2i8 ■" The Irish Naturalist, Novembei*, 



NOTES ON BIRDS OBSERVED AT BUNDORAN. 



BY NEVIN H. FOSTER, M.R.I. A., M.B.O.U. 



During a fortnight (12th till 26th August) spent this year 

 at Bundoran, Co. Donegal, I was enabled to make some 

 ornithological observations which may be worthy of 

 recording. 



On the 2 1st a flock comprising both Whinchats {Pratincola 

 ruhetra), and Stonechats (P. ruhicola), with a few Yellow 

 Buntings (Emheriza citrinella) and Reed-Buntings (E. 

 schoeniclus) was seen. These birds were very tame and 

 permitted a close approach, whilst they were busily engaged 

 feeding in a weedy field about a quarter of a mile inland. 



On the day of my arrival, and during the two succeeding 

 days, the shore in the vicinity of the mouth of the Bradoge 

 River was tenanted bj^ about forty Wagtails. Of these some 

 twenty I diagnosed as White Wagtails {Motacilla alba), the 

 remainder consisting of Pied Wagtails {M. luguhris) and 

 Grey Wagtails (M. melanope) in about the proportion of three 

 Pied to one Grey. As would be expected, the Grey Wag- 

 tails frequented almost exclusively the immediate vicinity 

 of the river, whilst the others spread themselves along the 

 shore as far as the cliffs on either side of the river. By 

 the 15th these White Wagtails had all disappeared, but till 

 the end of my stay the Pied and Grey Wagtails still fre- 

 quented this stretch of the shore in approximately the 

 original numbers. I think there can be no doubt that these 

 White Wagtails were on their southward migration, thus 

 confirming other observations on the west coast of Ireland 

 at this season. 



Although closely watching for it, I failed to see the Tree- 

 Sparfow {Passer montanus), but this may not be surprising 

 when the weather condition is taken into account — it being 

 for the most part cold and stormy, and land birds as a rule 

 being conspicuous by their absence. For example, it may be 

 cited that only a single Song Thrush and two Blackbirds 

 were observed during the fortnight, yet my list included 

 36 species of passerine birds. Of the Finches the most 



