Wetlands and gravel pits, waterbirds and waders – the 2024 Bird Conference
Join us for the 2024 Herts Bird Club Conference from 2pm to 5.30pm on Saturday 2 March at the offices of Affinity Water, Tamblin Way, Hatfield, AL10 9EZ.
It will include keynote talks on the importance of the Colne Valley wetlands for waterbirds and the increasing popularity of Stanborough Gravel Pits as a site for viewing waders and other birds.
Alongside these presentations, by Graham White and Rupert Evershed (respectively), there will be regular conference features such as Graham Knight's popular 'What did you miss?' review of Hertfordshire last year's bird sightings and results of the Hertfordshire Bird Photograph of the Year competition. Martin Ketcher will give an overview of BTO survey work across the county.
Annual lecture to consider Eurasian Beaver introduction scheme
Reintroduction of Eurasian Beavers to Britain and their role creating diverse wetlands while helping to reduce flooding will feature in the annual Gerald Salisbury Memorial Lecture taking place on Wednesday 28 February (8pm, Welwyn Civic Centre)
Sarah Brockless, Ecologist on the Spains Hall Estate Natural Flood Management Beaver Project at Finchingfield in Essex will describe how she has developed an ecological landscape plan incorporating Beaver-created wetlands. It covers 380 hectares of farmland, woodland, agro-forestry and a diverse connecting mosaic of habitat for farm and woodland species.
Water sports plan threatens Colne Valley SSSI
Our colleagues at the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust are seeking urgent support for their campaign to protect the Broadwater Lake Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) from potentially devastating plans to create a large watersports centre.
Although located just outside Hertfordshire in the London Borough of Hillingdon, the lake is part of the nationally important Colne Valley wetland system. The level of human water-based activities being proposed holds severe implications for populations of wintering wildfowl and for biodiversity across the border in Herts. as well as further south in Middlesex.
Herts Naturalist and Herts Bird Report published
Our two annual journals – The Hertfordshire Naturalist 2023 and The Hertfordshire Bird Report 2022 – have been published and mailed to members.
Congratulations and thanks go to their respective editors, Stuart Warrington and Clifford Smout, and to their editorial teams.
HNHS honours three outstanding naturalists
Three exceptional Hertfordshire naturalists were presented with HNHS awards at the Society's 2023 Autumn Meeting and AGM held on Saturday 7 October.
Specialist owl ringer Peter Wilkinson was given the Trevor James Award for an outstanding Herfordshire naturalist, butterfly expert Liz Goodyear received the 1875 Award for an outstanding contribution to natural history in the county and the Society presented its Long-Service Award to former Chairman, Peter Delaloye.
The ceremonies took place as part of a meeting that included inspiring talks on wildlife conservation and recording. These ranged through street-level community action in St Albans, habitat maintenance by anglers in Rickmansworth and a survey seeking out Water Voles along the River Lea. Links to videos of the talks and annual award presentations can be found below.