- DBC
- Feb 16, 2018
A member of the public has lost their Harris Hawk and requests that any sightings could be reported via their email account:
"MISSING! HELP!!! Much loved male Harris Hawk. Blanchland area. Blew away across moorland towards Stanhope but is likely to seek out a wooded valley. Possible sightings in Blanchland valley. This is on the Northumberland/County Durham border.
He has bells on, leather straps on his legs and a radio transmitter aerial on his tail. Unfortunately I cannot pick up any signal from it.
He is crow sized but with bigger wings and a long white tipped tail. He is NOT streaky and patchy like the buzzards and has a very distinctive WHITE rump.
He also has a tendency to shout hoarsely at strange dogs (and possibly strange horses) so if you hear something please look to see who is making the rude noises. Lost Thursday 1st Feb.
Please share. Thank you!
7/2/2018 ZULU IS STILL MISSING. Thought to be either in the Blanchland valley or between Rookhope and Eastgate. Both make sense and are based on potentially positive sightings. Please keep eyes and ears open! Thank you all so much"
- DBC
- Feb 16, 2018
Dear Member
Our January Indoor Meeting appears to have been well received by all those who were able to attend despite the snowy weather. We are now able to announce further indoor meetings, as follows
Thursday 15 February 7.30 p.m.
Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn SR6 7NH
Martin Collinson CSI: Birding
Forensic DNA technology has allowed us to identify birds from tiny samples of feathers or faeces. How does it affect everyday birding? Professor Martin Collinson is from the University of Aberdeen and is on the editorial board of "British Birds" and a member of the BOU Records Committee.
Sunday 25 February 2.00 p.m.
Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve Visitor Centre DH4 6PU
Elisabeth Charman Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers: RSPB Surveys and Methods
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is an elusive species which many would like to find and is the subject of a survey in which several Club members will participate in 2018. Elisabeth Charman is a Conservation Officer with the RSPB. She has done extensive fieldwork on Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and has published articles on the species in "Ibis" and "Bird Study".
We may be able to offer a pre-meeting tour of the reserve. Please check the Club website* for details.
Thursday 15 March 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
Lanchester Community Centre, Newbiggin Lane, Lanchester DH7 0NT
Joint DBC/BTO Fieldworkers’ Meeting.
The meeting is not intended only for those who are active fieldworkers at present, but for all those who feel they may want to participate at some stage, and for those who would like to know more about current and future surveys and about results from past survey work. The doors will be open from 6.30 p.m. to allow people to meet other members, before the presentations begin at 7.30 p.m. The Centre is almost opposite the Black Bull, and has a generous car park.
The RSPB Durham Local Group is also holding indoor meetings, which are open to non-members. An admission fee of £1 applies to members and non-members alike.
Tuesday 13 February 7.30 p.m.
Laurel Avenue Community Centre, Laurel Avenue, Durham DH1 2EY
Rebecca Barrett The Northern Upland Chain Local Nature Partnership
The Partnership encompasses the Protected Landscapes of Northumberland National Park, North Pennines AONB, Yorkshire Dales National Park, Nidderdale AONB and the Forest of Bowland AONB. It aims to help to create a place where our special natural qualities, including breeding wading birds, blanket bogs, hay meadows, tumbling rivers and upland woodlands are valued for their beauty, and for their contribution to economic, physical and spiritual well-being. Tuesday 13 March 7.30 p.m.
Laurel Avenue Community Centre, Laurel Avenue, Durham DH1 2EY
Mark Pearson Filey International: arrivals and departures at North Yorkshire’s Bird Observatory
Fasten your seatbelts! Migration never stops at this east coast hotspot - and neither does Mark in his pursuit of its wonders. Let him take you on a whistlestop tour through four seasons of high drama at his beloved Filey Bird Observatory. Mark has travelled extensively over five continents in pursuit of wildlife and has appeared on Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Natural World.
Local Field Trips
Provisional dates for DBC outings remain as in the New Year newsletter –
28 April – Upper Weardale and Teesdale
9 June – Muggleswick, and Pow Hill/Derwent Reservoir
14 October – Hartlepool, Seaton, Greatham, Saltholme and further details will be announced when available.
Projects and Surveys
The Club’s 2018 surveys on Willow Tit and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker have now been launched and detailed information is available on the Club website*. After the first week some interesting sightings of Willow Tit have already been reported, but there is plenty of scope for wider participation.
We would also encourage Club members to help with BTO and other surveys, some of which are mentioned on a website at http://bit.ly/2yHj9A5 This year, too, it would be useful to increase Durham’s representation in the BTO’s Heronries Census. This survey began in 1928 so is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Locally few records have been submitted – partly because some Durham colonies are small and transient. Evidence from elsewhere in the country suggests that some heronries are now attracting egrets, thus adding to the interest. If you would like more information on BTO and other surveys please contact David.Sowerbutts@dunelm.org.uk
Rare Birds in 2017
The Club’s Rarities Committee aims to maintain a high standard of accuracy of what species have occurred in Durham and when. It has reviewed the records for 2017 and has discovered that there are many records from both category 1 and category 2 which lack supporting descriptions and/or photographs. These are listed on two spreadsheets on the Club website* (under the Club News tab). If you were a finder or observer of any of these occurrences then please could you submit a description and (where possible) accompanying photographs.
Database of Club Records
Those of you who are Club members of long-standing will remember that bird sightings used to be submitted on record cards and the old cards are stored in Sunderland Museum. They contain quite a lot of valuable information, not only on species whose status is changing, but also on sites which may have changed. Anyone who has used the cards for research will know how much more useful it would be if the data were added to the Club’s database. The Environmental Records Centre – ERIC North East – has offered to provide training in data input for any Club members who would be willing to help with the digitisation process. If you are interested in contributing in this way please contact David.Sowerbutts@dunelm.org.uk
Castle Lake
The Castle Lake Conservation Group has recently met again to consider some further questions asked by the Charity Commissioners about educational issues. We believe we can answer these satisfactorily. We are still working on getting a lease but at present cannot give any further details about this.
Hurworth Burn Reservoir – application for leisure facilities
This planning application has still not been determined and Natural England have now asked for further information. In particular there are concerns which need to be addressed relating to the site’s importance for the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast Special Protection Area (and especially Curlew).
Other Club matters
As indicated last month, we will not be circulating a printed version of this newsletter, but if you know of any Club member who needs to receive it in that form please let us know.
Finally, a gentle reminder that subscriptions were due on 1st January. Thank you to all those of you who have already paid; for the relatively small number who have not yet done so, a membership form giving current rates is available on the Club website* under the “Join Us” tab.
*Club website: https://www.durhambirdclub.org
Superb Hawfinch image - feeding on Hornbeam at Bishop Middleham (JHo)
Selected List of Sightings in January
(sourced from DBC Whats Ap, DBC Members Facebook Group & Twitter- apologies for any errors / omissions )
1/1 Lapland Bunting - Newburn (long staying bird coming to feed)
2/1 Glaucous Gull - x1 Shields Pier (DH)
2/1 Water Rail - x1 Silksworth Lake (JT)
3/1 Blackcap - x1 Washington (NF)
3/1 Green Sandpiper - x2 Billingham Beck (IF)
5/1 Hawfinch - x1 Wingate (CWe)
6/1 White billed Diver - 1N Whitburn (TM et al)
WBDiver image by Tom Middleton
6/1 Jack Snipe - 4 at Shotton (RR)
7/1 Iceland Gull - juv nr Springwell (RA)
7/1 Barn Owl - Lady Park (LH)
8/1 Golden Plover - 350 Morton House (SEv)
10/1 Chaffinch - male sub song Houghton (SEv)
10/1 Long-eared Owl - song & display (SEv)
12/1 Lapwing - 2,500 Castle Lake (JO)
12/1 Redshank - x20 C.Lake (JO)
12/1 White fronted Goose - x2 north with 44 Pinks (SEv)
12/1 Long-eared Owl - 15+ in a roost (SEv)
13/1 Fieldfare - 300 north Ho-le-Spring (SEv)
13/1 Mandarin - 1 drake R.Tees, High Coniscliffe (DP)
13/1 Iceland Gull - x1 juv Wearmouth on river (DFo)
13/1 Ruff - x2 Castle Lake (JO)
13/1 Corn Bunting - 16-19 feeding nr Castle Lake (DFr/DPhi)
14/1 presumed Rough-legged Buzzard - Shotton Colliery (RR)
14/1 Egyptian Goose - x2 Saltholme (AK)
14/1 Glaucous Gull - x1 Blackhall (GT)
14/1 Hen Harrier - single nr Woodland Fell (DFr)
14/1 ccMarsh Harrier - Greatham Creek
15/1 Long-eared Owl - 20+ in a roost (SEv)
16/1 Snow Bunting x6 Seaton Snook
16/1 WFG - x1 Chartershaugh (DG)
16/1 WFG - x1 Seaton Pond (GS)
16/1 WFG - x14 Seaton Common (GJ)
16/1 WFG - x1 Boldon Flats (PCo)
18/1 Firecrest - 1 still present at months end, High Coniscliffe (TB et al)
18/1 Red crested Pochard - drake amongst 1,000 wildfowl at Hardwick Lake (JO)
20/1 Black-throated, Great Northern Divers at Dawdon (DA)
21/1 Med Gull - 1 adult (MH)
21/1 Glaucous Gull - 1 Blackhall (RR)
22/1 Hawfinch - x6 remain at Bishop Middleham (LH)
22/1 Meally Redpoll - x3 Rainton Meadows
23/1 Long tailed Duck - 1N at Seaham (RA)
23/1 WFGoose x1 Seaton Pond (GS)
27/1 Iceland Gull - Windermere Rd, H'Pool (GT)
27/1 Red Kite - Howden-le-Wear & Low Barns (ER)
28/1 Raven - 1 calling moving over Rainton Meadows (MH)
28/1 Great White Egret - 1 at R'Meadows, 4th site record (MH)
GWTeal image Robbie Robertson
28/1 Green winged Teal - drake at Hurworth Burn (RR)
28/1 Little Egret x3 - Houghton-le-Spring (MH)
29/1 Blackcap - x2 females at Lizard Lane, Whitburn
29/1 Black Grouse x20 Langdon Beck (GT)
29/1 WFGoose x7 H'Burn res (JO)
30/1 Siskin x30 Tudhoe Mill (JH)
30/1 Barn Owl x1 nr A167 Darlo/NAycliffe (LH)
30/1 Heron x5 pairs back on territory at Washington WWT (DD)
As hard weather tightens its grip on mainland Europe , some overwintering species have continued to arrive, including further Fieldfare, Woodcock, & numbers of White-fronted Geese.
Whilst as the month progressed the very first few breeding species started to move back to lay claim to territories, including Great Crested Grebe & Shelduck.
Others have increased their territorial behaviour particularly Dippers & thrushes, Peregrines are beginning to become more prominent around prospective breeding sites.
Peregrine image by Tony Fitches
Around the doors, the dawn chorus is starting to increase, Mistle Thrushes now a familiar sound with some farmland species just beginning to start to tune up including Yellowhammer & Corn Bunting.
Corn Bunting image - S.Evans
At dusk Grey Partridges are becoming increasingly vocal, pairs rushing & chasing each other even in deep snow. There has been an increase in vocalisations from our Little & Tawny Owls.
We'll end this summary with a very well received photograph taken by expert local patcher Mick Heron of a Tawny with Song Thrush prey.
NB:
NEW SIGHTINGS RESOURCE COMMENCING 1st FEB 2018
Club Members will be aware of the Clubs Free Bird News Whats Ap Service - this excellent push data service sends news of rare / scarce / unusual birds direct to your device in the field.
A new Club Member & award winning photographer Oscar Dewhurst has suggested a new means of providing a daily "end of day bird news round up" - which need not be limited to rare & scarce 'headline' birds - it could include highlights of a local patch visit or a day out at series of County sites.
Anyone birding the County is welcome to use this service - hopefully we can build a bigger picture of whats happening around the County on a daily basis.
Please check this out & feed into this new "Sightings Page"- Durham Birders Wiki :-
http://durhambirders.wikia.com/wiki/Durham_Birders_Wiki
