2004 Tyttenhanger Bird Report

P Christian, R Flesher, G Knight

The incentive of a Hertfordshire Year-List Challenge provided much of the stimulus for a year that probably showed much greater coverage of the site than in any of the previous years since the last Challenge. As this was 1996 – the last time in which a report for the site was also produced – 2004 seems to mark a point at which it is appropriate to update the information available on the avifauna of what is undoubtedly one of Hertfordshire’s best known sites.

This report provides a detailed synopsis of the bird records for the area colloquially known as Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits for the year 2004. For those of you that have seen the 1996 report for the site (Brew, 1997) you will notice some similarities to that report in both the layout and information included. Hopefully this will allow for ready comparison between the two reports.

In addition to the detailed systematic list of observations we have also attempted to provide a short review of the physical and structural changes that have occurred on the site in 2004 along with a review of the ornithological year. There is also an updated map of the site – although given the changes that occur as a result of the mineral extraction this should be taken as a guide rather than as a definitive representation of the area.

This report has drawn heavily on the 1996 Report (Brew, 1997) and has made use of as many other resources as possible. However, we readily admit that we may have missed records and so would encourage you to contact us with any further information that you may have.

Finally, if you enjoy reading this report then please let us know either via the email address below or through the Hertsbirding Yahoo! Group (see: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hertsbirding/) Likewise, if you did not enjoy reading it then also let us know – preferably with some suggestions for how we can make it better in future years. Most of all, enjoy the site and enjoy your birding.

Peter Christian (Equus96@aol.com)
Ricky Flesher
Graham Knight
January 2006

Download the report; PDF file 600k