COURSE OF MIGRATION IN HELIGOLAND 13 



Crowds of Crossbills, grey, yellow, and red, are seen in the 

 course of the month ; singularly, their occurrence is almost, if not 

 entirely, restricted to very stormy weather with heavy rain. 



Among birds of prey solitary young examples of the Hobby 

 arrive about the middle of the month ; a week later young Sparrow- 

 hawks, Peregrines, Common Kestrels, and Merlins, as well as young 

 Ospreys and Honey Buzzards make their appearance. 



SEPTEMBER. During the first half of the month, if the weather 

 be tine, the number of the above-named species reaches its maxi- 

 mum, and the potato-fields teem with Song-birds, Flycatchers, 

 Common Wheatears and Whinchats. The Ortolan Bunting 

 and the Tree Pipit are very frequent; in the case of the former 

 species old males are now found intermingled with the young 

 birds. Isolated examples of the Tawny Pipit are met with, while 

 Richard's Pipit is seen more or less numerously in the course of 

 the whole month, the birds being in their still nearly pure light- 

 bordered early plumage. All the Swallow species pass through 

 in large flocks. The Blue-headed, Black-headed, and Yellow 

 Wagtails are numerous, and young White Wagtails make their 

 appearance. The majority, however, of all these migrants is still 

 composed of young birds. 



Towards the middle of the month the Meadow Pipit begins to 

 arrive in numbers ; Redstarts become more abundant, but the Fly- 

 catchers are on the decrease. Among the Willow Wrens the old 

 less rich-coloured birds make their appearance, as well as solitary 

 examples of Chiffchaffs, Golden -crested Wrens, Redbreasts, and 

 Ring Ousels. 



Towards the end of the month the number of young Wheat- 

 ears and Golden Plovers decreases; large numbers of Song 

 Thrushes and Chaffinches commence their migration, and isolated 

 old examples of the Sparrowhavvk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, and 

 Kestrel make their appearance. 



OCTOBER brings to the shores of Heligoland not only the largest 

 variety of species of the whole autumn migration, but also by far the 

 largest number of individuals of any period of the year. Through- 

 out the whole of the month, Hooded Crows travel in never-ending 

 swarms of hundreds and thousands across the island, and for a 

 breadth of many miles, past both its coasts ; cloud-like masses of 

 Starlings pass at the same time. At the beginning of the month, 

 if the weather is favourable, the island literally teems with Song 

 Thrushes, especially during the morning hours. The number of 

 Skylarks passing during dark nights across and past the island 

 in one endless stream defies even an approximate computation. 

 Fields and gardens simply teem with Meadow Pipits and Chaf- 



