Durham Bird Club at 50
The county avifauna, The Birds of Durham (Bowey and Newsome, 2012) records that “A public meeting in late 1974 at Sunderland Museum and Art Gallery to discuss bird watching and recording was well-attended. This was followed on 8 January 1975 by another meeting and enrolment for membership of the Durham Bird Club began shortly afterwards.”
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We shall be organising various projects and events during the year to commemorate this special anniversary. These include a "Bird of the Week" feature, appearing below.
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Bird of the Week - Week 12
Whooper Swan – A Wild and Wintery Wanderer
​​(Photo by Mark Harper)​​​
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Few birds bring a greater sense of wilderness than the Whooper Swan. With their long, elegant necks, black and bright yellow bills, and loud, trumpeting calls, they are true travellers, migrating thousands of miles between their breeding grounds in Iceland and their wintering sites across the UK.
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Right now, Whooper Swans are on the move, heading north through County Durham on their way back to Iceland. They are often seen resting on upland lakes and reservoirs, but they also turn up on lowland sites like Low Barns, Castle Lake, Hurworth Burn, and even Hardwick Park, where an impressive 37 were recorded just this week.
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Seeing a group of these wild swans glide across the water, calling to each other in deep, bugling tones, as they pass through our County is a special moment and a reminder of the vast distances they travel each year.
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Most Whoopers passing through County Durham in spring are returning from southern England and the Republic of Ireland, but recent evidence suggests that small numbers are now overwintering in County Durham before their annual return journey to Iceland in the spring. Whether this is part of a wider trend or just a few birds adapting to local conditions remains to be seen.
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Have you seen or heard Whooper Swans passing through this week? Let us know in the comments!
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More information on Whooper Swans
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E-mail: durhambirdclub@gmail.com
Social media tags: #DurhamBirdClub #DBC #DBCat50 #Durham #Birding
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