Notes Nest-site provision experiment for Long-eared Owls To attempt to improve the breeding success of Long-eared Owls Asio otus, artificial nest- sites were provided in an area where the owls were known to overwinter. The nests provided consisted of two types: old potato or apple-picker baskets made of willow, with the handles removed, and baskets of a similar shape made of wire-netting. Three willow baskets and six wire baskets were sited in November 1979, in a small Cambridgeshire wood of mixed deciduous trees, comprising mainly willow Salix, silver birch Betula, oak Quercus and hawthorn Crataegus. All the baskets were fixed to suitable trees at a height of approximately 5 m, and then each lined with sticks of various lengths and thicknesses to provide a firm base.

140. Long-eared Owl Asio otus on nest in willow basket provided as artificial nest-site, Cambridgeshire, May 1981 (D.J. Gamer)

continued...

376 Notes 377 During the first year, 1980, none of the baskets was used, but in 1981 one of the willow baskets was occupied by a pair of Long-eared Owls (plate 140), which had a clutch of three eggs, of which two hatched, and two young fledged. Current literature states that Long-eared Owls nest in the same area each year, but not in the same nest. This is probably due to the fact that natural sites (e.g. old birds' nests and squirrels' dreys) are destroyed over winter and do not last for a further year. With this experiment using these more substantial nests, it is hoped that the same site will be used in succeeding years. D.J. GARNER 73 Needingworth Road, St Ives, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE174JY

Nightjar taking water in flight So far as I am aware, there are no published records of the Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus taking water, but observations in Sudan suggest that water may be taken in flight. Just after sunset on 2nd November 1977, I saw a late migrant Nightjar leave some bushy vegetation bordering the Blue Nile near Khartoum and fly down to a few centimetres above the river; it then flew parallel to the bank and, as it passed me at 3-4m, lifted its tail and wings a little above the body level and dipped its head so that its bill scooped the water momentarily, rippling the surface, in a manner similar to that employed by hirundines or swifts Apus taking water on the wing; it continued over the water as though to repeat the action, but unfortunately passed behind some vegetation out of sight before doing so. Very few nightjars have been recorded taking water, presumably because exceptional conditions are required for such observations. All refer to water being taken in flight. Published reports include: the Golden Nightjar C. eximius in the Sudan (Ibis (1902): 1-33); the Egyptian Nightjar C. aegyptius in Turkestan (Dementiev & Gladkov, 1966, Birds of the Soviet Union, vol. 1); and the Allied Nightjar C. ajfinis of Pakistan and India (Ali & Ripley, 1970, Handbook of the Birds oj India and Pakistan, vol. 4). In addition, I have seen the Long-tailed Nightjar C. climacturus taking water in flight at Khartoum, although in a manner somewhat different from that described above. ANTONY PETTET Botany Department, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Swift persistently attacking Starling On 7th September 1979, while watching a group of five Swifts Apus apus above Narborough Park, near Leicester, I saw one suddenly and persistently attack a passing Starling Sturnus vulgaris. The attacks came from behind and below, often making contact with the Starling's belly and vent. The vigour, speed and timing of the 15 or 16 approach pursuits were remarkable and often appeared to treble the flight speed of the Starling, which, even though it jinked and circled, could not evade its pursuer. The attacks ceased when the Starling took refuge in a nearby tree. DAVID NOAKES 41 Trinity Road, St Johns, Narborough, Leicester

No member of the Behaviour Notes Panel has ever seen a comparable incident. EDS 378 Notes Observations at Lesser Spotted Woodpecker's nest Between 17.26 and 20.26GMTon 16thJune 1979, nearByfield, Northamptonshire, we watched a nest of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos minor. We recorded the number and duration of visits, and removal of faecal material, by the adults; the number of times each adult put its head into the nest-hole on each visit was also recorded, since this might indicate the amount of food brought to the nest. The male visited more frequently (31 out of 46 visits), and put his head in the hole more often on each visit (male mean 7.2, female mean 5.0; Mann-Whitney U-test, P< 0.05), but the length of feeding visits did not differ significantly between sexes (male mean 5.2 seconds, female mean 5.0; P< 0.05). When we ended our watch, the male had remained in the nest for 20 minutes (previous longest period, 34 seconds), so we wonder if the male's habit of incubating at night before the eggs hatch (Bannerman 1955) is continued after hatching. Of 20 faecal pellets removed, the male disposed of 18,12 of these in a concentrated bout before entering the nest for the final time. This nest-sanitation behaviour resembles that of the Great Spotted Woodpecker D. major, largely by the male (Steinfatt 1937), at the end of the day (Blair & Tucker 1941). Faeces were not dropped directly from the hole as reported by Blair & Tucker (1941), but were carried to nearby trees and either dropped or wiped off there. This, too, is as reported for Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Owen 1925), but contrasts with the behaviour of the Green Woodpecker Picus viridis, where a parent (usually the female) swallows the faeces (Owen 1922). The observed predominance of the male Lesser Spotted in nest-sanitation recalls Carlson & Carlson's (1978) record of a male of that species removing a dead nestling from a nest. M. I. AVERY and R. A. COCKERILL Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, South Parks Road, Oxford 0X13PS; Sub-department of Animal Behaviour, Madingley, Cambridge REFERENCES BANNERMAN, D. A. 1955. Birds oj the British Isles, vol. 4. Edinburgh. BLAIR, R. H., & TUCKER, B. W. 1941. Nest sanitation. Brit. Birds 34: 250-255. CARLSON, K., & CARLSON, C. 1978. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers apparently dismembering dead nestling to remove ft from nest. Brit. Birds 71: 360. OWEN, J. H. 1922. On some breeding habits of woodpeckers. Brit. Birds 15: 61-62. 1925. Notes on the nesting of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. Brit. Birds 19: 125-128. STEINFATT, O. 1937. Beitr. FortPflBiol. Vogel 13: 101-112.

Abnormal Sand Martin in Essex At about 07.00 GMT on 30th June 1979, at the Naze Public Open Space, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, I watched about a dozen Sand Martins Riparia riparia skimming low over the reserve scrape ponds, a few hundred metres from a breeding colony. One martin seemed to possess two tails: one was quite normal for the species, but the other appeared to grow out from the undertail-coverts, as long again as the normal tail and made up of wispy translucent feathers in a graduated form. The feather shafts could be clearly seen as they flopped about in flight, although they did not inhibit it in any way. A young birdwatcher confirmed what I had seen, and we both watched the bird for about 15 minutes down to about 20m. Eight days later, John Fitzpatrick saw this, or a similar bird, Notes 379 at William Girling Reservoir, approximately 112 km southwest of Walton- on-the-Naze (see below). JOHN K. WESTON 78 Woodberry Way, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex C0148EW

On 8th July 1979, while watching a flock of Sand Martins near William Girling Reservoir, Chingford, Essex, I noticed one with an abnormal growth of white feathering extending from its underparts in a streamer to approximately 30mm beyond the end of its tail. When observed from below at close range, care was taken to note that the white feathering was not a foreign object attached to the belly: no sign of a break or join to indicate the presence of some sticky substance could be seen. I watched the martin for half an hour, during which time it entered a nesting hole containing two young. It was not seen again on two subsequent visits. J. FITZPATRICK 18 Edwick Court, High Street, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

In our opinion, caution should be exercised: we consider that it would be almost impossible to be absolutely certain of the nature of the extra feathering without examination in the hand. EDS

Swallows feeding on rising ants In extremely hot weather on 29th August 1979, on the River Ribble at Brungerley Bridge, near Clitheroe, Lancashire, I observed a group of Swallows Hirundo rustica behaving in a manner new to me. Ants Lasius alienus were emerging from their nests and soaring upwards on their nuptial flights, where a host of birds including Black-headed Gulls Laws ridibundus, Sand Martins Riparia riparia, Swallows and House Martins Delichon urbica waited for them. About 10m from where I was lying, five Swallows seemed to be squatting on the ground close to where the ants were emerging and taking the insects before they became airborne; they made no movements that could be interpreted as 'anting'. A further three Swallows were perched in a willow tree Salix full of rising ants. RON FREETHY 15 Lower Manor Lane, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 OEB

House Martin feeding young Sand Martins On 6th September 1979, while counting young Sand Martins Riparia riparia at the nesting holes at Filey Brigg, North Yorkshire, I saw a House Martin Delichon urbica land at the entrance to one of the holes where two young Sand Martins were sitting. The young started begging for food, but the House Martin flew off; I watched it hawk around the cliffs for three or four minutes before it returned to the same hole; when the young Sand Martins again started begging, it fed one of them. The House Martin returned to the same hole on six occasions during 15 minutes, and each time it fed one of the young. When it was hawking around the cliffs, adult Sand Martins appeared to mob it, uttering alarm calls similar to those used when Kestrels Falco tinnunculus were near the colony. I did not see the behaviour repeated on later visits. PETER J. DUNN 25 Wreyfield Drive, Scarborough Y0126NP 380 Notes

House Martins nesting under lamps In August 1978, at Levington, Suffolk, a colony of House Martins Delichon urbica was discovered under circular lamp column shades. A total of 57 nests was built under 12 shades, with a maximum under any one column of seven and a minimum of three. The lights were switched off each evening at 21.30 GMT. In 1979, 53 nests were constructed under the same 12 columns (plates 141-143). P. W. MURPHY 21 Clive Avenue, Ipswich, Suffolk IPl 4LU

Although House Martins use all sorts of nest sites and we therefore do not normally publish notes on them, this site seems particularly unusual and worth recording. EDS

141-143. Nests constructed by House Martins Delichon urbica under lamp shades, Suffolk, summer 1979 (M.J. F. Jeanes) Notes 381 Identification of Blyth's Pipit On 9th and 10th May 1981, we saw two migrant Blyth's Pipits Anthus godlewskii at a height of 5,500 m in the Sagarmartha National Park in Nepal. We hope that even this limited experience will help to clarify the confusion which exists concerning the separation of this species from other large pipits: in our opinion, it is a distinctive species. Both of those that we saw resembled Tawny Pipit A. campestris and bore no resemblance to Richard's Pipit A. novaeseelandiae of the race which occurs in Britain, richardi. They were similar in size and structure to Tawny Pipit, being smaller and appearing shorter-tailed than richardi, with relatively shorter legs and weaker bills. Even their general coloration was similar to Tawny: sandy upperparts, much paler than on richardi, with lighter streaking above. They also lacked the dark central tail feathers and the bold, contrasting head and breast markings of richardi. Basically, they differed from Tawny in three ways. First, both individuals had very extensive orange-buff flanks, vent and undertail-coverts and, at a distance, appeared to have wholly orange-buff underparts; the buff flanks of richardi are variable in extent, but are unlikely ever to be as rich or as extensive as on Blyth's. Secondly, they lacked the well-defined supercilia, and consequently appeared very 'plain-faced', whereas the other two large pipits have clear and well-defined supercilia. Thirdly, the only call heard was a most distinctive, sharp, but unemphatic and rather gentle, mono­ syllabic 'choop', unlike the call of any other pipit that we have heard before. Blyth's Pipit clearly has a wider vocabulary, but, since our birds were on passage, it is probable that this would be the call heard from vagrants in the west Palearctic. There were three further helpful plumage features. First, the strength of the mantle streaking appeared intermediate between Tawny and richardi. Secondly, the neat gorget composed of fine streaking across the breast was regular and more confined than mat of juvenile (and some first-winter) Tawny Pipits and lighter than the upper breast streaking of richardi. Thirdly, our birds, like most of A. R. Kitson's in Mongolia {Brit. Birds 72: 96), showed whitish fringes to the median coverts rather than the creamy or buff fringes shown by richardi, though, as Kitson stated, this may not be a very conclusive feature. The centres of the median coverts were, like those ofrichardi, not quite so dark and outstanding as those of Tawny Pipit. To summarise, we stress that there should normally be no confusion between Blyth's Pipit and Richard's Pipit of the race richardi; excusable confusion could, however, arise with Tawny Pipit. An individual occurring in this country seemingly intermediate between Tawny and Richard's Pipits is likely to be a variant of one of those species rather than a Blyth's Pipit, which at first glance should recall Tawny Pipit until the distin­ guishing features are observed. D. G. H. MILLS and N. A. PRESTON Glebe House, Bentworth, Alton, Hampshire GUM 5RA

S. C. Madge has commented: 'An examination of skins has shown that the colour of the fringes of the median coverts is variable in Blyth's Pipits, some having warm buff fringes, others whitish. On those with whitish fringes, however, the contrast with the warm buff fringes of the greater coverts, and indeed the warm buff underparts, is quite marked.' EDS 382 Notes Tree Pipit displaying from ground On 12th May 1979, at Clapdak, North Yorkshire, a Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis flew up from a perch about 30cm from the ground to a height about that of the tree tops and began to sing, parachuting downwards in the normal way. It landed on the ground among the trees and immediately began another song-flight, again reaching the canopy before starting to sing. This was repeated three more times in succession. The Handbook mentions only that the song-flight takes place from an elevated branch of a tree. LAURENCE N. ROSE 14 Newlands Avenue, Bowerham, Lancaster

We regard this behaviour as fairly normal, but, owing to an apparent lack of records in the literature, believe it worth publishing here, KDS

Dunnock stimulated by train to sing at night At about 22.30 GMT on 18th June 1979, at Radlett, Hertfordshire, I heard a full song given once by a Dunnock Prunella modularis, this coinciding with the passing of a diesel train. The house windows were open and, although the sound of the train at 100 m was relatively deafening, the song was clearly audible only 10 m away. At about 00.30 GMT, and again at 23.30 hours, on 20th June, a Dunnock sang twice, each time coinciding with a passing train. No other outside factor was involved, and it appeared that the Dunnock was stimulated to sing by the train. Although many birds are stimulated to sing by sudden, loud noises, it is interesting that this should have happened at night. D. B. ROSAIR 17 Radlett Park Road, Radlett, Hertfordshire WD77BG

Migrant Ring Ouzels assuming temporary territories On the evening of 19th April 1979, on the edge of a small moor in West Yorkshire, I observed two male Ring Ouzels Turdus torquatus chasing each other to and fro along a wall. They frequently came into contact and once fluttered up together to a height of 1 m; they quarrelled noisily for 15 minutes, before one flew about 200m downstream. The next evening, in the same respective localities, they sang alternately for the hour that I watched them, and appeared to be holding distinct territories, the boundary being the area of contact on 19th. Two days later, both were absent, and were not seen again. Although some species may stop on migration and become territorial, I know of no reference to Ring Ouzels doing so. R. P. S. WOLSEY Flat 4, 6 Spring Bank Place, Manningham, Bradford 8

Blackbird carrying grass snake On 25th July 1979, at New Hythe, Kent, a male Blackbird Turdus merula flew towards me carrying what at first appeared to be a long piece of nesting material; it seemed so engrossed with this that it apparently saw me only at the last moment, when it suddenly swerved aside, uttering its alarm call, and dropped a small grass snake Notes 383 Natrix natrix in front of me. The snake, about 25cm long, disappeared swiftly into the undergrowth, apparently unharmed. The Blackbird had been gripping it behind the head and had flown about 30m at a height of lVi m. The usual time for the emergence of young grass snakes is late August or early September, but often later (M. Smith, 1951, The British Amphibians and Reptiles); the snake I saw must, therefore, have been almost one year old at least, at which age the young snakes are 'between 250mm and 300mm in length' (Smith 1951). The Blackbird's catholic tastes have been well documented (e.g. E. Simms, 1978, British Thrushes), and there are several records of reptiles as victims (e.g. Brit. Birds 71: 131), but the only record I can find of a snake as potential Blackbird prey is that of a Blackbird attacking a small grass snake (Brit. Birds 53: 32). J.M.HYDE 31 Wood Gardens, Hayfield, Derbyshire

Yolkless egg of Blackbird and abnormal egg of Song Thrush During 1979, in each of two nests 200m apart at Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, I found an exceptionally small egg. On 6th June, I discovered the nest of a Black­ bird Turdus merula containing two one-to-two-day-old chicks and one small egg. Clutch size would, therefore, appear to have been three, although it is possible that an egg may have been lost during incubation. The abnormal egg was 22 mm X 17 mm, but its shape, colour and markings were normal for the species. There was no evidence of nest success (e.g. droppings) on my next visit (30th June). On 7th June, I found the nest of a Song Thrush T. philomelos containing two eggs: one normal, the other only 15mm X 12mm and rounded equally at both ends, but of normal colour and markings. This nest had either already been, or was subsequently, deserted and no further eggs were laid. On examination, the thrush's egg (a good deal smaller than the Blackbird's) showed some presence of yolk, but the Blackbird's was definitely devoid of yolk. The occurrence of two abnormal eggs so close together may have been a coincidence but it is perhaps more likely that a local environmental factor, such as food supply or chemicals, was respon­ sible. The discoveries took place during a period of exceptionally wet weather. PAUL DRIVER 45 Tiverton Road, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN65HX

The phenomenon of small eggs is fairly well known, but the absence of yolk in the Blackbird's egg is certainly most odd. EDS

Reed Warbler singing at Magpie and Cuckoo The note on a Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor singing at a Short-eared Owl Asioflammeus (Brit. Birds 72: 387) recalled the following. On 5th August 1979, at Chew Valley Lake, Avon, a Magpie Pica pica flew towards and perched on a bush by a reedbed; at once, a Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus started a vigorous burst of song, repeating the bursts as it moved invisibly through the reeds towards the Magpie. After about two minutes, the Magpie flew off and the warbler 384 Notes became silent. Previously, on 27th May 1978, at the same locality, a male Cuckoo Cuculus canorus perched on a tree overlooking a reedbed; as it landed, a Reed Warbler began to sing and approached, unseen, the base of the tree, where it sang vigorously for two or three minutes, becoming silent as soon as the Cuckoo flew away. On each occasion, the intensity of the warbler's song was characteristic, but no alarm calls were heard. A. P. RADFORD Crossways Cottage, West Bagborough, Taunton, Somerset TA43EG

These instances, and also perhaps the Dunnock Prunella modularis stimulated by a train to sing at night (see above), are probably examples of a normal response by a songbird to disturbance. EDS

Wintering by 'Siberian' Chiffchaff On 23rd January 1980,1 discovered a Chiffchaff Phjlloscopus collybita feeding in my garden at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The warbler was grey-brown above, pale-breasted, with a buff wash extending from the side down towards the flanks, and a white belly, vent and undertail-coverts. There was no obvious wing-bar and the supercilium was buff. I could detect no trace of yellow in the plumage, so I deduced that it was of the Siberian race P. c. tristis, especially as the call-note was loud and quite unlike anything I had heard previously from a Chiff­ chaff. I saw the bird again on 30th January, on four dates in February, on three dates in March and finally on 7th and 8th April, at distances of 2- 15 m. It spent most of its time on, or near, the ground, except on the last two dates, when it remained high up in a fruit tree and, in addition to its calls, produced several short bursts of song. This consisted of a 'chiff note followed by four to six musical notes of varying pitch. This song was audible at considerable distances and was repeated several times on both occasions. Chiffchaffs of the nominate race were present from late March, allowing comparisons of plumage, call and song to be made. Descriptions of the song of P. c. tristis are few, and records of long-staying individuals do not appear to be well-documented. Early references (Brit. Birds 10: 263; 11: 215; 44: 94, 358) were summarised by H. G. Alexander (Brit. Birds 48: 350) and in The Handbook (vol. 2: 7), where a musical song, similar to that described above, is stated to be the spring song of P. c. tristis. This song is heard in India, where it is given by wintering Chiffchaffs before their departure in late April, and from the breeding grounds in Siberia. A. M. HEAVEN 58 Fleckers Drive, Hatherley, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL515BD

S. C. Madge has commented that many of the Chiffchaffs wintering in southwestern England are noticeably brown-and-white, but that they apparently utter a 'hooeet' call suggestive of a more western origin than the range of P. c. tristis, and are perhaps P. c. abietinus. EDS

Spotted Flycatcher attacking red squirrel On 18th June 1979, at Loch Garten, Highland, I was watching a red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris when Notes 385 suddenly a small bird attacked it from behind and then flew off. A few seconds later, the bird resumed the attack, hitting the squirrel in the tail and driving it up a tree; it attacked again and drove the mammal off. After the final attack, the bird perched in a nearby tree, and I saw that it was a Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata and that it had some red hairs in its bill. I feel that the flycatcher, rather than attacking the squirrel to drive it from its territory, was in fact collecting nest material. JEFF HUNT 34 Croft Road, Mortimer, Reading, Berkshire

Long-tailed Tits feeding on scale-insects On 28th January 1979, in Crewkerne, Somerset, I watched a party of Long-tailed Tits Aegithalos caudatus feeding on the trunk of a willow Salix. On closer inspection, I found the trunk covered, for a metre or so, with the scale-insect Chionaspis salicis. Very many of the scales had been smashed, exposing within the purplish- red eggs on which the tits had been feeding. I have not found any reference to Long-tailed Tits feeding on this scale-insect, which I imagine must form an important source of food in winter. A.J. PARSONS Barnfield, Tower Hill Road, Crewkerne, Somerset

Penduline Tit in Gwynedd From 5th to 8th May 1981, the weather on Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, had been dominated by a shallow low to the southwest, giving light to moderate southerly and southeasterly winds, varying cloud cover and fog patches. This had brought in a variety of common summer migrants, which continued to arrive on 9th May, when the wind turned northeasterly. At about 18.00 GMT on 9th, my assistant, D. Suddaby, rushed into the Observatory clearly excited, saying he had seen a bird that 'must have been' a Penduline Tit Remizpendulinus\ I alerted the only other birdwatchers on the island at| the time, L.J. Davenport and G. McLardy,!, and went to Cristin Withy, where the bird| had first been found. This is an area of about i 60 m X 25 m of coppiced willow and sallow Salix, one of four withy beds on the island, all attractive to migrants, and all used as sites for mist-netting. The bird was quickly relocated feeding vigorously in the willows at heights from 1.5 to 3 m above the ground, the tops of the trees being up to 4m high. It was watched, often at close range, for 15 minutes, then a mist-net was opened and the bird gently edged for-1 ward and trapped. It was taken back to the I Observatory for ringing, examination and | s photography, and then released into the 144. Adult male PenduIine Tit garden, another area of willow and plum Remiz penduiims> Gwynedd, May Prunus. 1981 (P.J. Roberts) 386 Notes In the field, it was immediately recognisable as a Penduline Tit: the tit-like size and shape, combined with black face-mask on a greyish head and chestnut-brown upper back, gave no chance of confusion with any other species. In the hand the following details were noted: UPPERPARTS Crown and nape pale grey. similar to mantle colour. Tail feathers all Forehead, lores and ear-coverts black, with dark greyish-brown, distinctly but thinly some faint chestnut brown tips on forehead edged off-white, ONDERPARTS Chin very pale and ear-coverts. Mantle a patchy rufous or grey. Throat similar to chin, but with very chestnut brown. Back a more 'washed out' pale chestnut suffusion. Breast, flanks and brown, fading into pale grey on rump and belly all patchy pale bufTy-grey, breast uppertail-coverts, the latter having slightly showing suggestion of the brown suffusion darker centres. Primaries dark grey, the noted on throat. Undertail-coverts dirty inner primaries edged paler on outer webs. grey, with buffy-grey centres. Underwing- Secondaries same as inner primaries. coverts and axillaries very pale buff-brown. Tertials centred dark grey, but broadly Rest of underwing pale grey, BARE PARTS edged dirty pale grey. Primary coverts Upper mandible mid-grey, with blackish similar to primaries, but with buffer edges. ridge. Lower mandible pale grey, darker at Greater coverts blackish-grey centred, with tip and pinkish at base. Tarsus lead grey. Iris broad edges of rich chestnut brown. Alula dark brown, MEASUREMENTS Wing 54 mm; blackish brown, edged buff chestnut. Median tarsus 16.5 mm; bill {from feathering) and lesser coverts pale rufous or chestnut, 8.5mm. Weight 9.5g.

The Penduline Tit remained in the Observatory garden until 13th May, but, despite there being up to 60m of mist-net open daily in the course of our usual ringing activities, it was not trapped again. It was also much more difficult to observe in the thicker vegetation, but additional notes were made. Its habits were typically tit-like, sometimes feeding by hanging upside down or leaning over the ends of thin branches. The shape was similar to that of a Blue Tit Parus caerukus, but slightly smaller (as the measurements bear out), with a proportionately longer tail. Most notable, however, was the comparatively long, fine pointed bill. Another feature-of the bird in the field was the distinct pale panel on the closed wing, caused by the extensive pale fringes to the inner primaries, secondaries and tertials. The call was heard only briefly, and noted as a tit-like nasal 'zee-zee-zee'. In the field, there was a clear demarcation between the pale grey of the nape and the chestnut brown of the mantle. The pale chestnut suffusion of the throat and upper breast was hardly apparent, however, and faded and merged into the paler lower breast and belly. In the hand, this could be seen to be caused by fairly extensive pale tips to slightly rufous brown feathers. The bird was aged and sexed as adult male due to extent of black face-mask. Despite the news of the bird's arrival becoming known on the mainland shortly afterwards, weather and lack of boats prevented a few keen and hopeful observers getting to the island to see it. This was the fourth record for Britain and Ireland, the others being singles at Spurn, Humberside, on 22nd-28th October 1966, in the Isles of Scilly on 25th October 1977 and at Stodmarsh, Kent, on 18th May 1980 (Brit. Birds 60: 517-520; 72: 483-484; 74: 488). Only about a dozen people saw the first bird, and the subsequent two were both single-observer records; thus, only a handful of people have yet seen this species in the British Isles. The Bardsey bird was the first to be ringed in Great Britain. P.J, ROBERTS Bardsey Bird Observatory, Aberdaron, Pwllheli, GwymddLL538DE Notes 387 Carrion Crow taking insect prey on the wing On the warm, sunny morning of 30th September 1980, on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, I noticed a Carrion Crow Corvus corone on the ground. Suddenly, it took flight to chase an insect which I identified as a large bee Bombus. After a twisting pursuit of about five seconds, it caught and immediately swallowed the insect. Although The Handbook mentions Hymenoptera as food taken by the crow family, there is no specific reference to bees, and, in any case, it seems likely that they would normally be taken on the ground. I found it surprising that the crow had the agility and technique to catch such prey in flight. M.J. ROGERS 195 Vicarage Road, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex TW167TP