Welsh Journals

formerly scarce or absent but breeding-success has been uninter- rupted in this area even where rabbits used to be abundant, in contrast with the almost total failure of breeding reported in 1955 from many parts of Britain. W. M. CONDRY. Corncrake. Mer. One heard calling on 17 May and sub- sequently, near Talsarnau, the first noted there for some years. Mrs. T. W. L. HUGHES. One at Bala on 17 July. R. G. PERRY. Pembs. One heard calling from 3 July to at least 9 July at Narberth. Mrs. E. A. HARVEY. Coot. Pembs. A pair reared young at Brandy Brook, Newgale, in 1955 and 1956. This is a locality additional to those mentioned in The Birds of Pembrokeshire 1949.’ K. J. THOMAS. Curlew Sandpiper. Flints. 3 at Point of Air on 19 May with large numbers of other small waders. B. A. DAVIS. Purple Sandpiper. Pem. I at Grassholm 19 June. F. J. DENZEY and R.M.L. Herring, Black-Headed and Common Gulls. Cards. A roost used throughout the winter 1955-6 was on the rocks at low tide between the Pier and the Castle, Aberystwyth. A second roost (probably of herring gulls only) was out to sea off Tan-y-Bwlch. The highest count was on 28 January 1956 when there were just over 3,000 birds on the rock roost (of these less than 300 were common gulls) and very approximately 1,000 herring gulls on the sea off Tan-y-Bwlch. By the middle of February the number of common gulls had increased to just over 1,000 and the number of black-headed gulls had decreased to just under 1,000. M. SHAW. There was another large roost of mixed gulls during the same period in the Dovey Estuary and in calm weather on the sea outside the estuary. W.M.C. Sandwich Tern. Flints. 2 with Common Terns at Point of Air on 20 May. B.A.D. Turtle Dove. Cards. One at Yspytty Ystwyth on 7 May. R. C. STONE. Short-Eared Owl. Caerns. One seen mobbed by a lapwing between Aberdaron and Sarn on 26 May. R. W. ARTHUR. (As voles are locally abundant this year short-eared owls are likely to have bred in places where they are normally scarce. As many as five pairs are reported by D. P. MORGAN to have bred successfully in one sand-dune area tin Anglesey this summer. W.M.C.) Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Caerns. Observed in three localities in 1956 Gwydyr Forest, Lledr valley and Llugwy valley. J. VOYSEY. MER. One near Penmaenpool, 18-24 July. R.G.P. Chough. Cards. Two pairs in addition to the small regular population are known to have bred or attempted to breed in the county this season. D. G. SANSBURY, JOHN Corfield and CYRIL RICHARDS.