MIGRATORY BIRDS OBSERVED AT FAIR ISLE 53 



ON SOME MIGRATORY BIRDS OBSERVED AT 

 FAIR ISLE DURING THE SPRING AND 

 AUTUMN OF 1913. 



By William Eagle Clarke. 



Fair Isle still holds its own as the premier British observa- 

 tory for witnessing the movements of the vast numbers of 

 migratory birds which rush northwards in the spring, mostly 

 to reach accustomed breeding-haunts in arctic and subarctic 

 Europe; and southwards in the autumn, with their young, 

 to seek winter-retreats in our isles, or in more genial climes 

 often far beyond them. 



During the past year no less than 146 species came 

 under notice, of which seven were new to Fair Isle, 

 bringing the total of the birds known to have visited this 

 small island to the very remarkable figure of 220 species. 



Mr Wilson, the bird-watcher, is again to be congratulated 

 on his excellent work. The Duchess of Bedford kindly con- 

 tributed a number of interesting observations ; and the writer 

 spent a short holiday on the island during the spring 

 migratory period. 



Here it is only possible to allude to the more interesting 

 ornithological events during 191 3 ; but the whole of the daily 

 records for the year, which was one of unusual interest, have 

 been placed at the disposal of the Misses Rintoul and Baxter, 

 as a contribution to their most excellent and useful Report 

 on Scottish Ornithology. 



The species marked thus * are new to the avifauna of Fair 

 Isle. 



Northern Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhuld). There are two 

 interesting records of the return passage of this bird to its native 

 home in Northern Europe. Two males were observed respectively 

 on 27th March and 30th April, and are the first spring records for 

 the appearance of this species at the isle. In autumn a few arrived 

 on 7th November, but only remained a couple of days. 



