BIRDS 



in spring as in autumn. The dotterel is a regular passer-by in small numbers 

 in spring, but a rare bird in autumn. It must be remembered, however, that 

 its spring route was only discovered a few years ago, and it is quite possible its 

 line of flight in autumn has escaped observation. There are, moreover, only 

 two spring birds of passage that are practically absent in the autumn, namely 

 the hoopoe, a regular visitor from March to April or May, only occasionally 

 seen in August and September; and the golden oriole, which occurs every 

 year in the west of the county from about the middle of April till the beginning 

 of June, and has so far not been with certainty recorded for the autumn 



months at all. _ . 



An examination of the casuals and vagrants that have been obtained in 

 the county gives some idea of the extent and variety of the immigration in 

 autumn as compared with spring. It is quite true that strange birds are much 

 more likely to be shot in the autumn and winter than in spring and summer, 

 but this alone would not account for the difference. Of the 70 species of 

 Cornish casuals 22 have been obtained during the period of autumn immigra- 

 tion only, 25 during the winter only, when the incoming of birds is largely a 

 question of weather, 5 during autumn and winter, 8 during both autumn and 

 spring migration, 7 during spring immigration only, and 3 in spring and 

 summer. In other words, 35 species have occurred in autumn, 30 during 

 winter, 18 during spring, and 3 during the summer months. Similarly, of 

 the 65 Cornish vagrants, 27 have occurred exclusively during autumn immi- 

 gration, 1 5 during the winter, 4 during both autumn and winter, 9 during both 

 autumn and spring immigration, 7 during the spring alone, 2 in summer, and 



I the two-barred crossbill is uncertain ; that is to say, 41 species have 



occurred in the autumn, 19 in winter, 16 in spring, and 2 in summer. 

 These figures include the Scillonian as well as the mainland waifs and strays. 



Spring migration begins among the resident species whose numbers have 

 been increased during the winter. In February, when the weather is normal, 

 starlings, goldcrests, larks, and rooks move to the east or north-east, occasion- 

 ally in large flocks. The snipe, too, begins to leave, and so also do detach- 

 ments of chaffinches, greenfinches, linnets, song-thrushes and meadow-pipits. 

 Of the winter visitors the woodcock is among the first to go, and is not 

 often seen after the early days of March. By the end of February departing 

 flocks of fieldfares are occasionally seen, and small companies of redwings. 



In March the easterly migration of the starling, goldcrest and finches 

 still continues. Pied wagtails, too, begin to move, and flocks of a thousand 

 or more have been reported from Bude in the beginning of the month. 

 Flights of chaffinches, linnets and wagtails, companies of up to forty or fifty 

 goldfinches, bullfinches and stonechats, and at times fairly large mixed flocks 

 of the smaller birds come in on the south coast. The groups of dunlin disappe*- 

 from our estuaries, and several other shore birds diminish in numb^ 

 sanderling completes its passage before the end of the month, and ^ rule 



does the white wagtail, which, as in the autumn, seems almost always to occur 

 in flocks of the pied wagtail. Among our winter visitors the redwing and 

 fieldfare continue the movement begun in February, and the jack-snipe, golden 

 plover, black-headed gull, and great crested-grebe begin to go. After this 

 month the great northern and red-throated divers become as a rule very scarce, 

 and the short-eared owl is not often reported. The most interesting feature, 

 i 313 4 



