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.”

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.

Bird of the Week - Week 21

Corn Bunting – A Farmland Specialist Clinging On

(Photo by Mark Harper)

The Corn Bunting was once a familiar sound across lowland County Durham farmland - but today it’s become one of the scarcest and most localised breeding birds in the county. Still, in a few well-managed spots, it hangs on, jangling out its song like a set of rusty keys from a fence post or power line.

Larger and heavier than most buntings, Corn Buntings are streaky and sandy-brown with a thick bill and no obvious, distinguishing markings - more often identified by voice or silhouette than colour. They’re typically seen in open arable landscapes with good field margins and winter stubbles - habitats that have become harder to

find in modern farmland.

Today, Corn Buntings in County Durham are largely confined to a handful of lowland sites in the east of the county, where habitat management under agri-environment schemes has supported their survival.

They’re one of the key target species for farmland bird recovery and a reminder of how closely bird populations reflect changes in land use.

Still hearing that jangling song in your patch? Or working on habitat management where they’re hanging on? We’d love to hear about it.

More information on Corn Buntings

E-mail: admin@durhambirdclub.org.uk

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