when at Spurn with his yacht, on the night of Aug. 22nd, he saw
thousands of Golden Plover passing north along the sea-shore in
detached flocks, flying in lines and arrow-heads; he was near enough
to see that the upper parts were speckled with the "golden drop,"
and the under parts mottled black and white, as if changing from the
summer to the winter dress.]
Grey Plover, _Squatarola helvetica_.--At Heligoland, June 15th,
16th, and 17th, repeatedly; not mentioned afterwards in report. At
Spurn L.H., July 25th, three on the muds; Aug. 29th, two. On Essex
coast, Aug. 14th, Major Russell saw a flock or two, all having black
breasts. The young arrive in August and September; old birds later in
October and November; a few old birds having black or mottled breasts
are often seen in July or early in August. Some birds of the previous
year, or in their second summer, sometimes remain on the coast during
the summer.
Lapwing, _Vanellus vulgaris_.--At Heligoland, July 3rd, with many
others high overhead, day and night; 4th, in astounding numbers
with Curlews. At Farne Inner L.H., Aug. 12th to 28th, with Golden
Plovers to and from land daily. At Coquet Island L.H., Nov. 16th
to Dec. 30th, on several days; "rush," Nov. 21st and Dec. 10th. At
Spurn L.H., Sept. 5th, flocks N. to S. during day. At Great Cotes,
Oct. 20th, gale from N., flocks E. to W. At Outer Dowsing L.V., June
21st, two came on board; left at 9 a.m. for W. At Dudgeon L.V., Aug.
7th, 3 a.m. to midnight, "Plovers," small parties, general direction
W. At Lynn Well L.V., Nov. 7th and 23rd, Dec. 20th and 29th, S.E. to
N.W. At Hasboro' L.H., Nov. 15th, Gulls and Plovers to S.; Dec. 17th,
"Plovers" to S. At Cockle L.V., July 10th, two Lapwings to N.W. At
Galloper L.V., Oct. 28th, 9.20 a.m., thirty "Pewit" to N.W. At Swin
Middle L.V., Sept. 20th, "six birds like Crows."[9] At Casquets L.H.,
Oct. 7th, 12 p.m., flock to N.W. Appear to have crossed at irregular
times, and at some stations in considerable numbers; from July 3rd,
at Heligoland, to the end of December, at Lynn Well and Coquet Island.
[Footnote 9: To which my correspondent quaintly adds in a note, "the
six birds like Crows which passed on the 20th, cried 'pee-weet' as
they passed."]
Dotterel, _Eudromias morinellus_.--At Heligoland, July 24th, one
shot. At Teesmouth, a dozen seen about middle of September. Very
rarely observed at British stations during the autumn migration.
Ringed Plover, _Ægialitis hiaticula_,--At Heligoland, July 1st,
great many with Redshanks the whole day passing on high overhead;
3rd, same, day and night; 5th, same. At Swin Middle L.V., very large
flocks of "Ox-birds"[10] passed, going N.W., in October, November,
December, and January.
[Footnote 10: Dunlin ?]
Oystercatcher, _Hæmatopus ostralegus_.--At Coquet L.H., Aug. 16th,
N.E., great numbers all day. At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Aug. 16th,
flock of "Mussel-crackers." At Hunstanton L.H., from Aug. 2nd for
several weeks, large flocks of Oystercatchers and Curlews passing
S.W. at ebb, returning E. at flood.
Dusky Redshank, _Totanus fascus_.--At Heligoland, June 15th, 16th,
and 17th, repeatedly. Redshank, _T. calidris_, July 1st, great many
whole day passing high overhead, and on 3rd, day and night, with many
others; 5th, also many; Aug. 10th, one Dusky Redshank, a young bird;
shot; Sept. 3rd, night, great many _Totani_ and _Tringæ_; Sept. 8th,
great many also.
Knot, _Tringa canutus_.--At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Sept. 10th, first
seen. At Teesmouth, July 30th, ten or twelve old birds. At Spurn,
July 24th, one, an old male, in somewhat faded plumage, killed
against telegraph-wire. At Great Cotes, Aug. 16th, large flocks of
young birds in the Humber; November, first week, old birds. At Lynn
Well L.V., Jan. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (1881), 9 p.m. to midnight. Knots
with Larks, fifteen killed.
Curlew Sandpiper, _Tringa subarquata_.--At Heligoland, July 4th, some
few.
Purple Sandpiper, _Tringa striata_.--Several in October and November
at Spurn, also on Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts.
Temminck's Stint, _Tringa Temmincki_.--Sept. 29th, seen on North
Norfolk coast.
Sanderling, _Calidris arenaria_ At Spurn, Aug. 16th, in small flocks,
young birds. In September and October, first fortnight very numerous,
afterwards less.
Grey Phalarope, _Phalaropus fulicarius_,--On Lincolnshire coast, Oct.
21st, one, a female. At Harwich river, Nov. 17th, one seen.
Woodcock, _Scolopax ruisticula_.--At Heligoland, Sept. 25th,
six to eight shot; 29th, some; Oct. 15th, six to eight; 16th,
afternoon, about twenty shot; 21st, N.E. and N.N.E., stormy, some
with Blackbirds; 22nd, S.W., squally, very great many flying about,
seventy to eighty shot; Nov. 9th, S.W., one dozen shot during day;
19th, still some. At Farne Inner L.H., Oct. 20th to 29th, N. or E.,
on six days, one or two; Dec. 27th, one. At Coquet Island L.H.,
Oct. 30th, 7 a.m., one; Nov. 10th, 3 a.m., N.W., one killed; 16th,
9 a.m., two. At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Oct. 13th, 22nd, and 26th,
9 to 11 a.m. one or two each day going E. to W. At Teesmouth, Oct.
5th, 6th, 19th, and 20th, one each day. At Flamborough L.H., Sept.
2nd, one seen near lighthouse; Oct. 19th, great flight, twenty shot,
"small and very dark-coloured birds." At Spurn L.H., Oct. 5th, two;
19th to 22nd, upwards of one hundred shot near Spurn; 27th, five
seen. On Lincolnshire coast, Oct. 19th, near Skegness, forty-three
shot, seventy altogether during week. At Outer Dowsing L.V., Nov.,
23rd, N.W., 2 p.m., three from E. to W.; Dec. 6th, 2 p.m., two,
same direction. At Inner Dowsing L.V., Oct. 29th, one dead on deck
at sunrise. At Lynn Well L.V., Oct. 28th, one with a Lapwing killed
at midnight. Near Cromer, Oct. 19th, great flight, twenty shot in
neighbourhood. At Corton L.V., Nov. 9th, noon, five to N. very low.
On Essex coast, many seen between Oct. 29th and Nov. 1st; three
came on board a smack off mouth of Deben. At Casquets L.H., Oct.
7th, 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., with other birds round lantern. Woodcocks
began moving early in September; the "great flight" on to the east
coast from Flamborough to Yarmouth was on the night of Oct. 18th or
early morning of 19th, north-east gale, with snow in the north, and
was followed by other flights on the next two or three days. Over
Heligoland the great flight was on the afternoon of Oct. 22nd, with
wind S.W., and squally. They were observed at fourteen stations, from
the Farne Islands to the Casquets; are reported as scarce north of
Flamborough and south of Essex, the main stream evidently coming into
Holderness, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk.
Great Snipe, _Gallinago major_.--At Farne Inner L.H., Nov. 3rd, one
on island.
Common Snipe, Gallinago cælestis.--At Farne Inner L.H., Nov. 27th to
Dec. 27th, many. At Great Cotes, "great flight" from Oct. 20th to end
of month, only remaining a day or two. On Essex coast, Oct. 29th to
Nov. 1st, large numbers, but only remaining a few hours.
Jack Snipe, _Gallinago gallinula_.--At Farne Inner L.H., Nov. 9th,
two to N.W.; 18th, two, same. At Great Cotes, Nov. 2nd, first seen.
On Norfolk coast, Sept. 30th, one seen; are very scarce on the east
coast this winter.
Bar-tailed Godwit, _Limosa lapponica_.--At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V.,
Sept. 17th, flock of twenty. At Teesmouth, Aug. 16th and 23rd, Sept.
1st and 5th, flocks each day. On Essex coast, Aug. 14th, a few of the
immature second year birds--probably had remained on the coast all
through the summer.
Curlew, _Numenius arquata_.--At Heligoland, July 4th, "astounding
numbers early in the morning"; July 5th, some; Aug. 11th, 12th, and
18th, many passing overhead. At Farne Inner L.H., September, several.
At Coquet L.H., July 30th, two seen; 31st, one score, northwards.
At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Sept. 15th, great many. At Whitby L.H.,
Aug. 2nd, 11 a.m., flocks going south, "supposed to be young birds."
At Flamborough, great numbers last week in August. At Spurn L.H.,
Sept. 8th, four round lantern going N. to S.; 17th, 3 a.m., with
Plover, two Curlews killed. At Hunstanton L.H., large flocks on
coast from Aug. 2nd; Oct. 6th, o.m., rain, 7.80 p.m., one struck and
caught. At Cromer L.H., Aug. 21st, 11.30 p.m., two struck, stunned.
At Hasborough L.H., Oct. 8th, noon to 3 p.m., E., flights going S.
At Winterton L.H., June 17th, 11 p.m., one seen going to W., passed
close to lantern; Sept. 12th, 10 a.m., a dozen to W. At Kentish Knock
L.V., Aug. 6th, one very high to W. At Swin Middle L.V., Aug. 26th to
Sept. 17th, on five days at about 3 p.m., going N.W.; Jan. 2nd and
3rd, fog, on both nights, many with other birds round lantern; killed
three Curlews, one Duck, thirty-two Larks, two Ox-birds; total,
thirty-eight. At North Foreland L.H., July 27th, four to N.W.; Sept.
9th, five to N.N.W.; Dec. 4th, thirty to forty about. At North-sand
Head L.V., Aug. 1st, noon, "shoals" E. to W. At South-sand Head L.V.,
Sept. 3rd, twenty to W.; 27th, twenty or thirty to W. At East Goodwin
L.V., Sept. 6th, eight N. to S. The main body migrates in August and
early in September; general direction E. to W., or up the coast from
N. to S.
Whimbrel, _Numenius phæopus_.--At Teesmouth, July 4th, several
flocks; 21st, eight or nine flocks. At Spurn L.H., July 25th,
several. At Great Cotes, passing in July, August, and September, very
high to south.
Heron, _Ardea cinerea_.--At Coquet L.H., July 28th, 5 p.m., one: Aug.
13th, 3 a.m., two; Sept. 4th, 6 a.m., two; Dec. 26th, 9 a.m., one. At
Teesmouth, Redcar, Sept. 21st, five; 24th, one; Oct. 23rd, 4 p.m.,
N.E., mod. gale, two. At Flamborough L.H., June 12th, two. Only at
the more northern stations. That some arrive on the east coast in the
autumn there can be no doubt; a few years since one was brought in
alive to Grimsby, taken at sea on board one of the Hamburg boats.
Water-Rail and Land-Rail, _Rallus aquaticus_ and _Crex
pratensis_.--At Casquets L.H., Oct. 2nd, 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., some
killed; Oct. 7th, 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., several with Water Rails, some
killed.
Whooper, _Cygnus musicus_.--At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Oct. 29th,
10.30 a.m., wind strong from N.N.E., six, all white. At Flamborough,
during the severe weather early in January, 1881, several flocks
came into Bridlington Bay, numbering from six to twenty in a flock.
At Spurn, Dec. 31st, two Whoopers, one shot. Several in the Humber
during the first half of January. At Inner Dowsing L.V., Jan. 21st,
1 p.m., five N.E. to S.W. At Corton L.V., Jan. 10th, 1881, a flock
of about thirty very high to N.W. The severe weather commencing Dec.
30th brought considerable numbers of Wild Swans on to our east coast.
Wild Geese, _Anser_.--Under this general term numbers of Geese are
recorded at east coast stations. At Heligoland, Sept. 6th, great many
overhead; Oct. 19th, great flights. _Anser brachyrhynchus_, Oct.
15th, one young bird shot. At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Sept. 15th,
flock of fifteen "Grey Geese" N. to S.; 25th, six "Grey Geese" to
S. At Teesmouth, Oct. 16th, 7 a.m., flock; 19th, 7 a.m., same. At
Flamborough L.H., several flocks "Grey Geese" early in October. At
Outer Dowsing L.V., Dec. 2nd, 11 a.m., five Wild Geese N.N.E. to S.W.
At Lynn Well L.V., July 3rd, eight Grey Geese E. to W.; Oct. 3rd,
twenty to south. At Winterton L.H., June 19th, 7 p.m., fifty flying
very low. At Gull L.V., Sept. 21st, forty to S.; Oct. 19th, 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m., three flocks to S.; 30th, flock of forty to W. At East
Goodwin L.V., Nov. 22nd and 23rd, two small flocks E. to W. and N.
to S. At Casquets L.H., Sept. 7th, 2 p.m., Geese going W. Migration
south in September and October, the main body in the latter month.
At Winterton a flock was seen on June 19th, and a small flock at the
Lynn Well L.V., July 3rd, which looks very much as if some remained
on the English coast throughout the summer, as is the case with the
Scoter and many of the _Limicolæ_, as Grey Plover, Godwit, Knot, and
Whimbrel.
Egyptian Goose, _Anser ægyptiacus_.--At Farne L.H., Nov. 2nd, N.N.E.,
squally, 10 a.m., two seen flying northward. My informant also says
that he shot a pair on the island in October, 1876.
Snow Goose, _Chen hyperboreus_.--At Heligoland, Dec. 25th, "one on
cliff, not shot, no doubt about it."
Brent Goose, _Bernicla brenta_.--At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Sept.
25th, 11 a.m., first seen; Nov. 21st, flock of sixteen to W. At
Spurn, great many in Humber, inside Spurn, in December and January;
amongst these there was an unusual number of the white-bellied
variety. On Essex coast, Oct. 6th, first heard of; 20th, one hundred
or more seen on Buxby Sand.
Anas.--Under the general head of "Wild Duck," immense numbers of
Ducks have been observed at various of the east coast stations. At
Farne Inner L.H., Nov. 1st, "Mallard" flock to N. At Coquet L.H.,
Aug. 20th, large flocks all day to S.; Oct. 6th, one Eider; 22nd,
N.; Dec. 23rd, N.; 31st, N.W., large flocks all day from N. to S. At
Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Aug. 16th, six Teal; 26th, large flock from
N.E.; Sept. 10th, twenty-six Sheldrakes, same day large flock of
Widgeon; Oct. 12th to 22nd, immense number of Widgeon; Dec. 16th,
large flock of Teal to S.E. At Teesmouth, Oct. 28th, Ducks in endless
flocks morn and noon, all kinds, N.E. hurricane, hail, snow, rain. At
Flamborough, Jan. 3rd to 7th, both Geese and Ducks to south in great
numbers. At Spurn, Nov. 4th, great number of various sorts in Humber;
and during the last half of December and in January, enormous flocks
of various sorts driven into the river by stress of weather. At Outer
Dowsing L.V., July 20th, 28th, and Aug. 10th, about 7 p.m., forty or
fifty each day S.E. to N.N.W. At Lynn Well L.V., Sept. 25th, great
quantities S.E. to N.W. At Winterton L.H., Aug. 23rd, twenty-one
Sheldrakes to E. On Essex coast, Aug. 7th, Widgeon, six young birds
seen; 28th, many, wind N.N.W. veering to N.N.E. At Galloper L.V.,
Nov. 9th, twenty "Smee Ducks"; Widgeon during night, At Kentish Knock
L.V., Sept. 29th, calm, "Wild Ducks," flock at midnight N.E. to S.W.
At Swin Middle L.V., Aug. 31st to Sept. 20th, on fourteen days "Wild
Ducks" all going N.W. or N.N.W.; Sept. 5th, "great rush." At North
Foreland, Sept. 25th, twenty to thirty to N. along shore; Oct. 6th,
thirty or forty to S.W. At Goodwin L.V., Sept. 27th to Oct. 29th,
"Wild Ducks" going E. to W. or N.N.W.; Nov. 4th to 29th, from N.W. to
S.E. Migration extending from about the middle of July to the end of
October. The greater part arriving in September and October, not only
from the north and north-east, but also from S.E. and S.S.E. on to
the English coast.
Black Scoter, _Œdemia nigra_.--The migration of this species appears
greatly to have exceeded that of any other Duck. They have been seen
in large numbers during the autumn at various stations on the coast
and at sea, passing as a rule towards the south. At Teesmouth, Oct.
2nd, two Black Scoters seen. At Lynn Well L.V., Oct. 17th and 24th,
large flocks of Scoters all day from S. to N.W. and S.E. to W. The
direction in this case caused by birds passing over from North-west
Norfolk to Lincolnshire coast. Jan. 1st, one killed against lantern.
At Newarp L.V., Sept. 22nd to Oct. 15th, several days, flocks going
to S.W. At Cockle L.V., Sept. 27th, 6 to 10 a.m., in large flocks to
N.W. At Corton L.V., Nov. 16th, noon, hundreds N. to S.; Dec. 12th
to 28th, numerous flocks from N.N.E. to W.S.W. and S.E. to N.W. At
Tongue L.V., Dec. 29th, 9 a.m. to noon, several flocks to W. At Gull
L.V., July 22nd and 23rd, flocks to S.E.; Aug. 20th to Dec. 3rd, on
several days to W.S.W. and S. At South-sand Head L.V., July 21st, two
flocks, thirty and fifty to S., and from this to Oct. 16th, frequent
flocks going as a rule S. At East Goodwin L.V., July 5th, 6th, 9th,
and 10th, first two days, small flocks E. to W.; on the 9th, a
thousand or more going N. to S.
Colymbidæ.--At Farne Inner L.H., Sept. 10th, two. Great Northern
Diver, _Columbus glacialis_, Nov. 2nd, six "speckled" about
island. At Teesmouth, several Red-throated Divers, _Colymbus
septentrionalis_, early morning. Mr. J. H. Gurney informs me that
when Mr. F. D. Power was off Cley, on the Norfolk coast, this autumn,
on Oct. 1st, he saw a remarkable flight of Red-throated Divers along
coast eastward; they flew forty to fifty yards high, but rarely came
near the boat; one shot had a perfect red throat.
Podicipitidæ.--At Hunstanton L.H., Sept. 2nd, 9 p.m., o.m., Little
Grebe, _Podiceps fluviatilis_, struck and caught. At Hasboro' L.H.,
Dec. 3rd, 2 a.m., fog, Little Grebe killed, being the second in
eighteen months. Sclavonian Grebe, _Podiceps auritus_, one, a female,
was shot near Easington, Spurn, on Jan. 11th, 1881, and Great Crested
Grebe, _P. cristatus_, in Whitby Harbour on the 16th of the same
month.
Alcidæ.--At Heligoland, Nov. 26th, Common Guillemots in great numbers
on the cliff, their breeding quarters; Dec. 10th, early morning,
cliffs covered; 13th, thousands, at least half black-bearded.
Cormorant, _Phalacrocorax carbo_.--At Hunstanton L.H., Aug. 24th,
eight passing E.
Gannet, _Sula bassana_.--At Spurn L.V., Oct. 1st to 16th, many to
S. At Outer Dowsing L.V., Oct. 27th, 9 a.m., eight to S. At Cockle
L.V., Oct. 16th, several; 25th, fifteen to W.; 27th, great numbers.
At Corton L.V., Oct. 16th, many to S. At Casquets, Aug. 22nd, and on
Dec. 8th, manly to N.N.W. Was seen off the Casquets as early as Aug.
22nd. The main migration appears to have taken place in October, from
N. to S. along the east coast.
Sterninæ.--At Heligoland, July, Caspian Tern, _Sterna Caspia_,
frequently seen. At Farne Inner L.H., Aug. 28th, both the Sandwich
and Arctic Terns left the islands. At the Longstone L.H., on the
extreme outer reef of the Farnes, the Sandwich Tern was seen last
on Sept. 8th, and the Arctic Sept. 14th. At Coquet Island L.H.,
Aug. 14th, N.N.E., great number of Terns all day about island. At
Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Aug. 16th, great numbers this day; 29th, same.
Larinæ.--At Heligoland, the Siberian Herring Gull, _Larus affinis_,
was seen off the rock on June 5th, N.W., strong. Little Gull, _Larus
minutus_, Sept. 5th, enormous numbers on the water. Ivory Gull,
_Larus eburnea_, Nov. 4th, westerly, seen on water. At Farne Inner
L.H., Sept. 10th, the Gulls left islands. At Whitby L.H., Sept. 2nd,
Gulls had all left, both young and old. At Filey, Ivory Gull, _Larus
eburnea_, a fully mature example, a male, was shot in September;
a young bird in the spotted plumage was also obtained in the same
month. At Flamborough, Sept. 5th to 6th, Lesser Black-backed Gulls to
south all day; wind S.W. by W.; equal proportion of young and old. At
Spurn L.V., July 29th and 30th, "Smelt Gulls" all day; Sept. 28th,
large numbers of Gulls continuous to south. At Lynn Well L.V., Aug.
21st, 22nd, and 23rd, great quantities all day from S.E. At Yarmouth,
Mr. J. H. Gurney, writing Jan. 26th, 1881, says, "A correspondent at
Yarmouth had recently twenty-seven Glaucous Gulls in the flesh, seven
of which were mature." At Hasboro' L.H., Dec. 18th, 8 p.m., "Little
Gull" struck and broke its neck. At Cockle L.V., Oct. 16th, Gulls
during day; 27th, same. At Shipwash L.V., Nov. 29th, 10 a.m., large
numbers to W. At South-sand Head L.V., July 29th, an unusual number
seen.
Stercorariinæ.--At Teesmouth 5 Buoy L.V., Aug. 29th, two Skuas
passed. At Redcar, Sept. 16th, twenty Richardson's Skuas passed;
Oct. 28th, Mr. T. H. Nelson, writing in the 'Field' newspaper for
Nov. 6th, 1880, states that, during the night of the storm on Oct.
28th, he saw considerable numbers of the Pomatorhine Skua, amounting
to several hundreds, flying close to the esplanade at Redcar, and
struggling to make headway against the gale; they consisted almost
entirely of mature birds of the white-breasted variety, only three
or four being dark birds, but whether immature or adult he could not
ascertain. At Spurn L.V., Aug. 1st to Sept. 24th, a few Skuas passed
going S.; Oct. 1st to 16th, many passed same direction. At South-sand
Head L.V., July 29th, an unusual number of Skuas seen.
Procellariidæ.--At Coquet L.H., July 22nd, 11 p.m., misty, one Petrel
caught against glass of lantern, examined and set at liberty. At
Redcar, Oct. 28th, two Stormy and one Fulmar Petrels picked up during
great gale. At Flamborough, first week in October, Stormy Petrel. At
Spurn, Oct. 28th, Stormy Petrels after great gale. At Galloper L.V.,
Nov. 6th, 2 to 4 p.m., twelve Stormy Petrels about ship. At Gull
L.V., Oct. 9th, 2 a.m., N., several struck glass, none killed.
Independent of these very numerous notes on known species, the
schedules contain many notices of birds the species of which were
either not known or not recognised. At the Hasborough L.H., Oct.
26th, 10 p.m., E., o.m., a great many various small birds; eight
killed were Larks and Thrushes. At Swin Middle L.V., Sept. 9th and
12th, flocks of small birds passed all night to N.W. At Hanois L.H.,
Sept. 8th and 27th, fog and rain, evening to 9 p.m., great rush of
small birds of many sorts.
General Remarks.
The report for 1880 compared with that of the previous year shows
very similar results, as in 1879 a considerable proportion of the
immigrants crossed at the more southern stations, or at the narrowest
portion of the North Sea. If we divide the east coast into three
divisions, one north-easterly from the Farne Islands to the Humber,
mid-east from the Humber to Yarmouth, and south-eastern forward to
the South Foreland, we find that in 1879 the main body of migrants
passed in the south-eastern division; in 1880 they have been
tolerably equally distributed over the mid and south-eastern. During
the principal month of migration, October, the wind blew persistently
day by day and week by week from northerly and easterly quarters,
and to this cause we may fairly attribute the deflection of migrants
to the south. In support of this I may quote the letter of Mr. Thos.
O. Hall of the Longstone Lighthouse, who, writing under date Feb.
15th, 1881, says:--"The chief flight undoubtedly took place on the
15th and 16th of October, at which time I was on shore. I have been
resident on the Farne Islands thirteen years, and during that time
never remember seeing so few birds as we have had this autumn. I
have remarked that when the flight takes place with the wind at E.
or N.E., the body of birds is to the south of us about Whitby and
southward."
Notwithstanding the enormous number of immigrants arriving, as shown
in our returned schedules from each station, we may be quite certain
these returns only represent an almost inappreciable percentage of
the actual number on passage. On days of uncertain light or on clear
fine starlight nights, when migration is carried on at a considerable
height, immense numbers of birds might pass any station for hours
without a chance of observation; and it is quite possible that, if
the whole three hundred miles of coast were studded with floating
posts of observation at the distance of half a mile, equal average
results would have been obtained, our present stations on the
light-vessels affording no more especial line of advantage than any
other imaginary line drawn across the North Sea. Incredible although
it may appear, we believe that the vast majority of the immigrants
coming to us in the autumn in one broad front from east to west are
such as cross with the intention of remaining the winter in some part
or other of the British Islands, and naturally take the place of our
own resident summer species which have left, or are about leaving us,
for the south.