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
More photographs here, on our Flickr page, in our Photo Gallery and Facebook. Follow 'Herts Bird News' on Twitter.
When posting news on Twitter use the hashtag #hertsbirds so others can search for the latest news on Herts birds.
Latest news
Focus on......Bar-tailed Godwit
The sighting of a Bar-tailed Godwit flying around over Stanborough Gravel Pits near St Albans on Sunday 10th March 2024 was quite a surprise. Part of the surprise was in that it was accompanied by several species of wader – Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Redshank but the real surprise was in its early arrival.
Typically, this species appears in Herts in late April with most records falling in either the last week of April or the first week of May. There are just three previous records of March Bar-tailed Godwits in 1990, 2013 and 2018. While most records are from the spring period, Bar-tailed Godwits are also recorded in autumn and indeed have occurred in all months save June.
Since 2000 there have been around 150 sightings of Bar-tailed Godwits in Herts,
Stocker's Lake Heron nest Livestream
Friends of Stocker’s Lake (FoSL) is currently streaming live pictures from an active heron nest at Stocker’s Lake which hosts the largest heronry in Herts. Three eggs were laid in early February and these started to hatch on March 9th. To view the stream and for more information visit www.fosl.org.uk/livestream. There you will also find information on how to access recordings from earlier in the season.
Conference highlights varying fortunes of wildfowl and wetland birds in Herts
The 2024 Hertfordshire Bird Conference drew a capacity audience at Affinity Water’s headquarters in Hatfield on Sat 2nd March 2024.
Go to 2024 Herts Bird Conference for a full write up and links to watch each presentation.
Herts Bird Photo of the Year 2023 - WINNER
Congratulations to Andy Day whose photo of a Chiffchaff amidst spring blossom was voted Herts Bird Photo of the Year 2023 at the Herts Bird Conference on 2 March 2024.
Andy's beautiful capture at King's Meads received the most votes of the ten photos on display at the conference.
View all ten finalists here > 2023 Bird Photo Finalists
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.
Latest HNHS publication
Beetles of Hertfordshire
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.
Taken a good photograph?
Please send us your Herts bird photos for display on the website, email them to the Bird Club photos team at Herts Bird Photos. with a note of where and when they were taken. A selection will be displayed on this page, added to the photo gallery and/or chosen to illustrate the annual Hertfordshire Bird Report.
For more photographs, visit the gallery.