BIRDS 



107. Greenland Falcon. Fako candlcans Q. 



F. Gmelin) 



The only record is that of Garner, who 

 states that it has been 'shot in Beaudesert 

 Park' (p. 271). 



1 08. Peregrine Falcon. Fako peregrinus, 



Tun stall. 



The Rolleston Hall collection contains an 

 adult female shot at Beaudesert, probably the 

 bird referred to by Garner as having been 

 killed there in 1841. An adult cock shot near 

 Codsall in 1897 ' s now ' n tne possession of 

 Mr. Heathley of Stoke-on-Trent. 



109. Hobby. Fako subbuteo, Linn. 



A scarce summer visitor, but has been ob- 

 served several times. Garner's MS notes 

 contain a reference to one shot in Needwood 

 Forest in 1847. In 1883 Dr. McAldowie 

 saw a hobby take a swallow on the wing at 

 Han ford near Stoke (Birds of Staffordshire, p. 

 95), and in the Rolleston Hall museum is a 

 specimen which was shot in June 1890. 

 Judging from the date this bird may have been 

 breeding in the neighbourhood. Mr. R. H. 

 Read shot a hobby at Lee Head near Maer 

 in the summer of 1 88 1 (Report North Staff's 

 Field Club, 1894, p. 48). 



110. Merlin. Fako eesalon, Tunstall. 



A few pairs still breed on the moorlands in 

 the north of the county, and stragglers are 

 occasionally observed in other parts. Garner 

 records merlins from Needwood Forest, Tean 

 and Burton, and the Rolleston museum con- 

 tains one shot on 15 October 1853 ln tne 

 churchyard (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, p. 34). Sir 

 O. Mosley in the same work describes it as 

 ' not infrequently seen,' and in the Derby 

 Museum is a skin from the Blurton collection. 

 One was shot in 1891 at Swythamley, where 

 it breeds, and a nest with eggs was found 

 ' some years ago ' at Newcastle-under-Lyme 

 (Birds of Staffordshire, p. 95). 



111. Kestrel. Fako tinnunculus, Linn. 

 Fairly common and a partial migrant. Not 



so plentiful as formerly but still nests regu- 

 larly. A most useful bird in helping to keep 

 down mice and voles. 



112. Osprey. Pandion haliaetus (Linn.) 



An occasional visitant. Garner mentions 

 specimens shot at Stafford and Burton ' a few 

 years back,' and Sir O. Mosley observed one 

 at Rolleston in 1841 (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, 

 p. 33). In the summer of 1860 Mr. Brown 

 saw one near Burton which was afterwards 

 shot lower down the Trent (Fauna of Burton, 

 p. 227). Mr. R. W. Chase has an immature 



female in his collection shot near Lichfield 

 26 September 1 88 1, and another was seen 

 for a week at Copmere in October 1882 

 (Birds of Staffordshire, p. 96). In January 

 1893 one was shot at Sneyd Green near 

 Burslem (Report North Staffs Field Club, 1894, 

 p. 42). 



113. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.) 

 A straggler to Aqualate on several occasions 



and has also been observed in the Trent 

 valley. Dickenson in 1798 notes it as 'fre- 

 quently seen in winter about Aqualate mere.' 

 Sir O. Mosley says one was seen on the Trent 

 and Dove about 20 years previously to 1863, 

 and that he saw one fishing in the Dove ' be- 

 tween 30 and 40 years ago ' (Nat. Hist, of 

 Tutbury, p. 57). Mr. E. Brown records 

 another killed at Burton in 1838 (Fauna of 

 Burton, p. 110), and one was killed during 

 the winter of 1885 at the same place (Natur- 

 alist''! World]. There is also a specimen at 

 Swythamley shot in 1872 (Birds of Stafford- 

 shire, p. 97). 



114. Shag or Green Cormorant. Phalacro- 



corax graculus (Linn.) 



One shot at Burton weir by Mr. Charles 

 Hanson 'some years ago' (1893) (Birds of 

 Derbyshire, p. 152). Three were seen at the 

 same place in September 1902 (Report North 

 Staffs Field Club, 1903). 



115. Gannet or Solan Goose. Sula bassana 



(Linn.) 



According to Garner, ' Occasional on the 

 Trent and Dove ; Aqualate.' Sir O. Mosley 

 (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, p. 57) mentions one 

 killed at Yoxall on 8 November 1853, and 

 in the same work Mr. Brown says it has 

 twice been killed within a few miles of Tut- 

 bury (p. no), but probably one of these cases 

 refers to the Yoxall bird. One shot near 

 Grindon, 1899. On 4 August 1900 two 

 were seen at Clifton flying down the Dove 

 valley (Report North Staffs Field Club, 1901). 



1 1 6. Common Heron. Ardea cinerea, Linn. 

 Locally, Yarn (Dickenson), Heronshaw (Plot), 



obs. 



A resident in fair numbers. Dr. Plot 

 writing in 1686 says, 'and of unusual birds 

 frequenting the water here are also divers 

 kinds, some of them cloven footed and pisci- 

 vorous though they build their nests on the 

 tops of trees ; as the Ardea cinerea, or common 

 heron or heronshaw whereof I saw divers 

 sitting on the tops of the highest trees in 

 Norbury Park." Garner in his supplement 

 (1860) mentions nests at Swythamley, Trent- 



