43 



NOTES on BIRDS of DURHAM. 



The Nuthatch as a' Durham Bird.— The Nuthatch {Sitta europcea), 

 one of the most beautiful species of British birds, is only a rare casual 

 visitant to the north of England. The late John Hancock, in his 'Catalogue 

 of the Birds of Northumberland and Durham' (1874), states that he knows 

 of no instance of the occurrence of this bird in Northumberland, and I have 

 never heard of its appearance in that county since that date, though it may 

 have appeared. Mr. Hancock states that [in Durham] it bred regularly 

 30 or 40 years ago [about 1834-1844] in the Bishop's Park at Bishop 

 Auckland, but it is no longer to be found there. The late Robert Calvert 

 in his 'Geology and Natural History of the County of Durham ' (1884), says 

 'this bird was quite common in the Bishop's Park at Bishop Auckland, 

 50 years since, but it is now a rare casual visitor — I have not seen one 

 for 30 years.' The late Thomas Hann informed me that he had found the 

 Nuthatch near, and preserved specimens from, Whitworth Hall and Old 

 Park Hall, near Byer's Green, between i860 and 1880. Can any reader of 

 ' The Naturalist ' give any records for Durham later than these years, or 

 give any records at all for Northumberland? Perhaps some ornithological 

 observer could oblige the readers with notes on the Nuthatch as a north of 

 England bird, dealing with its occurrence in the counties of which ' The 

 Naturalist' is the recording journal. — J. W. Fawcett, Satley, Darlington, 

 20th November 1900. 



The Waxwing as a Durham Bird. — The Waxwing (Ampelis garrulus) 



is a casual visitor in the county of Durham, appearing at irregular periods, 

 generally in severe winters, and often in great numbers. They feed chiefly 

 on the berries of the mountain ash or rowan tree, hawthorn, holly, ivy, 

 juniper, and wild rose. 



The following are the records of the appearance of this bird in the 

 county of Durham, from my ' Birds of Durham ' (1890) and naturalist's note 

 book : — The Waxwing appeared at Greatham, near Stockton, in 1829, and 

 was also seen in different parts of the county in 1835. The late 

 Thomas Grundy, my collaborator in ' Notes on the Birds of the Derwent 

 Valley ' (1891), shot three on the Bradley estate between the rivers Derwent 

 and Tyne, in this county, between 1836 and 1847, and between 1847 anc * 

 1854 he shot either seven or nine, at Norwood, on the river Team, on the 

 Ravensworth estate, where they were feeding on holly berries. Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney, jun., told Mr. J. Hancock that 19 specimens were captured in 

 South Durham in 1849. It was of rather common occurrence in this county 

 in 1850. It also appeared in 1863, when several were shot in various parts 

 of this county, one as far west as Wearhead. It again appeared in the 

 winters of 1866 and 1867, in both years of which it was rather abundant, 

 especially in December and January of the latter year. In the former year 

 it was very abundant in Weardale, and some large flocks, one of which was 

 computed to number some hundreds, were seen. Several smaller flocks 

 were noticed near the city of Durham. In the latter part of September 

 1870, over a hundred made their appearance in Weardale, where they 

 remained until the latter part of November, when they disappeared. Some 

 dozens were shot, and the Tinkler brothers, the local taxidermists, pre- 

 served over 60 specimens for various persons. Some were also seen in the 

 Upper Derwent Valley that same year, and Mr. J. F. Robinson (the founder 

 and first president of the Vale of Derwent Naturalists' Field Club) told me 

 that one was shot at Lockhaugh, in the lower part of that valley, between 

 Rowland's Gill and Winlaton, that same year. Stragglers were also seen 

 in various parts of the county — Teesdale, Weardale, and Lower Derwent — 

 in the winters of 1871-2, 1878-9, and 1883-4. At least six of these birds 

 remained about the hedge-rows near Neasham, on the Tees, from December 

 1885 to March 1886, feeding on the hips and haws. Two were shot near 

 Darlington in November 1886, and several were noticed in the vicinity of 

 the city of Durham in March 1887. Of late years the appearance of the 

 Waxwing in Durham has been very scant. — J. W. FAWCETT, Author of 

 'The Birds of Durham,' etc., 20th November 1900. 



1901 February 1. 



