I saw the first Short-eared Owl on the Lincolnshire coast on Oct. 30th. Twelve were seen at Spurn the same morning. It thus appears that the migration of this species has extended just over a month, from Sept. 29th to Oct. 30th.
Flycatcher, Muscicapa grisola.—At the Galloper on Sept. 13th, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., hazy, 200 to 300 birds, mostly Flycatchers; twenty killed against glass of lantern. At the Kentish Knock on Sept. 18th two dozen Flycatchers through night around lantern, rain, going S.W. at daylight; none killed. At the Nore, Aug. 22nd, at sunrise, mixed with Larks, and again on Sept. 7th, same hour, without Larks. At the Gull-stream, on Sept. 17th, at 3.20 a.m., E., thick rain, large quantities of Flycatchers; lantern surrounded by birds. On Oct. 11th-12th, 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., N.N.E., rain, large numbers of Larks, Starlings and Flycatchers in vicinity of light; many struck and went overboard. Time of migration extending over fifty-two days.[4]
[4] I find the following reference to this species in my note-book:—"Did not observe any Flycatchers, old or young, in this neighbourhood after the end of August: up to this time they were exceptionally numerous."—J. C.
Song Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, and Ring Ouzel.—With the exception of the last, which is reported from Heligoland, the Turdidæ are noticed at fourteen stations extending over the whole coast-line. At the Longstone, on Sept. 11th, four Redwings killed at 3 a.m., gloomy and thick; on Oct. 30th and 31st Thrushes, Blackbirds and Redwings passed, wind E. and N. At the Farn Islands, Oct. 14th, Redwings, 9 a.m.; 15th, Thrushes and Blackbirds, N.N.E. half a gale; 22nd, several Blackbirds; 30th, same, and flocks of Redwings all day, E.; Nov. 20th, Fieldfares all day, E. strong; 22nd, same; Dec. 5th, 3 p.m., snow. Blackbirds and Thrushes. At Teesmouth on Dec. 1st, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., snow. Redwings, Thrushes and Fieldfares, going from N. to S.W.; Dec. 2nd, a few Redwings. At Teesmouth lighthouse on Oct. 1st, at daylight, forty to fifty Thrushes, and twenty to thirty at 9 a.m. on the 7th; on Dec. 4th, at 6 a.m., one Blackbird struck the glass and was killed. At Spurn on Dec. 2nd, 9 a.m., large numbers of Thrushes. At the Outer Dowsing, Sept. 24th, four Blackbirds; on the 29th, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., six Thrushes. At the Leman and Ower on Dec. 16th, Thrushes in company with Larks and Starlings all through the night. At Cromer on Oct. 24th three Thrushes struck the lantern during the night; on the 30th four, and on Nov. 16th five others. At the Newarp, Nov. 28th, 9 a.m., six Blackbirds passed. At the Kentish Knock, Nov. 18th, one Thrush killed. At the Nore, Nov. 7th, four Blackbirds, going W.S.W.; Nov. 3rd, Fieldfares. At the North Foreland, Nov. 21st, 1 a.m., E.S.E., snow, one Blackbird killed. At the Gull-stream, Nov. 21st, cloudy and showers of snow, Starlings, Blackbirds, and Thrushes in the vicinity of light from 1 to 4 a.m.; six Starlings, four Thrushes, and one Blackbird killed. At the South-sand Head, Oct. 12th, dense fog, many Thrushes; several killed. General line of migration, with few exceptions, E. to W., carried on both by day and night; a considerable proportion, however, appear to arrive from daybreak to 10 a.m. Migration of Thrush extending over seventy-seven days, from Oct. 1st at Teesmouth to Dec. 16th at the Leman and Ower; of Redwing, sixty-five days, from Sept. 11th at the Longstone to Dec. 2nd at Teesmouth; of Fieldfare, twenty-eight days, from Nov. 3rd at the Nore to Dec. 1st at Teesmouth;[5] of Blackbird, seventy-two days, from Sept. 24th at the Outer Dowsing to Dec. 5th at Farn Islands.[6] On Oct. 29th, S.E. and E., Tardus iliacus crossed Heligoland in large numbers, "thousands and thousands" passing on overhead; the same day, T. torquatus, "a few"; T. merula and T. musicus, "limited numbers"; "T. iliacus descending from invisible heights down to about one hundred feet above island,—three hundred feet above the sea,—then all of them passing on; when atmosphere got clear again, in afternoon, passage ceased." Again on the night of the 30th, N.N.E., "enormous number of Turdidæ passing overhead."
[5] Mr. W. Eagle Clarke reports that on the 24th of January last large numbers of Fieldfares were seen between Easington and Kilnsea, near Spurn Point, and as they were the first seen in the neighbourhood this season they were no doubt immigrants, more particularly as the locality in which they were seen is one where they are only observed during or immediately after arrival. Large flocks appeared also in North-East Lincolnshire during the last fortnight in January, so far as my own observations go, composed entirely of old birds. Mr. Gätke also writes, "All January through, night from 10th to 11th, great many from the east; 21st to 24th, the same."—J. C.
[6] Numbers of fine old cock Blackbirds arrived at Spurn during the latter part of January, and early in February at the same time with the Fieldfares.—J. C.
Redbreast, Whitethroat, Wren.—The same notes in the reports applying generally to the three species, it is not necessary to treat them separately. At Coquet Island, on Sept. 13th, 11 p.m., two Redbreasts struck glass, not killed. At Hunstanton, on Oct. 13th, 1 p.m., fog, a Wren and Redbreast seen. At Cromer, May 23rd, 1 a.m., a great many Wrens; two killed, also one Redbreast; May 27th, 11 p.m., Wrens and Whitethroats, five killed (these last notes are referable to the spring migration); Sept. 12th, Wrens and three Redbreasts strike glass. At Spurn this autumn the Common Wren did not appear before the middle of December; they usually arrive about the end of October.[7] Redbreasts were very numerous at Spurn on Oct. 30th, wind blowing very fresh from N.E. None reported from Heligoland, but a great many Accentor modularis on Oct. 29th, wind S.E. and E.
[7] A friend, the owner of several steam-tugs, informs me that he has frequently known the Common Wren to come on board his vessels when far from land on the North Sea.—J. C.
Golden-crested Wren.—Most exceptionally scarce; only one mentioned, at the Cockle, on Oct. 16th, at 3 p.m., wind N.N.E., when one came on board and was caught. Three were seen in a garden near Spurn on Oct. 27th and 28th; none, so far as I am aware, on any part of the Lincolnshire and Durham coasts, neither are they mentioned in the Heligoland report.
Titmice.—At the Gull-stream, Sept. 17th, 3.20 a.m., thick, rain, E., several Titmice seen round lantern amongst the Flycatchers. Mr. Gätke remarks, "There have been no Parus major all this autumn, and we have actually seen only one bird"; early in October, "daily some Parus ater, that come here rarely but when there is an appearance of easterly winds."