A Probable Record of the Ruff (Philomachus Pugnax), and Notes on Other Waders at Cape Portland, Tasmania

238 THOMAS and WALL [ Bird Watcher A Probable Record of the Ruff (Philomachus pugnax), and Notes on Other Waders at Cape Portland, Tasmania. By D. G. THOMAS and L. E. WALL, Tasmania Following the publication of our paper dealing with waders on the east coast of Tasmania, Wall and Thomas (1965), our attention was drawn to Cape Portland in the extreme north-east of the island by J. R. Napier and J. Liddy. As a result we spent 48 hours at Cape Portland on March 5-7, 1966. During this visit we en countered a flock of, at least, 40 birds which we believe to have been Ruffs, Philomachus pugna.x:. We were surprised at the number of species of waders that were present and include a brief summary of those that were recorded. This area has received little attention from ornithologists and nothing has been published about it. We intend to revisit Cape Portland next summer to continue with our observations. In the late afternoon of March 6, 1966, we were on the sand that was exposed at low tide, between the mainland and a small rocky island; the tide was at its lowest and flocks of birds were coming into the area from the east. About a dozen Knots (Caiidris canutus) dropped down behind us but quickly moved on, calling softly "Knut, knut", their place being taken by a flock of sonie 60 birds. Our first reaction was that these latter birds were also Knots but we quickly recognised that they were strangers, and thought that they might be Great Knots (C. tenuirostris). They did not remain long, however, before taking flight to the other side of the island. As soon as the rump pattern was revealed we realised that they were birds that neither of us had seen in Tasmania. The flock of 60 was made up of two different sized birds. Unfortunately, during the few minutes that we had them under observation we concentrated on the larger birds and did not get a full field description of the smaller ones. Our description of the larger birds is as follows : Upper parts: Brown, black and buff giving a mottled effect. Rump: Brown flanked with white, tail brown. Under parts: Buff wash on lower throat and upper breast with darker mottling (variable) at the sides. Chin, lower breast and belly white. ' Head: Relatively small with streaking on the crown. No eye- stripe. Bill: Dark and about the same length as head. Legs: Dull yellow. Size: A little larger than C. canutus, some of which were feeding nearby, but slimmer with a more upright stance, longer legs and shorter bill. The overall effect was of a buff-coloured bird with a white belly. The birds were silent on both arrival and departure. We did not notice the presence, or absence, of any wing bars. December ] A Probable Record of the Ruff 239 1966 On the following day the larger birds were present at high tide on a rocky reef that was completely surrounded by water, but we could not get close enough to them to add to our description. A few of the smaller birds were present in the small wader pack (C. canutus, Erolia ruficollis, E. ferruginea and Charadrius bicinctus). No detailed description was taken but they were similar in plumage to the larger birds, about the size of a Curlew-Sandpiper, and their legs were greenish-yellow. As we make a point of not carrying reference books it was not until we returned to Hobart that we were able to compare our field notes with published descriptions. Apart from Condon and McGill (1965) and McEvey (1963) we consulted Bent (1929), Cave and Macdonald (1955), Clancey (1964), Gibson-Hill (1949), Hollom (1955), Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1962) and Peterson ( 1963). Our description of the larger birds agrees closely with those of the Ruff and is not referable to any other species. The line drawings by Temple-Watts in McEvey, and in Mackworth-Praed and Grant, give good impressions of the stance of the birds that were seen by us. The coloured plate in Hollom includes an adult male which corresponds with our birds. Our description of the smaller birds could be referable to at least one other species, Erolia acuminata, and although appearing "leggier" and lacking the rufous crown we consider it preferable to treat this record as being indeterminate. To return to the larger birds, as neither of us was familiar with the species, we supplied a copy of our field notes, together with a very indifferent black and white photograph that was· taken at a range of 100 feet, with a 400 mm. lens, to F. T. H . Smith, Melbourne. Having only seen his first Ruff on February 12, 1966, at Lake Murdeduke, Victoria, he was understandably non committal in his reply on March 24, 1966, "- your description certainly favours Philomachus pugnax". We also sent a similar description to P. A. Clancey, Director of the Durban Museum and Art Gallery, South Africa, and one of that country's leading ornithologists, who is familiar with the Ruff in its winter quarters. His reply dated April 7, 1966, states "Your characteristics fit the Ruff very nicely, and as far as I can judge your determination is correct. The point of the small head and relatively short bill are pretty reliable. In winter dress Philomachus in our collection has the whole of the lower throat and breast, not just the lateral surfaces, lightly scalloped with greyish-brown, this sometimes leading people to believe they have seen the American Pectoral Sandpiper (Erolia melanotos)". The size of our birds rules out E. melanotos and, additionally, one of us (D.G.T.) has had several opportunities of studying the Pectoral Sandpiper at close quarters and is positive that the Cape Portland birds were not of this species. The mottling referred to in our description was additional to the general buff colouration of the lower throat and breast and from this we conclude that the 240 THOMAS and WALL [ Bird Watcher birds were either immatures or fully adult birds showing traces of breeding dress, not unlikely in view of the date. Through the efforts of Dr. Bryden of the Tasmanian Museum, Hobart, to whom we are indebted, we have been able to inspect study skins of both Ruff and Reeve from the collection of the National Museum, Melbourne. The Ruff agrees well with the birds seen except that it lacks the mottling on the lateral surfaces and the legs were a different colour. This latter is not surprising as leg-colouration in this species is extremely variable. Smith raises the point that a flock of this size "seems most unusual in Australia". In fact, what few records there are have been of single birds. Smith continues "Nevertheless, it is within the realms of possibility as witness other wader occurrences in the last few years". It is because of the unusual size of the flock, and because we were unable to collect a specimen, that we prefer to record our observation as a probable occurrence of a flock of 40 Ruffs. The probability of the larger birds being Ruffs is not diminished whether or not the accompanying smaller birds were Reeves for, as Clancey (1964) points out, "Flocks are often composed largely of one sex, though mixed aggregations are perhaps the rule". Most authorities state that the Ruff, in winter quarters, frequents a wide range of habitats not necessarily associated with tidal water. Cape Portland provides such a range; tidal sand-flats, reed fringed fresh-water lagoons and large areas of pasture and forage crops. NOTES ON OTHER SPECIES Turnstone ( Arenaria inter pres). At least 50 of these birds were on the rocks of the island, and many were in full breeding plumage. Pied Oyster-catcher (Haematopus ostralegus). Four birds, three adults and one immature, were seen on the sandy shore. Sooty Oyster-catcher (H. unicolor). The common Oyster-catcher of this part of the coast, this species frequents rocky areas in contrast to its relative which prefers wide expanses of sand. Twenty or more birds were present on the rocky reefs of the island. Spur-winged Plover (Lobibyx novae-hollandiae). Presenl through out the area on pasture lands only. Banded Plover (Zonifer tricolor). Although this species was not seen it was heard calling at night. Eastern Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominicus). At least 30 birds were on the rocky island. One or two were in full breeding plumage with most of them showing some black on the under parts. Hooded Dotterel (Charadrius cucullatus). Most beaches held a pair or a small family party. Double-banded Dotterel (C. bicinctus). Very common through out the area, at least 100 birds being present. All the birds seen were in eclipse plumage, although traces of the bands were discernible on many. December J A Probable Record of the Ruff 241 1966 Red-capped Dotterel (C. alexandrinus). Common on a dry salt pan known as Saltee's Lagoon. Birds were heard at night passing over our camp-site, which was some hundreds of yards from the shore. Tattler sp. At least six Tattlers were present around the island. They were wary and would not permit a close approach. Two were identified as the Grey-tailed species (Tringa brevipes) from the two-note call that they uttered on being flushed. Greenshank (Tringa nebularia). A flock of seven Greenshanks flew in from the east in the late afternoon of March 6. A single bird was present on the shore the following morning. They were also heard calling from the vicinity of reed-fringed (dry) lagoons.

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