Clare Island Survey — Aves. 20 7 



Turdus varius, Pallas. White's Thrush. — Specimen in Dublin Museum, shot 

 9th January, 1885, at the Colonel's Wood, near Westport. There are 

 two other Irish records of this wanderer from Asia. 



Turdus merula, Linn. Blackbird. — Eesident on Clare Island, breeding on 

 the lowland holdings, sings on furze-tufts and walls ; nest found in door- 

 hole of a ruin (Barrett-Hamilton). Patten found another on a rock 

 supported by the stem of a furze-bush on 3rd July (Plate V, fig. 4), 

 and on 5th July another nest on a grass-covered turf fence surrounded 

 with bracken. There is evidently an immigration to the island in October 

 of Blackbirds which are seen there during winter months, as there is in 

 Ireland generally. As a breeding-species this bird is reported to be a 

 settler on Clare Island within the present century, which corresponds with 

 what has taken place elsewhere along the western coast, where the Black- 

 bird is common as a winter visitor, but has only extended its breeding-range 

 there within recent times. On the Mullet, Achill, 1 nishbofm, the Dingle 

 Peninsula, and further south this has been observed. In 1900 Lord 

 Ventry said that these birds had commenced to breed of late years, but 

 were previously winter visitors, their coming being then taken as a sign 

 that the Woodcocks had arrived. 



Turdus torquatus, Linn. Ring-Ouzel. — Though not noticed by any of our 

 Survey party, this bird is stated by McCabe, owner of the Granuaile Hotel, 

 to be often seen on Croaghmore, a locality suited to its habits from which 

 one sees those Achill mountains which are favourite breeding-haunts of 

 the Ring-Ouzel. It also nests on other high mountains in Donegal, Sligo, 

 Mayo, Connemara, and Kerry, so that Clare Island is within the circuit 

 of its chosen abodes. 



Saxicola oenanthe (Linn.). Wheatear. — Plentiful in summer, breeding on 

 Clare Island in holes of stone walls and under stones. Hammond noticed 

 on 7th March, 1907, " Wheatears all day on island," and many others 

 were recorded later in that month. These early birds are probably 

 coming to breed as they do on Achill, Black Rock, Tearaght, and all the 

 islands of the west coast, where they are most characteristic land-birds, 

 and are common, too, on the rocky, treeless margin of Ireland, especially 

 in the west. Barrington shows that the spring migration is at its 

 height the first ten days of April and lasts into May; but he believes that 

 the later birds are going further north and leave Ireland to breed. The 

 autumn migration, which is much less noticed, usually terminates early 

 in October, though a specimen has been received, killed striking the Bull 

 Rock, on 7th December, 1902. 



