Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union: Annual Report, 1912. 77 
Two Sclavonian Grebes in immature plumage were shot on 
Sunk Island on 17th February, and two more were observed 
THe NortH Ripinc.—Mr. T. H. Nelson, writes :—Redcar, 
like other East Coast towns, received its share of the incursion 
of Little Auks in the early part of the year. There had been 
strong ‘easterly’ weather for several days when, on January 
20th, my wife saw about forty Little Auks, in small parties, 
flying low down near the water just beyond the breakers. One 
lot of these came within five yards of where she was walking, 
and she noticed they uttered a short little note ; another lot of 
five also passed close by her, and another alighted on the sea 
near a wrecked steamer. Later in the day she found a very fine 
specimen washed up at high-water mark. After this date numer- 
ous examples of these little visitors were found ; one man picked 
up a dozen in the course of a mile walk, and the local bird- 
stuffers had scores brought tothem. On February 1st a blizzard 
of arctic severity, with a north-easterly gale, swept the coast, 
continuing for three days. Hundreds of Little Auks were seen 
flying before the storm, and many were found on the beach 
between Saltburn and Teesmouth. Reports of ‘rare Arctic 
birds’ were also sent from inland places remote from the coast, 
along the foot of the hills, and the villages between the coast and 
the moorlands. For a precedent for the invasion of this little 
northern sea-fowl we must look back to the year 1895. An 
extraordinary flight of Brent Geese occurred during the storm 
in February ; large flocks were noticed crossing the rocks on 
the east of the town, where a shooter, with an ordinary 12 
bore and No. 5 shot, bagged eight birds one morning. 
On January 18th, an immature male Smew was shot at 
the Teesmouth, and a fine adult example of the same species 
was obtained in a marsh in the neighbourhood on the 25th. 
The duck tribe was well represented; Scaup, Golden-eye, 
Tufted, Wigeon and Mallard were very numerous; and for 
several days I noticed two Scaup drakes and a duck on a small 
pond a few yards’ distance from my house. 
The Hawfinch continues to increase in the localities referred 
to in ‘The Birds of Yorkshire.’ A considerable addition is 
also noted in the numbers of nesting Nuthatches in a preserved 
park on the Cleveland Hills. A great Skua was recorded near 
Redcar on September r2th, and, on October 3rd, a Baillon’s 
Crake (female) was obtained by Mr. J. M. Charlton on some 
marshy ground at East Harlsey, near Northallerton. The 
usual shore-birds appeared at the Tees estuary in August and 
September, and the autumn migration has been in full force 
since the beginning of October. Lapwings, Skylarks, Field- 
fares and Redwings have been crossing almost daily ; an im- 
mense flight of Hooded Crows was seen on the 18th; on the 
same day I flushed a Woodcock in my garden, and this species 
1913 Jan. 1. 
