Confusing woodland warblers

Photo by Phil Gates

A willow warbler, a migrant that spends the winter in Sub-Saharan Africa, was also noted for the first time this year on Saturday, singing by the car park of the Botanical Gardens. The willow warbler’s close relative the chiff-chaff has been heard singing around Durham for the last few weeks now. The two species, which are difficult to separate by eye, can be easily told apart by their very different songs. Click on the links below to listen to their song (click the play buttons):

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/willowwarbler/

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/chiffchaff/

Don’t forget to record sightings of these or any other species on the Greenspace Biodiversity link:

http://www.dur.ac.uk/greenspace/internalpartners/biodiversity/records/

Spring has sprung



photo by Phil Gates

 One swallow does not a summer make – or so the saying goes. But if two swallows do, then we’re in luck as the first two swallows were sighted around the Mountjoy Site on Saturday morning.

The two birds, one male and one female were seen flying around the top of the site. Males can easily be told from females by their much longer tails. These two birds could have spent last winter as far south as Cape Town in South Africa before travelling back to Durham.

Spring Woodland Wildflowers

Any of the University's extensive mature woodland areas are a pleasure to visit in Spring. Not only does birdsong fill the air but the common spring flowers are showing their heads and brightening up the lengthening days.  Earliest out is the wood anemone.

Then the bluebells follow.

Perhaps the best bluebell show of all is in Great High Wood, which has a good footpath network readily accessible from the Mountjoy site (follow the track that angles off the main site road just past the smaller of the car parks adjacent to Engineering) or cut into the woods from Hollingside Lane just past the entrance to the Botanic Garden.

It is also well worth stopping to take a close look at the beautiful smaller white flowers of the wood sorrel.

Swifts

A pilot study of Swift nesting boxes has begun at two University colleges, Grey and Josephine Butler, this month. This joint project between Durham University, Durham Biodiversity Action Partnership and Durham Bird Club will monitor the boxes in the hope that migrating birds will breed this summer. Swifts arrive from Africa and look for nesting sites. Most make their home in roof spaces, entering through gaps in tiles or under the eaves. Others nest in the gaps in crumbling brickwork. However, they are struggling to find suitable homes in towns and cities due to the British public's obsession with home improvement.

Swifts are one of the most graceful and speedy summer visitors to Britain. They are such good fliers, they even sleep on the wing. Their wings are scythe-shaped, while their tails are forked.  They eat flying insects and airborne spiders. Unlike swallows, they never perch on wires.

We are very grateful to construction company Laing O'Rourke for assistance in erecting the boxes.