British Sea Birds

by Charles Dixon

For reasons which have been variously assigned, the present species, the Pyrrhocorax graculus of ornithologists, has now become one of the rarest and most local of British birds. Once fairly common, not only in certain inland localities, but on the sea-girt cliffs, many of its colonies have now become deserted. It is a bird of the rock-bound coast, easily recognized by its blue-black plumage and long, curved, red bill. It is not necessary here to indicate the places where colonies still exist. The Chough is a gregarious bird, and many of its habits resemble those of the Jackdaw or the Starling. Its flight is often curiously erratic, the bird, after rising a little way, dropping again with wings closed. Upon the ground it runs quickly, its bright red legs and feet being conspicuous. The note is very like that of the Jackdaw, a chuckling or cackling chow-chow; hence the bird’s name of Chough, which, by the way, is often used with the prefix “Cornish,” although the bird is just as scarce in Cornwall as elsewhere now. The food of this bird is chiefly composed of beetles, worms, grubs, and grain. The Chough breeds in colonies, which resort to lofty ocean cliffs, especially such where caves and fissures are plentiful. The nest is very similar to that of the Jackdaw, and varies a good deal in size. Sticks, heather stems, and dry stalks of plants form the outside; the cavity is lined with dry grass, roots, wool, and similar soft material. From four to six eggs are laid in May, creamy-white in ground colour, blotched and spotted with various shades of brown and gray. When disturbed, the Choughs fly out of their nest-holes, and behave generally in a very Jackdaw-like manner. The Chough appears to be a sedentary species in all parts of its distribution.

ROCK PIPIT.

In the present bird, the Anthus obscurus of ornithologists, we have one of the very few species of Passeres that are confined exclusively to maritime haunts. During the breeding season the Rock Pipit frequents the rock-bound coasts, often resorting to cliffs washed incessantly by the waves, rock stacks some distance from shore, and precipitous islands; but in winter it may be observed on the salt-marshes and stretches of sand. It is an olive-brown little bird on the upper parts, streaked with darker brown; the eye stripe and throat are nearly white; the remainder of the under parts are sandy-buff, streaked with brown. During flight the smoke-brown patch on the outer tail feathers is very conspicuous. During autumn and winter Rock Pipits may generally be met with in parties, sometimes even in small flocks, congregating on the rocky beaches, the cliffs, and downs, or, at low water, searching amongst the seaweed and shingle for food. They are by no means shy birds, but, if alarmed, rise in scattered order, and, after flitting aimlessly about, again pitch a little farther on, and resume their search. In spring the Rock Pipit separates into pairs, the low-lying shores are deserted, and the birds resort to their several breeding-places. In early spring the simple song of the cock bird may be heard at intervals all the livelong day, sometimes uttered as he perches on a big stone or clings to the cliffs hundreds of feet above our heads, but more frequently as he flutters in the air. The food of this Pipit is composed of insects, and worms, and small seeds. Although small and unobtrusive, the Rock Pipit is not easily overlooked. It flits before the observer in a wavering, uncertain manner, uttering its plaintive weet as it goes; then alights a little further on, and waits our approach, when once more it rises, cheeping, into the air, to alight far up the cliffs, or turn back to seek its original haunt. Although this species pairs early, the nest is seldom made before May. Few nests are more difficult to find than the Rock Pipit’s, hidden as it is under stones or clods of earth, or wedged into crevices of the rocks and cliffs. It is made of dry grass, moss, scraps of dry seaweed, and lined either with horsehair or fine grass. The four or five eggs are dull bluish-white in ground colour, freckled with grayish or reddish-brown, and sometimes streaked with blackish-brown. Two broods are often reared in the season, the eggs for the latter being laid in July. Many pairs of birds may be found nesting on a short stretch of coast, but no gregarious instincts are manifested at this season. The Rock Pipit has a very restricted geographical distribution, being confined to the European coasts of the Atlantic, including our islands and the Faröes.

MARTINS.

Both the species of British Martins resort to many localities on the coast to breed. To the wall-like cliffs the House Martin, Chelidon urbica, often attaches its mud-built cradle. I know of large colonies of this Martin on the sea cliffs of Devonshire, where the nests are placed in rows, or stuck here and there in every sheltered niche. In the same manner the Sand Martin, Cotyle riparia, bores its tunnels into the soft earth at the summit of the sea cliffs, or into the solid banks of earth that in some districts take the place of cliffs. It is not necessary to enter here into details of the economy of these Martins. Both engaging little species add to the life and animation of the coast, as they fly to and fro and in and out of their nests. Then during the period of migration many Martins pass along the seaboard, and sometimes the observer may be fortunate enough to witness their actual arrival from over the sea, or their final departure across its lonely expanse.

ROCK DOVE.

We here have another exclusively marine species, the Columba livia of Linnæus and most modern writers, confined to such portions of the coast as are precipitous and full of caves and hollows. The Rock Dove may be readily distinguished from all the other British species of Pigeons by its white lower back and rump, and strongly-barred wings. As may naturally be inferred from the cliff-haunting propensities of this Dove, it is practically absent from the low-lying eastern coasts of England, local on the south coast, but becomes much commoner further north and west, where the cliffs are rugged and lofty, and full of those wave-worn hollows and fissures that are the Rock Dove’s delight. As most readers may be aware, this species is the original stock from which the numerous races of dovecot Pigeon have descended. Curiously enough, this bird is inseparably attached to the coast; it is a rock-haunting species, and one which rarely or never perches in trees. Usually our first acquaintance with the Rock Dove is made as the startled bird dashes out of the cliffs, with rattling wings and impetuous haste. It is more or less gregarious all the year round, and may frequently be seen in flocks on the fields near its native cliffs. Its food is composed of grain and seeds of all kinds, and the buds and shoots of plants. Its flight is rapid and well sustained. I was told by the natives of St. Kilda that the Rock Doves frequenting the islands cross the sea every day—a distance of seventy miles—to feed on the Hebrides, and there can be little or no doubt about this, for St. Kilda contains little suitable food for this grain-loving bird. Its note is the familiar coo.

The Rock Dove is an early breeder, congregating in colonies on such cliffs as afford it the necessary shelter. Wherever possible the nests are made in caves; where these are wanting the birds scatter themselves about the cliffs, and place their nests in any convenient fissure or cleft. The bird pairs for life, and yearly resorts to the same breeding stations, some of the caves gaining a local reputation in this respect. The nest is placed on some ledge or in a cranny, and consists of a little dry grass, twigs, roots, or stems of plants, arranged in a flat plate-like form. The two eggs are pure white. This species may be found breeding all the summer through, and rears two, if not more, broods each season. The Rock Dove is found on almost all parts of the rocky coasts of Europe and the outlying islands.

STOCK DOVE.

This Dove, the Columba ænas of naturalists, is very often confused with the preceding species, from which, however, it may readily be distinguished by having the rump uniform in colour with the back, and the wing bars broken up into patches. Mistaken identity is also rendered even more easy by the bird frequenting the coast, in just the same localities we associate with the Rock Dove. As most readers are aware, the Stock Dove is a dweller in wooded inland districts, as well as on the coast. I have, however, often remarked that the two species rarely inhabit the same parts of the coast, and that the Stock Dove shows preference for cliffs that are more or less densely clothed with ivy, stunted trees, and thickets. In its flight, shyness, method of searching for food, and habits generally, when frequenting littoral districts, the Stock Dove very closely resembles the Rock Dove. The note of the Stock Dove, heard most incessantly during spring and summer is, however, different, and may be described as a grunting coo-oo-up. At all times this Dove is socially inclined, and becomes, to a great extent, gregarious during winter; its numbers being increased during that season by migrants from Scandinavia. Its food is chiefly obtained from grain lands, clover fields, and stubbles, and consists chiefly of grain and seeds, berries, and various shoots.