The Great Herts Garden Bird Count: Winners
The moment you have all been waiting for.....the winners of the Great Herts Garden Bird Count.
Firstly a huge thank you to everyone that took part. We received records from over 110 gardens across the county; a fantastic response. In total, 123 species were recorded, a number beyond most peoples' expectations. A full write up will follow in due course.
So onto the winners and prizes:
1st place...
Overall winner is John Pritchard who recorded an incredible 77 species from his Shafford Farm garden. Congratulations to John who wins a wifi bird box camera and handmade wooden bird box from greenfeathers the wildlife camera specialists. 
Runner-up...
Herts 24-hour Garden Bird Race - The Results
Congratulations to Chris Gibson who won the first 24-hour Herts Garden Bird Race on Saturday 25th April 2020. Chris recorded a very impressive 50 species from his Stanstead Abbotts garden on the day and wins this exclusive mug!
Read Chris' account of his day at the end of this article.
Joint runners-up were Chris Ruis, St Albans and Paul Ward, Rickmansworth who both finished on 47 species. Go to GoogleDoc to see all counts.
On the day 31 people took part, submitting 1,005 records and recording 79 species, an average of 32 species per garden. It was a chilly start, especially for those that
The Great Herts Garden Bird Count
Throughout the month of April the Herts Bird Club will be running The Great Herts Garden Bird Count. The aim to see how many species we can record in or from our Hertfordshire gardens from 1 April - 30 April.
The rules are simple: any species seen or heard in or from your house/garden. Flyovers or birds seen/heard in neighbouring gardens or streets all count as long as you are in your garden or house at the time.
No need to register, simply submit your garden records to the Herts Bird Website and enter the word 'garden' in the Comment field.
Individual Awards
As well as a county wide count there will be individual awards for:
- The garden which records the highest number of species 1 April - 30 April (first to reach the total wins in the case of a draw)
- The garden which records the 2nd highest number of species 1 April - 30 April
- The best bird recorded (based on fewest number of historical records). First to record the species wins
Running totals will be provided throughout the month on the website and from @hertsbirds on twitter and you can share your garden sightings and photos on twitter using the hashtag #hertsgardenbirds
Get the family involved. And whilst counting and watching garden birds why not make a note of other species groups visiting your garden such as butterflies, bees, beetles, amphibians & mammals and submit records to HNHS or via a wildlife recording App such as irecord.
Surveys: COVID-19
Please read BTO statement on COVID-19, in particular the paragraph below:
"BTO?s senior leadership team has reviewed the government advice and is asking our networks of volunteers to follow the advice and remain at home. Do not travel to survey squares or fieldwork sites, or participate in BTO surveys and monitoring if by doing so you would be in breach of the government advice. Please do not leave your home to carry out a survey operated by BTO."
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.
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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.