Birds of Guernsey (1879): And the Neighbouring Islands: Alderney, Sark, Jethou, Herm; Being a Small Contribution to the Ornitholony of the Channel Islands — John Shaqi
Birds of Guernsey (1879): And the Neighbouring Islands: Alderney, Sark, Jethou, Herm; Being a Small Contribution to the Ornitholony of the Channel IslandsSmith, Cecil
History
Birds of Guernsey (1879): And the Neighbouring Islands: Alderney, Sark, Jethou, Herm; Being a Small Contribution to the Ornitholony of the Channel Islands
Smith, Cecil
Birds -- Channel Islands
Professor Ansted includes it in his list, and marks it as occurring in
Guernsey and Sark.
54. YELLOW WAGTAIL. _Motacilla raii_, Bonaparte. French, "Bergeronnette
flavéole."--As far as I have been able to judge the Yellow Wagtail is
only an occasional visitant on migration. A few, however, may sometimes
remain to breed. I have one Channel Island specimen killed in Guernsey
the last week in March. Mr. MacCulloch, however, writes me word that in
some years they--_i.e._, Yellow Wagtails--are not very uncommon, but of
late, for some reason or other, Wagtails of all sorts have become rare.
He adds--"I am under the impression that we have more than one Yellow
Wagtail." It is, therefore, possible that the Greyheaded Wagtail, the
true _Motacilla flava_ of Linnaeus, may occasionally occur, or in
consequence of the bright yellow of portions of its plumage the
last-mentioned species--the Grey Wagtail--may have been mistaken for a
second species of Yellow Wagtail. I have not myself seen the Yellow
Wagtail in either of the Islands during my summer visits in 1866, 1876,
or 1878; so it certainly cannot be very common during the
breeding-season, or I could scarcely have missed seeing it.
Professor Ansted has not included it in his list, and there is no
specimen at present in the Museum.
55. TREE PIPIT. _Anthus trivialis_, Linnaeus. French, "Pipit des
arbres," "Pipit des buissons."--A very numerous summer visitant to all
the Islands, breeding in great numbers in the parts suited to it. In the
Vale it was very common, many of the furze-bushes on L'Ancresse Common
containing nests. The old male might constantly be seen flying up from
the highest twigs of the furze-bush, singing its short song as it
hovered over the bush, and returning again to the top branch of that or
some neighbouring bush. This continued till about the middle of July,
when the young were mostly hatched, and many of them flown and following
their parents about clamorous for food, which was plentiful in the Vale
in the shape of numerous small beetles, caterpillars, and very small
snails. The young were mostly hatched by the beginning of July, but I
found one nest with young still in it in a furze-bush about ten yards
from high water-mark as late as the 27th of July, but the young were all
flown when I visited the nest two days afterwards. The Tree Pipits have
all departed by the middle of October, and I have never seen any there
in November.
The Tree Pipit is mentioned in Professor Ansted's list, but no letters
marking the distribution of the species amongst the Islands are given.
There is no specimen of this or either of the other Pipits in the
Museum.
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