Vol.. I. DECEMBER, 1892. No. 9 



NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF LOUGH SWILLY 



BY PROFESSOR J. R. I,KKBODY, M.A., D.SC. 



Very full information regarding the birds of the Co. Donegal 

 may be found in a series of articles by Mr. H. C. Hart, in the 

 Zoologist for August, September, October, November, and 

 December, 1891. The present paper refers to the birds of a 

 single district, but a very favourable district for studying the 

 habits of our winter migrants. The facts recorded are all the 

 result of personal observation. 



The birds of a district may, for purposes of stud}^ be con- 

 veniently classified into permanent residents, summer visitors, 

 and winter visitors. The permanent residents of Lough Swilly 

 are those ordinarily found round any estuary of our coasts, 

 with the addition of the following, which are not so com- 

 mon: — The Peregrine, the Raven, the Kingfisher, the Shel- 

 drake, and the Shoveller. The Peregrine breeds each year in 

 at least two places on the lough — the Bin and Knockalla. 

 The Raven breeds at Dunaff Head and the Bin. In 1890 and 

 1 89 1, the Kingfisher bred at Inch. One or two pairs of Shovel- 

 lers breed regularly at Inch, and at least one pair of Sheldrake. 



The summer visitors which frequent Lough Swilly are not 

 very numerous. The Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, and Gulls, 

 which breed in such countless thousands at Horn Head, visit 

 the lough in pursuit of food ; but, except at Dunaff, do not, to 

 any extent, use the cliffs bounding its shores as breeding-places. 

 So far as I have been able to observe, sea-fowl rarely select 

 cliffs as a breeding-place, unless these are in proximity to a 

 strong tidal run in the open sea. The reason for this seems 

 obvious: the parent birds mainly rely on herring fry as a food 

 suppl}^ for their nestlings, and although herring fry are dis- 

 tributed pretty generally round our coasts in June and July, 

 they are most plentiful in any locality where there is a strong 

 open sea and tidal current. Horn Head and Rathlin are the 

 places which best fulfil this condition on the north of Ireland 

 coast. 



