Durham Bird Club

Indoor Meeting: 'Tees Tidelands – A Journey to Restore the Tees Estuary' with Phil Marshall (Tuesday 10 March, 7.30 pm) - Durham Local Group durham rspb group, indoor meeting, greatham creek, marsh restoration scheme, teesmouth, flood prevention, habitat creation, climate change

group.rspb.org.uk/durham/news-...

BirdWatch Ireland CEO Andrew Kelly & BTO CEO Juliet Vickery are sitting at a table outside smiling as they get ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

RSPB Chief Executive Beccy Speight & BTO CEO Juliet Vickery are sitting together at a table in the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge holding pens ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

BTO CEO Juliet Vickery & Scottish Ornithologists Club President Ruth Briggs are sitting at a table smiling and holding pens ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

BTO CEO Juliet Vickery & Welsh Ornithological Society Chair Anne Brenchley are sitting at a table together looking down and holding pens as they get ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31. Wildlife and nature themed artwork hangs on the wall behind them.

1/ Five leading charities forge partnership for bird conservation for the Bird Atlas 2027–31! 🐦 But what is the Bird Atlas? ⬇️🧵 #Ornithology

@btobirds.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Spring-like yesterday with several Chiffchaff at RSPB Saltholme and Dormans Pool.
At Cowpen Marsh:-
3 Buzzard
2 Marsh Harrier—a dark cream- crowned bird and older f-type with pale shoulders markings.
Short Eared Owl—Cowpen Tip
Cetti’s Warbler
2 Little Grebe
@teesbirds.bsky.social

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI, bird flu) virus infections have historically been most commonly associated with wild Eurasian waterfowl with...

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI)
A clear, timely overview of bird flu, outbreak history, and how we monitor its impacts on wild bird populations.
📰 Open access until the end of February!
🔗 britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Common Crane, by David Tipling

Ruff, Water Pipit, Whooper Swan on Back Saltholme from Navigator.
@teesbirds.bsky.social

Heard just my first singing 🎵 Chiffchaff of the year in trees by the railway line at Crossgate Moor, Durham City 😃. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social

Scaup imm male RSPB Saltholme main lake in front of cafe 10.05am @teesbirds.bsky.social

Russian White-fronts and Tundra Bean Geese still holding court at Boldon Flats this afternoon. The Beans eventually drifted off to the SE to forage nearby. Interesting (to me at least) how much more skittish they were around cars and passers-by. @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

Late afternoon jaunt to Seaham yesterday, the White-billed Diver was showing better than I had anticipated. Very glad I went, light was fading but you get the idea. That's at least 4 White-billed Divers in Durham within a week.
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social

A few from the Durham Dales at the weekend. Black Grouse at
sunrise, Golden Plover back on the moors and still a few Bramblings around Blackton beck 👍 #NEbirds #Ukbirds @durhambirdclub.bsky.social @teesbirds.bsky.social

82 Russian Whitefronts off Cleadon Lane, Whitburn late a.m., then went E. 23-24 just S of Cleadon at about midday (initially seen arriving from the N over Whitburn). It's all go on the Whitefrontfront #NEbirding @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

The image features an illustration of an unfolded map showing greenspaces and birds. Above this wording reads: Add your local greenspace to the Birds in Greenspaces Map.

1/ We need you to make sure your local Greenspace is included on our map ready for the Birds in Greenspaces survey! ➡️ app.bto.org/birds-in...

You can use the map to search for mapped greenspaces near you, suggest new sites and changes to existing ones if there's something we've missed!

A very nice record! Easterly winds and a proper winter weather on the continent might keep on pushing more birds over the North Sea. Also, interesting to see where the large Crane flock from Northumberland ends up as the latest observation today was them flying south…

Great find, Graham! 🥳

@teesbirds.bsky.social @durhambirdclub.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social 1 of the 3 Scaup, and 1 of the 3 Waxings at Bowesfield this afternoon

A few of the 59 Whitefronts at Hurworth Burn this afternoon also a single Barnacle goose,3 GWEs and a Marsh Harrier 👍 #NEbirds #Ukbirds @durhambirdclub.bsky.social @teesbirds.bsky.social

All welcome to a talk ‘Urban Swifts’ by Alasdair McKee, arranged by RSBP Durham group at All Saints Church, Carr House Drive, Newton Hall, Durham, DH1 5LT, on Thursday 12th February at 7:30 pm.

Bird Study Volume 72, Issue 4 of Bird Study

Downloads for #BirdStudy papers in 2025 were 44% up on 2024, and 42% up on the previous 3-year average. Browse the 2025 Volume 72 below, including a HPAI special issue (1) and other wide-ranging #ornithology topics, including ~30% #OpenAccess papers.

www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/7...

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI, bird flu) virus infections have historically been most commonly associated with wild Eurasian waterfowl with...

Our article, a birder’s guide to HPAI, was published today in @britishbirds.bsky.social - it’s open access this month.

We explain how bird-flu infected seabirds in 2021/22 and the importance of citizen science to montoring future outbreaks in the wild. 🪶🧪

britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...

Change of Speaker for tomorrow evening’s meeting. Voyages with Viking by Chris Bielby in Stockton Library (TS18 1TU) Meeting starts at 7:30 pm room open from 7 pm for tea & coffee. Visitors are welcome. Note: Riverside Rd is closed see website @teesbirds.bsky.social @northyorksbirds.bsky.social

Discussion in the DBC WhatsApp group yesterday suggested that at least 166 sp have been observed in the recording area in January. No super rarities yet, but a good number of scarer winter geese makes a great start to the year!

Six individual bird illustrations focusing on the head of the bird are lined up in a collage. Species depicted include the Goldfinch, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Pied Wagtail, Green Woodpecker and Chaffinch. Artwork by Will Rose.

✨ Vote for your favourite bird image! ✨ We need you to pick our new Birds in Greenspaces icon for our brand-new mobile phone app!

Vote here ➡️ bit.ly/VoteBiGsIcon

Will it be the Goldfinch, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Pied Wagtail, Green Woodpecker or Chaffinch? 🤔

Voting closes on 15 February.

Saltmarsh GHG Inventory Research key to ensuring the carbon benefits of saltmarsh restoration are recognised in national carbon accounting

We work on multiple research projects to build the evidence base needed for future reporting on saltmarsh.

These efforts are summarised on the UKCEH Saltmarsh GHG Inventory project area: www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/...

3/3 🧪

Absolutely brilliant flock of Tundras at Boldon Colliery this p.m. Bloomin' marvellous things. Nice one Pete! 😃 👍

Next local outing-NORTH GARE & SEATON SNOOK
Sat. 7th February 26. Join Julie Mason & Chris Sharp for a walk. Looking for sea duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Eider, Grebes & Divers. At the Snook will look for Twite and poss. Snow Buntings. Meet 9.30 a.m in North Gare CP @teesbirds.bsky.social

Next Meeting-Petrels on thin ice-the past, present and future of the world's most southerly seabirds"? Mon 2 February in Stockton Library (TS18 1TU) Meeting starts at 7:30 pm room open from 7 pm for tea & coffee. Visitors are welcome. Note: Riverside Rd is closed see website @teesbirds.bsky.social

A collage of photos showing BTO Bird Camp activities, including a group of young people looking at plants, a young person drawing at a table, a young person looking through binoculars and a close-up of a caterpillar. In the middle is an orange circle with white wording that reads: Bird Camps 2026. The BTO Youth logo is above this.

Bird Camps are back! 🙌 Apply for a FREE place now ➡️ www.bto.org/birdcamps

If you’re a nature lover aged 11-17 (12-16 in Scotland) join us and fellow nature enthusiasts for a weekend of birding, exploring and nature-based activities. 🐦🦋 @scottishbirding.bsky.social

A few record shots taken in murky conditions of the four Tundra Bean Geese I found at Cowpen Bewley today. Nice to get in on the recent influx. The first in Cleveland since early January 2023! #NEbirding

Fantastic effort, Fred!

Skerne Wood in Sedgefld - a tiny linear strip N of Sedgefld adj to Netpark. There’s 100s of these patches across the county, all supporting countless nos of birds, many red listed. In 2025 Skerne held 161 pairs breeding of 34 species - 2025 census report www.sedgefieldweb.co.uk/THE%202025%2...