June 1887.] 



a:n^d oologist. 



89 



Arrival of Northern Birds in England. 



BY HENRY KERR, BOCUP, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND. 



Though the initiation south of northern bred 

 birds coinnieuced as early as tlie middle of Sep- 

 tember, yet no genuine oversea visitors were 

 observed in this district — and our valley is a 

 well known migratory route during the vernal 

 and autumn migrations — before the fourth of 

 October, on which date the first flock of field- 

 fares were seen. Several flocks have been sub- 

 sequently observed, either nesting and feeding 

 or on their way south for more genial winter 

 quarters. Our mountain bred lapwings gener- 

 ally leave in the last week in August, and not 

 a bird of this species is to be seen till the mid- 

 dle of February, when they again commence to 

 arrive in their breeding quarters. The golden 

 plovers which breed in our moors in more lim- 

 ited numbers stay later than their relatives, the 

 lapwings; but the bulk of the golden plovers 

 seen here in late autumn and winter are visitors 

 from the more northern counties, or Scotland, 

 or immigrants from the continental side of the 

 stoi'my North Sea, the grave of hosts of migra- 

 tory birds during the vernal and autumn migra- 

 tions. The lapwings, like the golden plovers, 

 winter on the western sea coast (the Irish Sea), 

 or in the marshy and peety grounds of South 

 Lancashire and Cheshire, where small lakes, or 

 meres, are numerous. 



When a sharp frost sets in, the last of the 

 golden plover and snipe also leave our moor- 

 lands, and they are rarely again seen till the 

 succeeding spring. Since the middle of Sep- 

 tember there has been a steady nocturnal mi- 

 gration over our district, — the birds (the notes 

 of golden plover are not conspicuous) invaria- 

 bly flying west or south-west. Amongst the 

 nocturnal migrants fieldfares and redwings can 

 also be heard, and the occasional "couk, couk" 

 of the wild geese swiftlj^ cleaving their aeriel 

 way north in the darkness. Since the com- 

 mencement of October up to the 29th (I am 

 writing at this latter date) various flights of 

 wild ducks and wild geese, the latter mostly 

 gi-ay-legs, from the formation of the flocks, 

 have passed over our inland valley, heading 

 west or south-west for the sea coast, or for the 

 marshes and meres (small lakes) of South 

 I^ancashire and Cheshire. To-day, the 29th, 

 I saw a large flock of newly-arrived fieldfares 

 feeding in a grass field, or starlings. AVith the 

 aid of a glass I found a number of redwings 

 consorting with their kindred " northmen," the 



fieldfares, or "fettys,"as they are mostly term- 

 ed in the North of England. 



Owing to the disastrous storm of the Tith 

 of May, which all but exterminated the house 

 martins, chimney swallows and warblers, we 

 have little hawthorn or wild rose fruit this 

 season ; so the Turdida' visitors and residents 

 will have to go further south for tlieir favorite 

 food. The lack of wild fruit, especially haw- 

 thorn and wild rose berries, is not universal, 

 fortunately, as the all but entire absence of 

 wild l)erries in some counties will be at least 

 jiartially compensated by their abundance in 

 other districts. The unseasonable storm of 

 May entirel}^ destroyed the budding hawthorn 

 blossoms in this semi-alpine part of liancashire 

 and there has consequently been no fruit. As 

 a set off", we have had fairly good crops of 

 mountain ash and elder berries, already nearly 

 cleared ott" by the bix'ds, residents and visitors. 

 Our missel thrnshes seem to be as partial to 

 mountain ash berries as the northern fieldfares. 



The first woodcock of the season, a fine plump 

 bird, was shot in this district on the 8th of Oc- 

 tober. This could scarcely be an oversea bird, 

 especially occuring so far inland, as I learn 

 from correspondents on the north-east and east 

 coasts of England that woodcocks were not ob- 

 served coming in from the sea till the 11th and 

 12th of Octobe]-, and then only subsequently, 

 in small parties. Up to the time of writing, the 

 first " great flight " of woodcocks had not struck 

 our north-east, east and south-east coasts, though 

 the first flight is more than due. Last year the 

 first great flight of " cocks" occurred on Octo- 

 ber 16th and 17th, wind east and north-east, 

 cold, rainj^ and stormy. The flight simultane- 

 ously struck the east coast of P^ngland from the 

 Thames, Northumberland, to Thanet, in Kent. 

 The " great flight '' of the season, more restrict- 

 ed in range, extended from the 22nd to the 24th 

 of October, during strong north-east gales. 

 Another flight of this species occurred on the 

 east and south-east English coast in the last 

 week of January in the present year. From 

 the east Cornish coast 1 learn that woodcocks 

 were first seen and shot in the latter part of 

 September, as they usually are in that part of 

 the country, that is, the first flight generally 

 occurs about the end of September, and the 

 second flight is due on the Cornish coast about 

 a fortnight later. 



The woodcock shot in Jyancashire as early as 

 the 8th of October could scarcely be an oversea 

 immigrant, judging from the dates of the first 

 arrivals on the north-east coast, the 11th and 

 12th of October. This bird was no doubt home 



