24th, early, S.S.E., violent, thick rain; 10 A.M., S.; P.M., S.S.W., rain, clear to northward.—Early and forenoon, nothing; afternoon, during calm, T. merula, Sturnus, Fr. cœlebs, and a few Woodcocks.
25th, S.W. and W.S.W., fresh, light, rain showers; in evening, lighter.—Nothing.
26th, S.W. to S. by W., violent, thick rain; P.M., very stormy, No. 8; in night, W. and W.N.W., No. 8.—Minimum, west, Scotland; stormy westerly winds in Nordsea. Almost nothing; very strayed single seasonable birds. Al. alpestris and Emb. nivalis, the most.
27th, W., lighter; during day, rain and hail squalls; P.M., W.N.W. and N.W., lighter betwixt squalls.—Nothing; two to three Woodcocks.
28th, early, N.W., No. 7, rain and hail squalls; noon, S.W., clear, high cirri and little clouds from E. by S.; in evening, W,, lighter.—Nothing; early, few merula, young birds. Pretty many Al. alpestris, and one flight Emb. nivalis.
29th, light, overcast; noon, clouds slowly from N.E.; 3 o clock in afternoon, E., fresh, wind and moving clouds.—C. cornix, many great flights, thousands. Sturnus, a flight of 500 to 600. T. musicus, few; pilaris, great flights; no merula. Sy. rubecula, numerous. Reg. flavicapillus and Par. major, pretty many. Anthus, few. Al. arvensis, pretty many passing on overhead; alpestris, flights of hundreds; arborea, twenty to thirty. Woodcocks, ten to fifteen obtained.
30th, E. by N., fresh, overcast, cold, clouds from E.—During the night many Tringæ passed. F. æsalon, several. C. cornix, very many passed. Sturnus, extremely many. Turdus, altogether few; merula, some; torquatus, few; pilaris, many. Sy. rubecula, scattered. Anthus, pretty many. Richardi, one. Al. arvensis, pretty many; alpestris, very numerous; arborea, some. Emb. citrinella and schœniclus, pretty many. Fr. linaria and montium, some flights; cœlebs and montifringilla, fewer. Woodcocks, twenty to thirty shot. Very many Geese and Ducks passed. Cinc. melanogaster, one fine male shot.
Late in evening, many Ch. squatarola overhead passing; the air full of call tones.
31st, E. to S.E., very fresh, cloudy, cold; in evening, wind again more easterly.—F. nisus and buteo, some. C. cornix, very many; monedula, some flights. Sturnus, few. T. merula, few; viscivorus, some; pilaris, many. Lan. major, one fine male. Sy. rubecula, scattered. Anth. pratensis and rupestris, tolerable. Accentor, the same. Al. arvensis, pretty many; alpestris, in masses. Emb. citrinella and nivalis, pretty many; miliaria, some. Par. major, many. F. cœlebs, extraordinary many passing on overhead; linaria, a few flights; cannabina and montium, some. Col. palumbus and Scol. rusticula, several.
Note.—In course of the month, almost no curruca at all; no Reg. pyrocephalus; very few Accentor; Lar. trydactyla, already early very numerous on the sea; Sula alba, the same; almost no Strix brachyotus at all.
November
1st, E. by N., fresh, clear, cold; P.M., light clouds from N. by W.; in evening, cloudy, light easterly.—Not particularly much migration. C. cornix, few flights. Sturnus, the same., Turdus, none at all. Rubecula and Accentor, pretty many. Al. arvensis, few; alpestris, very many passing on overhead. Emb. nivalis and Fr. montium, pretty many. Par. major and cæruleus, some. Woodcocks, few.
2nd, S.W., pretty violent, overcast; P.M., fine rain.—Nothing.
3rd, S.W., pretty violent, overcast; P.M., clear, little high clouds N.—Nothing; at Cuxhaven, fog.
4th, S.S.W., fresh, quite clear; in night, thick.—Nothing. T. pilaris, a little flight. Emb. nivalis and F. montium, several small flights. Par. major, ten to fifteen in the garden.
5th, S.W., fresh, thick, with rain; afternoon, sun through.—Nothing; a few merula, Par. major, Regulus, E. nivalis, and F. montium.
6th, southerly, still, clear; evening, S.S.W., nearly calm.—Early, heavy dew; Bremen, fog; scarcely any passage. T. pilaris, some. Al. alpestris, pretty numerous; arvensis, few; E. nivalis, F. montium, and Par. major, some. Lestris catarrhactes, a very fine specimen obtained; waited thirty years for it!
7th, southerly, still, clear; 9 A.M., fog whole day and night.—Nothing: one Firecrest. 10 P.M., when for a short time clear, great many Num. arquata passing overhead.
8th, E., early, morning, fog; A.M., S.E., thick, with clouds; evening clear.—Nothing. Early in the morning, T. torquatus passing overhead. Towards evening, great many F. cœlebs and cannabina, alighting from great height.
9th, E.S.S., fresh, hazy clouds, cold.—T. pilaris, Al. arvensis, pretty numerous; arborea, a few.
Fr. cœlebs, chloris, spinus, linaria, cannabina, montium, all great many. E. citrinella and nivalis, also great many.
10th, S.E., fresh, hazy clouds drifting along; evening clear, still.—During night some Woodcocks and Ring Ouzels at lighthouse.
T. torquatus and pilaris, pretty numerous. Al. arvensis and alpestris, less. F. montium, many; linaria, some. A few Woodcocks.
11th, S.E., moderate, clear, fine; evening, fog.—St. otus, one in thrushbush. C. cornix, pretty numerous early in the morning. Sturnus, less so. Al. arvensis, not many; alpestris, great many; arborea, ten to fifteen. . Emb. miliaria and citrinella, pretty numerous. F. cœlebs, great many; cannabina, chloris, montium, linaria, many. Col. palumbus, some.
12th, southerly, fresh; night and all day, fog.—Nothing. During night, T. torquatus and pilaris, Ch. auratus, and Num. arquata, heard at lighthouse.
13th, S.W., moderate, thick.—Nothing. Some T. torquatus and pilaris. E. miliaria, a few.
14th, W., windy, rain.—Nothing. T. pilaris, rather numerous; perhaps east wind approaching.
15th, N.E., fresh; early, rain and hail squalls; from noon, clear.—C. cornix, a few small flights; merula and pilaris, rather numerous, particularly the latter; musicus also. A. arvensis, flights; also during night at Lighthouse. A. alpestris, small flights. F. montium, a party of from eighty to a hundred; E. nivalis, less.
16th, N. still, clear; during night some frost; evening calm, clouds from E.N.E., clear.—C. cornix, small flights. Sturnus, forty to fifty. T. pilaris, some flights. Al. arvensis, some; alpestris, great many; arborea, a few. E. nivalis, scattered; F. montium, twenty to forty. Woodcocks, about ten. Col. palumbus, some.
17th, S., faint, clear, somewhat below zero; evening, S.E., fresh.—Nothing; not a bird.
18th, S.S.E., still, clear, some frost.—Nothing. A few C. cornix, early passing overhead. P. major, a few flitting about.
19th, N., faint, scattered clouds, about zero; evening, E.N.E.—Nothing. Very few C. cornix, Al. arvensis, and E. nivalis. F. linaria, ten; carduelis, one. Par. major, some.
20th and 21st, S.E., windy, cloudy, below zero.—Nothing. C. cornix, about ten. F. linaria and E. nivalis, a few.
22d, S.E., little wind, thick.—Nothing. F. cannabina, eight to ten. Strix otus, one.
23d, E. still, very thick; noon, N.E.; evening, E. by S., faint.—T. pilaris, several large flights, from 300 to 500. C. cornix, also many. E. nivalis, considerable numbers. Ch. vanellus, great many.
24th, E., windy, overcast; during night, S.E., very hard.—C. cornix and T. pilaris, some flights. Accentor, some. Cinc. aquaticus (melanogaster), one. Anser and Anas, great many passing on.
25th, S.E., very hard, thick, some snow, a degree below zero.—Nothing. T. pilaris, a few. Some Scol. gallinago. Anser and Anas, great many passing on over the sea.
26th, S.E., blowing hard, cloudy; night, stormy.—Early and forenoon, hundreds of C. cornix passing overhead westward; otherwise, nothing.
27th, S.S.E., blowing hard, rain and snow; afternoon, S.W,—Nothing. Storm warning. Magnificent fall of stars, uninterrupted.
28th, S.S.W., windy, thick; night, stormy.—Nothing.
29th, N.W., somewhat better, windy, cloudy; evening, still, rain.—Nothing.
30th, W., fresh, clear.—Guillemots in the cliffs; rather early for these occasional visits.
December
1st and 2d, W., violent, open clouds N.W., cirri N.—T. pilaris, a few hundreds on 2d. Larus marinus and argentatus, astounding numbers in lee of Island.
3d, night, S.W. gale. Nos. 8 and 9, moving W., bitter; evening, S.W., moderate, cirri, N. by W.—Nothing. Storm warning.
4th, S.W., Nos. 8 and 9, rain and hail squalls.—Nothing.
5th, W. and W. by N., No. 8, hail and rain squalls; afternoon, a little better.—Uria, thousands in the cliffs at breeding places.
6th, Northerly, nearly calm.
7th, Northerly, nearly calm.—During night to 8th, larks pretty numerous at lighthouse.
8th, N.W., very faint, snow showers; evening, squally, with snow.—T. pilaris and merula, some. Fr. linaria, several; montium, small flight, thirty to fifty. Char. vanellus, several. Ch. auratus passing on at night during snow squalls.
9th, N. by W., violent, with snow squalls, between squalls still.—During night Ch. auratus and Num. arquata, numerous passing over.
10th, N. and N.E., fresh, early snow squalls.—C. cornix, several. T. pilaris, small flights; merula, single birds. F. linaria, some.
11th, N.E. and N.N.E., moderate, clear; evening, calm.—C. cornix, pretty numerous.
12th, S.W., fresh, overcast.—Alca alle, thousands flying about on sea.
13th, W.S.W., faint, overcast, upper clouds N.N.W.—Nothing.
14th, W. and N.W., calm, overcast.—Nothing. Some Lar. glaucus, jr., between argentatus and marinus.
15th, W., overcast, no wind.—Nothing.
16th, S.W., fresh; evening, very strong, W., rain.—Nothing.
17th, N.N.W., faint, overcast; evening, thick fine rain; night, fog.—Nothing.
18th, calm, fog; evening, faint, east.—Larus minutus, pretty numerous on sea.
19th, S.E. and S., faint, thick fog.—Al. arvensis, great many passing on, some alighting. Some Al. alpestris.
20th, 21st, 22d, S.W. and W., almost uninterrupted thick fog.
23d, N.E., very weak, cloudy.—T. pilaris, a flight of from 100 to 150. F. montium and Emb. nivalis, some.
24th and 25th, W., fresh, overcast; during night foggy.
26th, north, still, fine.—T. merula, eight to ten, mounting after sunset from my garden on migration.
27th, W., fresh, clear; evening and night, stormy. No. 8, S.W.—Nothing. Great many Lar. minutus.
28th, S.W., stormy. No. 8, storm warning.—Nothing. Great many Lar. minutus.
29th, W., violent, hail and snow squalls.—Nothing. Great many Lar. minutus.
30th, northerly, fresh to violent; evening, N.W., little wind.—Al. alpestris, pretty numerous, flights of twenty and thereabout passing on the whole day.
31st, S.S.W., violent, thick; afternoon and all night, thick fog.—Nothing.
Heligoland—Spring, 1886.
March 19th, S.E., 4 deg. below zero.—Corvus frugilegus, pretty numerous; cornix, a few. Sturnus, do. Al. arvensis, great many, enormous passage over sea.
Mem.—At Hanover astounding numbers of "Crows," and great flights of Ch. vanellus.
20th, S.S.E., little wind, overcast; afternoon, thawing; evening, fog.—F. æsalon and tinnunculus, some. C. frugilegus, thousands; cornix, less. Sturnus, merula, musicus, iliacus, all passing on. Al. arvensis, hundreds of thousands; alpestris and arboreus, a few. Anth. pratensis, great many; rupestris, less. F. cannabina, some flights. Ch. auratus, vanellus, hiaticula, all great many. Fr. alpina, less. Scol. gallinago, several. Col. palumbus, some. Enormous masses passing on across the sea.
Hanover.—Crows, Larks, Wood Pigeons, Ch. vanellus, all in enormous numbers. Ch. auratus, less.
21st, fog.—Larks and Plover passing on above fog, their voices heard in great profusion.
22d, 23d, 24th.—All like 20th, passing over in enormous masses, particularly during night.
25th.—Crows, Rooks, Daws, passing on in millions. Sturnus, astounding numbers. All the above also in full swing passing on, joined by rubecula. Wagtails, accentor. Sax. ænanthe, F. cœlebs, montium, Emb. citrinella, Syl. titys, and a few Gold-crests, etc., etc.
In previous years the Heligoland notes have been incorporated with the returns from the East Coast of England, and they are now printed separately for the first time. The special thanks of the Committee are due to Mr Gätke for his interesting and valuable contributions to their report.