Monthly Bulletin 7 



tufted head in the male, sooty grey plumage and flamingo pink on the under- 

 side of the wings; female, no crest and rusty brown plumage. The distinc- 

 tive feature of the male is a bright vermilion and serrated bill, which is 

 drab color in the female. 



"Another bird which puzzles me is slightly larger than the teal: a fish- 

 eater with a merganser's bill; the male is a beautifully marked white bird 

 with characteristic black bars round the base of the neck and a typically 

 harlequin crest; the female has no crest, but a ruddy brown head and neck. 

 It has duck's plumage and is not a grebe. Is there such a small merganser? 

 The common merganser is a daily visitor to the lake, as is also the dabchick. 



"On ploughed land the Calandra lark is frequently seen, with a black- 

 throated tree lark; and all our English finches are represented. Of soft- 

 billed birds, robins, blackbirds, and song thrushes inhabit all sheltered spots, 

 whilst the ravines are peopled with dippers, grey and yellow wagtails, and 

 the interesting sedge warblers and bearded tits. 



"In the cultivated valley the common partridge and French partridge 

 abound. Blue Rock pigeons are plentiful. Wood-pigeons are rarely seen. 

 Woodcocks come in with the north wind in considerable numbers. 



"The black vulture is seen frequently in the vicinity of old camping 

 grounds, besides the golden eagle and Bonelli's eagle. Montagu harriers are 

 common, as well as marsh and glen harriers; Peregrine falcons are com- 

 paratively scarce; buzzards take heavy toll of mallards at dawn and dusk. 

 The great white heron, the squacco, the night and grey herons, the white egret, 

 and bittern are found in all the Doiran marshes; cormorants and shags are 

 familiar denizens of the waterways and have as companion one little king- 

 fisher. 



"Perhaps no list would be complete without reference to our useful 

 scavenging bird friends, which include magpies, jackdaws, rooks, carrion and 

 hoodie crows, and ravens. Every oak ravaged by borer-worms or weather 

 acts as host to a whole tribe of little owls. I counted thirty-two flying out 

 of a tree in a wood near the lake. Screech and long-eared owls are the con- 

 stant companions of our night-posts. Of lesser birds of prey the kestrel, 

 hobby, and sparrowhawk, and of medium size the kite, are perhaps worthy 

 of mention; whilst the smallest and most mischievous is the great grey shrike 

 — familiar figure on telegraph post or tamarisk bush. 



"It is remarkable how little all our feathered friends — who help to 

 make our life so much more endurable up here — are affected even by the 

 barrage fire or artillery. They re-occupy their usual haunts quite calmly 

 as soon as the fire lifts." 



