A HISTORY OF DEVONSHIRE 



239. Wood - Sandpiper. Tetanus glareola 



(J. F. Gmelin) 

 This sandpiper is very scarce in Devonshire, 

 and but few records exist of its occurrence. 

 It was first discovered as a British bird by 

 Colonel Montagu, who had a specimen which 

 was shot on the south coast of the county in 

 the month of August. Two have occurred 

 at Slapton Ley ; the last of them was seen on 

 18 July 1895. Two immature birds have 

 been obtained near Barnstaple, and one on 

 Braunton Burrows in the months of August 

 and September. A specimen of this sand- 

 piper in the Natural History Museum at 

 South Kensington is labelled ' Torquay.' 



240. Green Sandpiper. Tetanus ochropus 



(Linn.) 

 In Devonshire the green sandpiper occurs 

 but sparingly, and generally singly or in 

 pairs, rarely in small flocks, in spring, summer 

 and autumn. Occasionally it is met with in 

 winter, and indeed in almost every month in 

 the year. It is probably partially a resident 

 breeding species, as very young birds have 

 been seen in both the north and south of the 

 county in July and August. It frequents 

 inland waters as well as the sea shore and 

 estuaries. 



241. Common Redshank. Tetanus calidris 



(Linn.) 

 Locally, Pill-cock (N. Devon). A ' pill ' is a 

 little stream of water which has cut for 

 itself a deep channel in the mud. 



The redshank was formerly a resident 

 species, and one of the most abundant of the 

 shore birds on some of our estuaries. In some 

 years, when the summer and autumn have been 

 fine and warm, it still occurs in considerable 

 numbers in small flocks on migration, during 

 August and September. It is sometimes seen 

 in the summer months, and probably a few 

 pairs breed at Slapton Ley, where young 

 birds were seen in June 1894, and both at 

 Bantham and on the Kingsbridge estuary in 

 June, 1900. Some occasionally remain 

 throughout the winter on the south coast, and 

 Mr. Gatcombe thought the redshank had be- 

 come a regular winter visitor to the Plymouth 

 estuaries. 



242. Spotted Redshank. Tetanus fuscus 



(Linn.) 

 A rare autumnal straggler principally to the 

 south coast of the county. About a dozen 

 examples have been obtained on the Plymouth, 

 Kingsbridge and Exe estuaries in August, and 

 one was shot on the Hamoaze in November 

 1829. Mr. Gatcombe mentions one killed in 



February 1874 ^^ ^^^ mouth of the Erme in 

 perfect winter plumage. The only recorded 

 north Devon specimen was obtained in 

 October 1891. 



243. Greenshank. Tetanus canescens (J. F. 



Gmelin) 



A passing visitor, principally in autumn. 

 Small flocks occasionally visit our estuaries in 

 August and September, in fine seasons, 

 associating with redshanks, dunlins and other 

 shore birds. It is rarely seen in spring, and 

 only now and then in winter, and is by no 

 means a common species at any time. 



244. Red-breasted Snipe. Macrerhamphus 



griseus (J. F. Gmelin) 

 Colonel Montagu, who first made this Ameri- 

 can species known as a B ritish bird, records under 

 the name of ' brown snipe ' a male obtained 

 on the coast of Devon in October of some 

 year about 1801. Dr. E. Moore mentions 

 another which was in the collection of Mr. 

 Drewe of Devonport. A male in winter 

 plumage was shot in the parish of South 

 Huish in the winter of 1855, and one is 

 said to have been killed at Hatherleigh. 



245. Bar-tailed Godwit. Li mesa lappenica 



(Linn.) 

 Locally, Sea-Woodcock, Goddin (N. Devon), 

 Cinereous Godwit and Red-breasted Snipe 

 of Montagu. 

 A passing visitor in spring and autumn, 

 sometimes numerous for a few weeks on the 

 mud-flats of our estuaries, both in the north 

 and south of the county. The number 

 arriving depends on the prevailing winds. 

 On the south coast they are most numerous 

 in spring in those years in which there has 

 been a long continuance of easterly winds. 

 Such good ' godwit years ' occurred in 1876 

 and 1895, when in May great numbers 

 visited the Plymouth and Kingsbridge 

 estuaries. In 1856 on 26 and 27 Septem- 

 ber large flocks were driven into the Barn- 

 staple river by severe storms. Some of those 

 that arrive in spring, probably non-breeding 

 birds, remain during the summer, and some- 

 times flocks are seen on the south coast in 

 winter. Specimens in the rich red dress of 

 the breeding season are often obtained both 

 in the spring and autumn, but most of the 

 birds at the latter season are in immature 

 plumage. 



246. Black-tailed Godwit. Limosa belglca 



(J. F. Gmelin) 

 A casual visitor of occasional occurrence 

 in spring and autumn, principally on the 



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