The Watford Observer reports: The Liberal Democrats have selected their candidate to stand for election to Westminster in the South-West Herts constituency. Councillor Christopher Townsend, who represents Tring West and Rural for Dacorum Borough Council, has been chosen to stand against incumbent Conservative MP David Gauke at the next General Election. Wikipedia describes the constituency: This seat...
NOVEMBER 2009 SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER Heavy rain persisted throughout the morning along with blustery WNW winds making birding conditions very unpleasant. It finally cleared early morning with brighter conditions following, although the wind still remained strong. Temperatures struggled to 15 degrees C. Despite an excellent Saturday where rare wildfowl was the main theme and a dapper male Black Redstart...
Well, It's been a whil e - sorry I've been out of touch. Things have been hectic in the A Different Beat camp in the last few months, with some fantastic results! A Different Beat are now an official supplier to Champneys, Tring as part of their new stress relief day package. Watch this space for further details - you can also access the Champneys website from the A Different Beat homepage by clicking...
A LEACH'S PETREL flew in to Wilstone Reservoir just after 1435 hours this afternoon, where it was visible from the Drayton Bank Hide, flying over the northern section of the reservoir between the car park steps and the central bank. Unfortunately I was returning from Cornwall at the time (on the M5) and was on route for a special rendezvous in South Warwickshire, where an Aquatic Warbler was on the...
Following Steve Blake's remarkable discovery, I detail below the previous records of GLOSSY IBIS in the county -: 1) A bird was shot at Wilstone or Marsworth Reservoir, Tring, in October 1826 and the mounted specimen painted in watercolour by H.Higgs and exhibited in Wardown Park Museum, Luton; 2) One was shot on the lake in Ball's Park, Hertford, by a Mr Pantia Ralli, on either 10 September or 10...
MONDAY 21 SEPTEMBER Well it was a very excited Steve Blake on the phone mid morning after he had just witnessed the first-ever GLOSSY IBIS to be recorded in the county since 1887 ! The bird had flown several circuits of Tyttenhanger GP Main Pit in an attempt to land on the spit but its efforts were scuppered as its archaic profile frightened the roosting gull flock and it was consequently chased away...
TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER After failing badly in Suffolk first thing, with near gale force northerlies and driving rain, I made my way back to Hertfordshire and after a brief fattening up of my latest gathering of Edible Dormice, rushed out to Tring at pager reports of a Grey Plover at Wilstone. I was delighted to find it still present early afternoon, along with an ever-increasing throng of wildfowl and...
Boys rugby teams seem to consider any away games outside Hertfordshire to be a "long way" - even Tring is considered a major trek. For our games, anything in Hertfordshire is "local" and trips two or three counties away are normal. However something over 100 miles or so - Hampshire, say - might be a "long way". As you move up the ladder in the adult game you might reach...
Firstly, my faith in my driving and finding places ability has been restored! I got to (and home again) the Downs with no deviations or mistakes! So, yesterday I was up at Dunstable Downs as part of their Food Festival week of events, well to be more precise I was at the Chiltern Gateway Centre which is at the top of the Downs. The centre houses a great cafe which can hold plenty of people and is a...
Bird skins similar to those stolen Photograph by the Natural History Museum Over the weekend I read a disturbing story in The Guardian about a theft of bird skins from the Natural History Museum's ornithological collection at Tring (U.K.). Curators at the museum's bird collection in Tring, Hertfordshire, noticed that dozens of specimens had gone missing following a break-in on 24 June. Although the...
The Natural History Museum isn't just the South Kensington site - its bird collection, for example, is housed north of London in Tring, Hertfordshire. Many of the non-British readers might have been unaware of this; unfortunately the thieves who broke into the collection on 24th June and stole several rare bird skins were not ignorant of this fact. A statement from the Museum is online here . Professor...
Bird specimens stolen from national collection - Crime, UK - The Independent Thieves have stolen a priceless collection of tropical birds from the Natural History Museum. Curators said almost 300 brightly-coloured specimens were taken from a collection in Tring, Hertfordshire. They said the birds, some of which are more than a century old, are a priceless part of the world's ornithological heritage....
Detectives fear that almost 300 rare and "irreplaceable" tropical birds stolen from the Natural History Museum's ornithological collection could be ripped to shreds for use as fishing lures, dress adornments and costume jewellery. Curators at the museum's bird collection in Tring, Hertfordshire, noticed that dozens of specimens had gone missing following a break-in on 24 June. Although the...
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