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Foot-Stirring Behaviour of Little Egret Eurasian

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Foot-Stirring Behaviour of Little Egret Eurasian NOTES These contributions have all been assessed by the eight members of either the Behaviour Notes Panel or the Identification Notes Panel. Foot-stirring behaviour of Little Egret Between 12.20 and 12.45 hours on 23rd July 1994, at the western end of the Baie de Kernic, Brittany, France, I observed two Little Egrets Egretta garzetta feeding in an area of shallow water, no more than 8 cm deep, with numerous clumps of filamentous algae and dead seaweed covering the sandy and muddy bottom. As they moved among the seaweed, they would stretch one foot out under, or into, a clump of weed and wiggle it rapidly back and forth, at the same time staring attentively down at the water; each foot was used at different times. On at least one occasion, one of the egrets, immediately after stirring some weed, caught a shrimp or small fish flushed from the vegetation. BEN PHAIAN Waterfall Road, Enniskerry, Co. Wickhw, Ireland EDITORIAL COMMENT This is a particularly well-described account of a feeding technique frequently used by Little Egrets in such microhabitats (e.g. Hancock & Kushlan, 1984, The Herons Handbook; Voisin, 1991, The Herons of Europe). Hancock & Elliott (1978, The Herons of the World) suggested that foot-stirring by egrets with yellow toes may possibly serve to attract prey, in addition to flushing it out. Eurasian Sparrowhawk drowning Eurasian Jay On a fine spring day in 1994, from my study in Bristol, Avon, I heard a sudden screaming from outside the open doors and windows. I ran into the garden, whereupon a Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus swooped closely past me with a Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius in its talons. The hawk took the jay, which was screaming loudly, to the shallow end of the fish pond and stood upon it until it drowned; although I was still in full view of the hawk only 8 m away, it totally ignored me. The raptor then lifted the dead jay out of the water, settled on the lawn and proceeded to pluck the carcase, finally departing with its prize. It is notable that the sparrowhawk took its victim to the shallow end of the pond, where the water was only 7-10 cm deep. Having on several previous occasions found a circle of plucked feathers on the lawn, I strongly suspect that similar events have occurred in my garden before. DAVID R. WEBKLEY Tinkwell House, 41 Ash Hayes Road, Nailsea, Bristol BS19 2LP Eurasian Sparrowhawk drowning Magpie In mid February 1995, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, I was approaching an old railway cutting, now turned into a sports area, which had been flooded by recent rains, when I became aware of an incredible noise coming from a huge gathering of crows (Corvidae) in the nearby trees. On investigating, I found a struggle taking place on the opposite bank between a Magpie Pica pica and a 524 [Brit. Birds 90: 524-526, November 1997] O British Birds Ltd 1997 British Birds, vol. 90, no. 11, November 1997 525 Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. Once the hawk had a firm hold on the much bigger Magpie, it dragged its prey down the bank to the flooded area and promptly pushed its head under the water, holding it there, not without some difficulty, until the Magpie had drowned. CICELY C. DREW 239 Old Bath Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 9EF Eurasian Sparrowhawk drowning Common Starling On 5th May 1993, from my house at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, I was alerted by a screeching sound from directly outside the french windows. On investigation, I found that a female Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus had captured one of the Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris which nest in the hollow balcony supports above. The hawk flew with the still-screeching starling to the edge of our small lake, about 20 m away, and proceeded to drown its victim. After about 30 seconds, she hopped back on to the bank, but the starling continued to screech, so she went back into the shallow water until she had silenced it completely. She then flew off carrying the dead starling. JILL WELLS The Hopleys, Horringer, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 SPX Eurasian Sparrowhawk drowning Corn Bunting At 19.30 GMT on 23rd April 1990, at Escrick, near York, North Yorkshire, I saw a male Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus fly over a field of Rape Brassica napus and catch a Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra in flight. The sparrowhawk then flew about 200 m to a beck and landed. He moved down the bank with the Corn Bunting, apparently still calling, in his talons, and then pushed his victim under the water, holding it under for a few seconds. As the sparrowhawk brought the bunting back up above the surface, the latter began to call again, whereupon the hawk held it underwater again. This was repeated a third time, after which the hawk took the drowned bunting up the bank and plucked and ate it. A week or so later, on 30th April and 1st May 1990, I twice observed similar behaviour by what was presumably the same male sparrowhawk. I concluded that this particular Eurasian Sparrowhawk perhaps fed regularly in this manner, drowning his prey in similar locations nearby. CRAIG RALSTON 12 Bishops Hill, Acomb, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 4NH EDITORIAL COMMENT Prof. Ian Newton has commented: 'This was presumably a behaviour which this individual discovered by chance, and then employed repeatedly as a means of subduing prey.' He also commented that he knows of no other records of Eurasian Sparrowhawks drowning their victims in the manner described in the above four notes. Sabine's Gull feeding on butterfly at sea On 8th August 1994, on a pelagic trip in the Southwestern Approaches, we saw at least three Painted Lady butterflies Cynthia cardui during the day. One of these was caught in mid-air and eaten by an adult Sabine's Gull Lams sabini. Although this did not surprise us, little seems to be known of the diet of 526 Notes Sabine's Gull outside the breeding season, especially at sea. PHIL PALMER 72 Grove Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 7JN EDITORIAL COMMENT An earlier note {Brit. Birds 64: 503-504) described a Sabine's Gull hawking flying insects inland, at Chew Valley Lake, Avon, on 6th September 1970. Barn Swallow giving specific alarm call for Hobby Over the last few years, at Pleasance Farm, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, I have noticed that the Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica which breed in the farm buildings where I work give an alarm call which is uttered only when the presence of a Hobby Falco subbuteo is detected. In such situations, they emit a low-pitched, quiet, slurred double note. A pair of Hobbies nests nearby in most years, and the local swallows seem to be an easy source of food. Whenever I hear this call and am able to look, a Hobby appears; when the danger has passed, the Barn Swallows (or some of them, when in a flock) give a brief bout of singing. Being aware of this particular alarm call, I have heard it from Barn Swallows elsewhere, on every occasion followed by the appearance of a Hobby. This alarm call appears to be reserved specifically for Hobbies. It is different from the more usual loud, high-pitched alarm, rendered 'ziwitt' in BWP (vol. 5), which is given when other predators such as Eurasian Sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, Common Kestrels F. tinnunculus or Magpies Pica pica threaten, and at domestic cats when they approach the nest. PETER F. ATHERTON Fairfield Cottage, Chase Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 IPR EDITORIAL COMMENT Prof. Ian Newton has commented: 'The Barn Swallows around Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, give the usual alarm call when mobbing Hobbies, but perhaps the call described by Mr Atherton is reserved for more threatening situations.' Although it is not entirely clear whether this is a 'new' call, the suggestion of specificity is most intriguing. Has anybody else heard this call, and, if so, in what circumstances? Robin resting on sea At about midday on 24th September 1989, from a boat off Estaca de Bares, Galicia, northwest Spain, I saw a total of six Robins Erithacus rubecula flying from NNE to SSW at up to 16 km from the coast, having probably left southern England or northwestern France the previous night. Five of the Robins seemed to be in good physical condition, and passed close to the boat without stopping. The sixth, however, about 6V2 km out, showed clear signs of exhaustion: it followed the northward-moving boat for 8 km, landing on it several times; once, when the boat had stopped, it rested on the sea, where it adopted a posture more typical of a storm-petrel (Hydrobatidae) than a Robin, floating like a cork with wings and tail raised to avoid wetting them. It remained on the sea for about a minute; later, it landed on the boat again, when its plumage appeared practically dry. When the boat moved, the Robin left and I lost sight of it as it flew towards the coast. RAFAEL COSTAS Apartado de Correos 8331, 36200 Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain .
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