NOTES ON MIGRATORY BIRDS 7 



Plovers arrived. These were followed on the 15th by the first 

 Oyster-catchers of the season. The setting in of the departure 

 movements northwards of winter visitors from the mainland of 

 Great Britain also commenced. On 21st February several Rooks 

 appeared; on the 22nd, 7 Lapwings; on the 26th, 30 Rooks; and 

 on the 29th a Stonechat, an early date. On 1st March, 2 Pied 

 Wagtails and a Yellow Bunting arrived; on the 5th the first 

 Meadow-pipit was observed; on the 14th, 7 Stonechats ; on the 20th 

 there was a decided movement, which included many Grey Crows, 

 some Rooks, Jackdaws, Chaffinches, Yellow Buntings, a Coot, Snipe, 

 Ringed Plovers, and 200 Lapwings. This was immediately followed 

 by further arrivals of most of the species named, with the addition 

 of some Bramblings, Linnets, Redbreasts, Meadow-pipits, and 

 Goldcrests. On the 30th a pair of Pintail appeared. On 2nd 

 April the first spring visit of the Stock-dove was recorded ; on the 

 4th the first Kestrel of the year was seen. The first spring visit of 

 the Slavonian Grebe was detected on the 5th. On the 8th the first 

 Lesser Black-backed Gulls returned to their nesting haunts. 



The vanguard of the great army of birds of passage from 

 the south on its way northwards appeared on 12th April, namely, 

 a small company of White Wagtails. This was followed on 

 the 13th by a few Wheatears, probably native birds. A decided 

 movement comprising Wheatears, Meadow-pipits, Ring-ouzels, 

 Blackbirds, Fieldfares, Bramblings Redwings, Lapwings, Golden 

 Plovers, Gadwalls, with several Merlins in attendance, occurred on 

 the 19th. . The first Willow-warbler was seen on the 23rd, and the 

 Lesser Whitethroat on the 25th. A Black Redstart was observed 

 on the 25th, and Reed-buntings on the following day. 



On the 1st of May a few Swallows appeared; on the 2nd, 

 Whimbrels ; on the 3rd, a Short-eared Owl ; on the 6th, Whinchats, 

 2 Yellow Wagtails, and Redstarts. Many Wheatears and Meadow- 

 pipits, a few Willow-warblers, Whinchats, Redstarts, Blackcap, and 

 Common Sandpiper were present on the 7th; a Hoopoe, Swallows, 

 House-martins, Common Whitethroat, on the 9th ; a Bluethroat on 

 the 10th; several Greater Wheatears, Spotted Flycatcher, Wood 

 Sandpiper (the second known visit to the island), and others, on 

 the 13th; Sedge-warblers, Whitethroats, etc., on the 14th; Cuckoo, 

 Tree-pipit, Sand-martin, etc., on the 16th; Turtle Dove, Ortolan 

 Bunting, other migrants, on the iSth ; a Garden Warbler on the 

 20th; a Scandinavian Rock-pipit on the 22nd; Corncrake on the 

 24th ; a Wood-warbler on the 27th. 



On the 3rd and 4th June there was a faint rush of northward- 

 bound summer birds Red-backed Shrikes on the 7th and 10th, 



