Yorkshiye Naiiii'dlisfs' Union : Aiiiiital Report, 1909. 41 



laying at the beginning of the month, when snow was on the 

 ground, accompanied by sharp frosts. Four more clutches of 

 five each have been reported, one of them as late as May 9th. 

 The usual date for this species to commence incubation is the last 

 week in March, or the first in April. 



Two clutches of five each of Tawny Owls were observed, 

 one of them fresh, on 27th March ; one hard-sat, on 3rd April. In 

 1905, also a vole year, I saw^ in one day two clutches of Tawny 

 Owls, each with five eggs. 



Short-eared Owls, which have undoubtedly bred sometimes 

 on our Yorkshire Wolds, though I have never actually seen the 

 nest myself, and have only the reports of keepers who, on two 

 occasions, have described the finding of a nest containing white 

 eggs, in the rank grass that grows in the steep Wold valleys ; this 

 year successfully reared six nests of young, on Broomfleet Island. 

 This corner of the Humber Saltings, which has been silting up for 

 many years, was enclosed and protected from the tides by the 

 Humber Conservancy last year. A rank covering of reeds, 

 tall grasses and rushes, had been growing up all over the ground 

 for many years, and completely covered it when Messrs. W. H. 

 and H. Stickney took it on lease early in 1909, and the process of 

 burning the vegetation and ploughing up the soil commenced in 

 April. In June, when some of the outlying rushes and long grasses 

 tame under the plough, six nests of Short-eared Owls, each 

 containing from four to eight well-fledged young, w'ere discovered. 

 Fortunately the cultivators understood the value of these birds 

 in keeping down vermin, and the fledglings were carefully removed 

 to safety as the plough advanced, without in any way discon- 

 certing the parents, who continued to feed them in their new 

 quarters. 



On 24th May, Mr. W. G. Griffiths went down with Mr. C. 

 Saxelbye, and photographed one of the nests, which he described 

 as placed at the foot of some slightly withered reeds, two 3^oung 

 birds being in it, whilst two others, older and larger, were found 

 about forty yards away. Both old birds were in attendance, 

 and one of them repeatedly swooped down at him as he took the 

 photographs, almost knocking his cap off, and uttering a parrot- 

 like cry meanwhile. The nest contained two dead voles, which, 

 from the report of the foreman in charge of the farm, formed the 

 exclusive food of the birds. I cannot hear of any authenticated 

 instance of the birds breeding in the same district before, and no 

 doubt the plentiful supply of their natural food had attracted 

 them, as in the case of the Scotch vole plague years 1890-92. 

 Early in September they all disappeared. They used to breed 

 on similar ground in Horkstow Carrs, North Lines., about ten 

 miles nearly due south, but the occurrence can only be regarded 

 as sporadic, and as the land at Broomfleet has been cleared, it is 

 hardly possible that we shall see it recur. 



1910 Jan. I. 



