Birds to See in Durham in December
117 species matching this filter.
Durham in December offers rewarding birdwatching across its diverse landscapes, from the rugged Pennine uplands to the sheltered estuaries and reservoirs of the lowlands. With 117 species recorded during this month, winter visitors such as Fieldfare, Eurasian Woodcock and Common Merganser join resident favourites like Barn Owl, Great Tit and Magpie. The county's mix of farmland, woodland and wetland habitats makes it an excellent destination for winter birding.
Resident
(96)
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
A rare but year-round resident, hunting over rough grassland and farmland. Ghostly white form sometimes seen at dusk along country lanes.
Year-round
Black Grouse
Lyrurus tetrixLC
A rare and declining resident of moorland edges and rough pasture in the Durham dales. Males display at traditional lek sites in spring.
Year-round
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
A rare year-round visitor to Durham's wetlands and coastal mudflats. Numbers have increased nationally but sightings here remain scarce.
Jun–Apr
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
One of Durham's most familiar garden birds, resident year-round. Continental migrants bolster numbers in autumn and winter.
Year-round
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
An abundant and familiar garden resident year-round, also thriving in woodland, hedgerows, and parks across the county.
Year-round
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
An uncommon but year-round resident of Durham's hedgerows and woodland edges, often betrayed by its soft, piping call.
Year-round
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
An uncommon year-round resident, often seen soaring over farmland and woodland. Numbers have increased significantly in recent decades.
Year-round
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
An uncommon but well-established resident on lakes, rivers and park ponds throughout the county year-round.
Year-round
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
A common and adaptable resident found across all habitats from urban centres to upland pastures throughout the year.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
A common and familiar resident of Durham's woodlands, hedgerows, and gardens, with a bold, ringing song heard year-round.
Year-round
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
A year-round resident found in woodlands and gardens across Durham. Its repetitive 'chiff-chaff' song is one of the earliest signs of spring.
Year-round
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Common year-round in coniferous and mixed woodland, readily visiting garden feeders. Often hoards seeds for winter.
Year-round
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Present year-round on farmland, playing fields, and reservoirs. More numerous in winter when northern birds boost local numbers.
Year-round
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
An uncommon year-round resident along clean rivers and streams. A flash of electric blue darting low over the water reveals its presence.
Year-round
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
An uncommon resident breeding along the River Wear and Tees. Often seen in small parties fishing on fast-flowing stretches.
Year-round
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
A common resident found across farmland, woodland edges and hedgerows throughout the county, largely sustained by annual releases.
Year-round
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
A rare but increasing resident, favouring the western uplands and Pennine fringe. Deep cronking calls betray its presence.
Aug–May
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
A rare resident found in birch and alder woodland, sometimes visiting garden feeders in winter with siskin flocks.
Year-round
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
A rare but near year-round presence offshore. Small flocks are seen from the Durham coast, with numbers peaking during passage.
May–Mar
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
An uncommon resident breeding along the Durham coast and estuaries. Also found inland at reservoirs and gravel pits.
Year-round
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
A scarce year-round resident of boggy moorland and wet meadows. Its drumming display in spring is heard on Durham's uplands but declining breeding numbers.
Year-round
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
A common resident seen in towns, farmland and gardens throughout the year. Winter roosts can form spectacular murmurations over Durham's urban areas.
Year-round
Coot
Fulica atraLC
An uncommon resident found on larger lakes and reservoirs across the county. Numbers may increase in winter with visiting birds.
Year-round
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
A common resident breeding on Durham's upland moors and rough pastures. Its evocative bubbling call is a defining sound of the county's moorlands.
Year-round
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
A charismatic resident of fast-flowing rivers and streams in the Pennine dales and Wear valley. Bobs on rocks year-round, even in winter spate.
Year-round
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
An uncommon year-round resident found on coastal mudflats and upland moorland breeding sites. Numbers peak in autumn with passage birds.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common resident throughout Durham, found in gardens, hedgerows, and woodland undergrowth year-round. Often heard before seen.
Year-round
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
An uncommon year-round resident along the Durham coastline. Breeds on rocky shores and forms moulting rafts offshore in summer.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
An uncommon resident of gardens, farms and suburban areas throughout Durham. Its monotonous three-note call is a familiar sound.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident of mature broadleaved and mixed woodland. Often heard giving its harsh screeching call.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
An uncommon but increasing resident of mature deciduous woodland. Listen for its loud ringing call in parks and wooded valleys across the county.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
A common resident breeding on shingle beaches, river gravels and farmland. Noisy and conspicuous along the Durham coast and rivers.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident favouring conifer plantations and alder-lined waterways. Numbers fluctuate, with winter flocks visiting garden feeders in some years.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Uncommon resident of open farmland and upland pastures. Declining nationally, but its song flight still graces Durham's fields.
Year-round
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
An uncommon resident favouring farmland with hedgerows and rural gardens, less tied to buildings than its commoner cousin.
Year-round
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
An uncommon resident, with numbers swelling in winter when Icelandic and Scandinavian birds join locals on reservoirs and flooded fields.
Year-round
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A scarce resident of Durham's mature woodlands, most often seen during its roding display flights at dusk in spring. Winter numbers boosted by continental arrivals.
Oct–Jun
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
One of Durham's most abundant residents, found in almost every habitat from gardens to moorland edges. Its powerful song belies its tiny size.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common and increasing resident, flocking on teasel and thistle heads across Durham's gardens and waste ground year-round.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
A common resident found year-round along the coast, at tips, and in urban areas. Noisy and conspicuous across Durham's towns.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
A beloved year-round resident of gardens, woodland and hedgerows. One of the most confiding birds in Durham, often singing through winter.
Year-round
European Shag
Phalacrocorax aristotelisLC
A rare resident along Durham's rocky coastline. Smaller and darker than the Great Cormorant, with a distinctive wispy crest in spring.
Jun–Mar
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
An uncommon year-round resident favouring lakes and reservoirs with vegetated margins. Has increased in recent decades across the region.
Year-round
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
A tiny resident of coniferous and mixed woodland, present year-round. Numbers swell in autumn with continental migrants arriving along the coast.
Year-round
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
An uncommon resident breeding on upland moors in summer. Large flocks gather on lowland fields in autumn and winter.
Year-round
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
An uncommon but imposing resident, seen year-round along the coast and at reservoirs. The largest gull in the region.
Year-round
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
A common year-round resident found along rivers, reservoirs, and the coast. Often seen perched with wings outstretched to dry.
Year-round
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
An uncommon resident breeding on larger lakes and reservoirs. Performs its elaborate courtship display in spring at sites across Durham.
Year-round
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
An uncommon year-round resident of mature woodland and parks. Its loud drumming in spring echoes through Durham's deciduous woods.
Year-round
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Common resident in gardens, woodland, and parkland throughout the year. Its loud, ringing song is heard from January onwards.
Year-round
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
An uncommon resident visiting garden feeders, though numbers have declined sharply due to trichomonosis disease.
Year-round
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, found along rivers, ponds, and wetlands. Often seen standing motionless at the water's edge.
Year-round
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
A rare and declining resident of arable farmland in lowland Durham. Numbers have fallen sharply due to agricultural intensification.
Year-round
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
An uncommon resident along Durham's fast-flowing rivers and streams, bobbing its long tail on rocks year-round.
Year-round
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
An uncommon year-round resident found on reservoirs, lakes and farmland. Feral populations breed locally alongside truly wild birds.
Year-round
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
A common resident closely tied to Durham's towns and villages, nesting under eaves and gathering in noisy colonies.
Year-round
Jackdaw
Corvus monedulaLC
Common and sociable resident, nesting in old buildings, church towers, and tree cavities. Often seen in noisy flocks with rooks.
Year-round
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
An uncommon year-round resident, hovering over roadside verges and open farmland. One of Durham's most visible birds of prey.
Year-round
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Uncommon year-round resident, more numerous in summer. Frequents the coast, landfill sites, and inland water bodies.
Year-round
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
An uncommon resident of Durham's gorse-covered commons and farmland hedgerows, declining due to loss of seed-rich habitats.
Year-round
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
A recent colonist now resident year-round, favouring the Wear and Tees estuaries and coastal pools. Still uncommon but increasingly established.
Year-round
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
An uncommon year-round resident on sheltered ponds, lakes, and slow rivers. Often heard before seen, with a distinctive trilling call.
Year-round
Little Owl
Athene noctuaLC
A rare resident of lowland farmland with old trees and stone walls. Often bobs comically when perched; most active at dawn and dusk.
Nov–Sep
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Resident all year, often seen in noisy family flocks moving through hedgerows and woodland. Regularly visits garden feeders in winter.
Year-round
Magpie
Pica picaLC
A bold and familiar resident, common in gardens, parks, and farmland throughout the county all year round.
Year-round
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
The commonest duck in the county, found year-round on rivers, lakes, park ponds and farmland pools throughout Durham.
Year-round
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustrisLC
A rare and declining resident near the northern edge of its UK range. Favours mature deciduous woodland with dense understorey.
Year-round
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
An uncommon resident of Durham's moorlands and rough grasslands, delivering its parachuting song flight over the Pennine fringes.
Year-round
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
An uncommon but widespread resident of parkland and open woodland. Often sings from exposed treetops even in midwinter.
Year-round
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
A common resident of ponds, rivers and waterways throughout Durham. Readily seen on urban park lakes and along the River Wear.
Year-round
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
An uncommon year-round resident gracing the River Wear and larger lakes. Pairs breed on sheltered waterways across the county.
Year-round
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
A common resident of Durham's farmland and upland pastures year-round. Declining nationally but still seen in tumbling display flights over fields in spring.
Year-round
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
An uncommon resident on shallow wetlands and reservoirs. Numbers peak in autumn and winter when migrants bolster local birds.
Aug–Jun
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Rare resident, famously nesting on Durham Cathedral. Hunts pigeons over the city rooftops and along the river corridor.
Jun–Apr
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
A rare year-round resident on deeper lakes and reservoirs. Numbers have declined significantly in recent decades across the UK.
Year-round
Red Kite
Milvus milvusLC
A rare but increasingly seen resident, soaring over farmland and woodland edges. Durham lies at the edge of its expanding range.
Feb–Dec
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
A rare resident seen offshore most of the year. Often flies low over the sea in ones and twos past Durham's coastal watchpoints.
Jun–Mar
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
An uncommon year-round resident found on coastal mudflats and inland wet grasslands. Its loud piping alarm call is distinctive at breeding sites.
Year-round
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
An uncommon year-round resident of wetlands, reedbeds, and damp ditches. Often seen at sites like Rainton Meadows and along river margins.
Year-round
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
An uncommon resident nesting on shingle beaches and river gravels. Numbers bolstered by passage birds in spring and autumn.
Year-round
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
An uncommon resident; feral populations frequent towns and coastal cliffs. True wild-type birds may persist along the Durham coast.
Year-round
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Uncommon resident found in farmland rookeries, though declining across the region. Gregarious, often feeding in ploughed fields.
Year-round
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
An uncommon but year-round presence on Durham's rocky shoreline, flipping stones and seaweed to find invertebrates. Most numerous outside summer.
Year-round
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
A scarce but year-round visitor to Durham's sandy beaches, often seen in small flocks running along the tideline. Most numerous on passage.
May–Mar
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
A rare resident of upland moors and rough grassland. Hunts with buoyant, wavering flight low over the ground, mainly at dawn and dusk.
Aug–May
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
A common resident of gardens, hedgerows and woodland across Durham. Its melodious, repetitive song is heard from late winter onwards.
Year-round
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
An uncommon year-round resident of woodlands and gardens. Dashes through hedgerows and along garden fences in pursuit of small birds.
Year-round
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
An uncommon but widespread resident of mature woodland and parkland, often nesting in tree holes across lowland Durham.
Year-round
Stonechat
Saxicola torquatusLC
A scarce resident found year-round on Durham's coastal gorse and upland heath, often perching prominently on bushes.
Year-round
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
A rare but year-round resident of mature woodland. More often heard than seen, its familiar hooting carries through Durham's woods at night.
Year-round
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
An unobtrusive resident that spirals up tree trunks in mature woodland and parkland. Present year-round but easily overlooked.
Year-round
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
An uncommon year-round resident on lakes and reservoirs. Breeds locally and numbers increase in winter with Continental arrivals.
Year-round
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
A rare but increasingly recorded resident, favouring reedbeds and wetland margins. Durham sightings reflect a wider national recovery.
Jun–Mar
Willow Tit
Poecile montanusLC
Uncommon resident of damp woodland and scrubby hedgerows. A nationally declining species, Durham remains a relative stronghold.
Year-round
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
An abundant resident found in gardens, parks, woodland, and farmland throughout the county. Numbers swell in autumn with continental immigrants.
Year-round
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
An uncommon resident of hedgerows and farmland edges. Has declined significantly but still found year-round in lowland agricultural areas.
Year-round
Non-breeding
(18)
Arctic Loon
Gavia arcticaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor in winter months, occasionally seen offshore or on larger reservoirs. Scarcer than Red-throated Loon.
Oct–Feb
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
A rare non-breeding visitor to the Durham coast, mainly seen on passage at estuaries and rocky shores outside the summer months.
Jul–Mar
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulusLC
An irruptive winter visitor, occasionally descending on Durham's berry-laden trees in towns during cold spells from December to February.
Dec–Feb
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
A rare winter visitor from Scandinavia, sometimes joining chaffinch flocks at woodland edges and farmland from October to April.
Oct–Apr
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
A rare winter visitor in December to February, occasionally found offshore or on large inland water bodies during cold spells.
Dec–Feb
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
An uncommon winter visitor from Scandinavia, often seen in noisy flocks on farmland and berry-laden hedgerows from October to April.
Oct–Apr
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
An uncommon winter visitor found on reservoirs and rivers, often seen diving on the Wear or at upland waters from October to April.
Oct–Apr
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to the Durham coastline, found on mudflats and rocky shores mainly from late summer through winter.
Aug–Feb
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor from autumn through to spring. Skeins may pass overhead, with small flocks occasionally settling on farmland.
Sep–Mar
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
A rare winter visitor to Durham's rocky coastline, favouring wave-washed piers and headlands. Departs by spring to breed in the Arctic.
Sep–Mar
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
A rare non-breeding visitor to the Durham coast, occasionally seen in flocks on sandy beaches and estuarine mudflats outside the summer months.
Jul–Mar
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
A rare non-breeding visitor, mainly seen along the Durham coast and river estuaries from autumn through to early spring.
Sep–Apr
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
An uncommon winter visitor from Scandinavia, arriving from October and lingering into spring. Feeds on berries in hedgerows alongside fieldfares.
Sep–Apr
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to Durham's rocky coastline, present from autumn through to early spring.
Sep–Mar
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Alexandrinus krameriLC
A rare winter visitor, well north of its main range in south-east England. Occasional sightings likely involve wandering or escaped birds.
Dec–Feb
Twite
Linaria flavirostrisLC
A rare winter visitor to Durham's coast and stubble fields, present from November to March in small flocks.
Nov–Mar
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
A rare and secretive non-breeding visitor to reedbeds and marshy wetlands, most likely encountered from autumn into winter.
Sep–Jan
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellisLC
A rare non-breeding visitor, mainly in winter and late summer. Look carefully through flocks of Herring Gulls at the coast or tips.
Aug–Feb
Passage
(3)
Serin
Serinus serinusLC
An exceptionally rare vagrant from continental Europe, with occasional December records in Durham.
Dec
Taiga Bean Goose
Anser fabalisLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally turning up in December on stubble fields or wetland margins with other wintering geese.
Dec
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fuscaVU
A rare passage visitor seen offshore in autumn and early winter. Usually spotted among Common Scoter flocks off the Durham coast.
Oct–Dec