DBC Stonechat Survey

 

 

 

Background

 

In 1988 to 1993, at the time of the fieldwork for A summer atlas of the breeding birds of County Durham (Westerberg and Bowey, 2000), the Stonechat was regarded as “principally a scarce passage migrant in our area” and that, if the species bred in the county “…the population will not number more than one or two pairs…”. A paper by John Olley in Birds in Durham 2004 documents the increase in the species locally between 1997 and 2005, with confirmed breeding in 28 1-km squares, associating this pattern with milder winters. By the time of the publication of the county avifauna in 2012 the population was estimated at around 50 pairs.

 

The records which annually form the basis of of the species accounts in Birds in Durham tend to convey an impression of a bird which is mainly on the coast in winter and in the west of the county during the breeding season, but the more structured surveying for Winter Atlas 2007-2011 indicated a fairly strong winter distribution in the west -

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             Breeding 2007 to 2011                                                   Winter 2007 to 2011

 

Nationally, Birdfacts notes “a detectable increase in altitude”, while locally there is the perennial question as to whether a lack of records in southern parts of the county reflects a shortage of birds or a shortage of observers/ recorders.

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John Olley's 2004 paper identified five habitat types for Stonechat in County Durham - coastal grassland, lowland grassland, upland heath, mid-altitude heath, lowland heath. For this new survey we are adding an extra option for  brownfield and scrub.

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What we want to find out

 

Our main aims in this survey are

• to provide a more complete picture of the current distribution of the species in County Durham, both in winter and during the breeding season

• to examine the use of different habitats by Stonechats, again both in winter and during the breeding season

• to provide an estimate of the breeding population in the mid-2020s for comparison with the estimate published in the avifauna in 2012

• to analyse any other data provided by the survey

 

Some regular locations are well-known, but much suitable habitat may not be regularly covered by observers and we are keen to hear from anyone who has not already contacted us and who would be prepared to check new areas for the presence of the species. Please contact David.Sowerbutts@dunelm.org.uk with any offers of help of this type.

 

We are also keen to collect as many records as possible of Stonechat in 2025 and beyond. These can be submitted through the normal routes of the Club's Excel spreadsheet or BirdTrack or via the special smartphone app (available through either of the links below).

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CLICK HERE TO REPORT A STONECHAT

or use our QR code

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For any queries regarding this survey please contact David.Sowerbutts@dunelm.org.uk

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