TRANSACTIONS OF THE CARLISLE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY VOLUME VI PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY ARBROATH Printed by T. Buncle & Co. Ltd., Market Place 1943 M. S. WOOD, PIED FLYCATCHER. THE BIRDS OF LAKELAND BY ERNEST BLEZARD, Editor MARJORY GARNETT RITSON GRAHAM TOM L. JOHNSTON CARLISLE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. F ounded 1893. Past Presidents. T he R ev. H. A. M acpherson, T. S cott J ohnstone. M .A., M.R.O.U. J ohn W . Branston. E. C. Stowell. E ric B. D unlop. G. B. R outi.edge, F.R.E.S. W . R . R obinson. L. E. H ope, F.L.S. R obert Leighton. D. Losn Thorpe, M.B.O.U. M iss S. M ounsey-H bysham. F rank H. D ay, F.R.E.S. T he R ev. H. D. F ord, M.A. B enjamin J ohnston. Tom L. J ohnston. J ames M urray. R itson Graham. H arold Carr. M ajor W. J. M. Gubbins. T he R ev. Canon R . B ower, M.A. O FFIC ER S FOR 1942-43. F iftieth A nniversary. President. Captain T. H. H odgkinson. Vice-Presidents. M ajor W. J. M. Gubbins. Tom L. J ohnston. R itson Graham. Council. AV. A. Borshell. T. Gray, F.L.A. P. S. Day. M rs W . J. M. Gubbins. E. Glaister. E. Steel. M rs T. R. Stewart. Hon. Treasurer. F rank H. D ay, F.R.E.S., 26 Curroek Road, Carlisle. Hon. Secretary and Editor. E rnest B lezard, M.B.O.U., The Museum, Carlisle. THE BIRDS OF LAKELAND. 1 PREFACE. 'J'H IS sixth volume of the Carlisle Natural History Society’s publications was projected to fill a gap in local literature by forming a complete catalogue of Lakeland birds and showing the changes in their status and distribution since 1892. It was in that year that the Rev. H. A. Macpherson, first president of the Society, produced his Vertebrate Fauna of Lakeland, which has so long remained a standard work of reference. Birds of Lakeland had taken manuscript form as a successor to the ornithological section of the Fauna in 1939, when the out­ break of war caused it to be shelved. The delay has provided a gain of historical value among the additional notes garnered dur­ ing the past four years and now incorporated. Particularly does this apply to the birds resorting to the coastal cliffs of St. Bees Head. Following upon the separation of local races, the present work names 292 birds for Lakeland, three of them, the Greenland Red­ poll, Bonaparte’s Sandpiper and Broad-billed Sandpiper, doubt­ fully considered. Records of bygone residents and rare visitors are recapitulated from the Fauna, which gives 263 species, among them, however, the one time much debated Polish Swan. Classification and nomenclature are according to Witherby’s Handbook of British Birds, 1938-41. The terms resident, visitor and passage-migrant, qualified or not, are used as applying to Lakeland. The growing changes in Lakeland bird life began to claim attention soon after the death of the writer of the Fauna, which took place in 1901. Eric B. Dunlop of Troutbeck, Westmorland, who presided over the Society in 1913-14, was up to that time adding to his personal studies by collecting information from a number of correspondents with a view to publication. He died in action in France on 19 May 1917, while serving as a lieutenant in the Border Regiment. His paper, Lakeland Ornithology 1892- 1913, appears in the third volume of the Society’s Transactions, 2 THE BIRDS OF LAKELAND. 1923, where it is accompanied by an appendix by Linnaeus E. Hope, in whose charge the manuscript had been left. Specialised accounts of Lakeland birds, by various members, also appear in the four other published volumes of Transactions. The need for a new account of all the birds of Lakeland had constantly been before the Society during the time in which it had been engaged in producing other faunal records compiled by its members. When eventually it was able to begin this new work, compilation was delegated to the four members under whose names it appears. Lifelong students of Lakeland birds, their individual notes had been written in the hope that they would one day help towards an effort of this kind. These notes, together with the entries in the minute books of the Society, were augmented at the outset when the Chairman and Committee of the Carlisle Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery granted full access to the bird specimens and records in their care. Mindful of a thoroughly representative work, the Society issued the necessary appeals for the further information required. These met with a whole-hearted and generous response from con­ tributors resident throughout Lakeland and further afield. Several large contributions received in kindly help have materially strengthened the work. Myles Archibald has supplied bird notes made by his father, the late C. F. Archibald, on birds in the Rusland district, North Lancashire, and dating back to last century. Miss E. S. Bolam has made and sent extracts referring to Lakeland from the journals of her brother, the late George Bolam. R. H. Brown has included in an extensive series of notes an extra measure of interest in the vertical range of many species. Sir Hugh Gladstone has allowed the use of collected records originally intended for the purpose of a work on the fauna of the Solway. Early in the progress, the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain lent E. B. Dunlop’s diaries containing notes on Lakeland birds dating from 1902 to 1914. These diaries, together with the notebooks and journals of the late Mr Jourdain, have been presented by his executors to the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology. THE BIRDS OF LAKELAND. 3 Mrs Nichol and Miss Nichol, wife and daughter, have lent the written records of the late William Nichol, whose observations, supplemented by those of James Storey, have, over the periods of two long lives entirely spent there, largely built up the bird history of the Cumberland Solway. The portraits of these veteran wildfowlers and bird observers are included as some tribute to two men whom so many have been proud to know, and also to preserve a memory of the lives and activities of the passing race of indigenous Solway punt-gunners. Dr M. S. Wood has given considerable help towards the ac­ counts of the Pied Flycatcher and the Game-birds, including Snipe and Woodcock, and also supplied the frontispiece. H. Wright has contributed the notes made by his father, the late T. B. Wright of Gaisgill, Westmorland, a recorder of bird life in one of the more remote districts. In other directions, the Society is indebted to an anonymous donor for generously defraying the greater part of the cost of a separate map of the “Faunal Area of Lakeland” ; to the President for a handsome contribution towards the cost of printing, and to the late Rev. E. U. Savage for literary help and guidance. In presenting by name all the contributors, the Carlisle Natural History Society gratefully acknowledges their aid towards the work now completed, on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. The Editor. Carlisle, July 1943. THE BIRDS OF LAKELAND. 5 CONTENTS. PREFACE, .......................................................................... 1 CONTRIBUTORS...................................................................... 7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.................................................. 9 BIBLIOGRAPHY, .............................................................. 10 THE FAUNAL AREA OF LAKELAND, ............... 11 By Frank H. Day. THE REARING OF DUCKS AT N E T H E R B Y ,............... 17 By Ernest Blezard and Tom L. Johnston. ACCOUNTS OF THE BIRDS OF LA K E LA N D ,............... 21 By Ernest Blezard, Marjory Garnett, Ritson Graham and Tom L. Johnston. INDEX OF ENGLISH NAMES, ...................................... INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES, ... .......................... Separate Map of the Faunal Area of Lakeland. THE BIRDS OF LAKELAND. 7 CONTRIBUTORS. M yles A rchibald, Rusland. J. D avidson, Grasmere. R. Armstrong, Brampton. T. P. D avidson, Cargo-on-Eden. W. Armstrong, Newby East. W. F. D avidson, Penrith. A rthur A stley, Ambleside. F. H. Day, Carlisle. J. A. G. Barnes, Arnside. P. S. Day, Carlisle. Austin Barton, Workington. A. Dixon, Ambleside. Andrew B ell, Longtown. A. D ixon, Staveley, Westmorland. F rederick B ell, Kinmount. W. D odd, Barrow-in-Furness. W illiam Bell, Longtown. I an D uncan, Drigg. M ajor M yles H iggin Birket, W in- M. E aston, Gilsl'and. ster. E. E dwards, Lyth. R. J. Bihkett, Little Langdale. N orman F. E llison, West Kirby. E rnest Blezard, Carlisle. G. A. F ield, Leeds. Miss E. S. B olam, Alston. R. S. R. F itter, London. Miss B. B ott, Mungrisdale. G. F leming, Grasmere. T. B owes, Bewcastle. W. T. F orrester, J un., Roadhead. J oe B owman, Patterdale. S. Gamble, Askerton. Geoffrey B radley, Great Corby. Michael B ratby, Manchester. D r D. G. Garnett, Leiston. A. G. B ritten, Langwathby. Miss F. Garnett, Windermere. D r H. L, B rooksbank, Windermere. Miss M arjory Garnett, Winder- Miss F rances B rown, Loweswater. mere. II. H. Brown, Cumdivock. D r R .W. Gibson, Orton, Westmor­ M rs E. W. B runskit.l , Crosthwaite, land. Westmorland. M ajor P. Gillbanks, Thurstonfield. T. Burrow, Hayton. Sir H ugh S. Gladstone, Capenoch. H. Calvert, Calthwaite. E rnest Glaister, Carlisle. F light - Lieutenant R. A. Carh- Miss D. Graham, Edmond Castle. Lfavty, Harrogate. Lieutenant - Colonel Sir F ergus The Chairman and Committee of Graham, B t ., Netherby. the Public Library, M useum R itson Graham, Carlisle. and A rt Gallery, Carlisle. M rs H. L. Groves, Windermere. Miss E. Cheetham, Windermere. M ajorW .