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 28

Meadow Pipit – Voice of the Open Landscape

(Photo by Mark Harper)

Small, streaky, and often overlooked, the Meadow Pipit might not seem like a headline act, but it’s one of the most widespread and ecologically important birds in County Durham.

You’ll find Meadow Pipits across all kinds of open habitat, from windswept moorland strongholds in the west like Widdybank Fell, Derwent, Balderhead and Smiddy Shaw Reservoirs and Stanhope Burn, to more frequently visited spots in the east, including Castle Lake, Hurworth Burn, Seaton Common, Cleadon Hills and Whitburn. They're as much a part of our reclaimed landscapes and coastal grasslands as they are the uplands.

Their fluttering, parachuting display flight is a familiar sound of spring and summer, often the only song on a quiet moor or grassy headland. It’s soft, unassuming and, once you’ve tuned into it, surprisingly uplifting.

They nest low in tussocks or grassland and remain in the county year-round, often retreating to lower elevations or coastal areas in winter. And while they may seem inconspicuous, they play a vital role in upland ecosystems, as the primary host species for Cuckoos in our region, and as prey for raptors, including Merlin and Hen Harrier.

It’s worth noting that while Meadow Pipits are widely distributed across the County, our records are far more numerous in the north and east of the county, highlighting the value of birders submitting records from the under-watched areas of our county. Even records of familiar species like Meadow Pipits help build a fuller picture of birdlife across the County.

Have you heard that fluttering song flight this year, at the coast, in rough pasture, or high on the moors? Let us know where they’re keeping you company.

More information on Meadow Pipits

E-mail: admin@durhambirdclub.org.uk

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