ARRIVAL OF SPRING MIGRANTS ABOUT BARNSLEY 



AND SOUTH YORKSHIRE DISTRICT. 

 By T. Lister, Barnsley. 



All, except the wheat ear (which usually arrives in the first fortnight 

 of April) and the swallow, were from one week to ten days later than 

 their average time for the last nine years. The house martin, which 

 is stated to be becoming more scarce about some towns, as well as the 

 swift, are quite numerous about villages and farms. One farmer at 

 Dodworth reports 28 martin's nests on his premises, which is many 

 more than he has previously seen. At Cudworth, Hemsworth Dam, 

 Ackworth, and Empsall, all the members of the family have 

 abounded. The finer weather after the middle of the month brought 

 the other migrants, pretty near to their average time, as seen by the 

 two columns of dates inserted below. The goat-sucker and cuckoo, 

 abounding more on moors and heaths, were early, and never before 

 recorded in such numbers. 



DATES OF OCCUREENCE. 



First notice, Average of 



1875. 9 years. 



Wheatear March 31 March 29 



Swallow (in Calder Vale) ... April 7 April 10 



Do. (in Barnsley district April 15 April 10 



Cuckoo April 12 April 14 



Willow wren April 15 April 10 



Chiff chaff April 15 April 2 



Ray's wagtail April 17 April 13 



Sand martin April 17 April 9 



Goat-sucker April 18 May 13 



House martin April 18 April 13 



Tree Pipit April 20 April 15 



Redstart April 21 April 14 



Sedge warbler April 21 April 24 



Black cap April 22 April 22 



Whinchat April 23 April 20 



Whitethroat April 25 April 25 



Grasshopper warbler April 25 April 30 



Ring ousel April 25 



Land rail May 2 April 27 



Lesser whitethroat May 3 May 4 



Wood wren or warbler May 5 April 30 



Garden warbler May 6 May 9 



Swift May 8 May 8 



Spotted flycatcher May 9 May 14 



Nightingale May. 9 April 29 



