Читать книгу Report on the Migration of Birds in the Spring and Autumn of 1880. - J. A. Harvie-Brown - Страница 5

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Iceland and Faroe.—Schedules, letters of instruction, and additional remarks were forwarded through Mr. Alexander Buchan (Secretary, Scottish Meteorological Society, Edinburgh), to three stations, two of which, Stykkisholm and Reykavik, are in Iceland, and one at Thorshavn in Faroe. A fourth more northern station is secured at Fair Island for 1881, Mr. William Lawrence having kindly undertaken the work.[1] Our Faroe station has failed us this year, but we hope better things from it next.

[1] At a later date I received a letter (dated 17th March) from Mr. Lawrence, containing a few items of interest. During the week previous, "A number of Swans took shelter at Fair Isle, and a large flock of common Black Crows, with a few Jackdaws amongst them. The Hooded Crow is the common one here, and we never have the Black Crow here unless after, or during, gales of wind. Puffins and Guillemots arrived somewhat later this season, and a large increase appeared in the number of Gulls. Lapwings appeared, and one Coot was caught in a very disabled condition. Large flocks of Snowbirds are seen here. They came very early in winter, but disappeared again till now, when they have returned. A large flock of Wild Geese arrived here on the 14th inst. We do not often see them here. Four Swans were caught; the largest weighed twenty pounds, and the others from that down to sixteen pounds."

Printed schedules, letters of instructions, and additional remarks were forwarded to twenty-six stations on the East Coast of Scotland and the Shetland and Orkney Islands, making, with the Iceland and Faroe stations, thirty-nine in all for 1880. With Fair Isle for 1881 we shall have forty stations.

Eight stations on the East Scottish coasts returned filled-in schedules, against thirteen last year, out of a total of twenty-six. This shows a falling off from last year. The reasons for this I have endeavoured to explain in my general remarks further on, under both East and West Coast. Scarcity of birds is reported from several stations.

The stations from which co-operation was asked are the following, commencing with the most northerly. Those from which returns have been received are marked with a *; those which sent returns both last year and this year have two **; those which sent none last year but have done so this year have a † prefixed; those which sent returns last year but none this year are printed in italics. In future Reports we will prefix to each station the years in which these stations make returns. A marked improvement appears, however, in the returns which we have received, these being fuller than in 1879.

We would like, however, to direct the special attention of our reporters, both on the East and West Coasts, to the desirability of recording exactly the directions of flight of the birds observed in every case, so far as practicable, arid to minutiæ of dates, even of single occurrences. Let us also impress that even a single accurate return, or one entry only in a schedule, is often of value; and even if solitary occurrences of birds take place at a station, such should be sent to me, though the schedule be otherwise a blank. The interest has this season been better kept up on the West Coast stations than at the East Coast ones, judging from the scarcity of returned schedules from the latter. When no schedules are returned, I would esteem it a great favour if the lighthouse-keepers would kindly drop me a post-card, stating if there is any reason for no returns being sent, such as pressure of duties, scarcity of birds, or other causes.

In connection with the migration of 1880, I have to mention that considerable aid to the work has been given by Mr. James Hardy, of Old Cambus, Berwickshire. He writes to me (22nd Feb. 1881), "I have drawn out a scheme of all the memoranda I can find about last year's migratory birds. I only await a Northumberland and Berwickshire list to have it ready." Later I received a summary of this from Mr. Hardy, which will be found at the end of this East Coast of Scotland Report. As an example of careful and minute field-study it is alone deserving of the attention of observers, and it proves valuable upon comparison with the other data. Those reading the lighthouse reports here under the species, should also compare with Mr. Hardy's local Berwickshire observations. I beg to propose Mr. Hardy as a member of our Committee.

East Coast of Scotland.
	Height of centre of light above water.
4.	**	North Unst.	280	ft.	Robert Burnett.
5.	*	Whalsey Skerries.	145		Neven Kerr.
6.		Bressay.	105
7.	**	Sumburgh Head.	300	}	Wm. Anderson† and John Wilson.
Orkney.
8.	**	North Ronaldshay	140		John Tulloch.‡
9.		Start Point.	80
10.	**	Auskerry.	110		John MacDonald.
11.	*	Hoy Sound (Low).	55		Alexander Harp.§
12.		Hoy Sound (High).	115
13.		Cantick Head.	115
14.	**	Pentland Skerries.	170		Donald Macdonald.
Main Land.
15.	*	Dunnet Head, Caithness.	346	║
16.		Holborn Head.	75
17.	*	Noss Head.	175
18.	**	Tarbat Ness, East Ross.	175		William Davidson.
19.		Cromarty, East Cromarty.	60
20.		Chanonry Point, Elgin.	40
21.		Covesea Skerries, Elgin.	160
22.		Kinnaird Head, Aberdeen.	120
23.		Buchan Ness, Aberdeen.	130
24.		Girdleness, Aberdeen.	185
25.		Montroseness, Aberdeen.	124
26.	**	Bell Rock, off Fife Coast.	93		James Jack.
27.	**	Isle of May, Firth of Forth.	240		Joseph Agnew.
28.	*	Inch Keith, Firth of Forth.	220		Robert Grierson
29.		St. Abb's Head, Berwick.	224¶

† Records and Schedule dating after 22nd Nov. were filled in by Mr. John Wilson. Prior to this date they were filled in by Mr. William Anderson, who has been since transferred to St. Abb's Head.

‡ No schedule was returned, but one note upon Swans, in a letter, proves useful (vide Swan). "No birds struck the lights this year."

§ Schedule returned with the remark, "Nothing of importance has been observed at this station during 1880." In 1879 a similar scarcity noted at this locality.

║ We have lost a good observer here, Mr. George Maclachlan having left.

¶ I am anxious to receive returns from this locality, not having received any hitherto. I have to thank Mr. W. Anderson for a very full return at Sumburgh Head up to Nov. 22nd. I hope he will find St. Abb's as interesting a locality, though, I fear, the Great Siren horn, with its unearthly shriek, will prove a great scare to migrants in a fog.

I am also indebted to many other persons for interesting notes from various localities, bearing upon the subject of migration. A selection of these I will take notice of in the following report separately, under the head "Notes," as I consider it advisable to keep the one set of observations apart from the other. Further notice of similar observations will be found in my "Third Report on Scottish Ornithology," now preparing for press and partly read to the Natural History Society of Glasgow, on Jan. 25th, 1881, being a continuation of Reports read to the same Society, in 1880 and 1879, and relating to 1878-79, 1879-80. Many data will be found in these Reports having close and intimate connection with the Migration Reports proper.

As nearly as can be ascertained, notes have been kept by our east-coast reporters upon nine species of waterfowl and thirty species of land birds.

The new feature of this Report is the separate treatment of the spring and autumn migrations, owing to the greater length of time over which our reporters made notes. Another new feature is the obituary—or list of deaths—at the different stations.

In my Report on the East Coast of Scotland, however, I have not thought it necessary to keep the spring migration distinct, owing to the comparative scarcity of records on our East Coast, but in my West Coast Report I do so. Nor have I given an obituary for either coast, as the numbers on all the Scottish coasts is inappreciable. As will be seen further on, it is a very different matter at the low-lying lanterns of the light-vessels off the English coast. At the same time I sufficiently distinguish between the spring and autumn records, and where large numbers of birds are killed I make mention of it under the separate species.