﻿THE 
  COAST 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  SOMERSET. 
  91 
  

  

  seen 
  in 
  the 
  bays 
  around 
  Weston-super-Mare. 
  On 
  the 
  day 
  I 
  saw 
  

   the 
  five 
  hundred 
  Sheld-Ducks, 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  quite 
  seven 
  

   hundred 
  Scaup 
  and 
  some 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  Wild 
  Duck 
  were 
  

   sheltering 
  with 
  them 
  from 
  a 
  keen 
  wind 
  under 
  the 
  lee 
  of 
  Brean 
  

   Down. 
  Smaller 
  parties 
  of 
  Scoters, 
  Golden-eyes, 
  Tufted 
  Ducks, 
  

   and 
  Pochards 
  also 
  occur, 
  and 
  mingle 
  with 
  the 
  flocks 
  of 
  Scaups, 
  

   but, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  experience 
  goes, 
  these 
  four 
  species 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  common. 
  The 
  three 
  "Mergansers" 
  have 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time 
  put 
  in 
  an 
  appearance, 
  but 
  must 
  all 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  rarities. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  Bock-Dove 
  breeds 
  on 
  the 
  

   Somerset 
  coast, 
  but 
  I 
  feel 
  sure 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  noticed 
  were 
  either 
  

   Pigeons 
  from 
  some 
  farm 
  reverting 
  to 
  a 
  wild 
  state, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  

   Stock-Dove 
  was 
  the 
  species 
  seen. 
  A 
  few 
  pairs 
  of 
  this 
  latter 
  bird 
  

   breed 
  on 
  the 
  cliffs 
  in 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  its 
  numbers 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  

   to 
  increase. 
  The 
  Turtle-Dove 
  and 
  Bing-Dove 
  are 
  common 
  birds 
  

   in 
  the 
  county, 
  the 
  latter 
  often 
  breeding 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  where 
  the 
  

   woods 
  extend 
  to 
  the 
  coast. 
  

  

  Black 
  Game 
  are 
  plentiful 
  on 
  the 
  heather 
  and 
  whortleberry- 
  

   clad 
  heights 
  in 
  West 
  Somerset, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  noticed 
  the 
  Bed- 
  

   legged 
  Partridge 
  on 
  Brean 
  Down, 
  where 
  a 
  few 
  pairs 
  seem 
  to 
  

   breed. 
  Quail 
  have 
  frequently 
  nested 
  near 
  Bridgewater, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Water-Bail, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  Skitty," 
  nests 
  commonly 
  on 
  the 
  

   peat-moors, 
  where 
  also 
  the 
  Spotted 
  Crake 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   winter, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  strong 
  evidence 
  that 
  some 
  remain 
  to 
  breed. 
  

   I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  the 
  Coot 
  on 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  they 
  occur 
  on 
  some 
  

   inland 
  waters. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  birds 
  known 
  as 
  " 
  The 
  Waders 
  " 
  contains 
  the 
  

   most 
  interesting 
  of 
  the 
  shore-frequenting 
  species, 
  a 
  few 
  details 
  

   respecting 
  those 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  Somerset 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  

   interest. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  rare 
  species, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Wood- 
  Sandpiper 
  

   and 
  the 
  Dusky 
  Bedshank, 
  have 
  occurred 
  accidentally, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   of 
  more 
  general 
  interest 
  in 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  to 
  treat 
  of 
  those 
  

   species 
  which 
  occur 
  with 
  tolerable 
  regularity. 
  The 
  two 
  com- 
  

   monest 
  birds 
  of 
  this 
  class, 
  without 
  doubt, 
  are 
  the 
  Dunlin 
  and 
  

   Binged 
  Plover. 
  These 
  species 
  consort 
  together, 
  and 
  enormous 
  

   flocks 
  are 
  sometimes 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  mud-flats. 
  Small 
  parties 
  of 
  

   Dunlins 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  breeding 
  stay 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   summer, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  most 
  numerous 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August, 
  

   when 
  the 
  breeding 
  birds 
  begin 
  to 
  return, 
  until 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

  

  