﻿ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  NOTES 
  FROM 
  KILL 
  ALA 
  BAY, 
  d-c. 
  303 
  

  

  increase 
  of 
  pasture 
  lands 
  in 
  this 
  province, 
  may 
  be 
  partly 
  the 
  cause 
  

   of 
  larger 
  numbers 
  visiting 
  the 
  district 
  than 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  be- 
  

   cause, 
  as 
  all 
  these 
  birds 
  obtain 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  in 
  

   the 
  grass 
  fields, 
  and 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  sea- 
  shore, 
  the 
  larger 
  area 
  of 
  pasture 
  

   land 
  now 
  affords 
  them 
  a 
  greater 
  abundance 
  of 
  food 
  than 
  in 
  former 
  

   years. 
  I 
  first 
  noticed 
  this 
  great 
  increase 
  of 
  Lapwings 
  in 
  Octo- 
  

   ber, 
  1879, 
  when 
  they 
  appeared 
  in 
  countless 
  numbers 
  about 
  the 
  

   estuary, 
  probabty 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  times 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  in 
  

   ordinary 
  years. 
  These 
  immense 
  flocks 
  haunted 
  the 
  sands 
  of 
  the 
  

   estuary 
  by 
  day 
  while 
  the 
  moon 
  was 
  stroDg, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  

   the 
  dark 
  nights 
  they 
  deserted 
  the 
  sands, 
  and 
  kept 
  inland 
  alto- 
  

   gether 
  until 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  moonlight, 
  and 
  then 
  resumed 
  their 
  

   habit 
  of 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  sands 
  by 
  day, 
  but 
  only 
  to 
  rest, 
  not 
  to 
  

   feed. 
  Ever 
  since 
  1879 
  this 
  large 
  increase 
  of 
  Lapwings 
  visiting 
  

   this 
  district 
  has 
  continued, 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  seasons 
  they 
  come 
  in 
  

   enormous 
  numbers, 
  notably 
  so 
  in 
  October 
  and 
  November, 
  1899, 
  

   when 
  the 
  numbers 
  about 
  the 
  estuary 
  were 
  really 
  astonishing, 
  

   and 
  were 
  added 
  to 
  by 
  a 
  second 
  wave 
  of 
  migration 
  towards 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  month. 
  Early 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  20th, 
  

   my 
  friend 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  C. 
  Kirkwood, 
  of 
  Bartragh, 
  saw 
  an 
  

   immense 
  flock 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  passing 
  over 
  the 
  island, 
  

   and 
  flying 
  very 
  high, 
  but 
  instead 
  of 
  pitching 
  at 
  once 
  on 
  the 
  

   sands 
  they 
  kept 
  flying 
  about 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  as 
  if 
  not 
  knowing 
  

   where 
  to 
  alight, 
  being 
  strange 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  ; 
  though 
  after 
  a 
  time 
  

   they 
  pitched 
  on 
  the 
  sands 
  between 
  Bartragh 
  and 
  Moyne 
  Abbey, 
  

   extending 
  for 
  nearly 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile. 
  Other 
  flocks 
  must 
  

   have 
  come 
  in 
  earlier 
  that 
  morning, 
  because 
  there 
  were 
  many 
  

   large 
  flocks 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  sands 
  — 
  one 
  inside 
  the 
  bar 
  on 
  the 
  bay 
  

   side 
  (where 
  I 
  never 
  saw 
  Lapwings 
  before) 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  Scurmore 
  

   sands 
  ; 
  on 
  those 
  off 
  Moy 
  View, 
  Koserk, 
  and 
  Castleconnor 
  — 
  five 
  

   large 
  flocks, 
  irrespective 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  arrivals 
  off 
  Moyne 
  ; 
  and 
  

   such 
  a 
  gathering 
  of 
  Lapwings 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  believe 
  were 
  ever 
  seen 
  

   before, 
  at 
  least 
  not 
  in 
  this 
  district. 
  It 
  was 
  very 
  remarkable 
  

   all 
  that 
  week, 
  that, 
  although 
  Lapwings 
  were 
  in 
  such 
  thousands 
  

   on 
  the 
  sands, 
  it 
  was 
  quite 
  impossible 
  to 
  obtain 
  shots 
  at 
  any 
  of 
  

   the 
  large 
  stands, 
  their 
  restlessness 
  being 
  so 
  great, 
  the 
  birds 
  always 
  

   rising 
  before 
  a 
  punt 
  could 
  approach 
  within 
  shot. 
  These 
  new 
  arri- 
  

   vals 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  imparted 
  this 
  state 
  of 
  unrest 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  

   previously 
  haunting 
  the 
  sands 
  — 
  -for 
  instance, 
  Mr. 
  Kirkwood, 
  who 
  

  

  