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Mystery photographs

01 April 1986 Comments Main paper The shape of the wader shown in plate 69 (repeated here), with its moderately long bill and legs, immediately suggests one of the Tringa species. The Calidris waders are more compactly built, and, except for juvenile Sanderling C. alba, lack the spotte...

Coats and jackets for birdwatchers

01 April 1986 Comments Main paper We have, on three previous occasions, carried out surveys of readers' ownership and usage of binoculars and telescopes (Brit. Birds 71: 429-439; 76: 155-161; 78: 167-175). It would, we believe, be generally acknowledged that the readers of British Bird...

Identification of Oriental Skylark

01 April 1986 Comments Main paper The Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula (also sometimes known as Small Skylark, Lesser Skylark or Eastern Skylark) is found across a large area of southern Asia. Eleven races were recognised by Vaurie (1959), most of which are resident in tropical Asia, bu...

Breeding status of the Merlin in Britain

01 April 1986 Comments Main paper The Merlin Falco columbarius is not so common in Britain as might be expected of a small raptor with an apparently large area of breeding habitat in the uplands. Its numbers are reported to have declined over a long period, perhaps at an increasing rat...

Population and breeding of Northumbrian Merlins

01 April 1986 Comments Main paper The Merlin Falco columbarius is the only widespread breeding raptor in Britain whose numbers have continued to decline in recent years. The causes are not obvious, and may vary from one part of the country to another. The species has been studied in No...

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