124 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF BLACKPOOL AND DISTRICT 



competent observers available for working it ; or, to put the matter in another 

 way, there is so much room in which to miss, or overlook, an apparently rare or 

 local species, individuals of which may actually be more numerous, or more 

 widely distributed, than present observations imply. 



A comprehensive account of the local avifauna being impossible within the 

 limited space allotted to this article, the following brief summary will, it is 

 hoped, serve to give a general idea of the birds which occur in the district : — 



The list includes six crows. The Raven pays occasional visits to the Pennmes ; 

 it nested in Bowland in 1 886, and has attempted once or twice to do so since. 

 The Carrion Crow, never a common species, appears to be, if anything, slightly 

 on the increase. The Hooded Crow, which was described by some of the older 

 writers as a common winter visitor, is nowadays seldom met with. The Rook 

 and Jackdaw are abundant. The former has developed a tendency to nest in 

 smaller colonies, which, however, are not always permanent settlements. 

 The Jay and Magpie are holding their own. The Starling, like the House 

 Sparrow, already far too plentiful, is rapidly increasing. During winter it 

 congregates in vast hordes and retires at sundown to various common roosting- 

 places. The Rose-coloured Pastor has been shot at Lancaster, and the Golden 

 Oriole at Chipping. 



Finches and Buntings number 1 7, some of them still common, others much 

 reduced in numbers. The Hawfinch is now rarely seen, though not uncommon 

 at St. Michaels-on-Wyre and other places 40 years ago. Modern farming and 

 bird-catchers have thinned out and almost banished the elegant little Goldfinch. 

 Small flocks of Bramblings haunt the beech woods in winter and are often 

 seen on the coast. The Siskin is less common than formerly ; it is reported — 

 on rather slender evidence — to have bred near Lancaster in 1863. The Tree 

 Sparrow breeds sparsely, but is nowhere numerous. The Lesser Redpoll is 

 not uncommon as a nesting species, but like the Linnet and a few other finches 

 is more generally dispersed in winter. The Bullfinch is local, and as a breeding 

 species is restricted to a few localities, mainly in the neighbourhood of Garstang. 

 The Crossbill has occurred during sporadic invasions. 



The Reed and Yellow Buntings, although still plentiful about swampy 

 spots and tangled hedgerows, where these exist, are not so abundant as formerly. 

 The Corn Bunting, never a common species, is nowadays seldom met with. 

 Parties of Snow Buntings visit the hilly and maritime portions of the district 

 during winter, and occasionally stray to inland localities, where they consort 

 with Larks and Linnets. Mitchell (' Birds of Lancashire ') mentions an 

 immature Lapland Bunting said to have been shot near Preston in 1 833. 



The Woodlark, considered at one time a not uncommon resident in the 

 Ribble and Wyre Valleys, has not been encountered for many years and is 

 probably extinct. Recent reports of its occurrence locally are probably due to 

 confusion with the Tree Pipit. A Shore Lark was shot at Oxcliffe, near 

 Lancaster, in 1899. 



Five Wagtails and four Pipits are included in the list. The White Wagtail 

 occurs regularly on passage in spring and autumn ; and although the records 

 of the Blue-headed are few, the bird is probably more frequent on passage than 

 at present imagined. 



