﻿THE 
  COAST 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  SOMERSET. 
  89 
  

  

  Channel. 
  A 
  few 
  small 
  heronries 
  are 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  county, 
  and 
  so 
  

   "Cranes," 
  as 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  called 
  locally, 
  may 
  often 
  be 
  seen 
  

   wading 
  about 
  near 
  the 
  muddy 
  estuaries 
  ; 
  and 
  Bitterns 
  are 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  frozen 
  marshes 
  during 
  hard 
  winters. 
  

  

  The 
  Wild 
  Geese 
  which 
  visit 
  the 
  Bristol 
  Channel 
  district 
  seem 
  

   to 
  keep 
  chiefly 
  to 
  certain 
  favourite 
  haunts 
  above 
  the 
  Severn 
  

   Tunnel. 
  Only 
  three 
  species, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  are 
  found 
  — 
  the 
  Bean 
  

   (which 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  arrive), 
  the 
  White-fronted, 
  and 
  the 
  Brent 
  

   Geese. 
  Of 
  these, 
  small 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  former 
  species 
  visit 
  

   the 
  Brue 
  and 
  Huntspill 
  Levels 
  during 
  hard 
  winters, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   appearing 
  occasionally 
  on 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  

   Brent 
  Goose 
  may 
  sometimes 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  small 
  parties 
  in 
  the 
  

   Channel, 
  but 
  never 
  seems 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  inland 
  marshes. 
  Swans 
  

   are 
  sometimes 
  seen 
  off 
  Burnham 
  in 
  very 
  severe 
  weather. 
  

  

  At 
  one 
  time 
  the 
  central 
  level 
  of 
  Somerset 
  and 
  Bridgewater 
  

   Bay 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  very 
  favourite 
  winter 
  resort 
  for 
  Wild 
  Ducks. 
  

   About 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  flat 
  inland 
  district 
  was 
  

   uncultivated, 
  and 
  liable 
  in 
  winter 
  to 
  very 
  extensive 
  floods, 
  which 
  

   still 
  occur, 
  but 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  extent 
  as 
  formerly. 
  This 
  district 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  some 
  thirteen 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  marsh 
  and 
  reedy 
  

   meadows, 
  broken 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  by 
  the 
  low 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  Polden 
  

   Hills. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  about 
  a 
  century 
  since 
  this 
  tract 
  was 
  drained, 
  

   and 
  with 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  cultivation 
  the 
  marsh 
  lost 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  

   former 
  attractiveness 
  for 
  wildfowl. 
  Traces, 
  however, 
  of 
  its 
  

   former 
  fen 
  aspect 
  still 
  remain, 
  and 
  the 
  ornithologist 
  of 
  to-day 
  

   may 
  still 
  expect 
  to 
  meet 
  with 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  surprises. 
  No 
  less 
  than 
  

   thirteen 
  duck- 
  decoys 
  have 
  existed 
  here 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  and 
  

   this 
  fact 
  bears 
  eloquent 
  testimony 
  to 
  the 
  former 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   wildfowl, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  only 
  one, 
  situated 
  on 
  Sedgmoor, 
  

   is 
  regularly 
  worked, 
  and 
  this 
  with 
  very 
  moderate 
  success. 
  Large 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  Duck 
  and 
  Teal, 
  however, 
  still 
  occur, 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  former 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  remaining 
  to 
  breed 
  ; 
  while 
  

   Wigeon 
  — 
  once, 
  according 
  to 
  Colonel 
  Montagu, 
  very 
  abundant 
  — 
  

   occur 
  in 
  very 
  small 
  numbers, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  Pintails 
  and 
  Shovelers. 
  

   A 
  pair 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  last-mentioned 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  

   nest 
  on 
  the 
  peat 
  moor 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Polden 
  Hills. 
  The 
  

   mud-flats 
  and 
  waters 
  of 
  Bridgewater 
  Bay 
  afford 
  by 
  day 
  a 
  safe 
  

   refuge 
  for 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  various 
  species, 
  where 
  a 
  strong 
  glass 
  

   will 
  often 
  reveal 
  them, 
  apparently 
  sleeping, 
  but 
  in 
  reality 
  always 
  

   on 
  the 
  alert. 
  

  

  