Spring again has been a special time at the Trust’s HQ at Rainton Meadows. Fast growing as one of the most popular haunts for many of the regions bird watchers, the site certainly hasn’t disappointed these last few months.
The spring migration appeared to of got underway at full steam with the arrival of large numbers of chiff chaff and willow warbler. The highlight for many though was the arrival of 3 black necked grebes in late May.
Annually, only around 50 breeding pairs mate in the UK, so their arrival sparked great interest as breeding black necked grebes in County Durham are quite rare. Although they didn’t breed they stayed around long enough for everyone to get their fill of these beautiful birds. Other highlights have included the return of little ringed plover and a male marsh harrier in May hunting over the ponds.
