AUSTRALIAN 168 WREN: Arctic Terns, Cairns BIRD WATCHER ·

During a visit to , , in November 1978, P. Muller (National Parks Service) informed me that cormorants had nested recently on Skull (or Cleft) Rock in the Anser Group. In Decem­ ber 1978, M. P. Harris and D. M . Deerson (in press) found unfledged young and juveniles on in the Group off the eastern coast of the Promontory; they were informed that the location was a regular nesting site. In November 1979, during a further visit with H. Battam to the islands off Wilsons Promontory, Black-faced Shags were found nesting on in the Glennie Group on November 10. Thirty birds were counted sitting on nests on a steep, broken granite boulder slope in the centre of the eastern side of the island. A number of shags were roosting on a large, rounded boulder just below this site during our visit to Dannevig Island on November 24, 1978. The rock was well white-washed but there was no evidence of breeding on that occasion. References Cooper, R. P., 1974. The Avifauna of Wilson's Promontory, Part 3, Aust. Bird Watcher 5: 253-276. Harris, M. P. and D. M. Deerson (in press). Seabird Islands, Notch Island, Seal Island Group, Victoria. Serventy, D. L., V. N. Serventy and J. Warham, 1971. The Handbook of Australian Sea-birds. A. H. & A. W. Reed, Sydney. Wheeler, W. R., 1964. Black-faced Cormorant in Victoria, Aust. Bird Watcher 2: 89-90. By S. G. LANE, 65 Wood Street, Lane Cove, N.S.W. 2066. ABW Possible sighting of the Arctic Tern at Cairns, North Queensland On December 3, 1979, I was birdwatching on the Esplanade, Cairns, when I noticed a medium-sized tern in a group of Little Terns Sterna albifrons. As I moved to view the bird from a better position I noticed that it was larger than the Little Terns. I was also lucky to have two Gull-billed Terns Sterna nilotica, standing nearby and it could be clearly seen that the tern was much smaller than the two Gull-billed Terns. Luckily a friend of mine, Bill Whayman, was able to confirm my sighting. From our observations we concluded that the tern must either be the Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii, Common Tern Sterna hirundo, or the Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea. We took the following description of the bird: At rest: bird in non­ breeding plumage; length: 13 inches; head: extensive white forehead reaching up to the crown, from the crown to well below the nape is black; from the nape to the crown on each side of the black area there is a prominent white patch on the head; back: sooty grey; wing tips well pointed and extending over the tail where they cross; primaries: black edges; throat and breast: white; flank: white. I was unable to get the leg colour. In flight: forehead and black cap quite visible in flight, deeply forked tail; back and scapulars: sooty grey; rump: white; tip of tail: sooty grey but not as dark as the back; underparts: white. The flight of the bird resembled that of the Little Tern and while it was settled in with the group of Little Terns they did not seem to be VOL. 8 (5) MARCH, 1980 ROBINSON: Square-tailed Kite 169 disturbed by its presence. The bird did not utter a call note even though we had it under observation for at least 40 minutes. My colleague and I came to the conclusion that the bird was either the Arctic Tern or the Common Tern, due to the extensive white forehead. The Arctic Tern and Common Tern are difficult to differentiate in the field but both birds have different coloured rumps in flight. The Common Tern has a dark grey rump and the Arctic Tern has a white rump in flight. So we think it is possible that we sighted an Arctic Tern, but there is still that slight bit of doubt and only further sightings of the bird may resolve this problem. By JON WREN, 2/ 205 Greenslope Street, Edgehill , Cairns, North Queensland, 4870. ABW

A Square-tailed Kite near Melbourne On December 2, 1979, whilst bird-watching at Narbethong, Victoria, I noticed a large hawk with upswept wings gliding low over the tree tops. It appeared unusually long-winged and slender-bodied, and these, plus other characters, led me to identify it as a Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura. During the course of two hours the Kite was seen three times, each time directly overhead, and against a grey sky. On the following day it was sighted by Chris Corben, Aidan Sudbury and Anita Smyth who agreed with my identification. Field Description: similar in size to a Whistling Kite Haliastur sphe­ nurus, but more slender in both body and wings. Wings very long, especially the primaries (fingers). The tail was long and broadened to the tip which was squarish; seen more closely, it was very slightly forked. Underparts: Breast, reddish-brown with some darker streaking; Belly, brown; Undertail, brown with a dark sub-terminal band. Underwing: Inner primaries, whitish; Outer primaries, greyish; All the primaries were barred with black which formed a series of black bands across the "fingers". At the base of the primaries was a pale, possibly translucent (?) area, the popular "bulls-eye". The remainder of the underwing appeared dark. When flying the wings were always inclined, especially at the fingers which gave them a curved rather than a dihedral effect. The incline was always shallow, less marked than in, e.g. a Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis. In conclusion, the Kite was identified by the combination of slender body, very long and slightly upswept wings, long, square-tipped tail, banded primaries, and a dark sub-terminal tail band. By DOUG ROBINSON, 28 Bath Street, Mornington, Victoria, 3931. ABW