36 Yorkshire Naturalists' Union : Annual Report, 1916. 



I have carefully investigated the report that several pairs 

 of Short-eared Owls have nested on Grassington Moor during 

 the last iew years (ante pp.34 and 185) and find it to be in- 

 accurate. I had the good fortune to come across the game- 

 keeper there (Cousins), and gathered from him that there 

 was not a word of truth in the report. He described these 

 birds accurately that he occasionally saw in the autumn ; but 

 he did not know their name ; yet he was quite certain that 

 neither they nor their nests occurred in the summer on that 

 moor, and he had been the gamekeeper there for the past eight 

 years. There was good evidence that the Long-tailed Tit was 

 again nesting in Upper Wharfedale, and in the same dale the 

 Bullfinch was increasing as a nesting species. The Hawfinch 

 appeared to be decreasing there, but it has certainly increased 

 as a nesting species on the western suburbs of Keighley. 



The nesting of most species of birds was quite two to three 

 weeks later than usual — probably owing to the cold, backward 

 season. I have had many reports of belated nesting from which 

 I select the following : — 



A Woodcock hatched off its four eggs near to Strid Cottage, 

 Bolton Woods, on July 12th* (T. Roose). 



A Snipe was sitting on four eggs near Headingley during 

 the first week in July (J. Atkinson). 



A Sparrow-hawk's nest noted with half-grown young at 

 West-end, Washburndale, on Sept. 2nd, and a Nightjar still 

 sitting on eggs on Keighley Moor on Aug. 13th, reported by 

 Mr. F. H. Edmondson. 



Game birds have had a good season- — I have never before 

 seen so many Red Grouse on the moors in September. 



A Dotterel was identified on Fly Flatts reservoir on Aug. 

 28th (Mr. D. Sutcliffe — per W.G.). This species is very rarely 

 seen in the West Riding on its autumnal migration — although 

 formerly it was always expected (and looked forward to by 

 those in search of feathers for angling) on several of our moors 

 from the 9th to the 16th of May. A Great Grey Shrike was 

 watched by members of the Crosshills Naturalists' Society on 

 Oct. 31st, close to Bolton Abbey station, when it attacked and 

 killed a Robin. A Sheld-Duck (now in the Morley Museum) 

 a few Common Scoters, a Greenshank and several Ringed 

 Plovers are reported from the reservoirs in the neighbourhood 

 of Hebden Bridge (Mr. W. Greaves). Mr. Greaves also reports 

 that a pair of Stonechats spent the winter (October to February) 

 in that district — an unusual proceeding. Mr. A. R. Sanderson 

 reported a Nuthatch in Mickley Woods, near Tanfield, in the 

 nesting season. I have not a single report of the Grasshopper 

 Warbler from the whole of the Riding this year. 



* A note in The Field of Aug. 12th reported a young brood of Wood- 

 cock on Aug. 5th ! 



Naturalist. 



