A BIRDLOVER'S YEAR 



missel-thrushes, starlings, skylarks, and 

 rooks. 



In contrast with the arrival of the summer 

 birds is the departure of our winter guests to 

 their summer quarters. 



March, as the proverb tells us, is a variable 

 month, expiring winter and advancing spring 

 meeting together ; but to the naturalist and 

 the farmer it is a most important season. 



Among the returning local birds we find 

 the pied and gray wagtails, each the epitome 

 of grace and neatness ; whilst mallard, teal, 

 and woodcook are seen moving northward. 

 But perhaps it is the arrival of the real 

 summer visitors which thrills us most. 

 About ten different birds arrive regularly 

 between the middle and the end of March. 

 These birds are the ring-ouzel, the wheatear, 

 the chiff-chaff, the willow-warbler, the 

 swallow, the sand-martin, the wryneck, the 

 garganey, and the Sandwich tern. 



Various other birds are of course recorded, 

 but they cannot be counted as regular 

 March arrivals. Again, in Scotland the 

 dates of arrival are rather later than in 

 England, usually about a fortnight ; whilst 

 in Ireland the swallow is seldom seen before 

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