Herts Bird Club – making the most of local birdwatching

Welcome to the Herts Bird Club website. We promote the study and recording of birds in Hertfordshire and encourage a wider interest in natural history including the conservation of wildlife habitats.

Avian Flu advice

Latest news

LOCAL PATCH BIG WEEKEND – SAT 27th & SUN 28th APRIL 2024

Back by popular demand the upcoming Local Patch Big Weekend 2024 promises to be another weekend of dedicated local birding! The weekend of Sat 27 th – Sun 28 th April sets Herts birders the challenge of scouring their local patches for what birds might be lurking on one of the top weekends for Spring migration. Hopefully those regular species won’t prove elusive and no doubt some rarities are waiting to be found. Last year plenty of Spring migrants were in evidence with Whimbrel, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit recorded along with Wheatears, Whinchats and a Redstart. Top bird was a Red-footed Falcon photographed at Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits with an arrival of several Hobbies. As before, teams will sign up via a Google document and record their sightings throughout the weekend. Prizes are on offer for, among other things, the most number of species recorded over the weekend and the ‘Best Bird’ seen.

Go to Local Patch 2024 Googlesheet to sign up!

Herts Peregrine nests - Watch the action at TWO sites

Peregrine Falcons are an established breeding species in Hertfordshire with several pairs around the county now raising young each year.

This year not one but two of regular sites have live webcams allowing close views of the nests as they progress.

St Albans

For the second year running a webcam is positioned at the nest at St Albans Cathedral. Watch the action live HERE.

Three eggs were laid between 30th March and early April. Go to HMWT St Albans Peregrines to find out more.

Watford

Launched 10 April 2024 there is now a webcam following the pair at One YMCA in Watford.

Breeding was first confirmed at the site in 2017 and this year the pair are sitting on four eggs. 

Go to OneYMCA Peregrines to access the webcam and find out more.

Request for Rookery counts - 2024

It is the time of year that rookeries are at their most active, and once again we are asking for nest counts to be submitted to the website.  Rookeries have been surveyed for a number of years in Hertfordshire, and last year, 4628 nests were recorded from 209 rookeries.  Although this was a partial survey, in areas where all known nests were counted, numbers were healthy, most showing an increase from the full county survey undertaken in 2021.

Latest Hertfordshire Bird Report

The Hertfordshire Bird Report 2022

The Hertfordshire Bird Report 2022 was published and circulated to HNHS / Herts Bird Club members in November 2023. Transactions of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society, Vol 55 (2) pp. 65-144.

Read more

Latest HNHS publication

 

Herts Invertebrate Project

Read here about how to join this new recording initiative.

Herts Atlas of Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles

Please submit sightings and field signs of mammals, amphibians and reptiles to our countywide survey, full details at the Herts MARA website.

Hertfordshire Bird Atlas

All the results from the most recent Atlas (2007-12) and both previous atlas surveys available here.

Bird records

Please send us your Herts bird sightings through the records submission page. Use the Breeding status dropdown where applicable and Comment field to add notes of interest.

Latest sightings of interest are published on the right hand side of this page, once they have been checked by a moderator. Search for older published records by month/site/species in Sightings Archive. 

 

See details of some great places to visit in Hertfordshire at this time of year.

Take part in our  projects and surveys.

Buy a book, most HNHS books are now for sale at half price or less.

The success of the site depends on you, the users, entering your records and sending in interesting information, not only sightings which can be entered online but also reports on trips and additional site guides. We also welcome feedback on what you would like to see on the site: email birdweb@hnhs.org

Injured or orphan birds ? advice here.

The Herts Bird Club is part of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society and our websites are integrated. We hope this will encourage those of you who have not investigated other aspects of wildlife in Hertfordshire to have a look around the HNHS website, discover what is available. Please submit your records of other wildlife, including mammals, amphibians, reptiles and dragonflies through the HNHS website.

Who's who in the Herts Bird Club.