The second great rush was on the 12th and 13th of October, a similar
movement being recorded at Heligoland. Then again from the 27th to the
31st, and somewhat less through the first week in November, the passage
across Heligoland, as well as the rush on our east coast, was enormous.
Speaking of the nights from the 27th to 31st inclusive, Mr. Gätke says,
"This was the first move by the million; for four nights there has been
a gigantic feathery tide running." During this time there were variable
winds over the North Sea, but generally easterly and south-easterly on
the Continent; but strong west winds and squalls prevailing generally
on the 5th and 6th of November. With the outburst of some severe
weather during the first week in December a considerable local movement
is indicated along our coast from north to south, culminating in the
enormous rush of Snow Buntings into Lincolnshire about the end of the
first week in that month. A careful perusal of the Report will show how
generally the rushes across Heligoland correlate with those observed
on our east coast, although not always confined to the same species in
both localities.
A somewhat remarkable and very anomalous movement of migrants is
recorded in the schedules from some of the light-vessels off the
Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts in the spring of 1883. In February,
March, April, and May, birds passing the Leman and Ower, Llyn Wells,
Outer Dowsing, Newarp, and Cockle light-vessels were as a rule coming
from easterly and passing in westerly directions. Had this movement
been noticed at one station only we might perhaps have been inclined to
doubt the accuracy of the return, but the fact of five light-vessels
having no communication with each other reporting the same circumstance
proves the correctness of the observations. A summary of the spring
quarter at these stations shows:--
Outer Dowsing L.V., March 31st to May 18th, Sparrows, Chaffinches,
Wrens, Rooks, Larks, Tree Sparrows, Linnets, Titlarks, Bullfinches,
from E., S.E., E. by S., and N.E. to W, N.W., W.N.W., and W.S.W.
Llyn Wells L.V., April 30th, various flocks of Crows to S.W.
Newarp L.V., March 17th to April 15th, Crows on six days to W.
Leman and Ower L.V., Feb. 18th to May 8th, Skylarks, Starlings,
Titlarks, Goldcrests, E. and E.S.E. to N.W.
Cockle L.V., Feb. 22nd to March 31st, Black Crows, Ducks, Jackdaws,
Starlings, Larks, Lapwings, "Snow-birds" to W. On March 20th, 24th, and
26th, Black Crows or Rooks continuous from 5.50 a.m. to 11 a.m., E.
to W.; and on 31st also continuous from morning to night in the same
direction.
All these entries show a great immigration to our coast from the east
in the spring months, and on precisely the same lines and directions as
are travelled by these birds in the autumn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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