Welsh Journals

FIELD NOTES BIRDS Bird records should be sent to the County Bird Recorders but accounts of interesting occurrences, changes in population, unusual behaviour. etc., should be sent to J. W. Donovan, The Burren. Dingle Lane, Crundale, Haverfordwest. NEST RELIEF OF OYSTERCATCHERS At Strumble Head, Pembs., on 4 June 1974, a pair of Oystercatchers had a nest on a Pillow Lava spur with scattered tufts of Thrift (Armeria maritima) in the crevices, including that with the nest and a sitting bird facing away from me. The other was standing about 25 yards farther down the spur and with frequent pauses slowly walked up over the rocks. At the nest it gently rubbed its mate's head with its own. The sitting bird seemed loth to leave and was gently pushed aside until it got up and walked away a few paces before flying off. The other settled down on the nest with much shuffling, facing towards me. D. Nethersole-Thompson in Bannerman, Vol. 10, p. 311. states that at one nest he observed the change-over every three to five hours but had not seen an elaborate one. T. A. W. DAVIS GULLS-INLAND FEEDING On 25 and 29 April I motored along the A40 early in the morning passing fields near Canaston Bridge, Pembs., at 0600 hrs., and on both occasions some 200 gulls were feeding assiduously in the same two rush-covered pastures. Most of the birds, perhaps 70%, were Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and the remainder were Herring Gulls. It interested me that they were using the same fields on both dates and that there were no gulls at all on adjacent good pastures or arable fields. It seems likely that these favoured fields presented some acceptable seasonal prey species of invertebrate. Can anyone suggest just what this could have been? J. W. D. LESSERBLACK-BACKED GULL AND FLOUNDER On 4 May 1974 in the middle reach of Sandy Haven estuary, Pembs., I saw a third summer Lesser Black-backed Gull carrying a Flounder (Pleuronectes flesus) which was at least six inches long. The Gull walked a few paces, put the fish down and pecked at it, a procedure repeated frequently between periods of just standing during the next ten minutes. At the same time a Carrion Crow several times approached to within a foot of the Gull but made no attempt to seize the fish or threaten the Gull, which did not react beyond watching the Crow. The fish did not struggle and showed no signs of having been damaged by the many peckings. After the Crow had flown away to join another foraging about sixty yards away, the Gull took flight but found the weight of the fish too great, dropped it and flew off. I went immediately to the spot expecting to be able to examine and measure the fish but could not find it; evidently it had survived and, having fallen in the water, swam away. T. A W. D.