Yorkshire Naturalists' Union : Annual Report, 1916. 37 



Mr. R. Butterfield reports a Little Auk * from Cottingley 

 Bridge, and some Mealy Redpolls near Wilsden, in early March. 

 In The Zoologist for April, 1916, Mr. E. P. Butterfield suggests 

 that some of them may have been Cones's Redpolls. 



East Riding Report. — Mr. E. W. Wade writes : — In 

 consequence of a wild and wet spring our breeding birds, with 

 but few exceptions, were late in nesting. 



Redshanks were unusually early, man}' of them having laid 

 by mid-April, but by the second week of May the breeding 

 grounds were under water and many eggs destroyed. 



An unusually large number of Turtle Doves was observed 

 in the East Riding, and the bird was breeding in localities 

 where it had not been previously seen. 



The Corncrake has been scarcer than ever, only four breed- 

 ing pairs being reported. The usual reports of the birds being 

 slaughtered on the autumnal migration come from the southern 

 counties, and it is a pity something cannot be done to stop this. 



Partridges have had the worst season since 1878, and Pheas- 

 ants have had a bad season, there being no rearing to com- 

 pensate for the disastrous effects of the wet weather. 



On 7th May a Pied Flycatcher (male) was observed at 

 Burton Constable Park, and on 13th May, another bird (female), 

 but they did not stay to breed. 



There has been a satisfactory increase in the numbers 

 of Goldfinches breeding locally, probably because the scarcity 

 of labour has caused a great increase in the crop of thistles. 



Migrants generally arrived earlier than last year 



On 26th February a Little Auk was picked up alive at 

 Scarborough ; one at Warter in the same month, and another 

 dead at Cottingham. 



On 30th April I saw a Peregrine Falcon near Newport. 



On October 9th two Quail were observed during partridge 

 shooting at North Dalton. 



A Greater Spotted Woodpecker $ was shot at Cawooa. 



The Pink Footed Geese arrived in the Wolds on 21st Sept. 



There has been an increase in the number of Stone Curlew 

 in the protected area on the Wolds, seventeen having been seen 

 in October. The birds arrived on 12th April. No doubt the 

 decrease in the number of shooting men, owing to the war, 

 has had something to do with this. 



Mr. J. Tavlor reports from Hornsea that seven young 

 Whoopers were on the Mere on 29th September, and on 30th 

 September, while duck shooting, his dog set a Bearded Tit (male) 

 out of the reeds on the South side of the Mere. He had a good 

 view of the bird and could not be mistaken. 



* Another Little Auk at Barden on March 1st, (see The Naturalist, 

 1916, p. 173). 



1917 Jan. 1. 



