NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 109, 4 November 1939, Page 11

NATURE NOTES

TERN BREEDING COLONY

BIRD-LIFE ON A SPIT

■. •: . --. .■■■■ -•-■■ < -■.. ■-. >■:'■■•■■■: '-/■■■■■<\r-<: '-*. ;:' ■: ■• (By R H.D. Stidol^h.) - v*\: ;g .Within a few feet; of >*; from; the Pacific Ocean thunderin^bji ;^- ------an exposed beach, which' by the writer- the ;othet day);^icbK|% ,^ of ■ Caspian terns .ha'd';!ihiE>i^i : liQni6.J!^l^,-';g| a confined area, riot more .thaiirfi^ « feet square; forty or; fifty ibirdsy^i-e VipJ congregated. ■ They, could: b^; seeriifcwp; JE some distance along the beach/. • Wbi?4; «| the proximity of .the brpediiig Jg^bjirid was. reached, the birds took..fllfftif aiid'-..:gjj to the accompaniment of :ha>i^^a#iig g •cries,.' swooped.'down atvtlie hijmah^in- «• Cruder into their .sanctuary,,. Although ;B they were decidedly angry^at.t^e^ni f* trusion and clearly showed thejr'/feei- m ings ."they invariably kept, ata safe? dis* -M tance, always turning aside ;with r their Ml swoops .many-ifeet away-froiri\.the'; pi*- -S ject;of their;.attack.. :It was;nbt; t w4^» ' S outv reason.'; that the. birds;, shoy^ed^so:-:;.'5J much..; anxifety.Aas within a:.ponf^'ed.g space there' w^re -^at' least , ; th'u^jr^viß : g nests • containing. *eggs and l yo\j^^^he :'; v $ nests in these , cases were: m^re|^pp"Qpf ■?% in; the, Sand. from :!eight ;to^ across arid about twdi: jnc&es«ui^ tt^th. # Certainly: the -:nestsviin.^■thi&^cpl^ijrv-E were of: the ' mosi ;primiti^^na||i^.-, 'm adopted by any birdlv; v;:. : Th\e\maK^%ipf \-m a. scoop^ surely . would■;;accjupy fnpH^jig*'. |f than.a f:ew ininutesV ■'■;■ ■.;'; ; : y l'4:-*it tW"'''% ■'■l': A,'--glanceV .at.th^ the- chicks -were just ? hatch^l^v^wmy g cases, which:'; indicated."^toatO'm^rijij^s. jg had; apparently; laid l^eir.^ggs ■; the.' same time.•• •■ ■ '^The'frema^^tS^^-'-;:«g gularity iriv the laying ro| v^eteggs-:an4 m the\hatchirig \of trie^chicks: pf^thj? iqol- /;§ ony ':-vir'ais. all;theVmore;?nbtable,; ; as;lass i§ year the "VbUlk 'fit th^l" chicks"w^re;.^ hatched - within a dayv or vtwo> of\ :tli* ,g corresporiding.■^ajte:. V ;tbJs;;'ye^''.':-.'.''..l«ia^t M year, .the">ypungV in- the:'same.icolQiiy »j» began to appear ,on October :3d| this || year the first were ,appareritly>duiipa;;;^ October 28. Another ■ featuie'^aa; flia|» 2 asi far as the Hvriter.cpulii^judged .^e ,g same:. nesting •'..^^area year was utilised this year,: although B there are no very-.-noticeable landrnajik*: g to indicate the/ location. As; vinay;|b> v; ,S gained froni the!; congregation: of■ h'so' M many birds- in a .small :are&,:;:^ojiiev ; pt:: i the nests were as close: as .two rf,^; 2 apart. So closely pack'ec^ "v"vvere^.the',.•'■.-: g birds that ■ there wa§ a strong; simeilsof ;|g guano .associated, witli -the/ibreedfaig.X'gj colPny. I^ost of>:th'fe;-\nesft*':l?ad ;■'•: : :twd;-g eggs^a- few\:ha!d':-&reel;ej^s/.;ahd;^^|l.-.; m less only o'nib each.' i There vwerevthrejj 'ffi chicks; M'bhe'nj^ifea^ youngsters, and ;:m';se^ral.;pjtiiers> pnja >g chick had appeared .b-r:M-';fgg^^ rcK(ijpt''.;: m ped. All■ the;chick| jalre^y^/pi^'h^dy | only beien hatched;: :^ ;s^r^-tmie.f preXfiy /1 ously arid- I:iying;^ptaPtalesS;sii»••. .ja the ■ ,sandj/fprrning:;thei^;^rseii^;^ i: \. :^'» .- .-. -^n'ot^A:Cp|^^|i^^' T^v:./;| ■ The :tern;is ; ri^<;ii)yer^- ip^ I mo'h7-bir.d''lii:-^New^Zeal'a^d^:^pipK4t\'LS is gene^^ly ; 3 cpasfc-i As is indicated frpm^^e|a|ic^«. | dbservatipns/dt" v usiw^;ibi^^iifelc|plr' '.■ g oriieW 'but:tiies^:arf ' | ably no' ptiier breeding ■l!fojojsW%:ss& ; * bird occurs within' fifty•; or^^i>^ r^iifl<BS v;S of the^ one mentioned;; ;sp 'thai \can ' g readily be; seen that .its humbers::^e;=i| not-very-great, as this assembly^would | iepresentXtlie "birdii;ihh'^r|M|-^an^e^ ; « •tenslv^"-::afe'a r"6f;;:coa:st:t:yp;^^lu^^ probably, \Vellirigt6n •; Harbour.- -^ It; | would' be int6resting tOrknp^if ;^a|pr | readers ' of this column. ;hSYO . | tered: breeding: Caspian"'te^s^ihi^piiiei^ ':■ * parts ■• of the , district. ■ : The> ~:g tern, {which is a bird of^al^^ft^^S^ • mopplitan .distributipn, is>.!Bas^y:lth«;;;:i largest tern, inhabiting New■ .Zeal.ati4»; "i| As far as liie speciesi found vi^^if | bouhtry are:^concernedi,:^^:the;itern4\'H* 3 readily- recognisied byMiie^blkck^ ';oP-' J and otherwise white or-; pale; = gTP3T ■ | plumage:. -Usually, wheii -'flytog, ':■s&&.'"• 'j bill /is; ppinted ; downwards. birds have long, pdmted; wings^" a^ are- universally ;'admired r^fpr \ v theur- ;| gracefulness and beauty in the- air. .■;■ | The much smaller and mxich mbra | iiumerpus whiteVfrorited'teTOv^^ commonly seen: in Wellin|tpnLHarbptoi ;# breeds quite close to the\ci^, :ari4>;at ; 5 many bthertplaces on:;the.'coast iwit^ila .;;| a short; distance: of,thevcapatal:; %-%UO--:"^i ■BLACK^ACKiBD.. GULL -PRES^J^^:4* Another inhabitant: of v the^s^«;<|K^j^ quented<by; the 'terns it th^-^^c^^-backed gull, which also .breeds-ii^?;:^^ large cplphy'in an area^adjpinirig;viiSi«i^g site <|^^ case*ofitheigullj hoiyever;^^ is spread put over avmuch jlarger';-.ex^*g* tent of ground.7 In its:-ch<M^^pf:^«^ nesting '"site, ;tKe:, gull; Pla<^|ts^nes^^ under the shelter pf l what :-.scs^LtAyegef^ffi tion!. there"may> ; befpii;tnfe^eaShgJ^i^S under l-ffie.'-le"^'''^^^^^^ midst oi^a'tma^;pf/seaswe^d;<-^-Th>^bf^ site ':.that>appel^ nest on-the :t shingle ;or> s^d^rf?hc>v^d^g from such: vegetation <ppv:pb^ects}j^ *&*mm ■stated; V'^The' :guli;; Aini^};:-haye^s6n^|^ thing arpundi- its nest.: £;K vis^-gi*^*^^! breeder-thari Xtisi (term,r^i^ usually: does not commencev to.*layitpe^i fore the begihriinpo4{^vemb& lA|^| the saitxe^ it frequents its ;;n6sting;place^Jrj for a considerable period' before t.'the^ actual laying; of the 'eggs takes -placs^ The selection of a breeding grpund .■■■vctyrii close prpxiinity to;- a gull; colony^is »^2| risky procedure for the. Caspja^'tern, - | as the. gull has: a special likingt^pf eggs and- young birds. ■ Provided,?.th<^,# tern colony is large enough^tits Piebpi- :^ bers are able to. give the eggs: ;i^anO|# young sufficient protectionrttffrustaratefy the gull's .attacks, which; probabjy: «■ i: the reason for; the tern cpngregatiiig| so closely in its breeding .ground.; ;;m ; ; small colony oi; single nests are nearly ;; always raided by the gull and vnder ; these conditions hardly a single;^oi^|ag:;; pne;is reared. -; ; ''■■' "■■■ ■-•'■' 'y'. :: :T::"'^'^v^:;:'t "■'■-• • •■...- '■•■■■:;.: ':■.'■''■ ■■ '':' v'^--''::^^#^ '•'.:■ - .-DOTTEREL-AT^HOMf: v :?;];;;|S-':: Spits aX the mouths irf pi^'^■larger^::: rivers are- also the breeding;-places pl-i the banded dotterel but this beai^tifu^K ' little bird, is quite harmless and;taus^i no harm to any of the other infiabij;aiits of its breeding ground.; For^na^te|^v.v for the dotterel, its '.-nest ~ arid eggs^aji^' ; ;■; exceedingly hard 'to~ vlpcate1'; s^Pnggtb^": ,v gravel...ih^yfticb,,Jh'.ey^aXejp^Qej^^d:: X eyen the vigilant eyesxpf.;!;;l^e:.i'gu!(l.'..:f,;: seldom, if" ever r discpveT:4ts:Sj6gg^: - though the gull may occasjoriiallyVsn^;; 5 up a young bifdj but:he^e>;iaig^in^p)^^!si tectiye cplouratipn affords the dotterel,1 ; 3 chick '.some':.meas ; UTe';.pf any. case^.; thereVisyno ■ Mp&*<for&^fj%JT banded dotterel to breed m;a:<;cqldj|i^^ •for the purpose ;pf- mutual pro.te<?ttOn.^!?-: It is a matter "for; wonder :, hpwTsuc^taL j: ? small bird as the dotterel is sab^^::?tjc>,;; live, in such- bleak . si^ations^ .asi.>ai|^i exposed spit but an examinatipnVbf itS"ti| nest shows that it takes fi4l adx^^ife^ yj of all natural. features of, the;.;ground to secure the maximum amount shelter. .The ■ nest is nearly; ;;alw)|ya >|iplaced between stones, and .wheri;;^'^sfeS■-.! realised that, the scoop is :about'.:t^o:s3i inches deep and that the stones'- xisea;v up at least, another inck/pr two,'it--caa*i"i*-be seen that< when incubating the egg?, ;Ss I.the sitting bird is more sheltered.ithah;-S; is at first thought possible in lVsuch;l**;;situation. All this goes -toi;prove-,that.^^ the birds Inhabiting, a.certain;'"-area- iai&B^ I well acquainted with elementary;'factf^y lin'the-'struggle.fdr.'existenc'e.;^ ; '■;::.V>'?;fi^

I ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "A New Zealander of British Stock."—The phraso "commands tho sea" was not Intended as a denial of Divine power. Other letter canuot bo traced. - . "Loyal."—Provided the National Anthem is played it must bo left, to the discretfon of the management what other' patriotic display Is made.