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Foot-Slapping by Coots During 1978, at Reservoirs and Flooded Gravel-Pits

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Foot-Slapping by Coots During 1978, at Reservoirs and Flooded Gravel-Pits Notes Foot-slapping by Coots During 1978, at reservoirs and flooded gravel-pits in Northamptonshire, I began to notice single Coots Fulica atra standing on mats of flooded vegetation at the water's edge and slapping the s'urface with one foot. The Coot would stand hunched and slap regularly and deliberately about five or six times, the noise carrying across land for at least 100m. Although I first noticed this behaviour at the beginning of the breeding season, I have observed it throughout the year. It became obvious that, as it was always triggered by the approach of a human being, it served as a warning to other Coots of possible danger: it can be likened somewhat to foot-stamping by rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus. I have not yet determined whether one specific individual of a group of Coots continued.... 126 Notes 127 feeding at the water's edge acts as a guard, or whether it is the Coot nearest to a suitable slapping area that reacts; on one occasion, however, a Coot swam towards an approaching human being, hauled itself out of the water, ran to a weed-patch and began slapping. P, W. RICHARDSON 10 Bedford Cottages, Great Brington, Northampton NN74JE Terrestrial foot-slapping on the nest is mentioned in BH'P volume 2, although its significance is not known. Dr K. E. L. Simmons has commented that Mr Richardson's observations appear to add a new dimension to the foot-slapping display by this species, which is also performed by the Moorhen Gallinula chloropm. EDS Grey Plovers associating with inland Golden Plover flocks During a study of Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria wintering in Buckinghamshire, we twice observed Grey Plovers P. squatarola associating with them. Both sites are at least 90km from the coast. On 15th December 1974, near Marsh Gibbon, RJF saw a single Grey Plover in a permanent pasture field with about 400 Golden Plovers; it fed on the periphery of the flock for several minutes and, when the flock flew to a nearby field, it flew with them. On 19th March 1979, near Bishopstone, CEY watched two Grey Plovers feeding for about 15 minutes in a flock of 103 Golden Plovers on permanent pasture; they maintained particularly close contact with a sub-group of eight Goldens and flew in the middle of the flock. The two flocks in question had probably arrived in the area very shortly before: the first record came at a time of year when a major influx occurs (Bird Study 26: 37-46); the second was shortly after a period of severe weather during which no large flocks of Golden Plovers were recorded in the study area. Alternatively, perhaps the Grey Plovers were passing over and were attracted to a feeding or roosting flock of Golden Plovers. R.J. FULLER and C. E. YOUNG British Trust jor Ornithology, Beech Grove, Tring, Hertfordshire HP235NR Dr Michael VV. Pienkovvski has commented that mixed Golden Plover-Grey Plover flocks do occur in coastal areas. EDS Supercilium pattern of immature Pectoral Sandpiper The principal differences between the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata and the Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotos have been well described by D.J. Britton (Brit. Birds 73: 333-345). The distinctions in anterior and posterior supercilium width between the two species were mentioned, but a subsid­ iary difference was not described: the supercilium of the Pectoral Sandpiper typically forks above the eye, creating a distinctly divided (even striped) pattern when the species is viewed head-on. Although subdued on adults, this pattern is frequently prominent on immatures and is well-illustrated in Brit. Birds (68: plate44) and Birds of the World (3: 931). A. R. DEAN 2 Charingworth Road, Solihull, West Midlands B92SHT D. J. Britton has commented that this is probably a useful character, but that, as in the case of Little Stint C. minuta versus Semipalmated Sandpiper C. pusitla, it may not be diagnostic. EDS 128 Notes Eye-ring of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper The only Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata that I have seen, on 8th May 1980, in Alaska, had a gleaming white eye-ring. None of the thousands of Pectoral Sandpipers C. melanotos that I have observed has exhibited this. Photographs in D. J. Britton's paper {Brit. Birds 73: 333-345, plates 178-188) depict this eye-ring on Sharp-tailed and its absence on Pectoral. Examining specimens in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, I found that Pectoral Sand­ pipers have an off-white or bully eye-ring that does not contrast with the rest of the head colour. Although preparation of study skins sometimes damages the feathering around the eye, obscuring noticeable plumage marks, in life the difference between the gleaming white eye-ring of Sharp- tailed and the dull buff one of Pectoral is marked and startling. While recognising the risks in drawing conclusions from a single observation, further field investigation may confirm the validity of this identification feature. GERALD ROSENBAND 9444 Kedvale, Skokie, Illinois, USA D.J. Britton has commented as Ibllows: 'I wish I had noticed this! Summer adult Sharp- tailed clearly exhibits a pronounced clean pale eye-ring, especially in midsummer. It is less striking in winter, but still more pronounced than in Pectoral (e.g. the original print of Brit. Birds 73: plate 185). Juveniles also share the feature, but their eyes are surrounded by so much white (cheeks and supercilia) that it is oflittle note. I cannot, however, agree that Pectoral entirely lacks this character: an eye-ring, less pronounced than Sharp-tailed's, is evident in over half the photographs I have consulted (e.g. Brit. Birds 67: plate 51 (juvenile); 68: plate 44 (juvenile); 73: plate 178 (juvenile); 74: plate 176 (adult)). To put it in perspective, J doubt that this character would have produced a speedier identification of the Scillv adult Sharp-tailed (see 73: plates 178-188).'EDS Apparent play by immature Common Gull On the afternoon of 29th March 1979, at Herriotts Pool, Chew Valley Lake, Avon, I watched an immature Common Gull Larus canus indulging in apparent play behaviour. It was carrying a blackish spherical object to a height of about 10m and then allowing it to fall. Usually, the object was caught before it reached the water; if not, the gull alighted to retrieve it, then flew up to repeat the behaviour. This was repeated 20 to 30 times with the same object, and then three other Common Gulls approached. All four then began to toy with an object 10cm long, probably of vegetable origin, in the same way; they appeared to lose interest and alighted on the bank to preen. The sky was heavily overcast with moderately heavy rain. There was no question of food items being involved, although the flight attitude when dropping the object closely resembled that of Herring Gulls L. argentatus dropping shellfish on the shore. Searching British Birds since 1949 (vol. 42), I found references to similar apparently purposeless behaviour by the following species: Black- headed Gull L. ndibundus (44: 69-70; 46: 378); Common Gull (46: 378); Lesser Black-backed Gull L.juscus (57: 326-327); Herring Gull (45: 74); and Carrion Crow COITUScoroiie (43: 333; 46: 378; 66: 400). D. WARDEN Centaur, Ham. Lane, Bishop Sutton, Bristol BS184TZ Notes 129 Identification of juvenile Common, Arctic and Roseate Terns There are some potentially confusing statements in the chapter on 'Field identification of juvenile Common, Arctic and Roseate Terns' by P. J. Grant and R. E. Scott in Frontiers of Bird Identification (1980, pages 96-100). The leg colour of juvenile Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea is described as orange, no mention being made of the black-legged first-winter colour. By late August, young Arctic Terns reaching Norfolk already have legs rapidly darkening, almost a sooty-red colour, and often black-looking. In Sep­ tember, most legs look black. The statement that juvenile Roseate Tern S. dougallii has black legs unlike the juveniles of the other two species would sway people towards identifying a dark-legged, older juvenile or first- winter plumaged Arctic Tern as a Roseate. The upperparts of juvenile Arctic Tern are described as 'lacking any strong scaling, being virtually uniform'. In fact, they tend to have a broad- barred appearance, a feature well shown in 'Mystery photograph' 57 (Brit. Birds 74: 345). While completely different from the pattern of juvenile Roseate, it does have some similarities to that of the mantle of juvenile Common Tern 5. hirundo. J. B. KEMP / College Farm, Great Massingham, King's Lynn, Norfolk Common Tern feeding by wading On 19th May 1979, at VVarsash, Hampshire, I watched a Common Tern Sterna hirundo, from about 30m, as it walked about on the shore at low tide and picked up items which it swallowed. For at least five minutes it behaved in this way, both walking on mud/shingle and wading in a pool about 1 cm deep. I could not ascertain the nature of the food it was taking, but there were many very small fishes in the pool and numerous small invertebrates within the total area of about 2m X 2m which it covered. Another Common Tern was standing less than 1 m away and 34 others were standing or plunge-diving along the shore. Eventually, both terns by the pool took flight and started fishing with the others in the normal manner. I can find no reference to Common Terns picking food from the ground, nor to their wading at low tide, in Britain. D. A. CHRISTIE 119 Thornhill Park Road, Thomhill, Southampton SQ26AT Field characters of first-year White-winged Black Terns In his in­ teresting note describing a tern with mixed characters of Black Chlidonias niger and White-winged Black Terns C.
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