AUSTRALIAN 196 SEDGWICK: Notes on WATCHER

Notes on the Chiming Wedgebill occidentalis

During 1949-1950 while I resided at Leonora, Western Australia (28 °58 'S, 121°19 'E), I became familiar with the Chiming Wedge bill Psophodes occidentalis, observing it perhaps once a week over two years (Sedgwick 1952). Leonora is at the south-western limit of the Wedgebill's distribution (Blakers et al. 1984), and it is possible that this population was isolated. Although I have visited other localities within the Wedgebill's range and not encountered it, I find that it is necessary to live in an area if one is to detect more than about half the bird present. A record for the Great Victoria Desert (Ford & Sedgwick 1976) must have been made by Julian Ford and was not a personal one; it does not occur in my field notes. My experience of the Chiming Wedgebill differs somewhat from its habits described in the literature, therefore the following field notes are worth recording. They are extracted directly from my records; their publication was prompted by the elevation of the Chiming to a full species distinct from the P cristatus (Ford & Parker 1973), and recent statements concerning alleged differences between the two (Lindsey 1984). 20 March 1949. 'At one stage I approached three of the to within five feet' (1.5 m). 5 February 1950. 'Two, located near Leonora hospital, permitted unconcealed approach to seven feet' (2 m). T7 August 1950. 'Approached calling bird to ten feet' (3 m). 20 March 1949. 'I saw six closely grouped in a bush top. They may have been the whole flock, but I think about eight more likely'. 6 June 1949. 'After rain ... the flock comprised several birds, probably no fewer than six'. [Total rain for Leonora in 1949 was 5.8 inches (149 mm) and, in 1950, 6.2 inches (156 mm)]. 'One bathed in a small pool'. 12 June 1949. '. .. c. twelve birds calling in a wadi'. I attempted to describe a number of calls, but the method used was crude by comparison with the sonagrams obtained by Ford & Parker (1973). However, my records seem to suggest that calls are very varied. Calling appeared to be the year round. I noted the following verbal renderings of calls at the time, but cannot recall any further information on quality or inflection: 'Chit-chit-chit-chit'. 'Tink-tink' (or 'Chink-chink'). 'Tink-er-too'. 'Sweet Kitty Lintoff. '0 jeep' (bell-like). 'Sweet Kitty Lintoff, followed closely by a harsh 'Quark' or 'Quack'. 'Whoo-he'. 'Ticker-ticker-ticker-tack'. On 7 September 1950 I noted 'calling vigorously. Of recent months I have heard and seen these birds so frequently that I have not recorded ordinary occurrences'. As I recall, there were three places where I could find the birds with reasonable certainty. On 7 November 1949 I recorded 'Its mode of utterance was not unlike the (Oreoica gutturalis), i.e. it commenced calling with the bill closed, but opened the bill widely as the call proceeded'. As with the Crested Bellbird, this produces a ventriloquial effect. VOL. 13 (6) JUNE 1990 SEDGWICK: Notes on Chiming Wedgebill 197

Chiming Wedgebill Psophodes occidentalis distinguished in the field from the Chiming Wedgebill only by its call Plate 49 Photo: Keith & Beryl Richards

The environment inhabited by the Wedgebills was not particularly dense, but was probably the densest available - watercourses, usually dry, with Mulga dominant, probably Acacia aneura. I found that there was a tendency for Wedgebills to associate with White-browed Babblers Pomatostomus superciliosus and, possibly, Crested Bellbirds. Wedgebills run, i.e. do not hop, in my experience. The crest appears to be erect at all times. The main differences between my experience and that of others are in the bird's reaction to humans, and its gregariousness. Also, its calls are more varied than the literature suggests. My experience at Leonora does not support the view that the Chiming Wedgebill is 'extremely shy or elusive' (Ford & Parker 1973). I always found them confiding and easy to observe - qualities attributed to the Chirruping Wedgebill. With the possible exception of the birds in the Leonora hospital environs, I do not believe that the Wedgebills under observation had the opportunity to become habituated to people because they were in areas remote from human activity. The Chiming is said to be 'much more solitary' than the Chirruping Wedgebill (Lindsey 1984), but I observed it in groups. These observations suggest that the two forms may not be as different as has been claimed.

References Blakers, M., Davies, S.J.J.F. & Reilly, P.N. (1984), The Atlas ofAu stralian Birds, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. Ford, J. & Parker, S.A. (1973), 'A second species of Wedgebill?', Emu 73, !13-117. --& Sedgwick, E.H. (1976), 'Bird distribution in the Nullarbor Plain and Great Victoria Desert, W.A.', Emu 76, 99-123. Lindsey, T.R. (1984) , What Bird is That?, revised edn, Angus & Robertson, Sydney. Sedgwick, E.H. (1952), 'Bird life at Leonora, W.A .', Emu 52, 285-296. By ERIC H. SEDGWICK, 20 Herbert Road, Harvey, WA. 6220. Received 17 October 1989 • VOL. 13 (7) SEPTEMBER 1990 REVIEW: Raptors in the Modern World 241

Raptors in the Modern World, edited by B.-U. Meyburg & R.D. Chancellor, World Working Group on Birds of Prey and Owls, Berlin, London and Paris, 1989. Softcover, 15 x 23 em, 612 pp., 273 figures, maps and tables, 63 line drawings. 25 Pounds surface mail, 33 Pounds airmail. Birds of prey have suffered much at the hands of modern humankind. They have been relentlessly trapped, shot and poisoned in 'civilised' countries and, if that were not enough, their existence is threatened even more seriously by an insidious, passive assault in the form of habitat destruction and environmental pollution. Birds of prey are of great ecological interest and concern because, being at the top of the food chain, they are the species most sensitive to environmental problems. As such, they are valuable indicators of the health of our environment. Nevertheless, Australia has lagged behind the Western world in tackling these problems - we have been slow to give our raptors full legal protection, slow to study them properly, slow to ban the worst pesticides, slow to make polluting industries clean up their act, slow to make developers environmentally sensitive. The result has been a noticeable decline in some of our raptor species. We might think that these problems are not as bad here, but even now New South Wales may be about to lose the Red Goshawk and South Australia the Square-tailed Kite as breeding birds - both endemic genera, let alone species, yet there is no official action. If this were Europe or North America, there would be funding and a concerted effort to conserve them and if necessary reintroduce them from a captive breeding program. The appearance of a book such as Raptors in the Modern World should therefore be a timely warning of what could happen in Australia. The book is the Proceedings of the III World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls, Eilat, Israel, 22-27 March 1987, and as such is a collection of scientific papers (72 in all) of varying lengths. It is divided into nine parts: (l) Raptors on migration and wintering grounds; (2) Population biology and breeding; (3) Biology and conservation of rare raptors; (4) Biology and conservation of rare owls; (5) Raptors in polluted environments; (6) Habitat analysis and census techniques; (7) Promotion of legislation; (8) Education in raptor conservation; (9) Resolutions. Some papers deal with Australian species: a review of the evidence for rap tor movements in Australasia (part 1); papers on the Christmas Island Owl and Norfolk Island Boobook (part 4); a review of the Australian legal situation (part 7). Many of the other papers give valuable advice on methods or provide useful models for possible action in Australia. Part 5 has grave implications for Australia because of the impact (through residual effects), on a wide range of raptors, of persistent organochlorines that we have not banned or only recently banned. This book is an essential reference for Australians engaged in raptor research and management, and much of it is of interest to the amateur raptor enthusiast. It contains many valuable lessons for raptor study and conservation here as well as specific information on some of our region's raptors and relevant data on extra-regional species. It is available from the Hon. Secretary, World Working Group on Birds of Prey, R. D. Chancellor, 15b Bolton Gardens, London SW5 OAL, UK. Stephen Debus Correction - In Aust. Bird W:ltcher 13(6), p. 197, the caption to Plate 49 should of course read, 'Chiming Wedgebill Psophodes occidentalis distinguished in the field from the Chirruping Wedgebill P cristatus only by its call'.