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 29
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Hobby – A Dashing Summer Guest in Red Trousers
​​(Photo by Mark Harper)​​​
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Sleek, scythe-winged and unmistakably stylish, the Hobby is one of the most thrilling birds to encounter in a County Durham summer sky. Fast and agile, they zip through the air after dragonflies, swallows, martins and swifts, often catching prey with acrobatic precision, mid-flight.
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Once a true rarity in the North East, things have changed. Confirmed breeding in the County in both 2022 and 2023 was followed by strong evidence of further breeding in 2024. And sightings so far this year suggest a continued rise: by mid-July, birds had been recorded in at least 54 lowland locations across County Durham, including at least five probable pairs and several instances of individuals mobbing other raptors.
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(Map by Steve Evans)
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Although there are records from Weardale, they’re most often seen over lowland wetlands, open woodland and farmland - sometimes singly, sometimes in pairs - drifting silently overhead before suddenly snapping into action. From Castle Lake to Hurworth Burn and Ricknall Carrs to Rainton Meadows, they’re becoming an increasingly regular part of our summer birding.
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Their northern range expansion has been a quiet success story - a southern breeder edging north, and now clearly taking a foothold in our part of the world. And it’s hard to resist the excitement of seeing one: small, dark, and fast, with rakish sideburns and those smart, reddish “trousers” trailing behind as it accelerates through the air.
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Have you seen a Hobby this year, or even suspected breeding behaviour on your patch? We’d love to hear your sightings.
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​E-mail: admin@durhambirdclub.org.uk
Social media tags: #DBC #DBCat50 #DurhamBirdClub #BirdOfTheWeek
#Durham #Birding #BirdwatchingUK #CountyDurhamBirds
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