A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE 



24. Hedge - Sparrow. Accentor modularis 



(Linn.) 



A common resident throughout the county. 

 It has a cheerful song, and is one of our most 

 useful and harmless birds. 



25. Dipper. Cine/us aquaticus, Bechstein. 



A fairly common resident on most of the 

 streams in the north of the county, nesting 

 regularly under bridges and against rocks. A 

 few nests are placed under banks and in 

 hollows of tree stumps. It is also found 

 occasionally in other parts of the county as far 

 south as Stone, where it breeds, and Madeley, 

 and it has been recorded in winter from 

 Handsworth (12 Jan. 1882). 



26. Reedling or Bearded Tit. Panurus biar- 



micus (Linn.) 



The only record of this species is that of 

 Garner, who says, ' Rare, but has occurred at 

 Aqualate Mere and on the Dove : Mr. 

 Emery ' (p. 280). Mr. Francis Boughey of 

 Aqualate, writing on 9 December 1888, says : 

 ' I have still got two eggs that were taken out 

 of a nest here in my possession ; they were 

 taken out of a gorse bush about half a mile 

 from the house ; the remainder of the nest of 

 eggs were left to hatch which I believe they 

 did and the old birds were seen often. I 

 understand also that one specimen of the 

 bearded tit was shot afterwards here.' 



27. Long-tailed Tit. Acredula caudata, Linn. 

 Locally, Bottle Tit. 



Generally resident throughout the county, 

 occurring in small flocks or family parties 

 during the winter. 



28. Great Tit. Parus major, Linn. 

 Locally, Sawyer, Ox-eye, Blackcap. 



Resident and common. 



29. Coal-Tit. Parus ater, Linn. 

 Resident and generally distributed, but not 



so common as the great or blue tit. 



30. Marsh-Tit. Parus palustris, Linn. 

 Resident, but local and scarcer than the 



preceding species. 



31. Blue Tit. Parus caeruleus, Linn. 

 Locally, Tomtit. 



Resident and common. 



32. Nuthatch. Sitta carsia, Wolf. 



Local and scarce. A few pairs however 

 breed with us, and nests have been recorded 

 at Eccleshall in 1884, and at Sandon and 

 Barlaston in 1897 (Report North Staff's Field 



Club, 1898). Sir O. Mosley (Nat. Hist, of 

 Tutbury, p. 48) relates how on 16 August, 

 1846, at least a hundred of these birds visited 

 the gardens at Rolleston, many remaining till 

 the following November. Mr. Meynell 

 reported it at Farley near Cheadle in 1889 

 (Report North Staffs Field Club, 1890, p. 22). 



33. Wren. Troglodytes parvulus, K. L. Koch. 

 Resident and common. In winter a number 



of these little birds frequently roost together in 

 holes or old nests apparently for warmth 

 (cf. Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, p. 48, and Report 

 North Staffs Field Club, 1896, p. 49). 



34. Tree-Creeper. Certhia familiaris, Linn. 



Resident, breeding not uncommonly in the 

 wooded districts, but rarer in the north of the 

 county. 



35. Pied Wagtail. Motacilla lugubris, Tem- 



minck. 



A partial migrant, many moving south in 

 severe weather, although they may be seen 

 during every month in the year. A common 

 foster parent of the cuckoo and one of our 

 most useful birds, being exclusively an insect 

 feeder. 



36. White Wagtail. Motacilla alba, Linn. 

 Mr. E. Brown (Fauna of Burton, p. 98) 



describes this bird as mostly occurring in 

 autumn in the Burton district, and Messrs. 

 E. A. Brown and H. G. Tomlinson have also 

 noticed it on the Trent, but there is no 

 definite record of its appearance in any other 

 part of the county. Possibly it has been 

 overlooked on account of its general resem- 

 blance to the last species. 



37. Grey Wagtail. Motacilla melanope, Pallas. 

 A resident or partial migrant, breeding 



annually by the Dove and other streams in 

 the northern parts of the county, but scarce on 

 the Trent, where however it is well known 

 as a winter visitor. Normally the grey wag- 

 tail does not breed in the counties south-east 

 of Staffordshire, although it has been known to 

 do so exceptionally. 



38. Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail. Motacilla 



flava, Linn. 



The evidence with regard to the occurrence 

 of this species is not very satisfactory. Garner 

 states that it occurs at Betley and it is also 

 mentioned in Mr. Sainter's list. 



39. Yellow Wagtail. Motacilla rait (Bona- 



parte) 



A common summer migrant, arriving about 

 the beginning of April, but Mr. H. G. 



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