REDSHANK. 1 55 



In August immature birds appear on the shore, and in 

 September southward migration is in full swing ; in favourable 

 localities large flocks remain all winter. Grass-lands and 

 saltings, mud-flats and sandy shores, even rocky coasts, are 

 frequented, and no wader more frequently visits the sewage farms. 

 Insects, molluscs, and crustaceans are its food ; I have seen it 

 with Black-headed Gulls and Lapwings following the plough. 

 In shore pools it wades belly deep, and swims easily, but at 

 high tide it awaits the ebb on rocks, shingle, or sand, acting as 

 a sentinel for its less wide awake companions, for it is ever on 

 the alert, ready to take alarm. Its flight is swift and erratic, 

 an4 it calls loudly as it flies. 



In nuptial flight the Redshank dances in the air, rising on 

 quivering wings, yodeling a long trilling tchit^ tchu^ tchu, with 

 emphasis on the /. It drops a few feet and rises, again and 

 again, dancing above one particular spot like a gnat in sun- 

 shine. As it descends, still triUing, gliding diagonally earth- 

 ward, the wings are bowed, the tips held downward. If the 

 nesting area is invaded the notes change to a yelping, scolding 

 tuik, tuik^ and it mobs the intruder long after he has passed 

 the danger zone. I have seen half a dozen or more Redshanks 

 fly yelling after a passing Harrier, a Kestrel, and even a harm- 

 less Cuckoo. The nest, which is usually in a dry spot, though 

 sometimes in wet marsh, is often well concealed by the sur- 

 rounding grass or rushes (Plate 63) ; the bird interweaves the 

 ends of the grass so as to form a tent-like screen. Other nests 

 are quite open ; in one colony on sheep-cropped saltings all 

 were exposed, and in another, two had thick tents, one a loose 

 tunnel of rushes, and others had no cover. During display, 

 when not in the air, the male will trip lightly towards the 

 female, stiffly holding up the pointed wings, so as to exhibit 

 the white under surface. Though so wary, the bird is often a 

 close sitter ; there are many recorded instances of females 

 Vv'hich would allow themselves to be taken in the hand rather 



