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.

Covid-19: Stay safe and observe Government rules 

Please read HNHS Statement on Covid-19

Latest news

Red Kite with wing tag found in North Herts

On 1 August 2020 Mike Ilett observed that one of eight Red Kites present at Deadman's Hill nr Sandon had a wing tag on both wings. The tags were yellow and the code on both was V3.

This bird (hatched 2018) was ringed on 19 November 2019 near Shaftesbury, north Dorset, 182km from Deadman's Hill.

The ringer notes that re-sighting reports of tagged Red Kites are low so please give those Red Kites you see an extra look; re-sightings of tagged or ringed birds are of great value to ringers to increase their knowledge of the movements of the birds.

If you do see one, or any other colour tagged/ringed species, the project and details of where to send the sighting can usually be found on this excellent website:

https://www.cr-birding.org/colourprojects

Tyttenhanger GPs Bird Report 2018

The Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits Bird Report for 2018, edited and produced by Ricky Flesher and Peter Christian, is available now.

Download you copy HERE

The Great Herts Breeding Bird Challenge

UPDATE 11th July - 1,000 breeding records received!

We have now received over 1,000 separate breeding records of 93 species for 2020. This is a big increase on previous years so many thanks to all those who have submitted records

The tables below show the numbers for selected common and scarce species, and for some a comparison with the number of records in 2018.

Please continue to submit breeding records, especially for 

Write up: The Great Herts Garden Bird Count, April 2020

April 2020 will be long remembered as the month of the garden count!

Following the outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent 'Stay Home' instruction from the Government in late March, the planned county wide bird race on 25th April had to be canceled as did the spring migration routines of most birders in what is of course the most anticipated and often

Latest Hertfordshire Bird Report

Hertfordshire Bird Report 2018

The Hertfordshire Bird Report 2018 was published and circulated to HNHS/Bird Club members in November 2019 (Transactions of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society, Vol. 52 (2), pp. 85-172.)

The report reviews each of the 192 species recorded in Hertfordshire in 2018 (down six from 2017), including Pallid Harrier and Penduline Tit, both new to the county.

Thanks go to everyone who contributed to the report not least  850 observers who submitted records.

Copies are classed as a benefit of Herts Bird Club or full HNHS membership. Non-members interested in obtaining a copy should contact the HNHS Secretary.

Read more

Latest HNHS publication

2020 subscriptions due now

Please renew your membership of HNHS and Herts Bird Club, details here.

Birds of Hertfordshire

 

Our new avifauna - Birds of Hertfordshire by Ken Smith, Chris Dee, Jack Fearnside and Mike Ilett was published on 24 February 2015.
Read the review in British Birds, here. Buy now direct from Herts Bird Club for only £34 (or £39 by post).

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.