A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE 



... I believe it is an ancient route and in pleistocene times was a great migratory 

 highway and that it has been gradually abandoned by the majority of migrants since 

 the formation of the present coast line . . . Staffordshire appears to be the natural 

 boundary between the habitats of northern and southern species of birds in Great 

 Britain, for example it forms the northern boundary of the Nightingale, the Nuthatch, 

 the Reed Warbler and perhaps of the Hobby, and on the other hand to limit on the 

 south the haunts of the Red Grouse and the Sandpiper ... A hill route migration in 

 which the Dotterel and the Rough-legged Buzzard are prominent species also affects 

 our county. 



The list of Staffordshire birds though somewhat deficient in aquatic 

 species otherwise compares favourably with those of adjoining counties. 

 At the time of publication of the Birds of Staffordshire (1893) no fewer 

 than 234 species were included in the county list, of which 66 were 

 then considered as residents, 30 as summer migrants, 18 as winter 

 migrants and 120 as occasional visitors and stragglers. A revision of 

 this list shows that considerable alterations must be made in order to gain 

 a correct idea of our county avifauna. Three new species may be added 

 since 1893, namely white-tailed eagle, shore-lark and flamingo. On the 

 other hand the records of the following species must be considered as too 

 doubtful to be retained in the list : black redstart (mistaken identification 

 of eggs), pine-grosbeak and great black woodpecker ; and the following 

 species were included in error, not having been recorded within the limits 

 of our county : Bewick's swan, long-tailed duck, purple sandpiper, black- 

 tailed godwit ; while the following species must be regarded as escapes 

 and are not included in the British list : Virginian colin, Canada goose, 

 Egyptian goose, summer duck. 



In the case of the following species the evidence is at present 

 insufficient to admit them into our list : Aquatic warbler, Dartford 

 warbler, firecrest, mealy redpoll, crested-lark, bean-goose, little crake, 

 eared grebe, little stint, grey plover. 



The evidence is also somewhat unsatisfactory with regard to two 

 species mentioned below, but they are retained in the list : blue-headed 

 wagtail and marsh-harrier. 



The revised total, including the 3 new species and exclusive of 

 the 21 which have been removed from the list, now amounts to 216 

 Of these 94 breed regularly in the county and 9 others have been known 

 to nest, while there is some reason to suppose that the hobby, shoveler 

 .and spotted-crake may nest occasionally, and the hen-harrier, honey 

 buzzard, kite, raven, bittern and bearded-tit undoubtedly bred formerly 

 in the county. 



The following species regularly nest in the county : 



1. Mistle-Thrush 10. Lesser Whitethroat 19. Grasshopper- Warbler 



2. Song-Thrush n. Blackcap 20. Hedge-Sparrow 



3. Blackbird 12. Garden-Warbler 21. Dipper 



4. Ring-Ouzel 13. Goldcrest 22. Long-tailed Tit 



5. Wheatear 14. Chiffchaff 23. Great Tit 



6. Whinchat 15. Willow- Warbler 24. Coal-Tit 



7. Redstart 16. Wood-Warbler 25. Marsh-Tit 



8. Redbreast 17. Reed-Warbler 26. Blue Tit 



9. Whitethroat 18. Sedge-Warbler 27. Nuthatch 



140 



