Isle of May stands this year at the head of the list for numerical
returns, I having received seven full schedules from Mr. Agnew,
principally referring to autumn migration. Next comes Bell Rock, but
two out of three schedules refer to spring migration, of which more
anon. Then Sumburgh Head and Pentland Skerries, about equal, but
the latter rather the larger, both returning three filled schedules,
principally autumn migration.[8]
[Footnote 8: Besides several more relating to 1882.]
Regarding the spring migration, the Bell Rock and the Isle of May
have hitherto held their place as yielding the largest returns, and
very considerable numerical returns are given for 1881. Now, Sandwich
Terns pass every spring up north along the coast of Forfarshire, but
shoot off from the land again, and do not breed upon much of the
suitable lands they pass over. An occasional pair of birds do remain
and breed, as is shown by the nesting of this species on Inch Mickery,
in the Firth of Forth, this past season, and on a previous occasion
at the same place. In the same way we know that Grey Plover, Knot,
and Bar-tailed Godwit shoot off the land at Spurn Point, as they are
obtained there in full breeding dress, but nowhere to the north of it
in breeding plumage, except in isolated cases. The routes of spring
migrants, while they are usually more direct than those of autumn
migrants, are perhaps more difficult to trace, and our statistics as
yet are far from perfect. Since the above remarks were penned I have a
well-filled schedule from Isle of May relating to the spring migration
of 1882, which, however, will be included in our next Report.
The extraordinarily large migration of raptorial birds is worth a
remark here, and it is interesting to find with what regularity and
precision such foreign species as the Rough-legged Buzzard recur
year after year along certain very clearly defined lines, records of
captures constantly indicating this.
It will be seen that the results of our statistics on the Scottish
coasts show a "closed-fan" of migration, owing to prevalence of
westerly winds, except at Pentland Skerries, where local easterly
winds blew at the times of migration in September and November, and on
the Scottish coast, from Bell Rock and southward, we had the greatest
rushes, whilst further south, on the English coasts, there was an
"open-fan" of migration, owing to a prevalence of east winds.
WEST COAST OF ENGLAND.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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