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All Notes submitted to British are subject to independent review, either by the Notes Panel or by the BB Editorial Board.Those considered appropriate for BB will be published either here or on our website (www.britishbirds.co.uk) subject to the availability of space. Green drumming on metal plate surrounding nestbox entrance On 1st March 2008, at Priory Country Park, drummed seven times in a minute followed by a Bedford, I heard a loud, irregular tapping noise, further three times several minutes later. The which, on further investigation, I discovered was sound was quite dramatic, the amplification pro- made by a Green Woodpecker Picus viridis ducing a sound that one might expect to have a tapping on the metal plate surrounding the mechanical source, and the drumming could be entrance hole of a nestbox (of the sort used by heard well over 200 m away. As the woodpecker tits). The nestbox was acting as an amplifier, drummed only on the metal plate, it seemed to which resulted in the sound being heard over 100 m me that this was selected for the purpose of sound away. This behaviour was noted fairly regularly amplification. Three recently excavated nest holes during the following six weeks. There are 25 nest- were found in a tree about 8 m away from the boxes of this type situated fairly close together in most frequently used nestbox. BWP states that this section of the park and, during a three-week drumming is ‘inadequately studied owing to its period, at least two were used in this way. rarity’ and suggests that, although drumming can On 25th March, I heard the same irregular be loud, it is usually weaker than that of the Lesser tapping and waited about 30 m away to observe Spotted Woodpecker minor. the behaviour and record the sound. The - Great Spotted D. major have pecker then started drumming, using the same regularly been recorded drumming on metal technique of utilising the metal plate. It drummed objects, but the only record that I can find for a four times in a ten-second period, followed by Green Woodpecker doing this is of one irregular tapping, before drumming again. I recorded drumming on the metal cap of an observed a Green Woodpecker drumming in this electricity pylon (Brit. Birds 42: 122–123). way on five subsequent dates, the last being on It is interesting to speculate why drumming 20th April. Each period of drumming lasted for is a common feature of the behaviour of Great about one second and usually consisted of 12–14 and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers but seemingly strikes but eight were recorded on one occasion. rare in the Green Woodpecker. Perhaps the The frequency slowed down for the last 2–3 ‘yaffle’ call of the Green Woodpecker is suffi- strikes. Although on most occasions the ciently loud and far-carrying for the activity of drummed three or four times, on 27th March it drumming to be made largely redundant. David Kramer 7 Little Headland, Putnoe, Bedford MK41 8JT Green Woodpecker feeding behaviour Angela Walker Angela Angela Walker Angela 97 & 98. These photographs show an adult male Green Woodpecker Picus viridis feeding a fledged juvenile on a garden lawn in Farnham, Surrey, in August 2008. In the same way as for chicks in the nest, this occurred by regurgitation rather than direct feeding.

142 © British Birds 102 • March 2009 • 142–146 Notes nesting in natural tree hole On 30th May 2007, at Bookham Common, how much internal modification the birds had Surrey, I heard young birds calling from a made (although it seems likely that the interior hole in a Pedunculate Quercus robur. timber was soft/rotting, so presumably the A few minutes later, a male Great Spotted woodpeckers had excavated it to some degree). Woodpecker Dendrocopos major arrived at the I can find no mention in the literature of hole, and fed young which came to the such a nest-site for this species. The young entrance (plate 99). At one stage, three young fledged successfully several days later. could be seen. The hole was a natural one, with healed wood surrounding a central oval cavity, 11 m up on the underside of a slightly sloping main branch. From one of the photographs taken, the bill of the male was measured to the esti- mated forehead. Using this as a baseline of approximately 30 mm, the width of the hole was about 60 mm, and the vertical measure-

ment, subject to angular Alan D. Prowse bias, about 90 mm. It is 99. Male Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major not known, of course, at natural nest-hole, Surrey, May 2007. Dr Alan D. Prowse 46 Badingham Drive, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 9HA

Sounds made by Common Swift chicks Common Swift Apus apus nestlings produce a related to identification (since adults will feed range of sounds that are emitted predominantly, introduced chicks without hesitation; E. Kaiser but not exclusively, after the arrival of a parent at in litt.). the nest with food. The basic sounds (see fig. 1) Hand-reared chicks appear to emit two addi- are not unlike the purring of a small kitten, and tional types of sound, quite different from the are made at a higher frequency (7–9 kHz) than normal ‘purring’ calls. The first (fig. 2) appears the main components of the well-known impulsive and may be rendered phonetically as ‘si’ screams of the adults (4–7 kHz). These sounds or ‘tzi’; in a sonogram the calls appear similar to may provide a signal to the parents as, after suc- kHz 20 cessful feeding, the sounds tend to either 15 decrease in volume or cease temporarily. These 10 calls may also signal the health and vigour of the 5 chicks and/or reinforce parent–offspring bonds, 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 s but seem unlikely to be Fig. 1. ‘Purring’ sounds emitted by Common Swift Apus apus nestlings.

British Birds 102 • March 2009 • 142–146 143 Notes

kHz distance of c. 1 m, and it 20 is reminiscent of soft bill- clicking (although the bill 15 does not move). One of

10 us (HM) rescues and raises c. 35 chicks each 5 year, and of these on average 2–3 per year emit 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 s the mechanical ‘clicking’ call. The origin of this Fig. 2. Single impulsive sounds of a hand-reared Common Swift Apus apus nestling. sound is unknown, but those of adults (frequency 5.5–7.5 kHz), although examination (by AD) of one chick that used this the human ear will not identify them as such. The call and subsequently died showed no parasitic second, uttered by only some hand-reared chicks, infection of the respiratory organs, which had may be heard after feeding and seems to be of been suggested as a possible cause. non-vocal origin, made somewhat irregularly with Acknowledgment intervals of about 0.5 seconds between each sound We are grateful to Edward Mayer for his help in translating unit. The human ear can hear this sound from a the text into English. Ulrich Tigges, Andrea Dege and Hilde Matthes c/o Erlanger Straße 11, 12053 Berlin, Germany; e-mail [email protected]

Blackbirds eating fuchsia Further to the observations of John Stewart- in Burnley, Lancashire, in July 2007 and again in Smith (Brit. Birds 101: 328), I can report that I November 2008. This is something that I have watched a Blackbird Turdus merula eating not seen before, and perhaps this is a relatively fuchsia Fuchsia magellanica seeds in my garden new food source in Britain. Ken Spencer 167 Manchester Road, Burnley BB11 4HR

Blackcaps eating fuchsia Each winter I observe Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla Pembrokeshire (Brit. Birds 101: 328). feeding on the ripened of fuchsia Fuchsia Fuchsia is a widespread garden species in magellanica in my garden in Co. Wicklow. This and is frequently planted in hedgerows occurs mainly when birds first arrive, in mid or along the western seaboard. However, nearly all late November, and continues through the fuchsia hedges in western Ireland are com- December (after which few remain). The posed of var. ‘Riccartonii’, a horticultural cul- fruit of fuchsia is a relatively large, cylindrical tivar and possibly of origin, which hardly (long axis c. 20 mm), blackish-purple ever sets fruit (Webb et al. 1996). The typical which contains a large number of very small variety, which is the commonest in eastern seeds. The Blackcaps typically peck vigorously at Ireland, readily produces fruit and this is likely the attached berry, removing the pulp, while to provide a local food source for Blackcaps, perched on the bush. Blackcaps take a wide range Blackbirds and perhaps other fruit-eating birds. of both native and non-native fruits. Fuchsia, however, is not mentioned as a food item in References BWP, or by Leach (1981) or Snow & Snow (1988). Leach, I. H. 1981.Wintering Blackcaps in Britain and Ireland. I also regularly record Blackbirds Turdus Bird Study 28: 5–14. Snow, D., & Snow, B. 1988. Birds and Berries. Poyser, Calton. merula taking fuchsia berries from early August Webb, D. A., Parnell, J., & Doogue, D. 1995. An Irish Flora. onwards (as noted by John Stewart-Smith in Dundalgan Press, Dundalk. Brian Madden 29 La Touche Park, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

144 British Birds 102 • March 2009 • 142–146 Notes Blue and Great Tits foraging on Bracken The extensive accounts in BWP of the food and The records involving Great Tits were on 17th feeding behaviour of both Blue August 2007, by the Sloden Inclosure, New caeruleus and major do not Forest, Hampshire, when a flock of 20–25 were include any mention of the utilisation of so engaged, and on 26th July 2008 near Llan- Bracken Pteridium aquilinum as a foraging wrthwl, Breconshire, which involved 14 Great medium. Since July 2003, I have encountered Tits and five Warblers Phylloscopus just five examples of this behaviour during the trochilus. At both Swanton Novers and the summer months. Sloden Inclosure, the birds were observed close On 31st July 2003, while on the edge of to edge, so they had the arboreal for- Dartmoor above Scorriton, North Devon, a aging alternatives close at hand; in the other party of 6+ Blue Tits were watched foraging on examples, the nearest trees were 150–200 m both the upper and lower surfaces of Bracken away. During the summer, Bracken is fre- . Identical behaviour involving at least quented by a wide range of nine of these tits was noted on Lamb Down, including (Diptera), (Coleoptera), Dartmoor, on 2nd August 2006. On 30th small moths () and August 2006, on the edge of Swanton Novers (Araneae), and this type of foraging by tits may Wood, Norfolk, a loose flock of 11 Blue Tits be more frequent than these few records were foraging in the tops of tall, dense Bracken. suggest. Bryan Sage Waveney House, Waveney Close, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1HU

Great Tits attacking young rat At 16.00 hrs on 2nd June 2006, a young Brown entered the shelter of the rockery, the tits flew Rat Rattus norvegicus, about a quarter of adult away. There was no nest in the vicinity but the size, ran across the lawn of a garden in Ramsey, immediate area contained a feeding site and a Essex, between two sections of rockery planted bird bath. It is possible that fledgling Great Tits with . The rat was screaming, and were close by but they were neither seen nor clinging to its back was a pair of Great Tits heard. Parus major, pecking it vigorously. As the rat Sheila M. Mason Strome, Top Common, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk NR29 9PR

Second excavation causes nest failure

On 11th March 2005, we found a Willow Tit itself (plate 100). Seven were intact and Poecile montana nest in a dead Elder Sambucus seemingly undisturbed in the lining material. nigra in the scrub surrounding the decommis- Although Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendro- sioned reservoir of Thrybergh Country Park, copos major frequently predate Willow Tit nests, Yorkshire. Internal inspection (which was pos- their excavations produce a large hole with sible by eye and without the use of an endo- markedly jagged edges and many wood chip- scope) showed a sitting adult. The excavation pings on the ground below. They also tend to was typical of the species, consisting of a hole begin their excavations at the existing hole and just large enough for the adults to pass through, work downwards (plate 101). It thus seemed which led to a vertical, cylindrical chamber c. 10 unlikely that the hole was made by this species. cm deep. Weasels Mustela nivalis are also Willow Tit nest We revisited the nest on 18th March and predators. However, a previous observation found it to have been abandoned. A hole equiv- showed this species using the existing hole to alent in size to the entrance was found at the retrieve the nest contents rather than creating a base of the chamber, at the level of the nest new one. Moreover, no claw or teeth marks

British Birds 102 • March 2009 • 142–146 145 Notes David Morris Alex Lewis 100. Willow Tit Poecile montana nest-site, 101. Willow Tit Poecile montana nest-site predated as described in the text, showing two by Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major, entrance holes,Yorkshire, March 2005. Sutton Gravel-pits, Retford, Nottinghamshire, May 2006. were evident around the hole. Any predator that Between 2004 and 2006, we found and observed had been disturbed in its attempt to obtain the over 60 Willow Tit nests as part of the RSPB’s Willow Tits’ eggs would have been expected to Willow Tit Project. Given the striking similarity return to retrieve them. However, the eggs were between the second hole and the others, we still in the nest on a third visit, on 25th March. believe that it was made by another Willow Tit. Alex J. G. Lewis and Laura Daniells RSPB Willow Tit Project, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL

Eurasian Jay taking in flight On 30th January 2008, in St James’s Park, directly from, her hand. London, I saw a Eurasian Jay Garrulus glan- There are a number of instances of Jays darius flutter up from some bushes, apparently taking peanuts, including of one flying up to a take something in the air and back to the and taking the nuts in flight (e.g. bush. On investigation, I found a lady standing Brit. Birds 69: 105–106, 79: 342), while BWP on a secluded path with bushes on both sides, refers to Jays hovering ‘for 1–2 s to pull off - throwing peanuts a metre or so into the air for heads’ of cereals and to them pursuing the Jay, which flew up and took them in flight, in the air ‘in manner of shrike Lanius’. It also recalling exactly the flycatching behaviour of a states that the species will take cicadas Cicada Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata. I then saw orni in flight. These apart, I have traced no a second Jay behave in the same way, while a account of similar behaviour, which is evidently third was perched nearby. All three were within relatively unusual and this instance seems worth a couple of metres of the lady. On enquiry, the putting on record, not least because of the lady told me that she had been feeding the Jays tameness of what is normally, even in St James’s in this way for about five years and that some- Park, a rather wary species. times they would perch on, and take nuts Peter Oliver The Briar Patch, Limpsfield Chart, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0TL

146 British Birds 102 • March 2009 • 142–146