The Occurrence of the Grey-Tailed Tattler in South Australia by ROY P

100 COOPER, Grey-tailed Tattler [ Bird Watcher a male bird three years to attain adult plumage, but I cannot vouch for this statement. The flight is swift and direct and, if seen in direct sunlight, the impression gained is that of a flash of long-tailed, narrow-winged golden birds. Their peculiar high pitched call is uttered whilst the birds are in flight and immediately attracts the observer's attention to them. I do not know of any other bird call that resembles the call of the Smoker. The breeding season in Victoria commences in September and is carried through until December. T he number of white eggs in each clutch varies from four to six, . and these are deposited in a hollow in either a living or a dead tree. When the eggs are due to hatch the female sits very close and rarely leaves them uncovered. The size of each egg varies considerably. A series of twelve clutches measured in Victoria showed that they averaged 30.5 mms. x 24 mms., with the sizes ranging from 29.75-31.75 x 21.25- 25.5 mms. The incubation period is 21 days, and in most observations that I have made the male feeds the female at the nest by regurgi tation, mainly in the early morning before 10 a.m. and late afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. During the rest of the day the males generally flock together in feeding parties. Like most parrots they are fond of preening themselves in the early morning, usually at the top of a tall tree. When the male returns to the nest he generally lands in a nearby tree and gradually makes his way to the nesting tree in a series of short flights . Sometimes the male feeds the female at the entrance to the nest site, and generally he enters the hollow afterwards for a short period. My observations show that these birds feed mainly on seeding grasses, but occasionally they were noted feeding in Turpentine bushes. During the summer months in the Victorian Mallee many dead birds are noted on the roadside, presumably after being struck by vehicles while the birds were feeding on seed that had been spilt from grain carrying trucks. The Occurrence of the Grey-tailed Tattler in South Australia By ROY P. COOPER, Melbourne Although the Grey-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes) is common in northern Australia and the eastern States, from September until April, it is much rarer in Victoria, Tasmania and south-west Australia. In South Australia a doubtful sight record of its occurrence has been disputed, and no other observation appears to have been recorded. December J COOPER, Grey-tailed Tattler 101 1964 On October 26, 1964, Dr. Alan Lendon and the writer were searching the brine ponds, at the salt works of Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand Limited, Dry Creek, South Australia, for waders when a solitary bird was seen on the edge of one of the canals, and we immediately recognised it as a Tattler. Two weeks previously I had watched many of these birds on the mud-flats along the water-front at Cairns, northern Queens land, some from a distance of less than 20 yards, and I had no hesitation, nor did Lendon, in identifying it as the Grey-tailed Tattler. However, to make certain of the observation a description of its plumage was recorded, also some of the habits that it displayed. When first observed the bird was standing in water that covered its legs so that their colour could not be seen. It was standing in an upright manner, with the neck stretched upwards, as it re garded us with suspicion. This stance gave the bird a slender appearance. We made as many notes as possible on the colouring and the pattern of its plumage, but had not completed them before the bird suddenly flew across the road onto a pond on the other side, and alighted Jess than 20 yards away from where we were sitting in the car. There were many other waders in this area, mainly Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (Erolia acuminata), Red-necked Stints (E. ruficollis) and one Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), and a comparison of sizes showed that the size of the bird was that of a Tattler. It was now standing on some earth that was above the level of the surrounding water and.._ it v.oas possible to see the colour of the legs . After feeding for about ten minutes around the edges of the tiny islands the Tattler settled down to sleep. It turned its head right round and placed the end of its bill under one of its wings. Although the bird had been facing away from us when it went to sleep, the turning of its head enabled us to see its face very clearly. The light eyebrow met on the forehead above the black band from the eves to the bill, and the black bill above the white sides of the throat gave the appearance of a black and white bird with a dark grey crown. The description recorded was as follows: "Tattler slender shape - black stripe through eye to bill, light (white) eyebrow - - bill long, dark and straight - plain dark grey head, back and wings, the primaries darker - rump same as body - breast greyish - abdomen white - throat and sides of the throat whitish - legs yellowish." Although the light was excellent and 8 x glasses were used it was not possible to see the full length of the nasal-groove. It was an alert, active feeder and stretched its neck well out in search of insects. In flight the dark grey of the rump was clearly visible. It was only heard to call once, when it uttered the usual double note of the Grey-tailed Tattler. 102 ZILLMAN, Barking Owl [ Bird Watche r After returning home we checked the field notes and the description of the bird with the literature and confirmed our identification of the Grev-tailed Tattler. The following day, October 26, 1964, I discussed the discovery of the Tattler with H. T. Condon at the South Australian Museum. It would appear that a Tattler had been seen in the vicinity of Adelaide early in September. Gordon Clarke of Salisbury had sent a written record to Condon of a wader that he had observed on the mud-flats between Outer Harbour Yacht Basin and the entrance to the Port River, on September 6, 1964. While the description of the plumage and the habits of the bird are not complete, they can apply to a Tattler only. Confirmation of the presence of a Grey-tailed Tattler in the vicinity of Adelaide was quickly received . During the discussion on the Tattler at the South Australian Museum on the 26th, M. H . Waterman, whose speciality is mist-netting and banding waders, was present and he heard the full comments about the finding of the bird. Later, in the same evening, he set his nets up to trap waders at the salt works, with the hope that this species would be caught. Although the total area of the evaporation ponds is very large and it was 36 hours since our original observation, one of the first birds that he netted was a Grey-tailed Tattler. After banding it he took the bird to Condon and then, before liberating it at the point of capture, he drove to North Adelaide and showed the bird to Lendon. It is possible that these three records are of the one bird, but again it is equally possible that more than one bird was present. However, the occurrence of the Grey-tailed Tattler in South Australia is now fully confirmed. Observations on the Winking or Barking Owl By E . E . ZILLMAN, Gin Gin, Queensland. During October, 1962, I worked with David Fleay in a search for the nest of the Barking Owl (Ninox connivens). Of the three known pairs in the area of Gin Gin, Queensland, it was found that none had nested that year. During the next 12 months, until October, 1963, I spent much time in observing these birds. The following month, November, 1962, I had found another two pairs of these birds, and by October, 1963, I had 10 pairs of Winking or Barking Owls under observation. Only two out of the ten pairs of Owls nested that year. All the non-breeding pairs that were observed lived on an insectiverous diet, and only the breeding pairs were living on marsupials and other birds. .

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