Studies of Less Familiar Birds 118. Rock Bunting and Rock Sparrow by P

Studies of less familiar birds 118. Rock Bunting and Rock Sparrow By P. A. D. Hollom Photographs by K. J, Car/son, R. G. Car/son, Arthur Gilpin and H. R. Lowes (Plates 24-31) THE ROCK BUNTING (Emberi^a da) is an extreme rarity in this country. The earliest record is of two netted by' bird-catchers in late October 1902 near Shoreham, Sussex, and these were followed by one seen at Faversham, Kent, in mid-February 1905; then, after an continued ... 158 ROCK BUNTING AND ROCK SPARROW STUDIES interval of over fifty years without any report which can now be considered acceptable, one was recorded at Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire,. on 15th August 1958. The species has also occurred as a vagrant in north France, Belgium, Holland and Heligoland, but the nearest breeding places are south and east France, Switzerland and south and west Germany. In the last country its range extends north down the Rhine valley to the neigh bourhood of Bonn, as well as in a few tributary valleys, especially that of the Moselle. It is also found throughout the Iberian peninsula, most of Italy, Greece, the Balkans and in the Carpathian mountains, where it extends west into Czechoslovakia and north Hungary; in north Africa from Morocco to Tunisia; and across Asia from Turkey through the Himalayas to eastern China and Mongolia. Vaurie (1959) lists ten races, and describes the bird as not migratory but to some extent a wanderer. In Germany, however, it is regarded by Niethammer (1957) as both a resident and a migrant with winter- quarters in north Africa; most of the German breeding birds leave in October or November and return in March or April. Similarly, in the Geneva area Geroudet (1954) finds that most are migratory, arriving in early or mid-March and probably continuing to do so into April; in autumn, after the second broods are on the wing in August, they tend to collect into parties but remain on the breeding grounds until the middle or end of October. Voous (i960) lists the species as both sedentary and migratory; the birds which inhabit mountains usually descend in winter to lower levels, while the most northerly populations winter in the southern parts of the breeding range. In west China the species extends above 17,500 feet in the subalpine shrub zone; in Europe, however, lower levels are certainly favoured, in Greece from 3,000 to 6,000 feet, in the Alps seldom ex ceeding 5,000 feet, and in Spain sometimes up to about 8,000 feet but for the most part appreciably lower and at times down almost to sea level. As its distribution in the Mediterranean area and south Europe in general would suggest, the Rock Bunting requires warmth and sun shine as well as rocks and bushes in its breeding localities, and at least in the northern part of its European range it seeks out warm dry southern or south-western slopes, with oak scrub or other bushy cover, hedges, or patches of young conifers. The slopes are often steep, with rocky outcrops, stony gullies or quarries, and the terrain must be relatively open with a certain amount of bare earth and low vegetation, though preferably a few scattered small trees. Such cultivation as small vineyards, terraced or with drystone walls and stony soil in hilly country, is also accepted. These conditions are best satis fied on the lower mountain slopes. In Spain, where so much of the !59 BRITISH BIRDS countryside is denuded and impoverished, the bird is often found in such bare surroundings as on plate 25a where the nest on plates 24-26 was sited at about 5,000 feet among broom and rosemary (plate 26b). G&oudet, in the article already referred to, gives an excellent des cription of the country occupied in the French Alps by this attractive but unobtrusive bird, and his account of its breeding habits adds a good deal to the information recorded in The Handbook. In mid-May the area is shared with such birds as Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli), Garden Warbler (Sylvia boriri), Blackcap (S. atricapilld), Black bird (Tardus merula), Robin (Eritbacus rubecula), Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) and Linnet (Carduelis cannabind), with Black Kite (Mikus migrans) and Alpine Swift (Apus melba) overhead. Amongst so many calls and songs, it is not always easy to pick out those of the Rock Bunting at once. Finally, a thin and sharp tsi comes from somewhere in the bushes not far away but oat of sight. From time to time the discreet call is repeated, but the bird itself remains invisible until the observer eventually locates it, motionless and watchful, on the topmost shoot of a hazel. After another sharp call it flies off, showing clearly the white outer tail-featherSj to disappear in a quarry. This is a typical experience. Even where relatively numerous, the Rock Bunting appears only intermittently. Its cries confuse the watcher, and its unexpected departures, frequently to a considerable distance, mislead him. The only way to get on terms is to be as patient and discreet as the bird itself, keeping quiet and still for long periods. The following is a summary of the results of Geroudet's observa tions at eight nests. The female alone builds (the male was never seen with nesting material) and she also undertakes the whole of the incuba tion. When flushed from the eggs or young she often indulges in an injury-feigning display; in this she runs from the nest, spreading her wings occasionally, and appears to somersault over small rocks in her path. Incubation lasts 12-13 days. Both parents feed the brood, seeking food to a distance of about 150 yards, mainly in brushwood. They fly back fairly high and direct with the food, which includes caterpillars and small butterflies, but settle several yards from the nest and complete the journey on foot, climbing slowly over the stones. When leaving again, they fly direct from the nest. The young leave the nest when 10-13 days old, but are still unable to fly for another few days and during this time they hide on the ground, creeping and hopping among the stones and grass. At least sometimes, and perhaps generally, the species is double-brooded. Some of Geroudet's nests were hidden in dry vegetation or sheltered by an earth bank or a stone, and others were very open, placed on the ground, hardly screened by thin grasses and sometimes in the full glare of the sun; none was in thick undergrowth. 160 ROCK BUNTING AND ROCK SPARROW STUDIES On the other hand, the Spanish nest illustrated on plates 27 and 28 was one of two found at heights of three or four feet against the centre trunks of small evergreens five or six feet high. As is rather better shown on plate 24, the nest itself is fairly substantial, the exterior rather loosely built of large stalks of dry grasses, with an inner section of finer pieces more closely arranged, and the cup often lined with horse hair or fine rootlets. In this case the nest was practically on the ground at the base of a clump of rosemary. The song has been likened by many observers, including Jakobs (1959), to that of the Dunnock (Prunella moiularis). It is typically uttered from a bare spike at the top of an oak or other exposed tree- top perch, but also from a vineyard stake or a commanding wire. Geroudet gives the period as from early April to July or just into August, with some revival in October. Dandl (1959) in Hungary near Budapest has heard quiet winter song during mild, still weather in an area where breeding does not occur. In such winter quarters the species occupies habitats frequented by other buntings and finches, Pricam (1957) in the Geneva area mention ing Reed Buntings (E. schoeniclus) in particular and an occasional Cirl Bunting (E. cirlus), also Chaffinches {Fringilla coelebs) and Bramblings (F. mantifringilld). Voous recalls that in north Africa it is often found in large flocks with Cirl Buntings. European wintering flocks seldom appear to exceed a dozen or so birds; although they may feed with other Passerines, the Rock Buntings maintain contact with each other and separate as a group on taking flight. At this season the habitat may be a less wild one, of hedgerows, fields, copses, bushes and way side trees, but the birds remain unobtrusive and elusive. As both Pricam and Dandl have noted, they feed on the ground, always within reach of trees or bushes, and if undisturbed they remain quietly for hours in one place. As soon as something unusual occurs, however, one will fly to settle well up in a bush or tree and others will join it, calling their sharp ttQ-t%t note. Perched thus, their warm orange- brown plumage renders them relatively inconspicuous if a few dead leaves of, for example, oak, beech or chestnut remain on the branches. If further alarmed, they may suddenly swing up vertically into the air and fly a few hundred yards to disappear into cover, or may slip away to vanish more furtively but equally effectively through the branches. The Rock Bunting is one of the easiest European buntings to identify. The clean, clear-cut grey and black pattern of the head is well brought out in plates 24-28, but black-and-white photographs cannot convey the full contrast between the cold grey of the head and upper breast and the warmth of the rest of the plumage, which is huffish-orange below and black-streaked chestnut-brown above.

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