﻿NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  ANGLESEA. 
  11 
  

  

  The 
  Oystercatcher 
  is 
  abundant 
  all 
  round 
  the 
  coast, 
  nesting 
  

   on 
  the 
  cliffs 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  bays. 
  Near 
  Lligwy, 
  on 
  May 
  30th, 
  we 
  

   found 
  a 
  nest 
  containing 
  four 
  incubated 
  eggs 
  ; 
  as 
  there 
  was 
  only 
  

   one 
  pair 
  of 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  bay 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  all 
  four 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   the 
  produce 
  of 
  the 
  female, 
  which 
  ran 
  silently 
  from 
  the 
  nest 
  on 
  

   our 
  approach. 
  The 
  nest 
  was 
  a 
  slight 
  scraping 
  in 
  the 
  shingle 
  at 
  

   the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  primrose-carpeted 
  cliff 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  lined 
  with 
  beach- 
  

   worn 
  shells 
  of 
  Pecten, 
  Ostrea, 
  and 
  Fusus. 
  Oystercatchers 
  and 
  

   Lapwings 
  are 
  constantly 
  warring 
  with 
  the 
  Grows 
  which 
  nest 
  

   along 
  the 
  northern 
  cliffs 
  ; 
  we 
  watched 
  one 
  Oystercatcher 
  make 
  a 
  

   determined 
  assault 
  upon 
  a 
  passing 
  Crow. 
  The 
  Carrion 
  tried 
  to 
  

   avoid 
  its 
  vociferous 
  assailant 
  — 
  the 
  Oystercatcher 
  kept 
  up 
  an 
  in- 
  

   cessant 
  angry 
  shriek, 
  pic, 
  pic, 
  pic, 
  pic 
  —by 
  rising 
  above 
  it, 
  but 
  the 
  

   Wader 
  followed 
  until 
  both 
  were 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  height 
  above 
  

   the 
  cliffs, 
  and 
  eventually 
  drove 
  the 
  baffled 
  Crow 
  off 
  the 
  field. 
  A 
  

   Lapwing 
  swooped 
  repeatedly 
  at 
  a 
  young 
  Carrion 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  

   long 
  left 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  we 
  witnessed 
  the 
  assaults 
  of 
  Kestrels 
  upon 
  

   these 
  feathered 
  Ishmaelites 
  on 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  occasion. 
  Near 
  

   Carmel 
  Head 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Crows 
  had 
  a 
  brood 
  with 
  them 
  just 
  able 
  to 
  

   fly 
  ; 
  a 
  male 
  Kestrel 
  swooped 
  at 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  when 
  they 
  passed, 
  

   and, 
  striking 
  one, 
  bowled 
  it 
  over 
  into 
  the 
  grass. 
  Here 
  the 
  Crow 
  

   stood 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  seconds, 
  and 
  then 
  cleared 
  off. 
  The 
  Kestrel 
  then 
  

   hovered, 
  stooping 
  again 
  and 
  again 
  at 
  some 
  object 
  in 
  the 
  grass, 
  

   but 
  never 
  actually 
  striking 
  the 
  ground. 
  When 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  

   spot 
  we 
  discovered 
  a 
  young 
  Carrion-Crow 
  crouching 
  in 
  the 
  grass, 
  

   and 
  quaking 
  with 
  terror. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  Carrions 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  nest 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  June. 
  We 
  met 
  with 
  birds 
  inland 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   places, 
  but 
  their 
  great 
  stronghold 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  cliffs, 
  where 
  

   we 
  saw 
  many 
  empty 
  nests, 
  and 
  young 
  birds 
  strong 
  on 
  the 
  wing. 
  

   On 
  one 
  projecting 
  rib 
  of 
  black 
  rock 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  nest 
  containing 
  

   four 
  fully-fledged 
  young 
  birds, 
  which 
  completely 
  filled 
  the 
  wool- 
  

   lined 
  hollow 
  ; 
  this 
  nest 
  was 
  within 
  easy 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   cliff, 
  though 
  other 
  nests 
  we 
  saw 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  ledges 
  on 
  

   inaccessible 
  crags. 
  One 
  nest, 
  which 
  still 
  contained 
  two 
  young 
  

   birds, 
  and 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  other 
  two 
  had 
  just 
  flown, 
  was 
  within 
  a 
  

   few 
  yards 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  road 
  which 
  passes 
  near 
  the 
  cliffs. 
  The 
  top 
  

   of 
  the 
  cliff 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  was 
  littered 
  with 
  

   the 
  refuse 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  maurauding 
  Crows 
  — 
  freshly 
  cleaned 
  

  

  