247 

 BIRD NOTES FROM HEBDEN BRIDGE. 



W. GREAVES. 



The decrease in the numbers of the two resident Thrushes, 

 especially T. musicus (throstle) is the most conspicuous feature 

 of the bird life of Hebden Bridge in the first half of the present 

 year. In the cloughs in preceding years, from late April to 

 June, it could be imagined there was one bird singing in each 

 tree at daybreak, judging from the volume of song, but there 

 has only been an isolated bird here and there this year, and 

 never anything approaching normal song volume. Noticing 

 this early on, I refrained from drawing a hasty conclusion, 

 thinking that the severe weather persisting well into the song 

 period of the species named might be partially responsible. 

 There has since been ample evidence to justify my calculation 

 that this year there is a decrease of at least 50 per cent. — and 

 probably it is as high as 75 per cent. — in the song thrushes 

 of the neighbourhood. I am confirmed in my impressions as 

 to the relative scarcity by three other individuals, two of 

 whom remarked on it to me quite voluntarily. The third, 

 whose opinion I wished to ascertain because of his residence 

 in the middle of the woods at the Hardcastle Crags, had noticed 

 the scarcity — the absence of song is most obvious to even 

 a casual observer — and had satisfied himself that it was due 

 to the birds being killed for food purposes. The real explana- 

 tion is, of course, the abnormally severe weather in the past 

 winter. An attendant on one of our sewage farms informs me 

 that five dead birds seen on the beds this winter were all 

 throstles. Blackbirds seem to have suffered little, if at all. 

 The missel thrush is, probably, a little less plentiful, but it 

 has been difficult to arrive at a percentage on account of the 

 shorter song period compared with the song thrush, combined 

 with the further disadvantage of unsuitable weather at a time 

 when the birds would have been most vigorous. Judging 

 merely from song the woods in May have savoured more of 

 August, and the effect has been depressing. Other species 

 do not appear to have markedly suffered. Blackbirds are in 

 usual numbers, and this year outnumber the throstles, which 

 is unusual, but there is just a suspicion that Chaffinches, which 

 are still plentiful, have slightly dwindled. In April, Meadow 

 Pipits (few of which winter in the immediate district) seemed 

 far from being present in their usual numbers, but perhaps 

 they were later in arriving at breeding haunts this year. Most 

 of the dates on which migrants were first observed are later 

 than the average, viz., Wheatear, April 1st ; Ring Ousel, April 

 15th ; Swallow, April 22nd ; Sandpiper, April 24th ; Cuckoo, 

 April 29th ; Willow Wren, April 29th ; Yellow Wagtail, April 



1917 Aug. 1. 



