Herts Bird Photo of the Year 2019 - Winner!
Well done to Gill Merritt whose excellent image of Kestrels at Tyttenhanger was voted Herts Bird Photo of the Year 2019 at the Herts/BTO Bird Conference on 29 February 2020.
And congratulations to all photographers who made the final ten as drawn up by the Herts Bird Committee from over 500 photos sent into the Herts Bird Club throughout 2019.
Go to 2019 Bird Photo of the Year Finalists to view the ten finalists voted for at the conference.
Thank you to all those who voted and to everyone who sends in photos.
Herts Christmas Bird Count 2019
Thank you to everyone who took part in the Herts Christmas Bird Count, both out finding and counting birds and sending records to the website. Subject to any late additions or changes, 111 species were recorded from 25th to 31st December 2019, two more than the same period in 2018; a great effort. A full list a species recorded can be viewed here: Christmas Bird Count.
A special thanks to all those who went the 'extra mile' targeting species that, as the period progressed, hadn't yet been recorded. By close of play on 29th Dec the total had reached the same as 2018, 109, and with no additional species recorded on the 30th nor throughout much of the day on the 31st it looked like we were going to end on the same number. But then, at 3.06pm on 31st Dec, a tweet came through from Murray Orchard that he was out looking for one Herts resident species yet to be recorded.....
Read Murray's excellent account of what happened next below....
"As the year was drawing to a close I?d been trying to make the most of opportunities to catch up on a few birds I?d not seen in 2019. This involved a couple of trips to Kent at the expense of more local birding over the festive period, and helping with the Herts Christmas Bird Count. I had tried to add Hen Harrier to the list
Hertfordshire Bird Report 2018 - Out Now!
The Hertfordshire Bird Report 2018 is published and has been sent to HNHS/Bird Club members.
The report includes a review of each of the 192 species recorded in Hertfordshire in 2018 including Pallid Harrier and Penduline Tit, both new to the county.
Read more here: Hertfordshire Bird Report 2018 including how non-members can get a copy of this excellent publication.
Herts Christmas Bird Count
Total for records received up to 31-12-19, 11.30pm: 111 species
Cover photo of a robin in the snow ? Gary Sanderson
Herts Bird Videos now available on the website!
Videos of Hertfordshire birds, as uploaded to YouTube, can now be viewed on the website. Go to the Videos sub menu within the Gallery menu - Herts Birds Videos.
If you have recorded a video of birds in Hertfordshire, and are happy for it to be showcased on the website, please email the YouTube link to Herts Bird Photos with a note of where and when it was taken, and a selection will be added to the gallery. As this is new, videos from the last few years are gratefully received!
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HNHS News
Trevor James BEM 1947-2020
With great sadness we report that Trevor James, Hertfordshire's long-time recorder for flora and beetles and an outstanding all-round naturalist, died peacefully in the Garden House Hospice, Letchworth on Friday 5 June.
Trevor made a remarkable contribution to the study, understanding and recording of wildlife in the county where he lived for most of his life. He actively promoted 'citizen science' through his own volunteering and the generous practical help and encouragement he offered so that less experienced enthusiasts could develop their skills.
2020 Festival of Wildlife cancelled
We are sorry to report that the 2020 Festival of Wildlife, due to take place on 25 and 26 July at Panshanger Park, has been cancelled as a consequence of the continuing Covid-19 emergency.
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and Tarmac plc, who organise the annual festival in association with HNHS, have decided that a mass-participation event would not be appropriate at the end of July even if the current lockdown has been partially or wholly lifted by then.
Pioneering monitoring methods explained at Bird Conference
Pioneering ways to monitor bird movements, including their frustrations as well as achievements, featured at the 2020 Hertfordshire Bird Conference on Saturday 29 February.
A capacity audience at the Affinity Water offices in Hatfield, heard how a sound dish electronically capturing the calls of overflying night-time birds in a garden near the M25 has yielded records of unexpected species such as Black-necked Grebe, Common Scoter and Lapland Bunting as well as mass seasonal movements of Redwings and other thrushes.