19IO. Campbell. — Birds of Inch and Upper Lough Sicii/y. 15 



THE BIRDS OF INCH AND UPPER EOUGH SWILLY. 



BY D. C. CAMPBELL, IVE.B.O.U. 



Lough Swillv with its varied shores, wooded and heather- 

 clad, encircling its clear waters, has a fascination for the nature 

 lover. To the naturalist, and especially to the ornithologist, 

 it offers a wide field for observ^ation and research. The district 

 of Inch and Upper Lough Swillv is very rich in bird life. The 

 woods at Burt and Rathniullan, the rocky headlands of the 

 island and the great stretches of slobland with a large expanse 

 of fresh water, bordered here and there with reeds and sedges, 

 provide suitable haunts for many species. The island of Inch 

 is about seven miles in circumference and rises to about 700 

 feet in the centre. 



During many years I visited the district from time to time, 

 and watched the ever-changing phases of bird life, and I 

 received many specimens for identification, some of which 

 proved to be rare and interesting species. That the following 

 lines may not be a mere list of names I add a few observations 

 which I have made from time to time on the different species. 



The Missel-Thrush {Tiirdtts viscivorus, Linn.), Song-Thrush 

 {T. niusicus, Linn.), and Blackbird (T. 7nenila, Linn.) are com- 

 mon. The Missel-Thrush is locally called the Butcher-bird. I 

 found a nest of this species in a most unusual situation, viz., on 

 the ground on a slight ledge overhung by earth and rock on the 

 bank of a stream. Suitable nesting trees were not far off. I 

 have noted Song-ThrUvShes coming in numbers to the shore of 

 Lough Swilly during severe frost and picking the winkles 

 from the rocks and breaking them as they do snails. The 

 Ring-Ouzel (7! torquatus, Linn.) visits the rough ground on 

 the higher parts of the island, but is rare. Large numbers of 

 Fieldfare (7". pilaris^ Linn.) and Redwing {T. iliacus, Linn.) 

 spend the winter in the district. In April, just before leaving, the 

 warbling of the Redwings— recalling to me the rippling music 

 of a mountain brook — almost, if not quite, approaches a song 



The Wheatear (Saxkola ccnanihe, Linn.) arrives during the 

 first week of April, but I have a note of its having been seen 

 at Kilcar, West Donegal, on 29th March, 1909, surel}' a verA' 

 early date for N.W. of Ireland ! I have noted that in my 

 opinion the spring song of the Wheatear much resembles the 



