20 Yorkshire Naturalists' Union : Annual Report, 1911. 



North Riding.— Mr. T. H. Nelson writes :— On Whit Monday, 

 a Honey Buzzard, which had evidently died on migration, was 

 found washed up on the shore between Redcar and Marske. The 

 usual autumn flights of waders. Curlew, Godwits, Knots and 

 small shore-birds, appeared at the estuary, but did not produce 

 much of value, excepting a Ruff and a Black-tailed Godwit. 



On Saturday, 30th September, there occurred one of those 

 interesting irruptions of Skuas which have been noticed at 

 intervals. A gale from the north-east suddenly sprang up about 

 6 o'clock, continuing to blow strongly all the morning and accom- 

 panied by heavy ^squalls of rain. Between 9 a.m. and i p.m., 

 numbers of Skuas, both Richardson's and Pomatorhine, estimated 

 at about 200, in parties of from five to twelve, were observed flying 

 north-westwardj low down, along the shore, and crossing over the 

 breakwater into the Teesmouth. In the afternoon the wind 

 veered to N.W., and, although the Skuas continued to pass, the 

 migration was less pronounced than in the morning, and the birds 

 kept out beyond the breakers. Those that were identified were 

 all mature individuals. On Sunday, ist October, the gale 

 moderated, and only some half dozen Skuas were noticed flying 

 well out to sea. During the storm on Saturday, two immature 

 Sabine's Gulls were seen sitting on the shore, and in the afternoon 

 a Grey Phalarope and another Sabine's Gull were reported. 



An immature example of Button's Skua, much decomposed, 

 which had been found on the Whitby coast on 4th October, was 

 forwarded to me for identification. 



For other detailed records see the pages of " The Naturalist." 



East Riding. — Mr. E. W. Wade writes : — The special feature 

 of the season has been the cold, wet, and backward Spring, followed 

 in May by a sudden change to tropical warmth and sunshine, 

 lasting till the end of the Summer, with but one break of wet 

 during the last week in June. To find a parallel we must go back 

 to 1883, when practically no rain fell in the East Riding of York- 

 shire from April to December. 



The result has been that our early breeding birds have been 

 later than usual; the Rooks, in many cases, having had their 

 eggs destroyed by frost, and Peewits being driven off the first 

 nests by snowstorms. 



Migrants arrived late, but when they came commenced the 

 duties of nest-building and incubation immediately, e.g., the 

 Common Whitethroat, which arrived on 6th May, had, in one case, 

 nearly finished building on 13th May. The Willow Wren, whose 

 average date of arrival was 17th April, in one case had six eggs on 

 23rd April. 



The breeding season for the smaller birds was a short one,, 

 and the return journey to winter quarters commenced sooner than 

 usual, the. warmth producing conditions parallel to those found 

 in the Arctic' regions, a most unusual state of things here. 



Naturalist,., . 



