Scarcely second to these in importance was the immense flight of Bramblings, the bulk of which arrived in two great rushes between October 14th and 17th and on November 11th and 12th; this species being reported as more plentiful in the eastern counties than ever previously recorded.
The main body of Woodcocks arrived in two great rushes, the "first flight" on the night of October 16th to 17th, covering the east coast from the Farn Islands to Thanet, and the "great flight" on October 22d to 23d and 23d to 24th between the same islands and Yarmouth. After this. Woodcocks kept dropping in at intervals up to the end of January 1886.
It has been remarked in previous reports that the migration of a species extends over many weeks, and in some cases is extended for months. Yet it is observable that, at least on the east coast of England, year by year, the bulk or main body of the birds which strike the coast come in two enormous and almost continuous rushes during the second and third weeks in October and the corresponding weeks in November. Continued observation also proves that the earlier arrivals, as a rule, refer to the young of the year, and the later to old birds, but with many exceptions.
Birds also continue persistently, year by year, to follow the same lines of flight both in the spring and autumn, and at least nine-tenths of the arrivals at the latter season come directly from the east or from points south of east, moving to the west and north-west. In the spring, when leaving the east coast, they travel in the reverse direction, but still following the old lines. The occurrences of migrants coming from points north of east is quite exceptional.
The fact of a double migration or passage of birds of the same species across the North Sea in the spring and autumn, both to the E. and S.E. and W. and N.W., is very clearly established (see General Remarks, 1884 Report, East Coast of England, pp. 69 and 70). This phenomenon is regularly recorded on the whole of the east coast, but specially observable at those light-vessels which are stationed in the south-east district included in this report; at the same time, it is invariably persistent and regular year by year.
An examination of the reports, seven in number, already issued by the Committee, will show the extreme regularity and precision in time during which the migration of each species is carried on. This applies both to the vernal and autumnal passage; in the vast majority of cases the commencement of the migration occurring on the same day, or within a few days, of a fixed period, so that it would not be difficult to tabulate in advance with almost certainty the normal movement or migration of each species.