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 46
Teal – Winter’s Dapper Dabblers
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​​(Photo by Mark Harper)​​​
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As winter settles over County Durham, Teal begin to appear in growing numbers on our wetlands. Our smallest dabbling duck, they’re slim, compact and often quietly present on the edges of lakes and marshes. They may look unassuming at first glance, but a closer look reveals real beauty: males with rich chestnut and green head markings, and females intricately patterned in warm, mottled browns.
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Many of our wintering Teal originate from breeding grounds in Iceland, Scandinavia and northern Europe. Arriving steadily through autumn, they join the small number that remain in the UK year-round, building into flocks that can number in the hundreds at the county’s best wetlands. Places like Castle Lake, Derwent Reservoir, the Teesmouth marshes and Lambton Pond are all reliable wintering spots.
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Though they often feed quietly in shallow margins — dabbling, up-ending and picking delicately among vegetation — they’re more active at dusk and after dark, when they explore nearby flooded fields and wet grasslands for invertebrates and seeds.
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Teal rarely sit still for long. A gentle breeze, a calling Lapwing or a passing gull can set a whole flock lifting suddenly from the water, banking tightly in unison before settling again nearby. Their fast, whistling wingbeats and coordinated twists are a rewarding winter sight on any visit to a lowland lake or marsh.
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With so many of our smaller pools still recovering from this year’s dry summer, the county’s permanent wetland sites are especially important now. Teal make excellent use of whatever sheltered corners they can find — a curved reed edge, a quiet inlet, a muddy scrape that’s managed to hold its water.
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Have you noticed Teal numbers building yet this month, or seen their tight flocks lifting in fast, whirring flight?
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More information on Teal
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E-mail: admin@durhambirdclub.org.uk
Social media tags: #DBC #DBCat50 #DurhamBirdClub #BirdoftheWeek #Durham #Birding
#BirdwatchingUK #CountyDurhamBirds #WinterBirds #Wildfowl
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