- 18 -- 

 THE DUSKY REDSHANK ~ TRINGA 5RYTHR0PUS 



The Common Redshank is well known to all who are 

 interested in birds. The Dnsky Redshank is more 

 rarely seen, coming as a passage migrant in Spring 

 and A-utumn, frequently by itself 5 or with only a fev/ 

 of its ov/n species. In Kent I have seen it twice. 



On August 18th J 1951 I crept up the bank 

 overlooking the v/ader pool between Stodmarsh and 

 Grove Ferry. It was full of waders - Green Sandpipers, 

 Lapwings and a magnificent reddish Black-tailed Godvirit. 

 Obviously keeping company v/ith the Godv/it was a 

 smaller v/ader, slightljf larger than a Common Redshank, 

 with lanky legs which shov/ed up to perfection when it 

 scratched its face with one of its clav/s. Its legs 5 

 one could see, were a darker red than the orange-red 

 of the Common Redshank. The bill too was a little 

 longer and v/as blackish with just a trace of red 

 colour at the base of the lov/er mandible. The upper 

 parts were dark grey. The underparts were lighter 

 grey. The dark grey wings were flecked and spotted 

 with white, and there were dark grey bars on the 

 flanks. It ?/as a Dusky or Spotted Redshank. 



Something startled the birds and they all rose. 

 The Dusky Redshanl^ secondaries were lighter than the 

 rest of the wing, but there was no definite white wing 

 bar as in the Common Redshank _. Its call too was 

 distinctive - a two-note "tchueet". 



This uncommon v/ader nests in the northern coun- 

 tries of Europe and spends the Yi^inter in southern 

 Europe, passing along our east coast as a passage 

 migrant in Spring and jriutumn. 



In breeding plumage it is a beautiful dark, dusky 

 grey, spotted and barred v/ith white. It is said to 

 choose, when possible, a burnt patch of ground in the 

 forest for its nest, where the sitting bird v/ould be 

 almost invisible. In Autumn and V/inter it loses its 

 dark smoke grey colour and becomes more like the Common 

 Redshank - greyish brov/n with lighter underparts. 



H. ROWLkITO. 





