Spring in the Western Highlands 



summer quarters, and it is a curious fact that, although 

 numbers of them are thrown up dead on the beach after a 

 winter storm, I never once saw a specimen at sea from 

 September till the opening days of May. On May 2, also, 

 numbers of white wagtails were feeding on the short grass 

 above the high-tide mark, and for the next week were present, 

 though it is possible that the earlier arrivals were suc- 

 ceeded by later migrants during this period. The white 

 wagtail does not nest in this country except in one or two 

 isolated localities, and the migrants which are seen along 

 the western coast line during the early days of May are 

 probably on their way to Iceland. 



On May 3 I saw the first whimbrel, and in the after- 

 noon of the same day watched a flock of these charming 

 birds coming in from the sea. Their course was from the 

 south-east, and I think there is little doubt they were on 

 migration. For the first part of the month they remained on 

 the island, and as late as May 20 stragglers were still with 

 us. When first they arrived they permitted a near approach, 

 and were reluctant to take wing unless obliged to do so. 

 Their behaviour thus contrasted strongly with that of their 

 wary relatives, the curlew. Apart from their smaller size, 

 there is little to distinguish the whimbrel from the common 

 curlew, but the call note at once determines the species. The 

 usual call note of the whimbrel is a couple of short, sharp 

 whistles, quickly repeated and sounding something like 

 " tety, tety, tety," the notes being more abrupt and jerky than 

 those of the curlew. Besides their common call whimbrel 

 utter a long-drawn, plaintive whistle like a curlew's, and 

 also a vibrating call resembling that of the curlew, only 

 more subdued, and, I think, more liquid. It does not 

 nest with us except as a straggler, but farther north it 

 largely replaces the curlew, being common in the Faroes 

 and Iceland. 



Up to the middle of May dunlin and sanderling still 

 frequented the coastline, the dunlin in some cases having 



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