The observations taken along the E. coast of England in the spring and autumn of 1882 have been such as to confirm the conclusions arrived at in previous reports.
As in 1880 and 1881, the line of autumn migration has been a broad stream from E. to W., or from points S. of E. to N. of W., covering the whole of the E. coast. In 1880 a considerable proportion of the immigrants crossed at the more southern stations; in 1881 they covered the whole of the E. coast in tolerably equal proportions; but in 1882 the stations N. of the Humber show a marked preponderance of arrivals.
Although migration has extended over an unusually long period, commencing in July and continued with but slight intermission throughout the autumn and into the following year to the end of January, yet the great mass of immigrants arrived on our E. coast in October, and a large proportion of these during the first fortnight in the month. From Oct. 6th to 8th, inclusive, and again from the 12th to the 15th there was, night and day, an enormous rush, under circumstances of wind and weather, which observation has shown are most opposed to a favourable passage. During these periods birds arrived in an exhausted condition, and we have reasons for supposing, from the number reported as alighting on fishing-boats and vessels in the North Sea, that the loss must have been very considerable; large flights also are recorded as having appeared round the lanterns of lighthouses and light-vessels during the night migration. From the 6th to the 9th, inclusive, strong E. winds blew over the North Sea, with fog and drizzling rain, and from the night of the 12 to 17th very similar weather prevailed. Mr. W. Littlewood, of the Galloper L.V., moored on the bank of that name forty miles S.E. of Orfordness, reports that on the night of Oct. 6th, Larks, Starlings, Mountain Sparrows, Titmice, Common Wrens, Redbreasts, Chaffinches and Plover were picked up on the deck, and that it is calculated five to six hundred struck the rigging and fell overboard; a large proportion of these were Larks. Thousands of birds were flying round the lantern from 11.30 p.m. to 4.45 a.m., their white breasts, as they dashed to and fro in the circle of light, having the appearance of a heavy fall of snow. This was repeated on the 8th and 12th, and on the night of the 13th 160 were picked up on deck, including Larks, Starlings, Thrushes and two Redbreasts; it was thought one thousand struck and went overboard into the sea. It is only on dark rainy nights, snow or fog, that these casualties occur; when the nights are light, or any stars visible, the birds appear to give the lanterns a wide berth.
Unquestionably the principal feature of the autumn migrations has been the enormous arrival of the little Gold-crested Wren. The migrations appear to have covered not only the E. coast of England, but to have extended southward to the Channel Islands and northward to the Faroes (see [Report East Coast of Scotland], Harvie Brown). On the E. coast of England they are recorded at no less than twenty-one stations, from the Farne Islands to the Hanois L.H., Guernsey. The earliest notice is Aug. 6th, the latest Nov. 5th, or ninety-two days; during the same period enormous numbers crossed Heligoland, more especially in October, and quite up to the end of the month. On the night from the 28th to 29th Mr. Gätke remarks, "We have had a perfect storm of Goldcrests, poor little souls, perching on the ledges of the window-panes of the lighthouse, preening their feathers in the glare of the lamps. On the 29th all the island swarmed with them, filling the gardens and over all the cliff,—hundreds of thousands; by 9 a.m. most of them had passed on again."
Not less remarkable was the great flight of the Common Jay past and over that island early in October, on the 6th, 7th, and 8th; thousands on thousands without interruption passing on overhead like Crows, N. and S. of the island too, multitudes like a continual stream, all going E. to W. in a strong south-easterly gale. It would have been an interesting fact if we had been able to correlate this migration of Jays with any visible arrival on our English coast, but in none of our returns is any mention made of the Jay. Mr. Matthew Bailey, of Flamborough, told me that on one evening early in October (the exact date he was not able to give) he had observed at dusk large flights of birds, about the size of Jackdaws, coming to land, and was struck with the good headway they seemed to make against a strong wind. It was too dark, however, to make out what they were. Subsequently I have received numerous notices speaking of the extraordinary number of Jays seen during the winter in our English woodlands. This seems especially to have been the case south of a line drawn from Flamborough Head to Portland Bill, in Dorset.[9]
[9] Common Jay. Additions and unusual numbers observed at Arden, on Loch Lomond side, subsequently reported by James Lumsden, Esq., is the only report of Jays I have got in Scotland.—J. A. H. B.
Extraordinary numbers of the Common Hedge Sparrow (Accentor modularis)—"the dunnock" of the English schoolboy, the "blue Janet" of Scotland—passed over Heligoland in October, more especially on the 6th, 7th, and 8th; and it is curious that on the 8th of the same month they swarmed in astonishing numbers, both at Spurn and in N.E. Lincolnshire.
The Woodcock arrived on the east coast on the night of Oct. 12th, or early morning of the 13th; wind E., strong, fog, and drizzling rain. On the morning of the 13th they are recorded from nine stations, covering 250 miles of coast-line, from the Farne Islands to Orfordness.[10] It is fair to suppose that this, the "great flight" of the season, did not start from the same locality, but from various parts of the opposite coast of Europe,—places widely apart. Both previous and subsequent to their passage the weather had been much of the same character over the North Sea. Why they should start simultaneously on this special evening, and how they managed to "keep touch," to use a military term, during a passage of several hundred miles across a stormy sea, in fog and drizzling rain, so as to arrive about the same time at their Tel-el-Kebir on our English sand-hills, is one of those points in the phenomena of migration which will probably take some time and more extended observations, especially on the opposite coast-line, to clear up.
[10] I Also "great flight" same time, Isle of May. East coast of Scotland report.
An interesting entry in one of the returned schedules, that from the Inner Dowsing L.V., placed seventeen miles E. of Sutton, on the Lincolnshire coast, is that of two Hawfinches, which came on board on the evening of Oct. 20th, a strong S.S.W. wind blowing, and remaining all night, left again at daybreak, their course being from S.E. to N.W., the course followed by a large proportion of our immigrants. As far as we are aware this is the first notice of Hawfinches having been seen at sea. At Heligoland, Mr. Gätke says the species is a well-known customer, never in any numbers, but every spring and fall some, betraying itself forthwith by its peculiar call-note, so out of all proportion with its colossal beak.