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 40

 

Goldcrest – Tiny Travellers, Big Journeys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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​​(Photo by Mark Harper)​​​

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The Goldcrest might be Britain’s smallest bird, but it’s one of our most determined travellers. Each autumn, thousands cross the North Sea from Scandinavia and northern Europe, riding tailwinds that help them reach our shores. Despite weighing less than a 20p coin, they can complete the crossing in under eight hours – as one tracked bird famously did, flying from Vlieland in the Netherlands to East Yorkshire on a single night.

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With Storm Amy now behind us, calm conditions have set the stage for new arrivals. At this time of year, our coastal headlands – South Shields, Whitburn, Noses Point and Hartlepool Headland – are perfect places to look for migrants “coming in off” the sea. Goldcrests are often among the first to appear, tiny but tireless, dropping into bushes and trees after their long crossing.

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Once inland, they’re just as likely to turn up in mixed tit flocks, flicking busily through branches, rarely pausing for long. You’ll often hear them before you see them: a fine, high-pitched “see-see-see” that seems to vanish on the wind.

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In County Durham, Goldcrests are widespread in woodland, parks and gardens, joined in autumn by these hardy northern visitors. After a week of wild weather, now’s the perfect moment to listen for their tweedling calls or spot those tiny flashes of movement in the trees.

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Have you noticed more Goldcrests since the storm has passed – perhaps in your garden or along the coast? We’d love to hear where you’ve seen them.

 

More information on Goldcrests​

 

E-mail:  admin@durhambirdclub.org.uk

Social media tags: #DBC #DBCat50 #DurhamBirdClub #BirdOfTheWeek 

#Durham #Birding  #BirdwatchingUK #CountyDurhamBirds #BirdMigration

#Goldcrest #AutumnMigration #WoodlandBirds

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