SOME MUD-FLAT BIRD-NOTES. 



211 



Whether it carries its young as the Woodcock does at times I 

 am not sure, but I strongly suspect it ; nor can I yet fully satisfy 

 myself how it is that so few eggs or young birds come to grief 

 on our East Coast marshes. It is a wonder to me that a solitary 

 nest should escape intact, seeing that it is often planted in the 

 midst of rambling bovines. I feel assured that a bullock will 

 avoid treading upon a bird if possible to do so, and have observed 

 them on a marsh deliberately step out of the way of a parcel of 

 Gulls that refused, or did not attempt, to move out of their line 

 of feeding. 



The Redshank is a busy little bird at feeding-time. When 

 " worming" on the ooze he likes to keep just in advance of the 

 lifting waters that creep stealthily, inch by inch, over the flats. 

 He makes a series of detached figure eights when stepping along, 

 lifting his head after every thrust or twist. The Greenshank 

 also makes figure eights, but joins them in continuous line. His 

 favourite resort is a small tide-pool left in the mud — ''lows" 

 our Breydoners call them. Every inch of it will he work until 

 satisfied that every hiding Shrimp has been ousted out and 

 nabbed ; he also delights to start at the beginning of a trickling- 

 out drain just wide enough to reach on either side of him. He 

 then pursues the drain downwards, steadily and industriously 

 zigzagging as he goes. He is more petulant and restless than 

 his cousin the Redshank. 



The Knot is a lazy bird, very companionable, and never 

 hurries himself, either at feeding, waking, or getting out of the 

 way of danger. I never observed a slower bird at " worming." 

 When feeding he will probe the mud three or four times in 

 succession before shifting a foot to another spot. No greater 

 contrast can be seen than when a Knot and a Ringed Plover are 

 hunting together. The Ringed Plover probes a hole and seizes 

 his worm, or maybe withdraws his short bill without one, and 

 immediately trots off two or more feet and probes again. The 

 Knot will be leisurely probing some six square yards, while the 

 other will be scouring a good square acre. 



The Whimbrel is a bonnie bird ; noisy and merry, he 

 seems as light-hearted as a schoolboy in the month of Ma} 7 , 

 when he is most in evidence with us. No bird "calls" more 

 when feeding on our flats, and in between his shrieking call- 



