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ZEISS CarlZeiss Sport Optics willdonate £50,- to the Wildlife Trustsforeverypairsold." Cop rther information: 01707 871 350 www.zeiss.co.uk/sportsoptics We make it visibl 2 THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM British Birds JAN 1 0 2012 PRESENTED TRING LIBRARY Volume 1 05 • Number I • January 20 1 2 Madeiran Storm-petrel off Scilly: new to Britain Robert L. Flood I I From the Rarities Committee’s files Moult and ageing of male Falcated Ducks in autumn John P. Martin and Martin Garner 23 Honey-buzzards in southern England E. Wiseman J. Regular features 29 Conservation research news Weasel Richard K. Broughton Guy Anderson, Elizabeth Charman Aggressive intraspecific behaviour and Ian Johnstone among male Black Larks in winter Ruslan Urazaliev, Timur Iskakov and Johannes Kamp 32 Letters Wrens foraging in the tree canopy The retLirn of the Red-billed in harsh winter conditions Chough to Cornwall Richard M. Mike Archer Meyer, Ian Johnstone Common Cranes in the UK 43 Reviews Phil Palmer Avian Survivors Eastern race, aberrant morph, runt or Oriental? D. I. M. Wallace The RSPB Anthology ofWildlife Poetry The correct gender of Poecile and the scientific name of the Willow TheAtlas ofBirds Tit Normand David and Michel The Breeding Birds ofMalta Gosselin, Andrew H. J. Harrop The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds 37 Notes Birds ofSeychelles A record influx of Balearic Birds ofTrinidad and Tobago Shearwaters in Devon and Finding Birds in Estonia Cornwall Mark Darlaston and Wynn Russell B. 49 News and comment Curlews feeding in stubble fields Adrian Pitches Bryan Sage Tawny Owl hanging upside down 53 Recent reports in response to aggressive Carrion Crows Ian Bennell Barry Nightingale and Harry Hussey Nest defence behaviour by Marsh Tits in response to a stuffed A British Birds aims to: * providean up-to-date magazine foreveryone interested in thebirds oftheWestern Palearctic; * publisha rangeofmaterial on behaviour,conservation,distribution, FSC ecology,identification, movements,statusand taxonomyaswellas thelatest ornithological news and book reviews; maintain its position asthe journal ofrecord; and n<oc«OKe* interpretscientificresearch on birds in an easilyaccessibleway. © British Birds 2012 Madeiran Storm-petrel new to Britain off Scilly: Robert Flood L. Abstract A Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro was seen and photographed from a boat approximately 12-14 km southeast of Scilly on 28th July 2007. The bird made two close passes to the boat, some 50 minutes apart, making it possible to note the key identification features and to reconfirm these during the second sighting. A record photograph was obtained. A previously accepted record of Madeiran Storm-petrel, one found dead at Milford, Hampshire, in November 191 I, was removed from the British List in 2008 and thus the Scilly bird becomes the first accepted record for Britain. O n the evening of28th July 2007, 1 was ticular because the jizz and flight behaviour MV on board Sapphire, south of the ofthe bird were steady and methodical rather Isles of Scilly, together with four than tern-like. The possibility of Madeiran other birders - Alan Hannington and John Storm-petrel O. castro flashed into my mind. Higginson from Scilly, Tony James from For those reasons, and for only the second Newcastle, and Ken Adelsten Jensen from time in 12 years of pelagics out of Scilly, 1 Norway - and skipper Joe Pender, who also yelled to the other birders: ‘Get on this has an interest in seabirds. The southwesterly storm-petrel!’ wind had increased after we left the harbour, Despite those very early impressions, my from a force 3 to a force 5. There was 100% next stage of thinking, during the following cloud cover and earlier rain had all but ten seconds or so, was like trying to force a ceased, although there was some sea spray square peg into a round hole, trying to make that was a problem when looking into the this storm-petrel a Wilson’s - perhaps wind. The light and other observation condi- because a Madeiran off Scilly was just too tions were good looking downwind. When incredible to believe. Moreover, in those early we were approximately 12 km southeast of St stages, there were some similarities between a Mary’s quay we began drifting and chum- Wilson’s and our bird, such as a relatively ming, and were soon watching European straight trailing edge to the wing and pur- Storm-petrels Hydrobates pelagicus heading poseful travelling flight behaviour. And, of in from downwind, which we carefully course, we were expecting to see Wilson’s! checked in the hope of finding a Wilson’s Conversely, Leach’s was never a serious can- Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus. didate. At about 18.55 hrs, I was located on the When it was about 30 m from the boat, port side of the cabin, looking downwind. this mystery storm-petrel hanked to its right Through binoculars I saw a long-winged, and began methodically quartering the sea black-brown storm-petrel rise over the crest surface. At this distance could see an upper- I of a wave, heading directly towards the boat. wing-covert bar that did not reach the leading Immediate impressions said it was not a edge (in Leach’s it does reach the leading Wilson’s. Compared with Wilson’s it was edge) and was not as pronounced as on a larger, the arm relative to the hand was typical Leach’s. The white rump was broader longer, and the wings were not flattened but than it was long (that of Leach’s is normally were held in a shallow M-shape. Neither did longer than it is broad), extending to the those first impressions resonate with Leach’s lateral undertail-coverts (unlike Leach’s), and Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa, in par- was still clearly visible when the bird banked 2 © British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10 Madeiran Storm-petrel off Scilly: new to Britain away showing its underside (in similar cir- it really be? Having noted all relevant struc- cumstances the white rump on Leach’s is then tural and plumage features, flight behaviour, hard to see). Therefore, the ‘band rump’ was and briefly considered other possible storm- seemingly always visible as the storm-petrel petrel species, I was now confident enough to manoeuvred around, a feature not apparent call it: ‘It’s a Madeiran!’. The bird continued on Leach’s. The tail of our bird was short and on, past the bow, and then, banking to its left, the rear end looked particularly short relative moved away from the boat and was lost to to the wingspan (in comparison, the rear end sight. The whole event lasted about a minute. of Wilson’s looks relatively long, even when The precise location was 049°51.741’N the feet are retracted and the toe projection 006°08.781’W. thus eliminated). There was no toe projection When I first saw the Madeiran, my instant beyond the end of the tail (Wilson’s typically reaction was: ‘This is really different!’ I has obviously projecting toes). shouted so loudly that even Joe Pender, The bird was approaching close to the fishing off the stern, heard me through the stern and I expected it to pass the stern and wind and turned around to see the bird fly head into the slick off the starboard side and by. However, after yelled out, nobody I feed. Instead, it banked to its left and flew uttered a word, and this, coupled with parallel to the port side, some 12 m from the incredulity, slight panic, and some resonance boat. We had front-row seats for this per- with the jizz of Wilson’s (see above), led me formance and the differences from Leach’s to doubt my first impression and, after a and Wilson’s quickly became apparent: the short while, to say questioningly: ‘It must be relatively thick bill (thinner in Leach’s and a large Wilson’s?’ John Higginson replied that Wilson’s); the chunky body (relatively slim in it was too large, and this helped to calm my Leach’s and Wilson’s); the leading edge of the mind a little, but not totally. Experience in wing was mildly angular at the carpal joint many oceans alongside the world’s seabird and the trailing edge was gently angular experts reminded me that even the best have (both sharply angular in Leach’s, and the been tricked by size illusion - Madeiran for trailing edge in Wilson’s is all but straight); European Storm-petrel is one example that the arm was broad (narrow in Leach’s); and comes to mind (also see Flood 8c Fisher 2011, the wing-tips were moderately blunt (very pp. 25-26) - and to begin with there was no pointed in Leach’s and Wilson’s). In addition, opportunity for comparison with local the underwing was evenly black-brown, storm-petrels. What’s more, Wilson’s vary similar to the body. These plumage features, significantly in size, and the jizz of a small among many other plumage and structural Wilson’s is quite different from that of the features, also eliminated both species of largest. Flight actions of one especially large Fregetta storm-petrel - White-bellied Fregetta Wilson’s, seen well and photographed off grallaria and Black-bellied F. tropica - which Scilly in 2005, set it apart from others and both show largely white underwing-coverts will be remembered by birders on board at and belly (normally with a dark central stripe the time (see plates 3 8c 4). John Higginson in Black-bellied). The European Storm- also noted the lack oftoe projection, but here petrels present were simply dwarfed along- again I was aware that Wilson’s can retract side our bird as it continued by. their legs thus eliminating toe projection, The jizz was consistently methodical, ‘when it can look remarkably like band- almost predictable: not buoyant and some- rumped [Madeiran]’ (Killian Mullarney in times unpredictable as Leach’s; not hirun- Robb et al. 2008). In 2000, in the early years dine-like as with Wilson’s; and not like a of Scilly pelagics, Kris Webb, Ashley Fisher m small bat as with European. It rose up to 3 and I watched a Wilson’s off Scilly with legs above the sea surface on several occasions retracted, which caused considerable confu- (this is very rare in Wilson's and European, sion in the identification. Put simply, a lack which almost always keep within a metre of oftoe projection does not eliminate Wilson’s. the sea surface). It was the combination of key characteristics By now was trying to accept that this of flight behaviour, plumage aspect, and I storm-petrel had to be a Madeiran, but could structure, described above, that allowed British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10 3 Flood I. Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro, 27th July 2007, c. 12 km southeast of St Mary’s quay, Scilly.The combination of structure and visible plumage aspect shown in this image are unique to Madeiran. Note the long outstretched wings, considerable length of the arm relative to the hand, that the leading edge is mildly angular at the carpal joint and the trailing edge gently angular, the wing-tips are moderately blunt, the tail is short relative to the wingspan, the ‘band rump’ extends much deeper on the underside than in Leach’s, and the underwings and body are all dark. Also note that the Madeiran is about three metres above the sea surface.This record shot clearly shows several Pender key field characteristics that in combination are diagnostic of Madeiran Storm-petrel. Joe identification to click into place. camera at hand, instead keeping them bagged In reality, even though it was such a because of the sea spray. The lack of photo- momentous bird, the identification was clear- graphic evidence was niggling at the back of cut and categorical, given the close pass and my mind. Halfan hour or so later, the revelry excellent views with all key field identifica- had passed its peak and we had mostly fallen tion features seen, and so celebrations began quiet as the facts had begun to sink in. immediately. However, we did not have an And then, at about 19.45 hrs, I was experienced photographer on board and amazed to see the Madeiran approaching the none of us amateur photographers had a boat for a second time. We were treated to an James Tony Fig. |. Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro, 28th July 2007, off Scilly. 4 British Birds 105 • January 2012 • 2-10