It would almost appear that the great rush of migrants in September on
the Bell Rock, and more noticeably on Isle of May, would also account
for the collection of birds at stations on the west coast south of the
Firth of Clyde, as the dates tally with each other on both coasts, to
see which it is only necessary to compare between them under several
of the species. I have also independent reports upon the large crowds
of birds seen passing south over the Solway Firth at these dates, few
of which appear to have been seen north of the Firth of Clyde.[6]
Rushes have not been so large, yet they are indicated with tolerable
precision by the returns. The extremely regular and open winter has no
doubt much to do with this, the temperature in Great Britain having
been higher than for many years previous. But these throbs or rushes
being distinctly traceable is owing, on the other hand, I believe, to
the prevailing wind fully as much as to the severity or non-severity of
the weather. Rushes are normal phenomena in the West of Europe, because
westerly or north-westerly or southwesterly winds usually prevail
there. Regular or more dispersed movements of birds in the West of
Europe are abnormal, because easterly winds are abnormal there. In 1880
we had a _spread-fan_ of migration, if I may so express it. In 1879
and 1881, in Scotland, we had a _closed-fan_ of migration. The natural
result of the wide-spread fan is continuous streams of migration and
no rushes; that of the closed-fan great throbs and rushes, for birds
prefer to travel with a beam wind and wait for favourable winds, and
do not often voluntarily start on their flight with a following wind.
The occurrence of the white-spotted form of Blue-throated Warbler after
a succession of tremendous S.E. gales, culminating in the dreadful
hurricane of Oct. 14th, clearly shows, I think, that acts of voluntary
migration do not take place in following winds. This Bluethroat was
caught up and borne away, _nolens volens_, and our Mid-Atlantic notes
in 1880 show similar abnormal results from prevalence of easterly
gales. It is to be regretted that we have no returns this season from
Mid-Atlantic, owing to Mr. Anderson's engagements in the Mediterranean.
Even total absence or perfectly negative evidence of birds in
Mid-Atlantic would have given us a valuable standpoint as compared with
the great mortality of 1880.[7]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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