The Zoologist/4th series, vol 4 (1900)/Issue 712/Ornithological Notes from South-Western Europe, Jones

by Kenneth Hurlstone Jones

 

ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES⁠from⁠SOUTH-WESTERN
EUROPE.

By Surgeon K. Hurlstone Jones, M.B., R.N., F.L.S.

 

It is particularly to be understood that in writing the present article no pretence is made at compiling a list of the birds for the localities mentioned. To do so would require much longer periods of observation, and fuller acquaintance with their avian fauna than have fallen to the lot of the present writer. It being therefore understood that these are merely rough notes, it only remains to make a few remarks concerning those portions of South-western Europe the birds of which are the object of this communication.

The Channel Squadron, in which the writer had the honour to serve, makes, as a rule, two visits annually to the South-west of Europe, one in the autumn, and the other in the spring. It has been in spare time during these cruises in 1898–9 that these notes have been jotted down.

The places in that portion of Europe under consideration which have supplied these notes are Arosa Bay and the neighbourhood, in the extreme north-west of Spain; Gibraltar, and portions of the adjoining Spanish mainland; Lisbon; and Sardinia. In the autumn of 1898, when, however, only Gibraltar and Arosa Bay were visited, not very many notes of the birds were taken, as at that time more attention was devoted to the Mollusca. In the spring and autumn of 1899, however, much fuller observations were made.

The country around Arosa Bay is widely and roughly cultivated, well-wooded, and thickly populated. It is hilly, but possesses no great elevations. The woods, which, though very numerous, are for the most part individually small, consist mainly of pines, firs, and small oaks. The country is full of elevations formed of old red sandstone, and often of most curious shapes, resembling strongly the tors of Dartmoor.

The mainland in the neighbourhood of Gibraltar is wild, mountainous, and for the most part uncultivated. Trees are mainly present in the shape of extensive forests of cork-oaks. The population is scanty, and for the most part collected in small towns and large villages, and not scattered over the face of the land in numerous small homesteads as at Arosa Bay.

Aranei Bay, in the north of Sardinia, where, during a short visit a few records were made, is a very wild and barren spot, mountainous, without any large trees, and covered with low-lying scrub.

Gibraltar is too generally well known to require any special description.

To one whose observations have mainly been confined to the British Isles, at first sight the number and boldness of the Raptorial birds is quite astonishing. This is of course explained by the fact that there are no gamekeepers, and practically no game-laws; so that birds of prey have every opportunity to thrive and multiply. It is also astonishing that, in spite of their abundance, Warblers and other small birds are very plentiful. Two familiar birds, however—the Rook and the Song-Thrush—are conspicuous by their absence.

 

Turdus merula.—Blackbirds are very common in all the localities mentioned above, with the exception of Sardinia, where I did not observe them. At Gibraltar they are especially common, and one often observed them singing on the wing as they flew in a long downward slant from some highly elevated point to another lower down the rock.

Saxicola œnanthe.—The Wheatear was first observed at Gibraltar in March, 1899, when a fair number were about the rock. They disappeared, however, at the beginning of April, and when the Squadron returned, after a month's absence in May, not one was to be seen. Probably they were birds on migration. Both at Arosa Bay and in Sardinia this bird was not uncommon.

Pratincola rubetra.—The Whinchat was only observed in the neighbourhood of Algeciras, on the Spanish mainland opposite to Gibraltar, where it was first noticed on April 8th. Apparently it was present in fair numbers.

Ruticilla phœnicurus.—A few pairs of Redstarts were noticed at Gibraltar in the autumn of 1898, but at the corresponding season in 1899 they were extremely plentiful and very tame.

R. titys.—One pair of Black Redstarts was noted in November, 1898, but, like the preceding species in 1899, the birds were very much more plentiful than in the year previous.

Erithacus rubecula.—Robins are common both at Arosa Bay and around Lisbon; they are, however, much more shy and retiring than in England. A few occur at Gibraltar in the winter.

Daulias luscinia.—Several Nightingales were observed in the vicinity of Algeciras in April, 1899; and this bird was also noted in Sardinia. Spending a night on one occasion at Algeciras, and being unable to sleep on account of the mosquitoes, I was astonished to hear a Nightingale singing close to the inn, which was quite a quarter of a mile away from gardens of any kind, facing the sea, and surrounded on all its other sides by houses. Rather a strange place for this bird to sing in, I think.

Sylvia cinerea.—The Whitethroat is common everywhere excepting in Sardinia. In the north of Spain it is apparently more plentiful in the spring, and in the south in the autumn.

S. atricapilla.—The Blackcap-Warbler is fairly common at Gibraltar and in its neighbourhood during November and December, and around Arosa Bay in the spring. It bred in the latter place in some numbers. It also occurs in Sardinia.

S. hortensis.—The Garden-Warbler was noticed in the Alameda Gardens at Gibraltar in November and December. At Arosa Bay it was observed in May. This species was less numerous than the preceding.

S. sarda.—The Sardinian Warbler is much the commonest of its genus at Gibraltar, where great numbers breed among the coarse scrub clothing the upper parts of the rock. At Aranei Bay, in Sardinia, it was also observed in fair numbers.^[1]

Phylloscopus rufus.—The Chiffchaff was not at all common at Arosa Bay in the spring.

P. sibilatrix.—Wood-Wrens were observed in some quantities during the month of November in the Alameda Gardens at Gibraltar, and one was seen at Algeciras.

Acrocephalus phragmitis.—The Sedge-Warbler was common at Arosa Bay in May.

Accentor modularis.—At Arosa Bay, but not at all commonly. At Gibraltar a variety of the Hedge-Sparrow with very faint and indistinct spots occurs. This may be a local race, or without my knowledge may have been given specific rank.

Parus major.—The Great Tit was only seen twice, once at Gibraltar and once at Arosa Bay, and both times in December, 1899.

P. ater.—The continental Coal-Tit is very common about Arosa Bay, and also at Algeciras and Gibraltar.

P. palustris.—The Marsh-Tit occurs commonly about Arosa Bay.

P. cæruleus.—The Blue Tit is common at Arosa Bay, Gibraltar, and Algeciras. In Gibraltar, however, in common with the Coal-Tit, it occurs almost entirely in the Alameda Gardens. At Algeciras it is only found in the cork woods, as far as my observations go. It is rather more numerous, however, in the north than the south.

I did not notice any Paridæ in Sardinia.

Troglodytes parvulus.—The Wren occurs sparingly about Arosa Bay.

Motacilla alba.—The White Wagtail is a summer visitor to Arosa Bay, where a few pairs were breeding in May. Each pair had apparently a tract or beat of their own, for one never saw one couple very near another. At Algeciras a company of three birds were noticed in December, 1899, and a single specimen was seen on the North Front in Gibraltar in November of the same year.

M. lugubris.—A few Pied Wagtails were seen about Arosa Bay in May, but on Dec. 10th, when the Squadron put in for a day at that port, hundreds of these birds were seen, from which it seems probable that they were wintering migrants there.

M. flava.—One pair only seen at Rondo, a town 2500 ft. above the sea-level, and about seventy miles inland from Algeciras; and a single specimen at Gibraltar in December, 1899.

Anthus pratensis.—The Meadow-Pipit is common at Arosa Bay, and less so at Gibraltar in the winter.

Lanius pomeranus.—The Woodchat Shrike was very common at Aranei Bay, in Sardinia, in April. At Gibraltar and Algeciras it also occurred, but less commonly than at Aranei. It was first noted in the last-named localities in May.

Muscicapa grisola.—One pair of Spotted Flycatchers was noticed in some small gardens on the North Front at Gibraltar in May. A few specimens were also seen at Arosa Bay in the same month.

Hirundo rustica.—The Swallow was common everywhere, and, though naturally only observed at Arosa Bay in the spring, it was still present at Gibraltar in the first week of November. At Algeciras this bird was nesting, and had full clutches of eggs on April 8th.

Chelidon urbica.—The Martin was as common as the Swallow, and occurred for the most part with it; in Sardinia, as far as my scanty observation permitted, it seemed much the commoner of the two species.

Cotile rupestris.—The Crag-Swallow was noted in three localities only. First, it was seen on a hill on the Spanish mainland facing the North Front in the month of November, at an elevation of about 500 ft. At Ronda, a town about eighty miles inland from Gibraltar, having an elevation of 2500 ft., and divided into two parts by a deep narrow gorge called the Tajo. This gorge is about 1000 ft. in depth, and there, in company with the Common Swallow, this species was observed in hundreds. The birds seemed to be very tame, and, besides frequenting the gorge, flew in and out among the houses just as the Common Swallows do. At Aranei Bay, in Sardinia, a few pairs were observed at the end of April hawking about after their prey down at the sea-level, as well as up the sides of the hills, and in the valleys. This bird was plentiful at Gibraltar in November and December, 1899.

Carduelis elegans.—Many Goldfinches were noted at Arosa Bay in March, and all were then paired. In May they had apparently considerably diminished in numbers, probably, however, many having gone elsewhere to breed. At Algeciras, in November, a few specimens were observed, and a flock of five hung about the rock at Gibraltar for a few days in March.

Serinus hortulanus.—The Serin was fairly common at Arosa Bay in May, where it was then nesting.

Ligurinus chloris.—Greenfinches were very common at Arosa Bay.

Passer domesticus.—Though fairly common in the towns and villages about Arosa Bay and at Algeciras, Sparrows were scarce by comparison with their numbers in England. At Gibraltar this species is very much more common than in the places mentioned above.

P. hispaniolensis.—In Sardinia this species replaces the Common Sparrow, and is fairly numerous.

Fringilla cœlebs.—The Chaffinch was common everywhere except in Sardinia, where I did not observe it.

Linota cannabina.—The Linnet was common at Arosa Bay in May.

Pyrrhula europæa.—One Bullfinch was observed at Algeciras in November.

Emberiza miliaria.—The Corn-Bunting was fairly common at Arosa Bay.

E. cirlus.—A few Cirl Buntings were seen at Arosa Bay.

E. hortulana.—The Ortolan Bunting was seen a few times at Arosa Bay in May, where it was nesting.

Sturnus vulgaris.—Starlings occurred at Arosa Bay, but in remarkably small numbers, considering how well suited the country appeared to be to their wants. Elsewhere they were not seen.

Pyrrhocorax alpinus.—One specimen seen at Ronda.

Garrulus glandarius.—Except at Arosa Bay—in the woods around which they were fairly common—Jays were not observed.

Pica rustica.—The Magpie was fairly common at Arosa Bay.

Corvus corone.—The Carrion-Crow was by far the commonest of this family seen at Arosa Bay, where it swarmed everywhere.

C. corax.—There was at least one pair of Ravens breeding on the rock at Gibraltar, and probably others were there also. At Aranei Bay these birds were very common.

Alauda arvensis.—Sky-Larks were extremely common everywhere except in Sardinia.

A. brachydactyla.—The Short-toed Lark was noted only at Ronda.

Cypselus apus.—The Swift was very common at Gibraltar, where it first made its appearance during the last days of March. It was also common at Algeciras and about Arosa Bay.

C. melba.—The Alpine Swift was only noticed twice—a pair at Ronda in April, and a single specimen near the signal station at the top of the rock at Gibraltar in May.

Alcedo ispida.—Two Kingfishers were seen—one on a piece of brackish water by the road which runs across the neutral ground to Linea, and another on a hill-stream some five miles inland at Algeciras.

Upupa epops.—One solitary Hoopoe was seen in the Alameda Gardens at Gibraltar in May.

Cuculus canorus.—The Cuckoo occurred at Arosa Bay, Ronda, and about Algeciras. It was, however, considerably scarcer than it usually is in England. The Spanish peasants call this bird by the same name as we do.

Buteo vulgaris.—Buzzards are very common both in the north and south of Spain, more especially in the former. At Arosa Bay a nest was found in March within twenty yards of a high road, along which constant traffic was passing, and close to a fairly large village. The nest was in a small pine-wood, and the birds were extremely tame.

Gyps fulvus.—The Griffon Vulture is very common, perhaps the commonest Raptorial bird in the south of Spain. As many as thirty birds of this species have been noted at one time soaring over the outskirts of Algeciras. The birds are very tame, and are seen quite close to the railway when trains are passing; and about Ronda some of their breeding places are in full view of the line, and at no great distance from considerable villages. It is interesting to see these birds soar to windward, which they undoubtedly can do.

Neophron percnopterus.—The Egyptian Vulture occurs in the hills about Algeciras, but is much scarcer than the preceding species, and much more shy and retiring.

Milvus ictinus.—Kites were only observed in the neighbourhood of Lisbon, where they were very common, and often seen sailing over the town itself, and attacking garbage on the Tagus.

Falco peregrinus.—A pair of Peregrines were seen at Gibraltar, and probably had a nest somewhere on the rock.

F. tinnunculus.—The Kestrel was extremely common in all the districts under consideration. About Arosa Bay every one of the little tors, and every church tower of any height, was tenanted by a pair of these handsome Hawks. At Santiago de Compostela at least half a dozen pairs had their quarters in the great cathedral, and it was a matter of surmise how they found sufficient food, for apparently they did not hawk for prey outside the limits of the town. At Gibraltar this species breeds in dozens on the great precipice forming the North Front. At Lisbon, Ronda, Algeciras, and in Sardinia they were also plentiful, though not nearly so numerous as about Arosa Bay and at Gibraltar.

F. cenchris.—The Lesser Kestrel was fairly common at Gibraltar and Ronda, where it was associated with the preceding species.

Phalacrocorax carbo.—The Cormorant was common at Arosa Bay, Gibraltar, and Aranei Bay.

P. graculus.—The Shag was common on the eastern front of the rock at Gibraltar, and present also, but in less quantity, at Aranei Bay, in Sardinia.

Sula bassana.—Gannets were on rare occasions seen in the harbour at Gibraltar, and in the straits outside, more especially towards the African side, they were fairly common. Whilst coming back to England, in December, 1899, in fairly rough weather, numbers of these birds were seen on the coasts of Portugal and Spain, whereas at other times of the year I have not noticed them there. Off Cape Finisterre, in a strong northwest gale, and many miles from land, a flock of about a hundred were observed diving with great activity. One or two were noticed in Arosa Bay on Dec. 10th.

Ardea cinerea.—One Heron was seen at Arosa Bay in March.

Anas boscas.—A few Mallards were present at Arosa Bay, and at Gibraltar a large colony on a piece of artificial water just outside the gates, on the way to the North Front. These birds all disappeared with the exception of a few pairs in the spring, and the latter remained apparently to breed, as quite young ducklings were observed in the beginning of May.

Columba palumbus.—A few Ring-Doves were observed in the cork-woods.

C. livia.—One pair observed near Caldas de Reyes, at Arosa Bay, in March.

Turtur communis.—Turtle-Doves were first noticed at Arosa Bay in May, when they were fairly plentiful throughout that district, and where they were evidently breeding.

Perdix cinerea.—A few Partridges occurred at Arosa Bay, Gibraltar, and Aranei Bay. Probably a few bred on the rock at Gibraltar.

Fulica atra.—A large number of Coots live on the same piece of water at the North Front of Gibraltar as the Mallards mentioned above, where they are apparently semi-domesticated.

Otis tarda.—The Bustard occurs not uncommonly in the south of Spain in the open country.

Gallinago cœlestis.—Snipe are fairly common in the marshes at Arosa Bay in March.

Totanus hypoleucus.—Two Sandpipers were noted—one at Gibraltar in November, and another near Ronda in April.

Numenius arquata.—Curlew were plentiful on the shores of Arosa Bay in the autumn, and a few were also seen in the spring. The last noted was on March 18th, and probably they did not breed in the hills in the immediate vicinity.

Larus ridibundus.—Black-headed Gulls were common at Arosa Bay in the autumn and in the early spring, but all disappeared by the month of May. At Gibraltar this species occurs in great numbers in company with the next.

L. melanocephalus.—The Mediterranean Black-headed Gull was only observed at Gibraltar, and in the autumn of 1898.

L. cachinnans.—Herring-Gulls occur in very great numbers both at Arosa Bay and at Gibraltar. At Arosa Bay, in May, all the Herring-Gulls had disappeared, but probably they have a suitable breeding-place on the coast not far off, for on the weather becoming stormy great numbers returned to the bay.

Rissa tridactyla.—The Kittiwake is very common at Gibraltar, particularly in the winter. It is also observed at sea on the coasts of Portugal and Spain in all kinds of weather, in which it differs from the Herring-Gull. In December, 1899, several Kittiwakes followed the ship in heavy weather about a third across the Bay of Biscay, leaving her at Ushant. Off Capes Finisterre and St. Vincent they were also, in strong gales, both plentiful and active.

Fratercula arctica.—Numbers of Puffins were observed in small flocks in rather rough weather in December, 1899, off Capes St. Vincent and Finisterre, as well as in the stretches in between them.

Podicipes fluviatilis.—A pair of Dabchicks were noted on the piece of artificial water by the road to the North Front at Gibraltar in November, 1899.

Procellaria pelagica.—A pair of Stormy Petrels, blinded by a search-light, flew through the port into an officer's cabin one rather dirty night at Gibraltar.

Alca torda.—Razorbills are occasionally seen on the western coasts of the Spanish peninsula.

Uria troile.—Guillemots occur like the above, and, if anything, less commonly.

 

These notes are admittedly very incomplete, and several more species have had to be left out from failure of identification, as during the time when most of them were made no guns were allowed on shore, and therefore complete identification was impossible.

 

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1. See remark by Oliver Vernon Aplin on p. 518—Wikisource-ed.