A BIRDLOVER'S YEAR 



The spring emigration of winter visitors is 

 recorded from the middle of March till the 

 end of April. Then those birds that have 

 wintered in our islands proceed to their 

 summer haunts in Northern Europe. Mr. 

 Eagle Clarke records a rush of migrants 

 at Fair Isle on March 22, 1909, when the 

 thrushes appeared in company with fieldfares, 

 redwings, blackbirds, buntings, wagtails, 

 larks, starlings, rooks, and plover. 



It should also be noted that during March 

 a certain amount of local migration takes 

 place when the song thrush moves from one 

 district to another. 



The last aspect of this famous songster's 

 journey ings is the spring passage to Northern 

 Europe, when the birds which have wintered 

 in South- Western Europe appear on our 

 coasts en route for their breeding quarters 

 to the north of our isles ; these passages 

 occur from the middle of March to the middle 

 of May. Once again the thrush travels in 

 the goodly company of various other birds, 

 which include redstarts, warblers, corncrakes, 

 wheatears, and ring-ouzels. 



Such is the story of the journey ings per- 

 formed by T urdus musicus, journey ings 



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