DOCSLIB.ORG

Woodcock Research Group &Lpar;IWRB&Rpar;

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Woodcock Research Group &Lpar;IWRB&Rpar; Woodcock Research Group (IWRB) MONICA SHORTEN East Gate, Old Castle Road, Salisbury, WiltshireSP1 3SF, UK Citation: Shorten, M. 1975. Woodcock Research Group (IWRB). Wader Study Group Bull. 15: 12. The exasperatingWoodcock Scolopax rusticola is a 'fringe measurementsof bill length and central tail feathers, ex- species'amongst waders and waterfowl and woodland game, pressedas a ratio, allow adultmales and females to be con- and tendsto be neglectedin any group study.Woodcock fused: the best that can be done without dissection is to use enthusiastsare perhapsas odd and solitaryas the bird they the formula of Stronach, Harrington & Wilkins which have chosen,and the new Woodcock ResearchGroup of reducesthe probabilityof error to 28%: IWRB is strivingto flush someand induce flocking behav- iour. -0.2952 x bill length + 0.1566 x centraltail featherlength: [...] It seemsthat the occasionalWoodcock does get ringedby if greaterthan -8.3640 = male (72% correct),and theWSG - a total of five wasrecorded for 1974- thankyou, if less than -8.3640 = female (75% correct). TRG andHumber! The captureand ringing of this bird dur- ing its breedingseason really separatesthe men from the Birds in their first twelve monthsafter hatchingmust be boys,yet thereis a greatneed for 600-700, mainly pulli or excluded,and this can be done by examiningthe tips and juveniles,to be ringedin the BritishIsles each year. It has proximaledges of theouter primaries (ragged outline on first not beenmet since 1935 (763 pulli) and the averageyearly years;smooth on olderbirds, at leastuntil April) andthe ter- total, including FGs on migration, has been about 30 in minal lighter bar on primary coverts(broader and browner recentyears with pulli averagingabout 8. So every young on young birds). This quick, simple methodcorrectly clas- Woodcockringed will be a help. The recoveryrate is 7.9%. sifies 95-98%. Any Woodcock ringed during migration Two yearsago Ib Clausager(Ka10, Denmark) published periodsor in the winter is worth suchextra recordsin the a goodguide to methodsof determiningthe age-classand sex notebook.But can anyonesex Woodcockpulli? of Woodcock from external features. Even very precise The value of bill lengths of museum specimens in biometric studies RON SUMMERS CultertyField Station, Newburgh, Ellon, Aberdeenshire, UK Citation: Summers, R.W. 1976. The value of bill lengths of museum specimens in biometric studies. Wader Study Group Bull. 17:10-11. The measurementof bill, wing, or any other structureis a onedoes not experiencesuch a complexsituation as seen in useful techniquein the study of migration (Evans 1964). Europe.One wouldtherefore expect the meanbill lengthsof However, the techniqueis fraught with problemswhich the freshlycollected birds and museumspecimens to be the make standardisation difficult. One of the difficulties is in the same. However, the table showsthat in the two species use of museummaterial. Standardbird text books give investigated,Turnstone Arenaria interpresand Sanderling biometricdata based on museumspecimens but the applica- Calidris alba, the museum birds tend to have lower bill tion of thesemeasurements to the field situationis problem- lengths. In the Turnstonethe difference amountsto 5.4% atical; e.g. it has been shownthat wings of museumskins (males) and 4.4% (females).These differences were highly shrink (Vepsalainen 1968, Green & Williams 1973). Bill significantin the Tumstone,but not in the Sanderlingwhere length,however, is believedto be the leastvariable of the the samplesize is smaller(Table 1). The explanationfor the biometricmeasurements though the possibilitythat the bills difference betweenthe two speciesmay lie partly in the of museumskins shrink has not beeninvestigated. structureof the bill, for in the Tumstonethe rhamphotheca I havethe opportunityto measurea seriesof freshlycol- (the hornysheath) extends further beyond the bonepoint of lected birds and to comparethem with skins from various the bill. The Sanderlingon the otherhand has a roundertip SouthAfrican museums(Cape Town, Pretoria,Durban, East to the bonearound which the rhamphotheca fits moreclosely London).Being at the tip of Africa it is likely that the birds (Figure 1). Shrinkageof the rhamphothecawill thereforebe of a given speciesare drawn from the sameorigin and that limited by the bone. 93 Bulletin 69 Special Issue July 1993 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Sanderling on Wilson's Promontory by Roy P
    Vol. 3 OCTOBER 31, 1970 No.8 The Sanderling on Wilson's Promontory by Roy P. Cooper*, Melbourne Although overseas books on ornithology have described the Sanderling, Calidris alba, as being "common on almost every ocean beach in the world", this does not apply, from the published records, to Australia. On this continent they are classed as rare species and they appear to return each year to a favourite area, where they may be seen in small flocks varying from five to two hundred birds. The main areas are at Boat Harbour, south of Sydney; several places from Port Phillip to Portland, in western Victoria : Goolwa Beach (200 birds) and at Pondalowie Bay in South Australia; also recorded in Western Australia and in Queensland. In the Australian Bird W ate her, 3:243, some of the observations recorded by the team who is carrying out the Survey of the Birds of Wilson's Promontory, were published, revealing the occurrence of the Sanderling in that area; the first records for eastern Victoria. This distribution is somewhat similar to that of the nesting groups. An Arctic breeder, the Sanderling nests within the Arctic Circle, in the tundra climatic zone. Although this zone extends around the Arctic Ocean, in northern Canada, Greenland, Europe and Asia, and the bird nests "within a mile or two of the coast", it appears to breed in very selected areas, and there are large gaps between the groups. It breeds on some of the Arctic islands of Canada; also along the north-western and north-eastern coasts of Greenland; in Spitsbergen; and in Siberia on Taymyr Peninsula, New Siberian Islands and Liakof Island.
    [Show full text]
  • Peeps and Related Sandpipers Peeps Are a Group of Diminutive Sandpipers That Are Notoriously Hard to Tell Apart
    Peeps and Related Sandpipers Peeps are a group of diminutive sandpipers that are notoriously hard to tell apart. They belong to a subfamily of subarctic and arctic nesting sandpipers known as the Calidridinae (in the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae). During their migrations, when most residents of North America have the opportunity to watch them, mixed flocks of calidridine sandpipers scurry about on mudflats, feeding at the edge of the retreating tide, or swarm aloft, twisting and turning like a dense school of fish. These traits, in a group of birds that look so much alike to start with, give bird watchers nightmares. Fortunately for Alaskans and visitors to our state, Alaska is an excellent location to view and identify calidridine sandpipers. The early summer breeding season is the easiest time of the year to distinguish the various species, not only because they are in breeding plumage and are more approachable than at other times of the year, but also because each species performs a characteristic courtship display with unique vocalizations. For the avid birder, Alaska has the additional attraction of being one of the best places in North America to view exotic Eurasian species. General description: Three peeps are abundant summer residents and breeders in Alaska—the least, semipalmated, and western sandpipers (Calidris minutilla, C. pusilla, and C. mauri) [all lists in order by size]. Another four species from Eurasia may also be seen—the little, rufous-necked, Temminck's, and long-toed stints (“stint” is the British equivalent for peep) (C. minuta, C. ruficollis, C. temminckii, C. subminuta). These seven species range from 5 to 6½ inches (15-17 cm) in length, and weigh from 2/3 to 1½ ounces (17-33 g).
    [Show full text]
  • Sunset Sanderlings
    SANDERLING MOLT Digital photography leads to novel insights about the presupplemental molt of the Sanderling NOTE: All live Sanderling photos in this article are PETER PYLE from the spring of 2019 at Ocean Beach or Fort Fun- San Francisco, California ston Beach, San Francisco, California. Except for Fig. [email protected] 8, all photographs and figures by © Peter Pyle. This is publication #628 of The Institute for Bird Populations. 30 BIRDING | AUGUST 2019 fter moving to San Francisco’s Sunset District in Jan. 2019, I had to find some new local patches, Ocean Beach quickly becoming one of them, and I would head down the hill two or three mornings per week Aon my way to work. Although my original goal was to analyze formative/first-alternate1 feathers in gulls, the Sanderlings soon captured my attention. They were a nutty bunch, hun- dreds of them, running up and down and across and over, chasing each other at top speed, squabbling over mole crabs, and ganging up on small dogs. When big dogs went after the Sanderlings, the Common Ravens came to their rescue, at- tacking the canines and driving them off. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, the Sanderlings freaked out and flew out to sea, a behavior known as “silent dread” in gulls. At other times, dozens or hundreds tended “gardens,” probing patches of heavily bill-pocked sand, indistinguish- able from the rest of the beach, but undoubtedly harboring some favored morsels of food. Then there was the morning, in the middle of January, when I noticed a plucky Sander- ling sitting atop the crosswalk sign at Pacheco Street and the Great Highway, about 100 meters from the ocean, sing- ing! It struck me that the Ocean Beach Sanderlings have perhaps acquired the human behavioral eccentricity of These Sanderlings are “tending a garden” at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, on May 6, 2019.
    [Show full text]
  • Red Knot Endangered STATUS Endangered Nova Scotia Calidris Canutus Rufa
    9 Red Knot Endangered STATUS Endangered Nova Scotia Calidris canutus rufa Fewer than 15, 000 of the rufa subspecies are left in the wild. Some visit coastal Nova Scotia during migration in the summer and fall. Winters in southern South America. Population Range Habitat Their wintering grounds and habitat during migration consist of coastal areas with large sandflats or mudflats, where they can feed on invertebrates. Peat banks, salt marshes, brackish lagoons and mussel beds are also visited. They breed in the arctic in barren habitats like windswept ridges, slopes and plateaus. Y E L S A L A G D E A R N G A C © S K R A P Species Description , L L L L I I H H R R E E V The Red Knot, rufa subspecies, is a medium-sized (25-28 cm) shorebird V A A C C N N A with a small head and straight, thin bill. In their non-breeding plumage, A N N N N E E R they have a light grey back (with white feather edges), grey-brown breast R B B © © streaks, white underparts and grey legs. Juveniles are similar in appearance but have a black band along the inside of the white feather edge, buffy Red Knots migrate through Nova Scotia along the coast in the summer underparts, and green-yellow legs. In their breeding plumage, they have a and fall. Adults in faded breeding plumage are observed in July and August, brilliant chestnut red breast, neck and face, white underparts, dark legs and a brown back with reddish, tan and black streaks.
    [Show full text]
  • Shorebird Habitat Conservation Strategy
    Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture Shorebird Habitat Conservation Strategy May 2007 1 Shorebird Strategy Committee and Members of the Joint Venture Science Team Bob Gates, Ohio State University, Chair Dave Ewert, The Nature Conservancy Diane Granfors, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bob Russell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bradly Potter, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mark Shieldcastle, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Greg Soulliere, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cover: Long-billed Dowitcher. Photo by Gary Kramer. i Table of Contents Plan Summary................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements...................................................................................................... 2 Background and Context ................................................................................................. 3 Population Status and Trends ......................................................................................... 6 Habitat Characteristics .................................................................................................. 11 Biological Foundation..................................................................................................... 14 Planning Framework.................................................................................................. 14 Migration and Distribution........................................................................................ 15 Limiting
    [Show full text]
  • 1 O/O Criterium 28, 33 Actitis Hypoleucos, See Also Common
    Index 1o/o criterium 28, 33 133-139, 160, 161, 165, 167, 180, 192, 201, broad-billed sandpiper 244 Actitis hypoleucos, see also common sandpiper 29 202,205,216,224,233,265,280,281,293, brood patch 242, 252, 279 Actitis macularia, see also spotted sandpiper 286 296, 318, 328, 344 brood, of shellfish 23, 231, 236-239, 242, 252, adultery 283 Bay of Dakhla 12 257,258,273,279,287,289,293,295-298,334 AEWA, see African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement Bay of Fundy 12, 13, 15, 224 brooding, of chickens 242, 260, 296 African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement 342 Belgium 11, 233 Briinnich 27 air speed 100 benthic fauna 122, 124, 125, 323, 330, 332, 336 Buccinum undatum, see also whelk 329 Alaska SO, 54, 105, 144, 252, 273, 277 Berg River Estuary 125 buffer hypothesis 269 algae 11, 19, 20, 73, 179, 329, 330 Bijag6s Archipel 95, 124, 125, 137 bullfinch 169 ambient temperature 129, 155, 157, 208, 255, bill length 188, 195, 201, 202, 203, 225 Burry Inlet 313, 333 256,260 bill shapes 85 butterfly flight 281 Ameland 210, 340 biodiversity 334, 335, 342 calcium 17, 107, 156, 162, 173, 184, 188, 193 American black brent goose 29 biomass 21, 24, 122, 170, 175-177, 195,209-211, calcium, protective layer 184, 192 American golden plover 261 213,227,228,229,301,319,321,323,330, Calidris alba, see also sanderling 28, 46 American razor clam 21 332, 333 Calidris alpina, see also dunlin 28, SO amphipod, see also Corophium volutator 21-24, Black Sea 13, 68 Calidris canutus, see also red knot 28, 31, 44 119, 159, 166, 172, 173, 177, 181-184, 196, black-bellied brent goose
    [Show full text]
  • NYSDEC SWAP SPCN Birds
    Common Name: American golden-plover SPCN Scientific Name: Pluvialis dominica Taxon: Birds Federal Status: Not Listed Natural Heritage Program Rank: New York Status: Not Listed Global: G5 New York: SNRN Tracked: No Synopsis: The American golden-plover was formerly classified as a subspecies of the lesser golden-plover (Pluvialis dominica), which included two forms: American golden-plover (P. d. dominica) and Pacific golden-plover (P. d. fulva). These are now regarded as separate species. While American golden-plovers breed in the northernmost areas of the continent, fall migrants fly offshore of the east coast and individuals can be found annually in New York. During migration, golden-plovers feed in short-grass prairies, pastures, tilled farmland, golf courses, airports, mudflats, shorelines, estuaries, and beaches. Population status and conservation needs of transient shorebirds are poorly known. Over-hunting decimated North American populations in the late 1800s and though regulations allowed populations to rebound, numbers have not returned to historic levels. Gunners were known to take thousands from New York’s coastal meadows and fields in the 1800s. Today, migrants sometimes number in the hundreds in New York. Distribution Abundance NY Distribution NY Abundance (% of NY where species occurs) (within NY distribution) Trend Trend 0% to 5% X Abundant X 6% to 10% Common 11% to 25% Fairly common Unknown Unknown 26% to 50% Uncommon > 50% Rare Habitat Discussion: In migration, American golden-plovers use variety of inland and coastal habitats, both natural and human- made: native prairie, pastures, tilled farmland, untilled harvested fields, rice fields, burned fields, golf courses, airports, mudflats, shorelines, estuaries, and beaches.
    [Show full text]
  • The​​Woodcock
    The Woodcock ANTIOCH​ ​ BIRD CLUB Founded​ ​ 2016 ​ ​ ​ ​ Volume 1 Number 2 November 2017 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Welcome Part 2 ​ ​ ​ ​ Welcome to the second issue of The Woodcock! In this latest edition, the Antioch Bird Club ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ reviews our October events, discusses new resources on campus, introduces our ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ upcoming events for November, and shares recent bird highlights from Antioch’s campus. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ABC Monthly Update ​ ​ ​ ​ Bagels and Birds ​ ​ ​ ​ On Saturday, October 14th, ABC held our 2nd Annual ‘Bagels ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ and Birds’ event. From 8 AM until 12 PM, a total of 15 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ participants stopped by the library to help themselves to some ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ fresh coffee and bagels while watching birds at the ABC ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ feeders across from the library windows. The primary focus of ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ the event was to introduce participants new to the club to its ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ resources while spending a relaxing morning of birding from the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ comfort of the library’s soft furniture. In total, 18 species were ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ observed, including ​ ​ Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Palm ​ ​ Warbler, and Dark-eyed Junco (the first of the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ fall season). For the full list of species
    [Show full text]
  • WARBLER RETURNS from SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS by KAT•LEE• • S
    218] MaxC. ThompsonandRobert L. DeLong Bird-BandingJuly Several other speciesof shorebirds were trapped with projected nets and banded, incidental to our main effort, as follows: Golden Plover 243, Bar-tailed Godwit 100, Sharp-tailedSandpiper 45, Rock Sandpiper 68, Red Phalarope 18, Pectoral Sandpiper 8, Baird's Sandpiper 3, Ruff 2, Sanderling 1, and Polynesian Tattler 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, kindly h91pedus with housing and logistical support while on St. George Island, We would especiallylike to acknowledge the help of Roy Hurd and Howard Baltzo. LITERATURE CITED Dn_•., It. It., W. H. T•Ol•NSSElm¾. 1950. A Cannon-Projected net trap for capturing waterfowl. Jour. Wildlife Manage., 14: 132-137. Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Progrm, Smithsonian Institution, Washington,D. C. Received December, 1966. WARBLER RETURNS FROM SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS By KAT•LEE• • S. A•rmRso• A•r• HERBERTK. MAX•IELr• s Long-term ecologicalresearch at pernmnent study areas provides unique opportunities for studies of individual birds and species. Farner (1955) pointed out that the use of banding data relative to conceptsof population dynamics is in its infancy and that "there is a great need for intensive sustained programs concentrating on individual speciesor groups of specieswith carefully integrated field studiesto establishthe plausability of the calculations". Stature (1966) emphasized the need for information on bird population abundance, dynamics, and movements for correlation with the work of virologistsstudying arbovirusesin which birds play a role. Unfortunately, few long-continuingstudies have beenundertaken in this country. For the past ten years the Encephalitis Field Sta- tion (formerly the Taunton Field Station) has been capturingbirds as part of a surveillanceprogram of two arthropod-borneviruses, Eastern Encephalitis (EE) and Western Encephalitis (WE).
    [Show full text]
  • First Recovery of a Red Knot <I>Calidris Canutus</I> Involving
    33 First recoveryof a Red Knot Calidris canutusinvolving the breedingpopulation on New Siberian Islands /[ke Lindstriim,Clive D. T. Minton& StaffanBensch Lindstr6m,•, Minton,C.D.T, & Bensch,S. 1999.First recovery of a RedKnot Calidris canutus involving the breedingpopulation on New SiberianIslands. Wader Study Group Bull. 89:33 - 35. We reportthe sighting of a maleRed Knot in NW Australiathat was colour-banded on its neston theNew SiberianIslands. This is the first recoveryinvolving a bird knownto be from thisbreeding population. Togetherwith dataon movementswithin the Australian-New Zealand region and the East Asian-AustralasianFlyway, it suggeststhat the non-breedingarea for the New SiberianIslands population is situatedmainly in NW Australia. •ke LindstrtSmand Staffan Bensch, Department ofEcology, Animal Ecology, Lurid University, Ecology Building, S-22362 Lurid, Sweden. Clive D. T. Minton, 165 Dalgetty Road, Beaumaris, Victoria 3193, Australia. Addressfor correspondance: .•keLindstrtSm, Department ofEcology, Animal Ecology, Lurid University, Ecology Building, S-22362 Lurid,Sweden. Phone: +46-46-2224968, Fax: +46-46-2224716, E-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION afternoonand evening walking around on the gently Red Knots Calidris canutushave a High Arctic circumpolar undulatingtundra, looking for breedingwaders. Red Knots breedingdistribution. Several discrete breeding populations were displayingseemingly everywhere and together with have beenidentified. For someof them, unambiguous singingSandefiings they dominatedthe acousticscene.
    [Show full text]
  • The Decline of the Red Knot
    The Decline of the Red Knot Lawrence Niles Ph.D Amanda Dey Ph.D NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, US Humphrey Sitters Ph.D International Wader Study Group, UK Clive Minton Ph.D Victoria Wader Study Group, Aus. The red knot makes one of the longest Breeding Area migrations of any bird Breeding Area Northbound Flight Breeding Area Stopover Wintering Area Wintering Area Wintering Area South Bound Flight The Delaware Bay is one of four major shorebird stopovers in the world Shorebirds on the Delaware Bay gain up to 10% of bodyweight/day Until 1992, the harvest of horseshoe crabs was a tradition harvest to supply bait for a small eel fishery By 1996 millions of crabs were being killed to supply bait for a coast-wide conch fishery Recent Horseshoe Crab Landings (NMFS) 7000000 6500000 VA MD 6000000 DE NJ 5500000 NY 5000000 4500000 4000000 3500000 Pounds 3000000 2500000 2000000 1500000 1000000 500000 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Year In 1998 the ASMFC created management plan for horseshoe crabs that froze harvest at 25% of peak harvest without any understanding of population size or recruitment The only data available, a baywide trawl, . was dismissed although it documented a 90% drop in stock DE DFW 30-foot Trawl Survey - Horseshoe Crab Index Horseshoe Crabs, catch/unit effort 14 CPUE Total HS Crabs 12 10 8 6 4 Geo. mean Horseshoe Crabs 2 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 N = 350 Year Egg densities on bay beaches fell from average counts of 40,000 egg/m in the early 1990’s to 4000 eggs/m in 2000 Mean Egg Density 2000-2005 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 Egg density eggs/m Egg density 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Year The number of red knots reaching weights >=185g fell dramatically between 1997-2003 40000 35000 33741 30000 25000 20509 19922 20000 17340 15000 12075 10000 5376 5000 813 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 The Delaware Bay stopover population has been declining since 1997.
    [Show full text]
  • SANDERLINGS Calidris Alba at BODEGA BAY: FACTS
    -26- NORTH AMERICAN SECTION No. 7 Editor Dr. R.I.G. Morrison, Canadian Wildlife Service, 1725 Woodward Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1A OE7. (613)-998-4693. Western Re•ion Editor Dr. J.P. Myers, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 2593 Life Sciences Building, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, U.S.A. (415)-642-2893. ANNOUNCEMENTS Shorebird Symposium The North American Section of the Wader Study .Group hopes to hold a 2-3 day Symposium on the biology and conservation of shorebirds in 1982 (spring or fall) in the Washington, D.C., area. The decision to proceed with arrangements will depend on a sufficiently strong expression of interest by biologists and other interested parties. If you are interested in such a meeting and would probably be able to participate or attend, please contact Marshall A. Howe, Migratory Bird and Habitat Research Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland 20811, U.S.A. (301)-776-4880, as soon as possible. A.O.U. Brewster Memorial Award At its meeting in Fort Collins, Colorado, in August 1980, the American Ornithologists' Union presented Frank A. Pitelka with the Brewster Memorial Award for 1980 for his work on arctic ecology and studies of sho•ebirds. Colour-markin$ and surveys Members are referred to the last Bulletin, No. 29, August 1980, for announcements concerning current colour-marking and survey schemes involving shorebirds. Anyone wishing to have announcements made for such projects should contact the Editor. SANDERLINGSCalidris alba AT BODEGABAY: FACTSt INFERENCESAND SHAMELESSSPECULATIONS by J.P. Myers In the winter around Bodega Bay, California, Sanderlings Calidris alba vary their spacing behaviour from persistent territorial defence to tight flocking.
    [Show full text]