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A local, fairly common resident (Birds of Hertfordshire 1986) ???
Hawfinches appear to have rapidly declined, not only in Hertfordshire but in SE England and East Anglia as a whole. By contrast, Hawfinches are flourishing in the polder plantations of the Netherlands. As yet we have no real idea why they are declining here, but it may be possible to test a few theories.
Are Hawfinches really as rare in the county as the records suggest?
The Bird Club is keen to encourage a few observers to search key sites at critical times in order to be better informed about the local situation.
Hawfinches can be very secretive in the breeding season but in April they often form noisy, conspicuous groups in the areas where they will eventually settle to breed. We are asking observers if they could visit either one of the sites listed below or any other wood with potential for Hawfinches twice during April, walking slowly around the whole site to record any Hawfinches seen or heard.
Historical sites for Hawfinch:
Ashridge
Broxbourne Woods
Plashes Wood
Post Wood, Ware
Tewin-Bulls Green area
Whippendell Woods
If anyone is interested or has information on Hawfinches, please contact Graham White direct at gjwhite@arsenalfc.net for further information.
Many thanks, Graham White
News from the 2000 Herts Bird Club Conference
The annual Bird Club Conference on 26th February saw a good turn out at Rothamstead Experimental Station. For me, having spent a long time away from the county, it was good to be able to catch up with people and put some faces to names of people who have submitted records to the website!
Gordon Wyatt of English Nature opened the conference to be followed by a talk on the history of Amwell Gravel Pits by Jim Gooch of RM Aggregates and Graham White, Conservation Manager of the Herts and Middx Wildlife Trust, and active Herts birder. We heard about all the work that has been done at the site from the early days right through to the present day.
Norfolk farmer Mike O'Leary was up next, with a presentation about managing his farm for birds and other wildlife. Much of the work is based around the Countryside Stewardship scheme but the results he has achieved were very impressive. If only all farmers would think as Mike does!
After the interval, Richard Bullock from the Wilfowl and Wetlands Trust told us about the work going on at Barn Elms Reservoir. The site is about to be opened as a new wetland centre by the Trust and the transformation Richard took us through, from concrete-sided reservoir to a diverse marsh/wetland, was very impressive indeed. There was no denying the scale of their work and the site is certain to become an invaluable one to wildlife in Greater London.
Finally, leading photographer David Cottridge wrapped things up by presenting an entertaining talk about attracting birds to your garden. Many good ideas accompanied his excellent photographs and it was a fine way to conclude this year's conference.
The Herts Bird Club AGM took place during the interval and the main item to come out of it was the announcement of Mike Ilett as the new Hertfordshire Recorder. He takes over from Rob Young, who stands down with our thanks for his unending hard work over the last nine years, especially hard with the recent increase in number of submitted records. Mike's address is on the Contact page and his email address will be available shortly.
Gareth Watkins
Graham White would like to announce a vacancy for the position of warden at Rye Meads HMWT Reserve. Further details will be posted shortly but in the meantime, please email Graham at gjwhite@arsenalfc.net for more information.
Christina Romagosa is a graduate student at the University of Florida, affiliated with the Florida Museum of Natural history and she is in need of help with her current work. Her research focuses on the Eurasian Collared Dove and its close relative the Barbary Dove (Streptopelia decaocto and S. risoria respectively), and their introduction and spread through North America. She is basically attempting to determine whether the populations derive from one or more introduction points by analysing DNA from the birds' feathers. To get comparable data she needs samples from birds around Europe but more importantly from Britain as our island was used as the main stepping stone from the continent across the Atlantic.
So two things to help her, feathers collected from a roost site or a corpse if plucking feels undesirable, (either primaries, secondaries or breast feathers would suffice). In either case please send them to me here at Rothamsted (address below) as we have organised export permits for transportation. The only information required is where and when the sample was found. If you're sending a dead corpse then please wrap and parcel well, all postage costs will be reimbursed.
Many thanks, Mike Russell
Ent/Nem Department Rothamsted Experimental Station HARPENDEN Herts AL5 2JQ