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New Species of Birds observed in Dorset

since the publication of Mansel-Pleydell's "Birds of Dorset," 1888.

By the Rev. F. L. BLATHWAYT, M.A., M.B.O.U.

(Read 11th Dec., 1917.)

INCE INCE the publication of J. C. Mansel-Pleydell's "Birds of Dorset " nearly 30 years ago, the science of ornithology has much advanced, and we know a great deal more than we did about the wanderings and the distribution of the birds of the British Isles. But as regards the county of Dorset, though several good ornithologists have diligently recorded their observations in the pages of the Proceedings of the Dorset Field Club, and consequently knowledge of the birds of the county is fast increasing, yet it appears that there is a great deal of field work still to be done before the knowledge of Dorset ornithology can be brought into line with that of many other counties.

During the year that the writer of this paper has resided in the county, a year in which field work for many reasons

could not be much indulged in, several points have come to his notice of great local ornithological interest, and of which there seem to have been no former records. To mention two only, the writer found the Marsh Warbler nesting last June in a certain spot in the county where several pairs were present, and he obtained evidence that the species had bred in the county twenty years ago and has seen the eggs which were then taken. He also found last summer the Roseate Tern on the Dorset coast under conditions which pointed to the possibility of its breeding there. If this latter fact could be established without doubt, it would be an event of considerable interest to British ornithologists. Other very interesting points came to the writer's notice which it is, perhaps, not safe to place on record without some further investigation. There is evidently a most interesting field of work open for the enthusiastic bird observer in Dorset. There are certain districts in the county-for example, the Poole and Abbotsbury areaswhich, though well known to some naturalists, yet provide from time to time great surprises and entirely new records. For instance, the writer has evidence, which appears satisfactory, that the Merlin laid eggs on the Chesil Beach 17 years ago and the Garganey Teal has nested at the Abbotsbury Decoy within recent years, while it seems more than probable that some thirty years ago a pair of Black Terns attempted to breed on some swampy ground in the Abbotsbury Swannery, and the writer has seen an egg taken at the time and attributable to the birds seen in the vicinity, which egg appears quite typical of the species. Though Black Terns have not been known to breed in the British Isles since 1858, there is no inherent impossibility in accepting the above record.

With regard to the Poole Basin, Mr. W. Parkinson Curtis has sent me some most interesting and unexpected records which he can vouch for on his own authority. He states that without doubt the Greenshank and Red-breasted Merganser have on occasion remained to breed, and he suggests that in these and similar unusual cases, birds "pricked "

by shot, and unable to perform long flight, have induced mates to remain and breed in their winter quarters.

To gain an accurate knowledge of the birds of the county, it is necessry first of all to consolidate the work of the past and then to investigate the various districts of the county on systematic lines. Mr. Mansel-Pleydell's book forms a good starting point, as it sums up, though, perhaps too concisely, the knowledge of the birds of Dorset up to the year 1888; and for our knowledge since that date we have to rely chiefly on records in the pages of the "Zoologist," "The Field," and other periodicals, and especially on the annual Proceedings of the Dorset Field Club. Our President and Mr. W. Parkinson Curtis, with the assistance of other observers, have been most painstaking in making observations and tabulating records for a number of years past, so in time we look forward to a more complete and up-to-date History of the Birds of Dorset.

In the writer's opinion, though the swelling of a county list by the record of an occasional visitant is of interest, the most useful form of work is the study of the distribution of birds, even the commonest, in the county, with special notice of their migrations, breeding range, and increase or decrease of recent years. Among the many interesting points which have lately been established are the eastward extension of the breeding range of the Dipper in the county, and apparently the westward extension of the range of the Nightingale, while among the many points which require investigation are the present situation and size of the Heronries in the county, and whether Montagu's Harrier still breeds on the heath, the Stone Curlew in any numbers on the chalk uplands, and the Chough and Black-backed Gulls (greater and lesser) on the sea cliffs; also has the past severe winter wiped out the Dartford Warbler from Dorset, as the writer is told it has nearly done from its Hants and Surrey haunts? It is very much to be hoped that this, perhaps the most interesting of our resident Dorset birds, has survived in sufficient numbers to re-colonize the depleted districts. It would also be of

much interest if anyone could give any evidence of the nesting of the Great-crested Grebe on any of the lakes and waters of the county. This fine species has of late considerably extended its breeding range in England, and may be expected to nest on the lakes of Dorset in the future, if it has not yet done so in the past. The county appears to be rich in the number of species of ducks which have been recorded as nesting the Sheld-duck, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Pochard, Wigeon, Garganey, and Tufted Duck, all having been noticed as breeding within its limits, but only the first four mentioned apparently, with any degree of regularity, and the last three, namely, Wigeon, Garganey, and Tufted Duck, only on very rare occasions. The writer knows of no record of the nesting of the Tufted Duck in Dorset since Professor Alfred Newton's notes for the year 1876; but taking into account the numbers of this species seen on the lakes and waters of Dorset from autumn to spring, and the numerous records of the nesting of the Tufted Duck in Hampshire during the past twentyfive years, it is more than probable that some have from time to time stayed to nest in our own county.

The following records made since the publication of Mr. Mansel-Pleydell's book are additions to the county list of birds, and are here collected in the hope that they will be of some assistance to the future historian of our local birds. In the writer's opinion one or two of the records seem open to some considerable, doubt; but authorities or references have been given, and the records, even if not quite established, should not be overlooked.

The chief absentee from the county lists is now perhaps the Mealey Redpoll, which should occasionally occur in hard winters; and also some of the rarer Pipits, Warbler, and Waders have still to be recorded, though doubtless some of them have occurred at the periods of migration and have escaped notice. It is only of comparatively recent years that Continental forms and races of our common birds, such as Song Thrush, Robin, Goldfinch, Tits, and others, have been recognised, and here there is a wide field open for any one who has the

opportunity for pursuing the subject. Of the 266 species recorded by Mansel-Pleydell as having occurred in Dorset, it may be found necessary to eliminate six, namely, the three rare Woodpeckers, which the authorities have not yet admitted to the British List, the Egyptian Goose, which was most probably an escape from confinement, the Polish Swan, which is not now considered to be a separate species from the Mute Swan, and the Golden Eagle. I have lately examined the specimen recorded from Sherborne Park and referred to by Mansel-Pleydell, and it is certainly a White-tailed Eagle, as is also the Dorchester Museum specimen; and, although the species is thought to have occurred on two or three subsequent occasions in the county, the evidence, as given in the proceedings of the Dorset Field Club, cannot be considered conclusive.

The nomenclature in the following list follows the B.O.U. List of 1915 :

1.

:

Nutcracker. Nucifraga caryocatactes.

One seen near Bingham's Melcombe, November, 1906. D.F.C. Transactions, Vol. 28, p. 261.

2. Two-barred Crossbill. Loxia leucoptera bifasciata. Mr. S. H. Wallis, of Weymouth, stated that he saw a pair of these birds in an apple tree at Westham at a distance of a few yards, on June 4th, 1917.

3. Ortolan Bunting. Emberiza hortulana.

A specimen in the Dorchester Museum from Weymouth was presented with the Thompson collection. The late William Thompson, of Weymouth, made a local collection of birds and recorded rarities about the middle of the last century. 4. Lapland Bunting. Calcarius lapponicus.

One seen near Wareham, January 30th, 1912. D.F.C., Vol. 33, p. 234, and Vol. 34, p. 201.

5. Short-toed Lark. Calandrella brachydactyla.

A specimen in the Dorchester Museum from near Weymouth (Thompson collection).

6. Blue-headed Wagtail. Motacilla flava.

One seen in Poole Park, Oct. 17, 1913. D.F.C., Vol. 35, p. 187,

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