistent and pleasing to the
eye. The backgrounds do their job well, giving a
good feel of the habitats in which the birds are
likely to be encountered, although occasionally
they are a little distracting. There are little surprises
to be found on almost every plate, with birds
depicted doing all sorts of activities, in all sorts of
plumages and in all sorts of poses. The overall
impression gained from each plate is to get a real
feel of the species, just as the author intended.

This leads one to consider the long-running
debate of photographer versus artist. A skilled
artist can choose the pose and the plumage and
emphasise the diagnostic feature in a way that a
photograph can’t, although Crossley’s myriad of
photos show the appearances of a species in a way
that has rarely been attempted before. Those
photos of the back end of a sparrow flying away
from the observer, the sort that many photogra-
phers might delete, have been put to good use
here. The plates do, however, look oddly familiar at

The CROSSLEY

GUIDE

Eastern Birds

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British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 43^48

Reviews

times: the birds-in-habitat plates recall the paint-
ings by the late Donald Watson in The Oxford Book
of Birds (first published in 1965), while the many
illustrations of the same species in different pos-
tures and in flight recall Peter Hayman’s work,
which first appeared in The Mitchell Beazley Pocket
Guide to Birds in 1982.

The emphasis is very much on the pictures and
the text is brief, a few lines at the base of each page,
and written in a chatty, non-technical style (e.g.
the Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla account states
that ‘arguably no other bird has as much character
as this punk rocker’). To save space, extensive use is
made of the four-letter alpha-code abbreviations,
which makes some of the comparisons to other
species rather obscure for the uninitiated.

The order of species is also controversial, drop-
ping the traditional systematic list and grouping
birds as swimming waterbirds, flying waterbirds,
walking waterbirds, upland gamebirds, raptors,
miscellaneous larger landbirds, aerial landbirds,
and songbirds. This is not really a surprise, since
Crossley was one of six authors proposing this new
order in Birding in 2009 (see http://www.aba.org/
birding/v4 1 n6p44.pdf). As the authors of this paper
noted themselves, attempts to produce identifica-
tion guides using anything other than systematic
lists have been largely unsuccessful. It remains to
be seen whether this utilitarian order will be any
more useful.

So is the book revolutionary, as it claims? The
logic for the claim is explained in depth on the
author’s website (www.crossleybooks.com): ‘the
Crossley ID Guide was... created by following the
principles of how we teach kids and scientific
research on how the brain works... designed -
whether you like its concept or not - to make you
a better birder.’ At the heart of these claims are the

ideas that we learn through repetition (hence the
multiple images) and learning in context (hence
the birds shown in habitats). But can a mere book
provide these inputs? Can a book really replicate
the process of learning in the field?

Many hundreds of reviews and thousands of
words have already been written about this book.
The response has been largely enthusiastic and
occasionally passionately favourable, although a
few reviewers have stated that they ‘don’t get it’. An
unscientific trawl of North American birding blogs
would suggest that very few birders are throwing
away their copies of Sibley just yet, but many
birders are adopting the book as one of their first
and most important identification aides. Yet many
reviewers have raised a valid point - what exactly
is the book for? It seems to fall between several
stools. It’s too big to use in the field, yet its greatest
value seems to be as a field guide; it seems to be
aimed at improving and educating novices, yet it
seems to be most popular with the birding expert.
If it is best as a resource for birders’ libraries and
for poring over at leisure, perhaps a larger-format,
glossier edition with slightly sharper plates might
have been the route to follow.

Personally, I’m not really sure that any identifi-
cation guide produced on paper can ever claim to
be revolutionary any more (although the revolu-
tionary multimedia guide seems no nearer). That
said, this is still a very impressive, attractive,
thought-provoking book which has quickly estab-
lished itself as a must-have for many birders. Is it
the best photo guide ever produced?: almost cer-
tainly. And there is a companion volume on the
Birds of Great Britain in the pipeline, something
that will be eagerly anticipated by most birders.

Mike Pennington

Birds of Seychelles

By Adrian Skerrett and Tony Disley
Christopher Helm, 2011
Pbk, 176pp, 65 colour plates
ISBN 978-1-4081-5151-8 Subbuteo code M21087

£24.99 BB Bookshop price £22.49

This book is a con-
densed version of the
Helm guide published
in 2000 (which was
co-authored with Ian
Bullock). That guide became the only modern
book to cover every species recorded in the Sey-

chelles (it is still available and provides a huge
resource of information). In this new volume the
text has been considerably reduced and rewritten,
making it more concise and focused towards iden-
tification. It highlights key identification features,
including habitat, distribution, status and voice.
The original plates have been repeated but many

♦ IIKI M I IF.LI) Ul IDES

Birds of

Seychelles

si co mi inn ion

ldn«n Mcrrrti • ll»4o

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have been resized and a number of new images
have been added, with 12 additional plates too; in
total there are now around 1,000 illustrations.

Species order follows the traditional Voous
sequence (used by the African Bird Club for many
years until its recent decision to follow the IOC
List), and an appendix lists names in French and
Creole as well as their English equivalent. Brief
notes describe each of the main islands and
Important Bird Areas, and although range maps

are lacking the author uses a table comprising 16
distribution bars in four different colours to indi-
cate the status of each species on each of the
islands; a good idea that works well.

I his is a handy book that will take up very little
room in your bag. It is really designed for field use
but I expect that many people will still want the
original to read in their hotel room.

Keith Betton

Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd edn)

By Martyn Kenefick, Robin Restall and Floyd Hayes

Christopher Helm, 201 1

Pbk, 272pp, 115 colour plates, maps

ISBN 978-1-4081-5209-6 Subbuteo code M19853

£24.99 BB Bookshop price £22.49

This is the second
edition of the book
which first appeared
in 2007. Publishers
often push out a new
version of a book with relatively little effort to
improve on what has gone before - but that is not
the case here. If you have that first edition, then
you probably don’t need to buy a new copy, but for
first-time buyers, this is the edition to look for as it
includes better illustrations and updated text.

In typical field-guide style the colour plates on
the right-hand page are clearly annotated, feature
around five species and face text on the left page.
In the first edition some of the plates were poorly
laid out with too much empty space on some,
while others were crowded. An extra 16 pages have
helped to allow eight more plates to be included.
Some of Robin Restall’s excellent illustrations have
been taken directly from his hefty two-volume
Birds of Northern South America but others have
been commissioned for this second edition.

The text has been updated by Martyn Kenefick
and Floyd Hayes and provides information on

plumage, voice, similar species and status. The
book is very thorough and all 471 species on the
Trinidad and Tobago list are dealt with, nearly 200
of these being vagrants. Even formerly resident
species such as Horned Screamer Anhima cornuta
are included - despite none being seen since 1964.
Care has been taken to show migrants (e.g. the
North American wood-warblers) in all possible
plumages that might be encountered. Nomencla-
ture mainly follows the AOU and South American
Checklist Committee.

The authors have chosen not to include distri-
bution maps, which is a shame, but the truth is
that there are parts of south Trinidad rarely if ever
visited for a whole variety of reasons; restricted
access and safety being just two of these. However,
the text does explain on which island each species
can be seen. A systematic checklist is given at the
back, as is a list of species for which descriptions
are required by the local records committee. There
are also sections describing the main sites to visit
on both islands.

Keith Betton

rnmmmmm

Birds of
Trinidad &
Tobago

\Xm\m kvot’Kl. K.4«n tnd I tmJ

Finding Birds in Estonia

By Dave Gosney
www.easybirder.co.uk, 2011
DVD (85 mins) and 36-page booklet
ISBN 978-1-907316-30-2/
978-1-907316-29-6
Subbuteo code V80092
BB Bookshop price £20.00

Since Estonia gained its independence from the
former Soviet Union it has been a regular destina-
tion of Finnish birders and, with the advent of
budget flights to Tallinn, British birders can now
get there almost as easily and cheaply. Estonia is a
wonderiul country which provides fabulous
birding during the migration seasons and this is a
good introduction to some of the key sites.

RR

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News and comment

Compiled by Adrian Pitches

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

British Birds conservation grants

[ he British Birds Charitable Trust - in consulta-
tion with the directors of BB - has approved grants
totalling £6,000 to five conservation causes at
home and abroad.

The recipients are as follows: the BTO for its
pioneering research into the African wintering
grounds ot the fast-declining Common Cuckoo
Cuculus canorus; the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Madagascar Pochard Aythya innotata project; the
RSPB’s rat eradication programme on the Pacific
island of Henderson; A Rocha’s conservation pro-
gramme for the European Roller Coracias garrulus
in France; and grant aid for young people staying
at bird observatories in the UK.

Prof. Richard Chandler, chairman of the British
Birds Charitable Trust, said: ‘A decade after BB was
rescued from potential closure, the journal is now
on a sound financial footing and has increasing
subscriber numbers. It has always been our inten-
tion to donate any surpluses to worthwhile conser-
vation causes and we are delighted to make these
grants totalling £6,000 in our 105th year of publi-
cation.’

In the summer of 2011, BTO scientists trapped
and satellite-tagged five male Cuckoos in an
attempt to track their migration south to their
wintering grounds in central Africa. The research
has already produced excellent results with all five
birds (Clement, Chris, Kasper, Martin and Lyster)
successfully tracked south to the equatorial forests
of the Congo (see www.bto.org/science/migration/
tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking). In 2012 British
Birds will sponsor another satellite-tracked
Cuckoo, which will be called ‘BB’.

The Critically Endangered Madagascar Pochard
is a diving duck that was considered extinct in the
wild until its rediscovery on a lake in northwest
Madagascar in 2006. Protection of the tiny
remaining population and research into its ecology
has been led by the WWT.

Henderson Island is a UK Overseas Territory in
the Pitcairn group. It’s one of the most remote
islands in the world - but not sufficiently remote
to avoid invasion by ship-borne rats. Once home
to an estimated five million pairs of nesting
seabirds, it now hosts barely 40,000 pairs - and
95% of the eggs and chicks are taken by rats every
year. The RSPB - with UK Government financial
assistance - is carrying out a £1.5m rat eradication
programme using poison baits, which will hope-
fully allow the re-creation of a seabird paradise.

A Rocha is a conservation charity with a Chris-
tian ethos. It is working with farmers in southern
France in one of Europe’s last strongholds for the
magnificent multi-coloured Roller. The BB grant
aid will help to pay for nestboxes and advice
leaflets for farmers to help conserve this wonderful
bird.

Encouraging young people to pursue their
interest in birds and birdwatching is crucial, as
they are the next generation of conservationists.
BB grant aid will help up to six young people with
the costs of a stay at a bird observatory on the
British coast and/or expenses incurred learning to
be a bird ringer. If you know anyone aged 16-18 at
your bird club or RSPB group who would benefit
from such a grant, please e-mail adrianpitches@
blueyonder.co.uk for details of how to apply.

Update from Henderson Island eradication operation

And here’s the latest bulletin from the RSPB about
the rat eradication operation on Henderson Island
(see Brit. Birds 103: 428—444):

‘The RSPB is delighted to announce that its
ground-breaking operation to restore Henderson
Island in the Pitcairn Overseas Territory has now
taken place. At 43km2, Henderson is the third-
largest island eradication ever undertaken. Whilst
we cannot be certain that the rats have been eradi-
cated, we are optimistic of success and eagerly
await a monitoring expedition in 2013 which will
hopefully confirm that Henderson is rat-free.

‘The biggest challenge was the island’s extreme

remoteness in the centre of the South Pacific, and
the difficulty of getting the team and their equip-
ment there. The RSPB formed a unique partner-
ship with two other restoration projects to share
equipment and expertise. In May, the MV Aquila
was loaded with two helicopters in Seattle, USA,
before setting out to complete a remarkable
27,000-km voyage of conservation via Palmyra
Atoll (USA), the Phoenix Islands Protected Area
(Kiribati) and then Henderson Island.

‘MV Aquila arrived at Henderson in August
and baiting to remove the rats began almost
straight away. Two helicopters, operating from the

© British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 49-52

49

News and comment

converted deck of the ship, dropped rodenticide
from bait buckets slung beneath. These buckets
use small petrol-powered motors to fire the bait
pellets out in a 80-m-wide swathe. Using GPS
technology, the two highly experienced pilots
could then spread the bait methodically across the
entire island.

‘ The first bait drop took three days, with a
repeat drop taking place a week later to ensure that
all rats had access to bait. This was the first time
that such a boat-based operation had been imple-
mented, and it is hoped that this success will lead to
many similar operations. The possibilities to link
up future island restoration projects and achieve
large-scale conservation benefits are significant.

‘Four species of landbird are unique to Hen-
derson: Henderson Crake Porzana atra , Henderson
Lorikeet Vini stepheni, Henderson Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus taiti and Henderson Fruit Dove
Ptilinopus insular is. Of these species, only the crake
was at risk from the poison and a team arrived on
Henderson one month before the MV Aquila to

establish a captive population of Henderson
Crakes. The team, including an aviculturist from
the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, was suc-
cessful with the captive population in that they
even managed to breed them in captivity, a world-
first, releasing six extra chicks at the end of the
operation.

‘Some mortality was observed in the wild crake
population, but they have since been breeding vig-
orously and it is anticipated that the population will
increase beyond its pre-operational level in the
absence of rat predation (the crakes had previously
been losing annually around a quarter of their
chicks to rat predation within one week of
hatching). The team monitored for rat presence and
reported no signs of rats in the 1 1 weeks they spent
on Henderson, after the baiting had taken place.

‘Many thanks to all who helped us to raise the
£1,450,000 needed to carry out the project. We
hope to update you with good news in 2013.’

(Contributed by David Agombar)

English Hen Harriers ‘four steps’ from extinction

The Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus is the bird most
likely to become extinct in England because of
human pressure, says the RSPB. A joint survey of
the English uplands in 2011 by the RSPB and
Natural England found that only four nesting pairs
of Hen Harrier successfully raised young, all on a
single estate in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire.
This is believed to be the lowest population in
England since they recolonised in the 1960s fol-
lowing extinction in the late nineteenth century.
Historically, the Hen Harrier was widespread in
England.

A government-backed report - the Hen Harrier
Conservation Framework - proved that illegal per-
secution on driven-grouse moors is the main
factor restricting the growth of the Hen Harrier
population in the UK. The framework reported
that England’s uplands could support at least 320
pairs of this bird of prey. Hen Harriers disap-
pearing from England for a second time will see
the Government break its recent commitment in
the revised England Biodiversity Strategy to avoid
any human-induced extinctions before 2020.

Hen Harriers were formerly widespread in the
UK, but persecution forced the mainland extinc-
tion of the Lien Harrier in Britain, and by 1900 it
was confined to Orkney and the Outer Hebrides.

In the 1940s, it recolonised mainland Britain, and
two decades later it recolonised England.

Hen Harriers sometimes prey on Red Grouse
Lagopus lagopus on upland shooting estates,
making them unpopular on many grouse moors.
Given the bird’s potential for extinction in
England, the RSPB and Natural England are
appealing to grouse-moor owners to support tech-
niques being trialled to reduce predatory impacts
on grouse from harriers.

A demonstration partnership project at Lang-
holm Moor, in the Scottish Borders, is looking at
the effectiveness of a measure known as ‘diver-
sionary feeding’, where an alternative food supply
is left for the harriers, so that the birds have a
source of food and won’t be tempted to take
grouse chicks. Early results look promising,
enabling the birds to nest successfully without
causing alarm to grouse-moor owners and man-
agers. Preliminary results show that no grouse
chicks have been brought to monitored Hen
Harrier nests in four years at the study site.

Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Conservation
Director, said: ‘With only four pairs of Hen Harrier
in England, this bird has only four steps before
extinction and the Government has very little time
to act to prevent breaking their promise.’

For extended versions of many of the stories featured here,
and much more, visit our website www.britishbirds.co.uk

50

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 49-52

News and comment

Scotland’s White-tailed Eagles soar to new heights

« _

c \

32. White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, Scotland, June 2011.

Happier news on raptors
came from north of the
Border where 201 1 has proved
another record-breaking year
for breeding White-tailed
Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla ,
despite heavy storms
throughout the breeding
season. Recent survey figures
for the 2011 breeding season
reveal that there were 57 terri-
torial pairs in Scotland, an
increase of 10% on the pre-
vious year. A total of 43 young
fledged successfully from
these nests.

White-tailed Eagles finally
became extinct in Britain at
the beginning of the twentieth
century because of human
persecution. After an absence of over half a century,
a reintroduction programme began in 1975 on the
Isle of Rum in the Inner Hebrides. Since then, the
population has been steadily recovering, and con-
servationists believe that there are now as many
‘flying barn doors’ in the UK as there were 150
years ago.

The successful breeding season on the west
coast of Scotland comes as a further 16 White-
tailed Eagle chicks from Norway were released in
Fife in August. The chicks are part of a six-year
project, now entering its final year, to increase and
expand the range of this iconic species into its
former haunts in the east of Scotland.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land
Management at RSPB Scotland, said: ‘The White-
tailed Eagle is part of Scotland’s rich natural her-
itage and it is fantastic to see them back where they
belong and gradually increasing in numbers and
range on the west coast. They are improving biodi-
versity in this country and bringing in important
economic benefits to the communities they soar
above. Now, with the east-coast reintroduction
entering its final year, we are anticipating the first
steps towards the establishment of a breeding pop-
ulation of sea eagles on the other side of Scotland.
There is plenty of suitable habitat and natural wild
prey to support a healthy population.’

Vote to strengthen raptor protection in 2012

An e-petition on the Downing Street website seeks
to gain further protection for the raptor popula-
tions of England in line with recent legislation
introduced in Scotland. Its backers are calling on
the Government to introduce an offence of ‘vicar-
ious liability’ for landowners whose employees are
taken to court for persecution of raptors.

Here’s the e-petition wording: ‘Scotland, recog-
nising that those who persecute birds of prey fre-
quently do so at the direction of their employers or
others with vested interests, has introduced an
offence of vicarious liability, the purpose of which
is to bring those parties to justice. This petition
calls on the government to introduce an offence of
vicarious liability to bring to justice those who
direct or turn a blind eye to raptor persecution in
England. As an indication of how bad things are,
in the last year only four pairs of Hen Harriers

successfully reared chicks in England, fourteen
Peregrine Falcon territories failed on grouse moors
in the Forest of Bowland, and only one successful
Goshawk nest was recorded in the Derwent Valley,
Derbyshire. Current legislation is not enough to
deter those who break the law and destroy our
heritage; the introduction of vicarious liability
would hit those directing the slaughter.’

The e-petition requires 100,000 signatures to
trigger a response by the responsible Government
department (Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs). In mid December the signature count
was 4,300. The e-petition runs until November
2012. Please add your name and alert all
fellow birders to the campaign. If only 10%
of the RSPB membership signed up, the
target would be met overnight. The link is
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23089

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 49-52

51

Mark Count

News and comment

Britain’s most imprisoned egg-collector is jailed again

A serial egg-collector has extended his criminal
record as Britain’s most imprisoned egg-collector
by being sentenced to yet another jail term, for six
months, following conviction for stealing and pos-
sessing wild birds eggs, including those of some of
the rarest and most threatened birds in the country.

Matthew Gonshaw, 49, of Bow in East London,
has already been jailed on three previous occasions
for similar offences and on 13th December he
pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates Court to
another ten charges. Gonshaw ’s home was raided
by officers from the Metropolitan Police and RSPB
Investigations unit on 2nd June 2011. Nearly 700
eggs were found at the premises.

Gonshaw faced ten charges, including taking
five Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos eggs and 12

Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta eggs from the wild,
and possessing eggs from the following Schedule 1
species: Golden Eagle, Osprey Pandioti haliaetus ,
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Red Kite Milvus
milvus and Avocet. The remaining wild birds’ eggs
were all held illegally but were from species not
covered by Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Coun-
tryside Act 1981.

RSPB Investigations Officer Mark Thomas said:
‘We believe that the introduction of custodial sen-
tences in 2001 for the most serious wildlife crime
cases has forced most of Britain’s egg-collectors to
throw in the towel. But it is clear that Gonshaw ’s
obsession drives him to target the rarest birds in
Britain, where the prospects of jail or depriving the
country of threatened species are simply dismissed.’

And the long arm of the law extends from Britain to Bulgaria

A tip-off to the RSPB has led to an international
wildlife-crime operation and a raid on the home
of an Englishman in Bulgaria, where a collection
of eggs was seized. Officers from the RSPB - and
its Bulgarian partner BSPB - assisted Bulgarian
police with the raid, in the coastal city of Bourgas.
The case - the first of its kind in Bulgaria - has
involved information being passed from the RSPB
to the Bulgarian authorities via the UK National
Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).

Guy Shorrock, an RSPB investigations officer,
said: ‘We’ve been investigating this lead with keen

interest. We’re delighted that this international
operation has led to the seizure of wild birds’ eggs.
Five clutches of wild birds’ eggs were recovered,
including Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, Collared
Pratincole Glareola pratincola and Ortolan
Bunting Etnberiza hortulana. It is disturbing that a
collection of wild birds’ eggs has been seized in
Bulgaria, which has so many threatened and vul-
nerable species. We are very concerned that coun-
tries like this may be vulnerable to egg-collecting
as they have no history of investigating these types
of offences.’

Announcements

BB Bird Photograph of the Year 2012

The 36th BB Bird Photograph of the Year competition is free to enter and, as
usual, seeks to recognise the best and/or the most scientifically interesting
photographs of Western Palearctic birds taken during 2011. In addition
to the main award, there is a digiscoping section too. Up to three images
may be submitted and, for full details of the rules and how to submit
entries, go to www.britishbirds.co.uk/about/bird-photograph-of-the-year

The competition will again be sponsored by Anglian Water in 2012,
to whom we remain extremely grateful for providing a cash prize of
£1,000 for the overall winner. Collins, Helm/Bloomsbury and the Eric
Hosking Charitable Trust will continue their long-term support of the
Award too. The winning entries will be exhibited at the British Birdwatching Fair in August, where the
awards will be presented.

The closing date for the 2012 competition is 1st April 2012.

(ovt O
euery V

AYOpo

anglian

Changes to the BB list of names

Following taxonomic changes to the British Fist announced in September by the BOURC’s Taxonomic Sub-
committee (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.eom/doi/IO.l I I I /j. 1 474-9 1 9X.20 1 1.0 1 I55.x/full), the BB list of Western
Palearctic birds has been updated for the beginning of BB Vol. 105 - go to www.britishbirds.co.uk/birding-
resources/the-british-birds-list to download the revised list.

52

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 49-52

Recent reports

Compiled by Barry Nightingale and Harry Hussey

This summary of unchecked reports covers
early November to early December 2011.

Headlines Many of the rarities were
obliging long-stayers, including a Western
Sandpiper in Norfolk, Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper in Avon, Greater Yellowlegs in
Northumberland and a Veery in Highland,
not to mention the Northern Waterthrush
in Scilly, which, by 1st December, had
extended its stay to 77 days. An elusive
Blackpoll Warbler in Kent, however, was
somewhat more difficult to catch up with.
Influxes included at least 21 Hume’s
Warblers together with a further 18 Dusky
Warblers, 13 Desert Wheatears and six
Olive-backed Pipits. There were also typically
late records of Pallid Swift and Pied
Wheatear, and two more Red-flanked
Bluetails to add to the year’s already
impressive tally. Tundra Bean and Eurasian
White-fronted Geese were widespread in
unexpected locations and there was also an
influx of Common Cranes.

Tundra Bean Goose’ Anser fabalis rossicus There
was a widespread influx across Britain from mid
November onwards, with the size of many flocks
breaking local records, examples being 158 at Loch
of Strathbeg (North-east Scotland), 100 at
Wainfleet (Lincolnshire), 90 at Newtonhill (North-
east Scotland), 76 at Calvo (Cumbria) and 59 on
Fair Isle. Small numbers were recorded in Ireland,
with a peak of six at Lurgangreen (Co. Louth) on
3rd December. These Bean Geese were often
accompanied by exceptional numbers of Eurasian
White-fronted Geese Anser a. albifrons at locations
where large flocks are unusual, including 142 at
Spurn (Yorkshire) and 240 at Inverkeilor (Angus 8<
Dundee). Ross’s Goose Anser rossii In north
Norfolk presumably one roaming individual at
several localities between 15th November and 6th
December, then two at Berney Marshes (Norfolk),
11th December. Elsewhere, Embleton (North-
umberland), two, 1 5th— 27th November;
Carrbridge/Dulnain (Highland), 16th November.
Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Lissadell (Co.
Sligo), two, 10th November; Torr Resr (Somerset),
12th November to 10th December; Carr Mill Dam
(Lancashire & N Merseyside), 14th November;
Islay (Argyll), two, 15th November, four, 16th, one

remaining to 2nd December; Newport Wetlands,
1 3th— 1 9th November, same Goldcliff Pill (both
Gwent), 24th November; Belmullet (Co. Mayo),
7th December. Red-breasted Goose Branta
ruficollis Exminster Marshes/Bowling Green
Marsh/Topsham (all Devon), long-stayer to 4th
December; West Mersea, 1 4th— 2 1 st November,
same Old Hall Marshes (both Essex), 22nd
November and 3rd— 1 1th December. American
Wigeon Anas americana Long-stayers at Dawlish
Warren (Devon) to 11th December, Wellington GP
(Herefordshire) to 12th November and Rutland
Water (Rutland & Leicestershire) 23rd-28th
November (when killed by Great Black-backed
Gull Larus marinus); Anglers CP/Wintersett Resr
(Yorkshire), 9th November to 10th December;
South Uist (Outer Hebrides), 15th November to
7th December; Castle Loch/Kirk Loch/Lochmaben
(Dumfries 8c Galloway), 17th November to 8th
December; Saleen (Co. Cork), 1 8th — 20th
November. Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Long-
stayer, North Bull (Co. Dublin) to at least 10th
December; Tacumshin (Co. Wexford), 2 1 st— 27th
November; St Mary’s (Scilly), 27th November to
10th December; Longham Lakes (Dorset),
3 rd— 11th December. Ferruginous Duck Aythya
nyroca Long-stayers at Dinton Pastures (Berkshire)
to 4th December and Cockshoot Broad (Norfolk)
to 12th November; also Longham Lakes, 3rd-5th
December. Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Marden
Quarry (Northumberland), long-stayer to 10th
December; Anglers CP, 9th November to 1st
December; Rahasane (Co. Galway), 14th
November; Wimbleball Lake (Somerset), 9th— 1 1th
December. King Eider Somateria spectabilis
Burghead (Moray 8c Nairn), long-stayer to 14th
November, with it or another seen on 11th
December. Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata Long-
stayer, Ballinskelligs (Co. Kerry) to at least 20th
November; Largo Bay (Fife), 12th November;
Rathlin Island (Co. Antrim), 12th November;
Hurst (Hampshire), 21st November; St Ives
(Cornwall), two, 4th December; Dawlish Warren,
10th December. Bufflehead Bucephala aibeola
Helston Loe Pool (Cornwall), long-stayer to 11th
December.

White-billed Diver Gavia adamsii St Combs
(North-east Scotland), 13th November; South
Uist, 14th- 16th November.

Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Abbeyfeale (Co.
Kerry), 25th November. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

© British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 53-56

53

Rich Andrews

Recent reports

Long-stayers at Thorney Island (Sussex) to 27th
November and Blakeney (Norfolk) to 24th
November (presumed same at Salthouse, Norfolk,
28th-29th November); Lydney (Gloucestershire),
10th November to 6th December; Drumdowney
Upper (Co. Kilkenny), 12th November; Easington
(Yorkshire), 15th November; Bassenthwaite Lake
(Cumbria), 16th November; Tiree (Argyll),
1 7 th— 2 1 st November; Hengistbury Head (Dorset),
24th-26th November; Christchurch Harbour
(Dorset), 25th-27th November; Hillsborough (Co.
Down), 26th November to 10th December;
Landguard (Suffolk), 2nd December. Great White
Egret Ardea alba Reported from Buckinghamshire,
Co. Carlow, Carmarthenshire (three), Cheshire &
Wirral, Cornwall, Cumbria, Essex, Gower, Greater
London, Hampshire, Kent (up to six), Lancashire
& N Merseyside, Leicestershire & Rutland,
Lincolnshire, Co. Mayo, Norfolk, Nottingham-
shire, Pembrokeshire, Shetland, Somerset (five),
Suffolk, West Midlands, Wiltshire and
Worcestershire. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Leven (Fife), 1 4th— 15th November. Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus Long-stayers at Stanpit Marsh
(Dorset), to 6th December and Fingringhoe Wick
(Essex), to 7th December; Plymouth (Devon),

1 0th— 16th November; St John’s Lake (Cornwall),

1 0th— 13th November; Wacker Quay (Cornwall),
11th November; Stodmarsh, 1 1 th— 1 7th November
then Dungeness (both Kent), 1 8th— 26th November
and 4th December; Willington GP (Derbyshire),
12th November; Burton Mere Wetlands (Cheshire
8c Wirral), 12th— 14th November; Inch (Co. Cork),
12th November; Malltraeth (Anglesey), 1 5th— 20th
November; Minsmere (Suffolk), 27th November.

Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Little Island
(Co. Cork), 1 1th December.

Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus hudsonius Long-
stayer (2CY male) at Tacumshin to at least 19th
November, with a juvenile at North Slob on 13th

November (both Co. Wexford). Pallid Harrier
Circus macrourus Long-stayer at Power Head (Co.
Cork) to at least 3rd December, with two there on
12th and 1 6th— 1 7th November; Lough Corrib (Co.
Galway) 5th November to 11th December;
Ballycotton (Co. Cork), 15th November; Lizard
(Cornwall), 15th November. Gyr Falcon Falco
rusticolus Power Head, 14th November; Findhorn
Valley (Highland), 20th November; Scorra Dale
(Orkney), 2nd December.

Common Crane Grus grus There was a notable
influx of Cranes, with up to 33 in Cornwall,
including a flock of 24, which later moved to
Devon, then Hampshire. Smaller flocks of up to
eight birds were widely reported, including a
lingering group of seven at Boyton/Gedgrave
(Suffolk) to 11th December. In Ireland, 15 near
Castletownroche, 12th- 13th November; 14 near
Ballincollig, 13th November; 19 near Midleton,

1 3th— 2 1 st November (all Co. Cork), plus singles
and flocks of up to five reported from at least eight
further sites.

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus Sherkin Island (Co.
Cork), 10th November. American Golden Plover
Pluvialis dominica Lewis (Outer Hebrides), long-
stayer to 13th November; Ardmore Point, Lough
Neagh (Co. Armagh) 13th November; Ythan
Estuary (North-east Scotland), 20th November;
Myroe Levels (Co. Derry), 27th November.
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla Chew
Valley Lake (Avon), 9th-20th November; Harris
(Outer Hebrides), 10th November; Greatham
Creek, long-stayer, 1 1 th— 13th November,
presumed same Seal Sands, 16th, and Saltholme
Pools (all Cleveland), 22nd-28th November, again
5th December. Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
Cley, 28th November to 11th December, also
Blakeney Point (both Norfolk), 28th November.
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla Blackrock Strand
(Co. Kerry), 21st November to 11th December.

33. Juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata, Chew Valley Lake, Avon, November/
December 201 I, with Semipalmated Sandpiper C. pusilla (and Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
and Dunlins C. alpina) in right-hand photo.

54

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 53-56

Rich Andrews

Recent reports

34. Fi rst-winter Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca (and
Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius), Hauxley, Northumberland,
November 2011.

White-rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis Harris, two,

10th November; Ballycotton,

15th November; West Canvey
Marsh (Essex), 18th
November. Baird’s Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii North
Ronaldsay (Orkney), long-
stayer to 18th November.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris
acuminata Blagdon Lake
(Avon), 18th November, same
Chew Valley Lake, 19th
November to 10th December.

Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago
delicata St Mary’s, long-stayer
to 24th November, then again
11th December. Long-billed
Dowitcher Limnodromus
scolopaceus Blagdon/Chew
Valley Lake, two long-stayers
to 1 1th December, also Catcott Lows (Avon), 30th
November; Wigtown (Dumfries & Galloway),
long-stayer to 15th November; Mucking (Essex),
19th November. Spotted Sandpiper Actitis
macularius Long-stayers at Plym Estuary (Devon)
and Chew Valley Lake, both to 11th December;
Lyme Regis (Dorset), 1 8th— 27th November;
Ballyduff Upper (Co. Waterford), 2 7 1 h— 2 8th
November; Cork City (Co. Cork), 27th November;
Nanny Estuary (Co. Meath), 28th November to
3rd December; Heybridge GP (Essex), 2nd-4th
December. Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
East Chevington/Hauxley/Druridge Bay (all
Northumberland), 12th November to 11th
December. Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Long-
stayers Tresco (Scilly), to 15th November and Alaw
Estuary (Anglesey), to 22nd November.

Bonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalus Philadelphia
Blackdog (North-east Scotland), 27th November.
American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus
Baltimore (Co. Cork), 27th November to 10th
December. Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri Long-
stayer, Galway Bay (Co. Galway) to at least 27th
November.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus Belated
news of one at Ballycogley (Co. Wexford), 27th
October. Pallid Swift Apus pallidus Portland Bill
(Dorset), 12th November.

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Tiree (Argyll), long-
stayer to 20th November. House Crow Corvus
splendens Long-stayer, Cobh (Co. Cork), until at
least 11th December. Penduline Tit Remiz
pendulinus Oare Marshes (Kent), 16th November;
Grove Ferry (Kent), two, 20th November, one to

25th; Leighton Moss (Lancashire & N Merseyside),
21st November; Dungeness, 24th November to 8th
December. Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica
Winterton (Norfolk), 18th November.

Hume’s Warbler Phylloscopus humei There was a
large influx, involving at least 21 birds, 1 1 of which
arrived during 1 1 th — 15th November. Five were
found in Shetland (Kergord on 8th November,
Trondra 14th- 19th November, Whalsay 1 5th — 30th
November, Grutness 15th— 20th November,
Gulberwick 1 6th— 1 9th November) and at least nine
reached East Anglia (in Suffolk, at Bawdsey on 8th
November, Gunton 1 3th— 15th November, and
Lowestoft 1 5th— 1 8th November, with two there on
19th, one remaining to 23rd November; in Norfolk,
Trimingham 9th— 1 0th November, Caistor-on-Sea
15th November, Great Yarmouth 20th— 2 1 st
November, Holme 23rd November and another on
28th). Elsewhere, singles at South Gare (Cleveland),
1 1 th— 1 2th November; Foveran Links (North-east
Scotland), 1 2th— 19th November; Winspit, 12th
November and Wyke Regis 23rd November to 11th
December (both Dorset); Sunderland (Co.
Durham), 14th November; Holy Island
(Northumberland), 15th November, and
Dungeness, 4th-7th December. Dusky Warbler
Phylloscopus fuscatus Birds remained at North
Warren (Suffolk) to 10th, Balmedie CP (North-east
Scotland) to 12th, and St Mary’s to 13th. Thereafter
a further 18 were found, 15 of those found during
1 2th— 1 5th November. Like Hume’s Warblers, most
were found in east-facing counties, including three
in Yorkshire, two each for Shetland, Norfolk and
Suffolk, plus singles in Fife, North-east Scotland and
Northumberland. In addition, in the southwest
there were three more on Scilly and three in

British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 53-56

55

Tom Tams

GaryThoburn Mark Rayment

Recent reports

35. First-winter male Eastern Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
phoenicuroides, Margate, Kent, November 2011.

Cornwall. Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta
Happisburgh (Norfolk), 8th— 10th November;
Winterton, 17th November.

Rose-coloured Starling Pastor roseus Power Head,
6th— 1 3th November; Inverkeithing (Fife),
7th— 1 2th November; Lodmoor (Dorset), 13th
November to 2nd December; Holyhead
(Anglesey), 1 9th— 26th November; West Bergholt
(Essex), 22nd— 27th November; Slapton Ley
(Devon), 23rd November; Radcliffe-on-Trent
(Nottinghamshire), 3rd December.

two males of the eastern form P. o.
phoenicuroides, potentially the first
British records, at Margate (Kent)
on 1 1th- 17th November and Holy
Island on 1 6th— 2 1 st November.
Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus
Seaton Common (Cleveland),
3rd-4th December. Isabelline
Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina
Wernffrwd (Gower), long-stayer to
10th November. Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka Sculthorpe
(Norfolk), 1 0th — 1 3th November.
Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti
Long-stayers at Nanjizal
(Cornwall) and Loftus (Cleve-
land), both to 10th November;
Holme, 10th— 12th November,
same Titchwell (Norfolk),

1 4th— 15th November; Bray Head
(Co. Wicklow), two, 1 3th — 15th November;
Brixham (Devon), 18th-22nd November;
Dungeness, 15th November; Skomer
(Pembrokeshire), 15th November; Porthgwarra
(Cornwall), 19th-22nd November; Bempton Cliffs
(Yorkshire), 19th November to 11th December;
North Bull, 20th— 21st November; Brownstown
Head (Co. Waterford), 22nd November; Titterstone
Clee (Shropshire), 25th November to 10th
December; Newbiggin (Northumberland),
4th— 1 1 th December; Lerwick (Shetland), 7th— 1 1 th
December.

Veery Catharus fuscescens Muck (Highland),
1 6th— 24th November. Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger
cyanurus Whitburn (Co. Durham), 10th November;
Landguard, 13th November. Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros A widespread influx included

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni Fair Isle, two,
10th, one to 12th November. Elsewhere in
Shetland, singles at Sumburgh, 1 1 th— 12th
November, Wester Quarff, 15th November,
Gulberwick, 16th November and Unst, 16th— 19th
November. Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus
rubescens Ballycotton, long-stayer
to 15th November; Ballinclamper/
Clonea (Co. Waterford) 22nd
November to 1 1th December.

Blackpoll Warbler Dendroica striata
Tunbridge Wells (Kent), 19th and
21st-22nd November. Northern
Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis
St Mary’s, long-stayer to 1st
December.

36. Male Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti , Brixham, Devon,
November 2011.

Arctic Redpoll Cardueli s

hornemanni Titchwell, 2nd-l 1th
December. Little Bunting Emberiza
pusilla St Mary’s, 13th November;
Durlston (Dorset), 19th
November; Steyning (Sussex), 19th
and 26th November.

56

British Birds 1 05 • January 2012 * 53-56

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