132 SMITH, Long-toed [ Watcher

The middle of the week, then, when the" died, was a time of extremely dense fog over Corio and Port Phillip Bays. The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works Farm near Werribee is a well favoured roosting haunt of the Straw-necked Ibis. Each evening, flocks of birds return to the swamps to roost after spending all day feeding in the adjacent pasture lands. They become a familiar sight to travellers along the Princes Highway, and on the Bellarine Peninsula many flocks of birds feed each day. During the week of fog, Ibis were seen as usual on the Bellarine Peninsula, but presumably because of the fog, they were forced in some instances to roost in trees around Drysdale where they had not previously done so. This was noted by a Drysdale resident, Mr. B. Crowe, who remarked that the birds "appeared lost", and they were seen to roost in a pine tree on his proper,~y for the first time. The possibility that the birds had died after feeding on sprayed insects or insect larvae is always present. However to have such a large group of birds die virtually simultaneously is not very likely. unless there had been a very heavy aerial spraying just prior to the birds feeding, but this would be impossible as the lack of suitable aircraft flying conditions at this time would prevent such a spraying. I believe that the birds became confused in the fog, and that they either mistook the waters of the Bay for their more familiar swamps and landed confidently in deep water, or they accidentally came down in the Bay. The fact that Herons, Magpies, Ravens and a Kite were with them gives strength to the latter suggestion. The seabirds, Gulls and Cormorants, would probably be incidental to the others, as these species are not infrequently found washed onto these shores.

The Long-toed Stint Erolia subminuta in Southern Victoria By F. T. H. SMITH, Kew, Victoria. The Metropolitan Farm begins approximately 20 miles south­ west of Melbourne, and continues for another ten miles in a southerly direction. This huge sewerage farm has several miles of sewage treatment ponds, some of which are straight-edged and deep, and are relatively unattractive to , whilst others are shallow and have well vegetated margins. To these latter ponds, each year, come large numbers of the migratory . The more common of these waders, Sharp-tailed Sand pipers Erolia acuminata, - E. ferruginea and Red-necked E. ruficollis, usually occur in thousands, with lesser numbers of several other species. In this area ornithological rarities have appeared from time to time. It is, in fact, so vast, the so varied, and the waders in such large numbers, that birds unusual to , vagrants and the like, are with little doubt missed by observers each year. December J SMITH, Long-toed Stint 133 1968

One of the best feeding areas for big concentrations of waders during the migratory season, August 1965 to April 1966, was a long sewage pond running south from the main treatment lagoon, known as Lake Borrie. This particular pond was bordered on the east side by a wide, raised gravel roadway; the western margin being muddy and pro­ fusely over-grown by many varieties of mostly introduced weeds. In the pond were several flat muddy islets, some small, others covering a considerable area. The islets were sparsely vegetated with green weeds and littered with vegetable debris, such as pieces of stems and leaves which were mixed with and protruding from the mud. Some of the islets met the edge of the gravel roadway in places. On January 9, 1966, R . T. Sympson and I walked along the road­ way observing the many bird species in the vicinity. Just after 11 a.m. a group of some 20 small waders flew up from a small area of the wide muddy edge adjoining the roadway, and came down again in a similar position a short distance farther away. Close examination of the birds revealed Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and a much smaller wader. The small bird was nearer the size of a Red-necked Stint but, obviously, was not that species. After some manoeuvring we reached an excellent observation position on the road, approximately 35 feet from the bird. The little wader, which was in full sunlight, stood at rest on one leg. We were not able immediately to determine the leg colour as it was shaded by the bird's body. In general appearance it was rather greyish all-over, being much darker above. There was a broad greyish band across the breast. The head seemed small and rounded with a short, fine, black bill. Shortly the retracted leg was put down in sunlight showing it to be greenish-yellow in colour. For nearly an hour we watched the bird closely with 8 x 40, 10 x 50 and 15 x 50 binoculars, during which time much written informa­ tion was recorded. The bird stood quietly in an open position on the damp, almost solid mud. The vegetation on the muddy-edge consisted mainly of sparsely distributed seedling plants, up to six inches high, of ink­ weed Phytolacca octandra and fat-hen Chenopodium album, with dead pieces of various weeds scattered about. It then walked a few inches, showing the yellowish leg colouring to advantage, and then stood still again on one leg, for a few minutes. The toes of the folded leg hung loosely below the body and showed them to be remarkably slender in appearance, with the middle toe noticeably longer than the others. Once it turned its back to us and stretched the left wing full out and down, showing some white tipping across the greater wing-coverts, which gave the impression of a fi ne white line across the wing. The left leg was extended backwards, towards us, revealing the widely separated, long, thin toes. The Sharp-tailed Sandpipers gradually left the area, leaving the small wader alone. It was keeping a wary eye on us, but soon began 134 SMITH, Long-toed Stint [ Bird Watcher to feed over the islet and along the edges. Its feeding posture was crouched and hunched, but sometimes it raised its head to watch us. It moved about slowly, picking here and there and looking some­ what mouse-like. This illusion was heightened by the general duski­ ness and hunched posture. A few times it went on the long-legged, long-necked alert and then seemed considerably larger. In this stance it resembled a small Pectoral Erolia melanotos, even to the fairly sharp cut-off of the greyish breast-band from the whitish under parts. Sometimes it went behind small plants where it was seen to stretch upright and peer at us over a plant, or through gaps between the higher leaves. It watched us for a few seconds and then relaxed, coming out feeding into the open again. Suddenly, it would crouch right down in small depressions, or among short weeds, where it disappeared from our view for seconds at a time. Once it went into a small area of fat-hen, where it turned and faced us, on a tiny patch of mud. Putting its breast to the ground, with its rear section slightly elevated, it remained in this position for several minutes. Although completely unobscured in this atti­ tude it, nevertheless, blended well with the surroundings, and was most inconspicuous. This action is used, apparently, when tempor­ arily concealing itself from danger. We were to see it demonstrated again later, at Lake Murcteduke. Although we were in full view the little wader was not too appre­ hensive, and mostly fed and rested in front of us unconcernedly. We were now almost satisfied that the bird was a Long-toed Stint, and later we were certain of this conclusion after confirma­ tion from literature. Sympson remarked that it was a pity that there was not a Red­ necked Stint nearby, with which to compare the rarer stint. He had no sooner spoken when in came a Red-necked Stint and alighted on the mud near the Long-toed Stint. Soon both birds were close together, and extremely good comparative views were obtained. Once the Long-toed Stint flew up from near the Red-necked Stint and then dropped down on that bird, striking it sharply with its feet. The attacker then moved away feeding, and the Red-necked Stint remained as if nothing of great moment had occurred. In the crouched position subminuta seemed slightly smaller than ruficollis. It was duskier generally, particularly about the head, face and sides of the neck. The bill was shorter and finer in appearance when compared with that of ruficollis, and the greenish-yellow legs of the former stood out from the black legs of the latter. Without any warning the Long-toed Stint flew off rapidly in an erratic manner. It called as it went, a loud "Chee-chee-chee", a few times. We lost sight of it and did not relocate it that day. During this encounter, when the bird was on the upright alert, it brought to mind the Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis. Possibly December ] SMITH, Long-toed Stint 135 1968

this was due to the small, somewhat rounded head, the short dark bill, the yellowish legs and the alert stance being similar to Tryn­ gites. When relaxed it was more like a miniature Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in the non-breeding plumage. With F. Anderson and H. E. A. Jarman, the area was revisited on January 22. A Long-toed Stint was seen on a small weedy islet, about 300 yards closer to Beach Road than on the first sighting. It was identified from a distance by its duskiness and the peculiar crouch that it used as it slowly fed. Jarman said that it reminded him of a feeding Crake Porzana sp., with it hunched and leaning slightly forward attitude. It fed unenergetically, occasionally picking in the one spot for several minutes at a time. Sometimes it stood more upright to see us better, but quickly relaxed to resume feeding. It very actively pursued Red-necked Stints, running after them and forcing them to fly from its chosen feeding patch. Some waders flew low overhead and the Stint crouched down in the weeds. Then a Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides came flying low across the pond, causing hundreds of small waders to take wing in panic. The only wader that did not fly up at this intrusion was the Long-toed Stint. It remained on the islet, but lay flat in a small depression, and it could not be seen for several minutes. Just as I was thinking that the bird had flown, somehow escaping our notice, it stood up quickly and began to feed slowly again. Suddenly it flew to another nearby islet, that was well covered with tall weeds, into which it ran and did not emerge again during the several minutes that we waited. When it was flying the whole of the upper parts were generally dusky with no noticeable wing­ bar. The most outstanding feature was the white sides to the dark upper tail-coverts. On January 23 I noticed the species in a largely salt-water situation, and about a mile east of the usual pond. We were follow­ ing a coastal roadway when a few stints flew from a small pool of salt-water. As they flew, I heard the unmistakable "Chee-chee­ chee" calls of the Long-toed Stint among them. The birds alighted and one, darker than the others, quickly ran to a small depression in the dried mud and crouched in the hollow. Closer examination of the bird showed it to be a Long-toed Stint. After hiding for a short time it flew away with the other stints, all of which appeared to be ruficollis. They went a long way along the bay-shore and could not be found again. As the Long-toed Stint rose in flight I saw the yellowish legs momentarily before they were retracted. A short while later one subminuta was seen feeding amicably with several Red-necked Stints, at the pond where the species was first noted. We saw it occasionally hide in ground-depressions, and sometimes behind a few stems or blades of grass. Later that afternoon two Long-toed Stints were seen together, for the first time in that area. They bathed and preened for a short 136 SMITH, Long-toed Stint [ Bird Watcher while then, without warning, flew away with an erratic, rather bat­ like flight. Both were in identical non-breeding plumage, and earlier I had noticed· a light tinge to the base of the mandibles of one of them. A few days later M. J. Carter informed me that he and E. J. Whitbourn had obtained a good view of one subminuta in the same area. On February 5, with M. J. Carter, one bird was seen on a wet, muddy, weedy islet at the Farm. It chased some intruding Sharp­ tailed Sandpipers and White-fronted Chats Epthianura albifrons from its feeding area. Whilst carefully scanning waders through binoculars on the north-eastern shore of Lake Murdeduke, approximately 75 miles west of Melbourne, with R. T. Sympson, on February 6, 1966, a small wader was noticed watching us warily. It was on a section of gently sloping shore that had been pitted and roughened by the hooves of cattle and sheep, a few feet from the edge of the lake. The bird was standing alertly upright, with the neck fully extended and held slightly forward. Before realizing its true size I thought that I was looking at a . In this stance it was very much like~ a small edition of that species. It continued to watch us for a few minutes, then, rising rapidly into the air, it flew over us and alighted well along the shore near some Red-capped Dotterels Charadrius alexandrinus. Immediately it turned to face us and leaned forward to place its breast on the ground. It held this pose whilst we approached slowly to within about 50 feet. With sunlight directly on the bird, it could be seen that the plumage generally, particularly of the upper parts, was considerably different from the drab coloured birds at the Werribee Sewerage Farm. The back and wing-coverts were well mottled black and chestnut. The crown was chestnut and the long, pale, superciliary stripe was quite noticeable. The fine streakings of the broad breast-band were brownish and the legs were greenish-yellow. A small dark blotch on the ear­ coverts was first noticed by Sympson. This state of plumage was either full breeding garb or extremely close to that colouring. It tallied closely with the bird that I saw at Cherry's Swamp, Altona, on April4, 1962. (Australian Bird Watcher, 1 : 8), and confirmed, to me, that earlier provisional indentification. The Long-toed Stint stood upright and walked about, but it was very cautious. It flew several times and we followed it on each occasion, till eventually it flew across a broad backwater of the lake and came down on a floating raft of water-mat Lipilaena sp. Whilst this subminuta was under observation earlier it fed some­ times near the water, but kept mainly to patches of wet water-mat, that had been washed ashore recently. The bird was not easy to see as it fed over the green vegetation, where it blended so well with the herbage. December J SMITH, Long-toed Stint 137 1968

Several times it was near Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Red­ necked Stints, but generally it did not associate closely with them. In appearance the Long-toed Stint more closely resembled a small Sharp-tailed Sandpiper than the similarly sized Red-necked Stint. As it flew about it called often and some of the notes were some­ what different from those recorded at the Farm. Some calls were reminiscent of those of the Pectoral Sandpiper, but were shriller and seemed a little more melodious. The calls, which were loud for the size of the bird, were mainly a trilled "Chreee-chreee" and sometimes resembled "Chrring-chrring". This bird appeared to be a trifle larger in all respects than the ones at Werribee. The bill seemed to be a little longer and stouter, and closely proximated in size that of a typical Red-necked Stint. This may have been a sexual difference, and if so the Lake Murde­ duke subminuta was a probable female. The female of the closely related Erolia minutilla of , is larger than the male and this distinction may apply also to sub­ minuta. A most successful morning with Long-toed Stints was had at the Werribee Sewerage Farm on February 13, by Dr. A. Lendon, H. E. A. Jarman and the writer. Three or four of the birds were seen about the usual area, and some very good, close views were obtained. In nearly every instance subminuta was in the company of one or more ruficollis .. Two Long-toed Stints were seen together occasionally, and once one bird pursued another in the air, low over the pond, for several seconds. During the chase much typical calling was heard. Two subminuta were seen about half a mile apart, at the same pond, by R. T. Sympson and me, on February 20. Both birds were in the mouse grey-brown non-breeding plumage. The first one was busily engaged in keeping other waders from its feeding area, but once it was moved on by a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. The second subminuta allowed an approach to within 30 feet, in full sunlight. The bill was clearly seen. It was black with a tinge of greenish-yellow right at the base, and that colour seemed to be on both mandibles. This feature would be most difficult to see under normal conditions in the field , where the bill would appear wholly dark. The last time that I saw the species at the Farm was on March 3, 1966, when on a visit with M. B. J. Bourchier. Two birds were in view at the same time, and one of them was in marked change toward breeding plumage. There were obvious signs of chestnut and black on the upper parts. On April 10 R. T. Sympson and I were at the Geelong Saltworks, when a small wader flew rapidly overhead calling "Chree-chree­ chree". It was seen that the dark upper wings lacked a pale wing­ stripe which, with the call, was diagnostic of subminuta~ It alighted about 300 yards away, at the weedy end of an old salt-pond, with several Red-necked Stints and near a pair of Spur-winged Plovers Lobobyx novae-hollandiae. 138 SMITH, Long-toed Stint [ Bird Watcher

We tried to get close to the bird, but the plovers uttered their alarm notes, causing all the waders in the immediate vicinity to fly up in panic, and spread far and wide about the area. The Long­ toed Stint was lost to us in the confusion and was not found again. FIELD IDENTIFICATION The following description, and some comparisons with the Red­ necked Stint, is drawn from personal notes made during field observations of Erolia subminuta. Both the Long-toed and the Red­ necked Stints were seen often in close proximity, which allowed several observers and myself some excellent opportunities to com­ pare the two species. Gene·ral appearance: Small, somewhat rounded head and short bill. Duskier generally than the Red-necked Stint. Mouse grey-brown above, mottled darker. A broad greyish breast-band. Rest of under parts whitish. Legs greenish-yellow. Size: Approximately the same as the Red-necked Stint. When in crouched feeding posture it seemed slightly smaller than ruficollis. On full alert it appeared a little taller. Some subminuta were a little larger than others. Upper parts.: a. Presumed non-breeding plumage. Crown to frons grey-brown with some fine pale streaking. The brown of the crown extends in a narrow peak onto the frons. A pale stripe over each eye from the lores to just behind the eyes, not particularly outstanding. Back and sides of neck to folded wing­ bend finely \ streaked brownish. Mantle, back and wing-coverts greyish-brown generally, with dark centres to many widely distri­ buted small feathers. These feathers edged with greyish-buff. Prim­ aries dark, not black. Rump and tail blackish with white sides to the upper tail-coverts. The Red-necked Stint has whitish outer tail­ feathers. Outstretched wing at close range showed whitish tipping, apparently to the greater wing-coverts. This gave the impression of a thin pale wing-bar, which was undetectable in flight. The Red­ necked Stint has a wide whitish wing-bar. Where the bill met the face a small ring of whitish feathering almost completely encircled the base of the bill, but less prominent near the base of the upper mandible. b. Presumed breeding plumage. Crown chestnut, streaked lighter. Brownish area in region of ear-coverts. Back and wing-coverts well mottled black and chestnut. Some dark and light barring on wings below shoulder, when wings folded . Upper parts otherwise similar to already described "non­ breeding plumage". Under parts: a. Presumed non-breeding plumage. Throat and abdomen to under tail-coverts whitish. A broad greyish band right across the breast, composed of short dusky December ] SMITH, Long-toed Stint 139 1968 streaks and fairly evenly demarcated from the whitish upper abdomen. This band was less distinct in some birds observed. b. Presumed breeding plumage. Throat and abdomen to under tail-coverts pure white. A broad brownish band of close short streaks and spots right across breast. Eye: Dark with fine whitish orbital ring. Bill: Dark, lighter at base and straight. Shorter and finer than in Red-necked Stint. Some slightly larger subminuta, probably females, with bills larger and nearer to the size of those of an average ruficollis. Legs and Toes: Greenish-yellow; yellower in some birds. Always yellower when wet. Toes same colour as legs, longish and thin. The middle toe seeming considerably larger in proportion to the other toes. (Toe length would not be a valuable point of identification to the field observer). Calls: Most calls were heard whilst the birds were in flight. All notes seemed loud for the size of the bird. A common call was "Chee-chee-chee", or just a single "Chee". Also recorded was a trilled "Chrreee-chrreee" and a more ringing note resembling "Chrring-chrring" (a soft ch in all cases). GENERAL The Long-toed Stint breeds mainly in eastern Siberia and nearby islands, being recorded nesting along "the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka, Bering Island and south to the Kurile Islands. have also been taken at Lake Baikal, Siberia, and it probably breeds in the valley of the Lena River, south of the Artie Circle", (A. C. Bent, 1927). On its southward migration it follows generally the coasts of China and Japan, and winters mainly in south-east Asia. The species during the northern winter is found commonly in India, Burma, Ceylon, the Malay Archipelago, and the Philippines. This stint is not well known in Australia and records of its occur­ rence in this country are relatively few. Its small size and quiet ways, no doubt, cause it to be overlooked on many occasions. Perhaps it is a more frequent visitor, and in greater numbers, than has previously been suspected. If the species is reaching A ustralia regularly, it may be more prevalent in the north, and only stragglers reach the south. In this latter area it is more likely to be detected due to the greater number of bird observers being in the southern parts of the continent. The most notable observations of southern occurrences of this bird have been recorded by John Eckert at Langhorne's Creek, South Australia, in recent years. Since his paper in the Emu, 65 : 125, Eckert has again noted Long-toed Stints near the same area (pers. comm.). In Victoria a specimen of the Long-toed Stint, shot at Lake Tutchewop, in the north of the state, during January 1966, has been lodged at the National Museum, Melbourne. 140 SMITH, Long-toed Stint [ Bird Watcher

The Long-toed Stint, sometimes known as Middendorf's Stint, was once thought to be con-specific with the American Least Sand­ piper E. minutilla. Some modern ornithologists still support that contention. The main differences between these two species, are that subminuta has a bigger foot or longer toes than minutilla. The Long-toed Stint does not appear to have a whitish upper wing-bar in flight, whilst the Least Sandpiper does show a faint but compara­ tively distinct pale stripe in that region. The call notes differ, minu­ tilla having a distinctive thin "Kree-eet" (Peterson) or "Greet" (Pough) which, apparently is never uttered by subminuta. In my experience I have not heard the Long-toed Stint emit similar notes. Apart from the Least Sandpiper, the only small stint with legs of a similar greenish-yellow colour to those of subminuta is the Temminck's Stint temminckii. The Long-toed Stint can be separated with certainty from the Temminck's Stint, in the field by the following outstanding points of identification. Temminck's Stint has white outer tail-feathers ( subminuta has a dark tail), a fine but noticeable whitish upper wing-bar, and it is a more even grey above in the non-breeding plumage. Other than these distinctions, in Temminck's Stint has a less noticeable superciliary stripe, and may appear to lack it entirely in some individuals. The calls of tem­ minckii are different, the notes consisting of short trills or drawn­ out titterings. Of the Temminck's Stint and Least Sandpiper, the Long-toed Stint may be more readily confused with the latter. But, as already stated, minutilla has distinctive calls and a whitish upper wing-bar, which subminuta lacks. These two points of identification would be of most value to the field observer. The Long-toed Stint, in my limited experience, and from litera­ ture, appear to favour a similar habitat to that chosen by the Pec­ toral Sandpiper. That is, a freshwater or brackish swamp, or stream, where muddy-fringes, weeds and other low aquatic yege­ tation abound. It is also evident from my observations, and those of other observers, that the Long-toed Stint as with the Pectoral Sandpiper, will sometimes frequent the more open, less vegetated, shores of lakes and large ponds. Like the Pectoral Sandpiper, the Long-toed Stint does not seem to be fond of tidal flats, bay-shores, or salt-water situations generally. REFERENCES BANNERMAN, D. A. 1961, Birds of the British Isles, 9 : 272-279. BENT, A. C. 1927, Life Histories of American Shore Birds. Part I: 213-5. CONDON, H. T. & McGILL, A. R. 1965, Field Guide to the Waders, 30. ECKERT, J. 1965, Emu, 65 : 125-128. GLENISTER, A. G. 1951, Birds of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Penang, 135. HENRY, G. M. 1955, A Guide to the Birds of Ceylon, 318. KrYosu, Y. 1959, Birds' Life in Japan, 84. KoBAYASHI, K . 1956, Birds of Japan in Natural Colours, 110, plate 49. MAYR, E. 1945, Birds of the South-west Pacific, 45. SERVENTY, D. L. & WHITTELL, H. M. 1951, The Handbook of the Birds of W estern Australia, 165.