Please note the FINAL CUT OFF DATE for the next issue is THE LAST WEEKEND of April 2017.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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RSPB North West Surrey Local Group

letter         2017 - 1Group Web Site -* rspb.org.uk/groups/nwsurrey

The views expressed by contributors to this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Committee, the Editor, or the RSPB.All trading names and references are acknowledged to be owned by their respective companies or individuals.

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COMMITTEE CHATIn our last newsletter, we welcomed Geoff Keen and Anthony Groves to the committee. This month, MickCooper and Neil Bew have indicated that they wish to stand down.

Mick has been terrific both as membership Secretary and events coordinator. In every newsletter we havebeen able to congratulate ourselves on the success of our group at events such as Wisley, Cobham,Brookwood, and others. The primary purpose of these events is to raise funds and awareness of theRSPB and our success in achieving both objectives is in no small measure due to Mick's efforts. To me,he is the king of the tombola!

Neil has given many years to supporting the group. As indoor meeting organiser, he was responsible forarranging a really fine programme and both before and after that stint he has travelled far and wide asoutdoor weekend walks organiser. He also helped run the quiz for a number of years.

Excellent birders, excellent blokes, we thank them for their energy and expertise and are assured that theywill continue to support the group despite leaving the committee.

We hope your new year resolutions will have included a determination to increase your birding and naturerelated activities. The indoor meetings represent tremendous value so you are sure of a good evening’sentertainment from our range of excellent speakers in congenial company. Get the dates in your diary andcome along, not just on your own, but bring a friend or neighbour.

Peter's midweek outdoor meetings, normally to local sites, are generally well attended but we struggle toattract good numbers to weekend venues at sites which are further away. It's your group, so let us knowwhere and when are best for you and the programme will be tailored accordingly. To join in the bird walks,you don't need to be an expert birder, just a keen one. These outings are tremendous value - well, they arefree, and are just a great way of enjoying time in the countryside.

We hope you enjoy this newsletter. We are endeavouring to provide a varied publication which hasinformation about the group activities, and also nature related articles. We rely on your contributions. It'syour magazine so don't hesitate to tell us about your bird and nature experiences, and send us your bestphotos.

The Committee.

Quiz Night  ::  Other Trips  ::   Ins & Outs  ::  Nature Ramblings  ::  Book Reviews  ::  Future Events

Trip now CANCELLED.We apologise to all, but the trip to Dungeness in April has had to be cancelled.

Group AGM Re-Scheduled datePlease note that the RSPB NWS Local Group AGM meeting is confirmed to be on

Wednesday 28th June 2017, at the normal indoor meeting venue.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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The Annual Group Quiz Night for 2017On the chilly winter`s evening of 14th January, members and their friends gathered at the New Haw Community AssociationHall for the Group`s Annual Quiz Night. There were 10 tables of six for each team, including two guest teams from the localU3A and the Guildford RSPB Local Group. The evening was organised and hosted by Ken Sutton. The questions had beenset by Geoff Porter, in a change from his usual role of being the Group`s Newsletter Editor, and by Ken Sutton.

10 rounds of 10 questionsequals 100 questions. Putthis way that is no meanfeat! Not only that, Geofforganised the technologypart of the evening inoperating the computer thatrelayed the results to thescreen, that enabled us allto follow exactly how ourteam was doing.

The names the teamschose for themselves arealways original each year,with the Quizzical Owls,Twitchwells, Rock Hoppers,Once Bittern Twice Shrike,Unusual Suspects, Noddybut Nice, The Poppets,Feeling Quizzical, U3A andPuffins.

While the teams were sorting out their team names and getting out their drinks and nibbles, the evening was started off byAlan Sharps as Group Leader. But, busy getting down to one of the main reasons for the evening, raising money for theRSPB, Barbara Pugh was doing the rounds of the tables selling raffle tickets for a good selection of prizes generouslydonated by members. Nobody was able to escape her request to be generous.

The Quiz Master as always was Steve Williams. He was soon starting with the first round on Birds. Not as easy as thebirding members thought it would be! American Presidents was current, including references being made to the present andthe soon-to-be president. Where would any self-respecting Quiz be without rounds on Sport, Science and Soaps? Luckily forany flagging teams a welcome break was declared with the arrival of the FOOD! Fish and chips, pie and chips and avegetarian option.

The second half started with a MusicalRound that gave clues to Shakespeareanconnections - unusual and not easy. Bythe end of Culture, Food & Drink and TV& Films, plus the Quiz sheets on filmsand two sorts of anagrams, the finalresults were in. Our guest team, UnusualSuspects, from RSPB Guildford groupwere the winners. It is all very well invitingguests, but to win ??

But seriously they were worthy winnersand we hope to see them next year todefend their title. The Rock Hoppers weresecond and the Quizzical Owls third.

After the prize giving and photographs, theraffle was drawn. Guess who won firstprize - not a fiddle of course - but theevening`s organiser Ken Sutton!

2017 RSPB NWS Local Group, Annual New Year’s Quiz Night

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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Alan then gave out the most important announcement of the evening that the 60 guests present had raised £370 for theRSPB for their wildlife and conservation projects. Thank you all.

I hope all those present would agree that a `Good Evening` was had by all!

And don’t forget to put next year`s date in your diary for 13th January at the same place, same time.

With thanks to my team, The Poppets.Hannah Lane

Photos provided by Alan Pugh

After final costs had been totted up, the evening has made £367 for RSPB, including £104 from the raffle.Thank you everyone !

Geoff Porter

2017 RSPB NWS Local Group, Annual New Year’s Quiz Night

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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Our next three Indoor MeetingsWednesday 22nd March 2017 - David Kjaer. The Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain.

David has been involved with the project to reintroduce great bustards since its inception thirteen years ago. A professionalphotographer, his illustrated talk will describe the project and its progress to date.

Wednesday 26th April 2017 - Operation Turtle Dove, by Bruce Fowkes.RSPB Senior Conservation officer Bruce Fowkes tells us about how the society and its partners are striving to conserve thisrapidlydeclining species. They are investigating its breeding and feeding requirements, hunting pressures on migration , andconditions in its winter home. This is a race against time which must be won to preserve an attractive denizen of our summercountryside.

Wednesday 24th May 2017 - From Hills to High Water; The Thames as a Wildlife Corridor, by Brenna Boyle.We take a virtual tour down the Thames River from source to sea. We encounter a range of habitats and wildlife. Prepare to beseduced by seals and tickled by terns.

Come along to our new venue;

* Christ The Prince Of Peace Church Hall, Portmore Way, WEYBRIDGE, Surrey, KT13 8JD.The doors open at 7.15 pm for 7.45 to 10 pm meeting. Parking is available just outsideThere are nine indoor meetings per year from September to June, excluding December.

To *Minsmere and Dunwich HeathOn a visit to Minsmere last autumn, Itook the time to visit Dunwich Heathwhich is just next door, something I hadbeen wanting to do for sometime. It hasthe highest density of breeding pairs ofDartford warblers in the country and agood number of them proved veryobliging and gave good views.

Having seen what we had wanted to seewe were pleasantly surprised to comeacross a slowworm basking in the sunon the path. Slowworms are misnamedand are in fact legless lizards and whilstnot rare, they are quite secretive and arenot often seen. They can be very fast,but can stay still to try to pretend thatthey are invisible. This one did exactlythat and we had the opportunity to havea good look at it.

They have visible eyelids unlike snakes and have the incredible ability to shed their tails (Caudal autotomy) when threatenedby a predator. The separated tip, which still wriggles, distracts thepredator, allowing the slowworm to escape. Over several years it willgrow a new tail. They are cold blooded and hibernate each winteremerging in March and April to mate in May and June. Females donot lay eggs but give birth to live young in late summer. They canlive for about 30 years in the wild, one in a zoo in Denmark madethe grand old age of 54.

They are widespread in the UK and can be found in compost heapsand indeed do a lot of good by eating slugs and snails. If you havethem in your garden consider yourself lucky.

Diane VowlesPhoto of a Dartford warbler by Nigel Blake / RSPB Images

Photo of the slowworm by Alan Pugh

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© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

A Scottish WeekendI came back from a trip to Staines reservoir very disappointed, no white tailed eagle and I needed it for my year list. Three ofus, Geoff, Graham and myself decided to put this right by driving up to Lewis for the weekend, it helped that there was ablack billed cuckoo there.

We left on the Friday evening for the drive to Uig to catch the ferry for Lochmaddy on the Isle of Lewis. Even with the three ofus sharing the driving it was a long and tiring journey (well for me it was). We had a number of stops but as the ferry did notleave till 2 pm on the Saturday we made a detour to Portree to try for a golden eagle. I was told that all we had to do wasdrive down the track and the golden eagles will be waving at you as you go past. We went up and down the track and eventook a couple of side tracks, and the only thing waving at us were sheep tails. So we made our way to the ferry port.

The ferry to Lochmaddy left from Uig, and we arrived with enough time to have a biteto eat and a cup of coffee, then it was check out the harbour for black guillemot ofwhich there were two. Then a couple of golden eagle put in an appearance and awhite tailed eagle was spotted on the rocks, a good start.

The trip over to Lochmaddy gave us more black guillemot plus, among others, puffin,razorbill, guillemot and great skua. Graham had booked a hire car which was waitingfor us, there were also one or two others in the scramble, but with Graham’s size andmy winning smile we were off and running quickly. Once out of Lochmaddy the roadsare mostly single track but our urgency gave us right of way. We arrived at the site forthe black billed cuckoo only to be told that it had not been seen for nearly four hours.

We joined the group then it was decided that we all split up to cover a greater area. This proved fruitful. After about an hourthe shout went up that the cuckoo was at the church, a long way off. Graham was further away than Geoff or myself butcloser to the car so he got in the car and drove round picking up first me then Geoff on the way.Now here is an interesting and little known fact, getting into a car with a telescope with a fullyextended tripod is not easy. He solved the problem by opening the window and hanging thetripod legs out of the window. Think about it, narrow (very!) road, people on said road, tripod legsextending out of the window. We got to the church and there it was - not good views but goodenough to see that it was a black-billed cuckoo. We stayed around for a while trying to getbetter views but it was not being helpful.

At about 6 pm we decided to go and see if we could find corncrake, We went along to a sitewhere we had seen them a few years ago; we heard them but they stayed hidden. As we werenow getting hungry we decided to go to the bunkhouse where we were spending the night thengo and eat. As we came close to where the cuckoo was first seen Graham saw a bird on thefence by the side of the road even at a distance it was obvious it was the cuckoo so he killed theengine and we coasted down. We sat in the car for about half an hour watching the bird which attimes was down to about ten feet away.

Was the day over? No. Back to the bunk house, dump everything in the room and off we go to find dinner. First stop the pub;sorry we stop serving food at 8 o clock, but it is only 5 past, sorry we stop serving food at 8 o clock. We then drive over to ahotel, sorry we stop serving food at 8 o clock, and this is with an island full of tourists. We ended up at the co-op with apacket of crisps and a cold pork pie!

4 am the next morning, and after only about 4 hours sleep, we were off again. First stop was to be for the corncrake. As wepassed the house where we had such good views of the cuckoo the night before it wasagain showing well. We stayed for a while and then it was off to find the corncrake.Driving down the track we heard not a peep, so we stopped at one end and waited. Afteronly about ten minutes one crossed the road in front of us then stayed a while on thegrass verge before disappearing into the long grass never to be seen again. We stayed awhile in the hope of seeing more but it was not to be.

So it was off to Stinky Bay (well named) as we had seen red-necked phalarope herebefore. This time we were out of luck but we did pick up a curlew sandpiper. We movedoff to a second site where we had seen a couple of breeding pairs on a previous trip. Wewere not disappointed as we spied two pair of red-necked phalarope in full breedingplumage; a bit too far for a photograph. That was the last bird we had come up for so itwas a clean sweep, and that does not happen often.

We made the decision to catch the early ferry and make our way home. Not quite theend though. As we were passing a group of houses there sitting on the post was agolden eagle. In the photograph that I was lucky to get, it looks a bit wooden, but thiswas a juvenile in moult.

Michael Cooper

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© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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The Ins and the Outs*Pagham Harbour

Thursday 27th October 2016A misty start turned into a fine, clear day for a group of nine members to wander Pagham reserve. Pagham is a large, shallownatural harbour, silting up now at the northern end but still holding passage and wintering waders and wildfowl enough todelight birdwatchers.

Having been here a couple of weeks earlier and beenforced through the fields due to a very high tide, I was abit concerned that today's high water at 11.00, mightyet be a problem. As a result, we did hurry a little onthe first part of the walk just to get to a spot I knewwhere we wouldn't get our feet wet! A short stop at theferry pool gave us our first lapwings of the day butturning onto the main pathway to Church Norton, wecould indeed see the tide rising quickly.

Our first decent view of the harbour mudflatsnonetheless showed us a nice group of twenty or soavocet, the 'Audrey Hepburn' of the birdworld as ChrisPackham calls them. Other waders in evidence

included the noisy and obvious curlew, redshank, a few grey plover and small numbers of dunlin. Numbers of all of thesewaders will build as the winter progresses. Another early winter visitor whose numbers will increase dramatically is the Brentgoose, a few were present today and even after many years of seeing and hearing them, the continual but actually quitegentle Brent calls winging their way across the harbour always give me a little lift.

We had, of course been seeing the odd buzzard on our walk but now something a little bit different. Ron, as so often, pickedit up first. I had wandered further on but Ron's call brought me back to the sight of a harris hawk perched in a tree beingannoyed by the local crows. This one came complete with jesses having been presumably lost by a falconer, a magnificentbird just the same. Sad to report that our illustrious group leader seemed pretty keen to 'tick' this one!

Looking across at Bird Island, the high tide had forced a mixed population of birds onto its shoreline, turnstone, dunlin, littleegret, cormorant and grey heron amongst them. Wildfowl across the now flooded harbour included wigeon, teal and thealways elegant pintail. Having lunched on the beach, we turned for home the checking the harbour as went. Towards the endof the homeward jaunt, we spotted an elegant, long winged shape out over the saltmarsh and just had time to enjoy the sightof an early short eared owl before it dived into the undergrowth, never to emerge again. Our last addition to the day came inthe form of two snipe feeding around the edges of the ferry pool. A pleasant day all round.

Neil BewPhoto of a teal by Neil Bew

Mid-week Walk at *Dorney/Jubilee RiverThursday 24th November 2016

Weather: Dry but overcast with a stiff north-easterly wind. 10cSix of us took part in the walk at this pleasant site. The usual ducks were seen with goodnumbers of tufties and gadwall and a few shovelers, pochard and teal. Ten little grebes were abit unusual and we had a brief glimpse of a water rail that was being chased by a moorhen,

while some had a briefglimpse of a muntjac deer.

The bushes were heaving with berries and a few redwingsand a single fieldfare were making use of the resource.Stock doves and lapwing were seen flying only. Also seenalong the river were a grey heron, cormorants, lots ofblack-headed gulls and singles of common gull and greatblack-blacked gull. Among the small birds were reedbuntings, goldfinches, Cetti’s warblers (heard only), wren(heard only) and two chiffchaffs in the favoured corner alongthe ditch. Pied wagtails were near the Eton Wick flood,together with a cracking male grey wagtail. Raptors seenwere numerous red kites, a buzzard being harassed bycrows and two kestrels.

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A quick count up suggested that we saw around 38 species between us, so quite a productive morning. Some of us thenretired to The Pineapple inn for a spot of lunch, where the doorstep sandwiches were so filling that no more food was requiredfor the rest of the day!!

Peter HambrookPhotos also by Peter Hambrook

John Wyatt. : The Birds of Ancient EgyptWednesday 23rd November 2016

I was a little sceptical when John Wyatt told me that, over many years, he had presented over 2000 talks to rspb groups. Heassured me, however that this was the case and his fluent delivery and excellent subject matter certainly supported this. He isthe world's only specialist egypyto-ornithologist and as such has spent his career identifying the birds commemorated inancient Egyptian artefacts, hieroglyphs, mummies, and sculptures.

John likened his talk to unravelling the plot of an Agatha Christie novel. Here, a mural with a falcon. But was it a peregrine or alanner? There, a bird with a pointed bill and curled neck? A darter, perhaps, or a cormorant, or even a grebe. It was fascinatingto compare ancient images with present day photographs of similar species and to work out from the various features thebird's correct identity. Interestingly, very few of the birds were passerines probably as ground feeding and grain eating birdswere considered pests. The majority were water birds and raptors. The latter of course may just have been more glamorousand better suited to divine status! As well as simply studying an image, habitat, climate and land use then existing were allconsidered to reach the correct identification. Conversely, the existence of birds in a particular location was itself evidence ofthe climatic conditions then existing. John made it clear that much further work needs to be done, so many resources still tobe examined. At present 245 species have been positively identified. John expects further research to raise the total to over30.

It might be supposed that this was a rather dry, academic evening. It wasn't. John light touch and amusing delivery made foran entertaining evening. Many of the images, both ancient and modern were a delight, and this added to our enjoyment. So,an excellent talk on an esoteric topic, but one which fascinated us all.

Ken Sutton

Mid-week Walk at *Farlington Marshes13th December 2016

Weather: Thick overcast with occasional light to moderate rain. Wind light SW 13C.

Despite dismal weather on the journey down, seven of us persevered and had a good day’s birding at this coastal site. Withthe high tide some 17 minutes after arrival, timing was perfect.

A few red-breasted mergansers were out in the harbour, while the scrub held several bedraggled woodpigeons, a kestrel and asong thrush and the first stretch of rough grassland had several Canada geese and the first of the day’s little egrets.

The wader roost pool was covered with birds, with masses of dunlin, black-tailed godwit, lapwing, grey plovers, avocets andteal and lesser numbers of snipe, pintail, shelduck, shoveler, redshank, wigeon and a single ringed plover. A raven on a post,spotted by Steve, was an unusual sighting and it was eventually joined by its mate and some mutual preening ensued. An

island still above water contained severalcurlews, a group of oystercatchers and acouple of turnstones, while Brent geese wereeverywhere. From the sea wall we saw a pairof stonechats, a wren, and a skylark while apossible kingfisher flew along the ditch (thelight was VERY poor). A rock pipit and a piedwagtail investigated some floating seaweed,while out on the marshes were a malepheasant, blackbirds, a grey heron, flocks ofstarlings and a few magpies.

Off the eastern side of the marsh we foundmore red-breasted mergansers, a pair ofgoldeneye and the only sighting of the day of acormorant. The eastern side pools held furtheroystercatchers and several gadwall, while reedbuntings and a robin graced the reed bed andmarginal vegetation.

A walk across the grass path back towards

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© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

the wader pool added a green woodpecker and a buzzard, spotted by Ron. Final new birds for the day were a small group oflong-tailed tits as we reached the cars.

The day total came to over fifty species. My thanks to those who braved the traffic congestion around our local area to joinSteve and myself for what proved to be good day’s birding despite the weather.

Peter HambrookPhoto of Brent geese, by Peter Hambrook, taken in Norfolk in 2014

*PapercourtNew Years Day 2017

A select five members shook off any late night cobwebs and joined me for the traditional new years day wander aroundPapercourt. The field opposite the Newark Bridge car park was resplendent with thrushes, scores of fieldfare and redwingjoined by a lone mistle thrush. As usual, we started the walk by looking up the road towards past Newark Priory, addinggoldfinch, overhead, a cormorant on sentry duty at the very top of a dead tree, a welcome kingfisher perched over the RiverWey and the first of the days little grebe. Nice start.

Rain was forecast so I changed the traditional route somewhat and headed directly for thesailing club lake. No sailing today so the birds were present in good numbers, the usual flotillaof coot joined by smaller numbers of gadwall, wigeon, tufted duck and pochard. Grebes wererepresented by great crested grebes and more little grebes. A quick check of the small lakebehind the clubhouse and a walk through Papercourt Farm, brought us to Papercourt Lock; nogrey wagtail today but the meadows brought the first raptors for the day, a distant buzzardbeing mobbed by crows and two closer kestrel on the pylons. On the walk back to the carseast of the lock, we added a superb red kite.

In all, we totalled some 47 species in a gentle two and half hour walk.Neil Bew

Mid-week Walk at *Thorpe ParkWednesday 11th January 2017

Weather: Dry and mainly sunny with a moderate NE breeze. 7C

Some nine of us gathered at Manor Farm, Thorpe Park for our regular winter visit. As seems to have become the normnowadays, we are having another mild winter so nothing too exotic was expected but we had a good range of species, around32 in all.

Ducks and geese were much in evidence withgreylags, Canada geese and Egyptian geesearound the island. Out on the main lake over ahundred pochards were present along withgadwalls, wigeons, tufted ducks, mallards andteal. Variety was added by cormorants, greatcrested grebes, little grebes, black-headed,common and herring gulls. Just two raptors wereseen – a distant red kite and a closer kestrel.

Overhead we had several small groups of lapwingand six shovelers, while a group of redwing movedthrough the lakeside trees. A quick check of theblack barn revealed two fresh owl pellets,presumably from the local barn owl as theycontained rodent skulls and bones, and an oldersmaller pellet containing beetle wing-cases andlikely to have come from the also reported littleowl.

All in all a pleasant morning stroll in welcome dryand sunny weather.

Peter HambrookPeter’s photo of a grey heron (taken at Bushy Park October 2009)

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These items are from the above publication from November 2016 and January 2017 - in case you missed them…

Lodge Hill - the campaign so farLodge Hill in Kent, the UK's most important site for nightingales, is threatened by a proposeddevelopment of 5,000 houses. Adrian Thomas, our Save Lodge Hill Campaign Manager, explains that ifthis happens it will set a dangerous precedent for all of our protected nature sites. Read on to find outhow you can help stop this:* www.rspb.org.uk/community/getinvolved/b/specialplaces/archive/2016/10/12/lodge-hill-the-campaign-so-far.aspxLater in January we expect Medway Council to launch a two month public consultation into their referred Options for theirLocal Plan, including which land that is allocated for potential housing. We expect this to include Lodge Hill SSSI, the UK'sbest site for nightingales and a SSSI, where the Council wants to build 5,000 houses. If Lodge Hill is allocated for housing, itwill have implications for SSSIs everywhere. Once the consultation is live (and we know Lodge Hill is included) we will launchour major campaign. The aim is for as many individual responses to the consultation as possible, both targeting the localaspect from Medway residents and from national supporters using the concern over SSSIs as framing. Due to legalsensitivities we are not putting out campaigning materials until after the consultation launch * www.rspb.org.uk/lodgehill.Please only use the wording on the website or national tweets - do not interpret it, as there is a strong legal element to howour messages are phrased.

New RSPB London officeThe new RSPB office in London opens later this month and the old office has now closed. The lease on65 Petty France was ending and the landlord plans to renovate the building. The new office iscomparable with the existing office, affordable and within a short journey of Westminster for ouradvocacy work.We will be on the top floor of part of a building called Saxon House, roughly opposite the MenierChocolate Factory Theatre. The nearest station (and tube) is London Bridge station, followed byBorough, Southwark, Blackfriars and Monument (all about ten minutes’ walk).RSPB, 5th floor, 50 Southwark Street, London SE1 1UN. * London@rspb.org.ukNote the new London telephone number - 020 7940 3050

Local group helping swiftsCentral London Local Group’s work continues through raising public awareness of the plight of swifts which are losing theirnesting sites through the astonishing and alarming rate of development that is taking place in the capital. Catherine Day, ourLondon Swift Volunteer & Urban Adviser, was alerted to the demolition of a 1960s residential tower block, home to around 40swifts. After working with Edward Mayer (Swift Conservation) and the developer (Countryside Properties) steps were taken toconserve the colony such as phased re-housing of swifts in swift bricks some of which are to go up before demolition of thetower block. Also:• A swift nest was saved by contacting Ealing Council after someone spotted an active site on a property which was due toundertake a loft conversion.• Shelagh Taylor set up a swift group in her area with Hamish Burnett from London Wildlife Trust Woodberry Wetlands in northLondon.• Chiswick Swift Project gave a ‘swift talk’ to an audience of about 70 at the Chiswick Pier Trust.• Inspired by the team’s enthusiasm nest boxes have now been put in churches.

RSPB InvestigationsThe RSPB Investigations team assists the statutory agencies to investigate crimes against wild birds in the UK. Staff arebased at the UK headquarters, Scottish headquarters and the Northern England Regional Office keep you informed on keyissues and court case results on a regular basis, but report on certain aspects of our work.* www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/investigations/default.aspx

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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BOOK REVIEWA Seige of Bitterns

by Steve Burrows

In 1975, the late Alan Coren published a collection of humorous articles entitled "Golfing for Cats".

The articles in fact had nothing whatsoever to do with either golf or cats. Coren had noticed in book shopsthat golf and cats seemed to feature most in the best seller lists and sought to jump on those particularbandwagons. I was reminded of this when I started A Seige of Bitterns, described as a "birder murdermystery".

As crime fiction and birding are popular pastimes, why not increase your potential readership byattempting to appeal to both groups? Indeed it's quite amusing when our birder inspector challenges atwitcher's explanation that he was "looking for bitterns " by pointing out the impossibility of the speciesbeing in a particular habitat at a particular time. Certainly, my enjoyment of the book was increased by theornithological background, but of course any police procedural still has to satisfy the usual tests of plotand characterisation.

An environmental tv journalist has been found hanged and our inspector hero, who has been lumberedwith the name Domenic Jejeune, has to solve the mystery. Is it a feud between birders trying to becometop lister, has the victim's environmental campaigning stood in the way of a developer's profit, and do bird

records hold the answers, or is it nothing to do withbirds at all?

The suspects are a rather predictable bunch, amongthem a dumb blonde wife, eco-warriors, disaffectedson, ex villain who may or may not have reformed,unpleasant local landowner, etc.

The plot is intricate but well paced, with the manytwists and turns, leading the reader down many blindbut entertaining alleys. Eventually the unravelling isneatly done and the villain is unmasked. The mysterytakes place in north Norfolk, a birder's paradise, andthe atmospheric descriptions of the flat, lonelymarshland give an extra dimension to the book. All inall, I rather liked it and the birding references added tothe enjoyment so I'll definitely read the sequel.

You may regard the idea of a "birder murder" as ratherfar fetched. So did I until about half way through lastweek's group committee meeting....

Reviewed by Ken Sutton

* ISBN-10: 1459708431ISBN-13: 978-1459708433

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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BOOK REVIEWSnowball Earthby Gabrielle Walker

This isn’t a book about wildlife per se but may be of interest to those thinking about climate change aswell as covering what appears to be a controversial subject as far as geologists are concerned. There isone small “story” about wildlife as we know it today, but it is largely irrelevant to the main topic of the book.A geologist called Paul Hoffman has proposed a theory about events some 600 million years ago thatcaused the Earth’s climate to change resulting in the almost total disappearance of life in its primordialslime form and the emergence of life as we know it today. Apparently, there are some places where thisprimeval life can still be seen e.g. in the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park in the USA and SharkBay in Western Australia.Hoffman’s theory is that at least once, maybe even on 4 occasions, the Earth has been completelycovered in ice - hence the book’s title. The starting premise is that ice began to creep down from thepoles gradually causing the oceans to freeze, resulting in more sunlight being reflected back into spacewith the consequential further cooling of the atmosphere. Eventually, the oceans become completelycovered and then gradually the rivers and then the land freeze. According to Hoffman, the ice melted dueto volcanic gases accumulating in the atmosphere resulting in a greenhouse effect with the temperaturerising from -40 to +40 degrees C and the Earth being deluged in acid rain.Hoffman was the first person to suggest that the earth was completely covered in ice; however, therewere other geologists who had suggested significant ice cover, one as far back as 1900. Evidence forthe snowball theory apparently comes from the occurrence of ice borne pebbles on all the continents. For

example, in Namibia a large boulder apparentlydropped by an iceberg into silt at the bottom of atropical sea, the silt eventually turning into rock.The author spends a lot of the book detailingHoffman’s credentials and experience as well as thebackgrounds and experiences of his “predecessors”in the ice cover theory. Unfortunately much of theinformation about the predecessors is largelyirrelevant to the basic topic of the book. Hoffmanalso seems to have problems with his relationshipswith other geologists that may explain some of thecontroversy about his theory. Nevertheless, the“Snowball Earth” does have its supporters and isapparently able to withstand the “geological”challenges thrown at it.Overall, this is an interesting book although quite alot of the background stuff can be glossed over.Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., Book wasread in paperback, £8.99 from Amazon.

Reviewed by Alan Pugh* ISBN-10: 1400051258

ISBN-13: 978-1400051250

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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Nature Ramblings

The Wandering AlbatrossThe Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) is a sea bird that is on the vulnerable list. It was first recorded by CarlLinnaeus in 1758. It is also variously named as snowy albatross, white-winged albatross or goonie.

The bird lives in a circumpolar range of the Southern Ocean.

This was the first species of albatross to be described, and for quite some timewas believed to be the same species as the Tristan albatross and theAntipodean albatross, while a few people still consider them all to besubspecies of the same species. Birdlife International has already split these.Another species, the Amsterdam albatross makes up (so far) the wanderingalbatross species complex.

The albatross is one of the largest birds in the world, and also one of the bestknown and studied species of bird. The range of the albatross is vast, and theyhave been known to circumnavigate the southern ocean, reportedly around

three times in one year - that is 120,000 kilometres, or 75,000 miles.

This species has the largest wingspan of any living bird, generally rangingfrom 2.51 to 3.5 metres (8 ft 3 in to 11 ft 6 in). The longest span recordedhave been verifies at 3.7 metres or 12 ft 2 in.

There are two unverified reports of even larger spans, of 4.22 m (13 ft 10 in)and 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in), but these remain unverified.

Body length is around 107 to 135 cm (3 ft 6 in to 4 ft 5 in) with femalesbeing slightly smaller than the males. Weight is usually 5.9 to 12.7 kg (13to 28 lb), although most will weigh 6.35 to 11.91 kg (14.0 to 26.3 lb).

Life span obviously varies, but 50 years is not uncommon. They are amonogamous species, usually for their whole life. According to BirdlifeInternational, there are around 20,100 remaining, but numbers aredecreasing.

They usually lay a single egg during December, which takes around 11 weeks to incubate with both parents carrying out thisduty. Once the young leave the nest they will probably not return to the colony until after about six years, but will not starttheir own breeding until around 11 to 15 years.

As stated above, the wandering albatross is designated as having vulnerable status. The adult mortality is of around 5% to7% per year.

The area it has been seen in covers around 25 million square miles, although it’s breeding range covers just 730 squaremiles. The biggest threat to their survival currently is reported as long line fishing, although pollution and waste includingplastic and fishing hooks also take a toll.

Placed here by Geoff Porter* Credit of data to Wikipedia

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Welcome!We are happy to welcome two

new members this time.

We look forward to meeting you at our meetings orevents later in the year.

Hilary Macbean and Michael Denison.

Don’t forget, the ‘Free Meeting’ voucher isstill available should you

know of someone who could use it.

SmilersHow do you make a tameduck wild?

You know, these really ARE getting worse?I’ll bet you can do better - send your Smiler in to

the Ed. Don’t worry if you can’t, I still haveLOADS more…

Annoy it !

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

Hello again,Well, I don’t know how you all felt about it, but I had the distinct impression that the January quiz night went off rather well.Ticket sales were good and we ended with a full house of 10 teams of six or so. Part way through the evening there was abreak for food, which was apparently enjoyed by all.It was a privilege to have been asked to create a number of rounds for the quiz, and I revelled in downloading items, referring toa few quiz books I have, and creating table quiz rounds for the participants.If you get the chance to go next year, I wouldcertainly recommend the evening to you. I hope to be asked to create some question rounds again, to which ends I amalready obtaining both dastardly and easy questions for the night. Maybe ten rounds plus three table rounds was a bit toomany - let me know if you think this to be so. Last year it was eight rounds and two table rounds.

Work events have left me with little time available, and rest for me came at the expense of working on the newsletter and theupkeep of the web pages. My workplace is being made up from just a car dealership parts department, to a regional partshub. There is a mass of work to be accomplished and training to be completed, both for myself and for me to give to others.We are having to use scanners now which combine parts into a delivery box for each customer. This should make it easier todeliver all parts without mixing up any. To be honest that scenario rarely happened as our drivers are very fastidious aboutthis. However, we are in the early stages with a massive mountain to climb in the upcoming months. My apologies have to beextended to Peter Hambrook and the WeBS team for my not being available for the counts during late 2016, and now for theremaining 2017 counts. So, if you feel you can offer your counting or recording skills, please contact *Peter directly.

Please continue to send items for the newsletter and the web site direct to me. It will help if any photos can be sent in largeformat so I can produce decent size pictures on the articles. Thanks everyone! Geoff Porter

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From my Spiel Chucker…

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Did you miss these Snippets from the BBC ?Photos from the corresponding BBC article / page.

Prince Harry snubbed by feathery friend Polly parrotMost people consider a visit by Royalty as a pretty big deal, but it seems some parrots are a little harder to impress!

Prince Harry is on a royal tour of the Caribbean islands, and yesterday he went to visit a special sanctuary for the endangeredbirds.

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/38117183

Canada's new national bird is the gray jayThe gray jay has been named Canada's national bird after tens of thousands of votes were cast online, ruffling the feathers of

some ornithologists.Although Canada has no official bird, the Canada goose has long been a part of the national identity.

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38008160

Bird flu: Netherlands culls 190,000 ducksAbout 190,000 ducks have been culled in the Netherlands as the authorities try to prevent the spread of

bird flu across northern European countries.The slaughter involved six farms, following the discovery of a virus in the village of Biddinghuizen,

some 70km (43 miles) east of Amsterdam.* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38121658

Devon pensioner fined after being found with bird egg haulA pensioner was fined £4,700 after being found with hundreds of protected bird eggs.

William Beaton, 73, from Devon, admitted stealing eggs from across the country.* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-37926936

New beginning for illegally traded endangered speciesIllegally traded endangered species that escape, forming secondary populations, offer hope for their long-term survival, a study

suggests.* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38498037

Birds migrating earlier as temperatures riseMigrating birds are arriving at their breeding grounds earlier as global temperatures rise, a study has found.

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-38450228

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

FINAL COPY DATE FOR THE 2017 - 2nd NewsletterPlease let me have your items for the Newsletter as soon as possible, to avoid a lastminute rush. Topical items should arrive with myself well before, but not later than -

Saturday 29th April 2017.Items may be submitted in the usual ways which include, but are not limited to :-TEXT / ARTICLES

● Written or typed items on paper v ia the post;● Faxed copies of your work, but not photographs;● My preferred text formats are the standard office programs and text files

(MS Word, Wordpad, Notepad, Star Office and Open Office) etc. I alsocan usually open and use files created in these and other office systems’own publication programs where you can insert your photo as a guide tome for your preferred layout. I can also take items as a pdf file if youprefer to create one.

● I would ALWAYS ask for the photo to be sent as a separate item and at ahigh resolution.

PHOTOGRAPHS● Actual photographs v ia the post;● Photos by email should be sent at a high resolution / size. My preferred

size is not less than 1 mb file so I can crop if necessary. 2 mb and largerare ideal, but not more than 10 Mb maximum please.

POST, FAX OR EMAIL ?● If you have no computer access, it should be obv ious - post the items to

me.● Computer created works should ideally be sent by email.● Via my DropBox link - please email me if you wish to use it.● ALL items can also be placed onto a CD or DVD and posted to me if you

prefer. Alternative reusable storage media such as DVDRW, CD-RW, SDcard or USB stick are also welcome by post. (*)

● I can accept faxes of your work, but please avoid sending any photos byfax - they do not reproduce well and will not be used.

Please note that you do not have to specify how you wish your article to be laid out.You can of course make suggestions for paragraphs and headings etc.If you have a preferred other way to send items, please let me know and I’ll adv ise ifI can utilise that method.(*) If you require your posted items returned, especially if sent on re-writeable media(DVD/CDRW, SD card, USB stick, etc etc), please enclose a stamped SAE, orreturn label and stamp (as appropriate), and I will return these item(s) once recordedon my computer, by the next available post.I have targeted final dates for receipt of your submissions to the expected fourNewsletters, of the last full weekends of January, April, July and October, at thevery latest.

Should the Newsletter become full before this date, I reserve the right todelay those late received items until the following Newsletter.

I am limited to just six teen pages as per the current layout. Due to the costs of printingand post, I cannot go above this. If you are able to take the newsletter in electronicformat then please enquire with Alan Sharps / The Committee.

All items sent in for the Newsletter will be utilised wherever possible.Finally , thank you all in advance for your valuable input. Geoff Porter, Editor

GROUP MEMBERSHIPS & INFORMATION● All indoor meetings are held, by kind permission of the Church Governors, at

*Christ The Prince Of Peace Church Hall, Portmore Way, WEYBRIDGE,Surrey, KT13 8JD.

● Monthly meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month fromSeptember to June, excluding December. Details may be found in theprogramme at the back of this Newsletter. Meetings commence at 7:45 pm andfinish at 10 pm. Doors are open at 7:15 pm. There should be ample parkingat the church. Nearby roads can also be used if necessary. Railway stationsat Weybridge and Addlestone are reasonably close too.

● Non-group members and Wildlife Explorers members are welcome to allevents. Wildlife Explorers members are free. All other v isitors are asked todonate £3 towards the costs of the indoor meeting.

● There is an optional donation to the group for non-members at outdoor meetings.● Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult.● NWS Group Membership for the year 2016 - 2017 is £12 for indiv iduals or £20

for couples. Please contact the *Membership Secretary at the address givenon the back page.

● The membership year starts with the September indoor meeting, andmembership is valid from September 1st to August 31st. Membership is for thecurrent year only although for new members it is not necessarily from theirjoining date.

● Please renew promptly , either by post (please enclose a SSAE), or byStanding Order, or at the indoor meetings.

Please note: All articles contained in this Newsletter remain the copyright of the author and cannotbe used in full or part without their express agreement.

RSPB North West Surrey Local GroupThe group was established in 1974 and is run entirely by volunteers. We holdregular monthly indoor meetings between September and June, excludingDecember, at *Christ The Prince Of Peace Church Hall, Portmore Way,WEYBRIDGE, Surrey, KT13 8JD. There is ample car parking outside.

Outdoor meetings are held throughout the year, both locally and further afield.Members of the public are welcome to attend all the indoor meetings, and at localand regional outdoor meetings.

If you would like more information, please contact our*membership secretary at the address given or v isit our web site:

*rspb.org.uk/groups/nwsurrey.

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We operate a grace period; however, please note:-

1. Memberships that have not been renewed by the 31stDecember immediately following expiry, will be regardedas having lapsed until the due subscription is paid.

2. Anyone with a lapsed membership will be required to paythe visitor’s fee of £3 at all meetings attended, until theirmembership is renewed.

3. Anyone renewing a lapsed membership between Apriland September will NOT be entitled to the extra periodgiven to new members.

Please respect this grace period.

The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature ahome. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast andcountryside will teem with life once again.We also play a leading role in a worldwide partnership of nature conservation organisations.

The RSPB is a member of BirdLife International, a partnership of conservation organisationsworking to give nature a home around the world.

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Future Events in 2017,More details will follow in later newsletters.

March 2017

OUT 12th March WeBS at Thorpe.

OUT Weds 15th March * Barnes WWT (10:00 – 15:30) 1.5 miles. (PH)We shall be looking for winter wildfowl and possible bittern, redpoll and siskin. Meet in carpark at 10:00 or in reception at 10:10. GR: TQ 228770. WWT members don’t forget to bringyour membership card.Full facilities on site. Come for morning only if preferred.

IN Weds 22nd March David Kjaer. The Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain. (KS) David has been involved with the project to reintroduce great bustards since its inception thirteen years ago. A professional photographer, his illustrated talk will describe the project and its progress to date. *Christ The Prince Of Peace Church Hall, Portmore Way, WEYBRIDGE, Surrey, KT13 8JD. The doors open at 7.15 pm for 7.45 to 10 pm meeting. Parking available just outside.

OUT Sat 25th March *Tices Meadow/*Thursley Common (NB)Early spring visit to this small, local jewel, followed by a walk around Thursley mostly forwoodlark who should be in good voice at this time.Meet at 9.00 at Pea Bridge on the B3208 Lower Farnham Road at SU867489.Moat Car Park Thursley at approx. 11.00 at SU900417.

April 2017OUT Weds April 19th *Pulborough Brooks RSPB (10:00 - 15:00) 3 miles (PH)

A little further away than our normal trips, this RSPB reserve offers a variety of habitats anda good selection of summer visitors, including nightingales. Come for the morning only ifpreferred. GR: TQ 055175 Full facilities. Don’t forget to bring your RSPB card!

OUT Sun April 23rd Dungeness (NB)PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

IN Weds April 26th Operation Turtle Dove by Bruce Fowkes (KS)RSPB Senior Conservation officer Bruce Fowkes tells us about how the society andits partners are striving to conserve this rapidlydeclining species. They are investigating itsbreeding and feeding requirements, hunting pressures on migration , and conditions in itswinter home. This is a race against time which must be won to preserve an attractivedenizen of our summer countryside.*Christ The Prince Of Peace Church Hall, Portmore Way, WEYBRIDGE, Surrey, KT13 8JD.The doors open at 7.15 pm for 7.45 to 10 pm meeting. Parking available just outside.

May 2017

Saturday May 6th RSPB NW Surrey Spring Fayre This will be held once again in Shepperton.

OUT Sat May 20th To be confirmed (NB)OUT Tues May 23rd *Thursley Common (10:00 - 13:00) 2.5 miles (PH)

There is a good chance of seeing hobby here if the weather is good, as well as woodlark,common redstart and woodpeckers. Dragonflies, damselflies and basking common lizardsshould also be seen. Meet at the Moat Pond car park. GR: SU 900417.No facilities on site but pubs in Elstead.

The INs, the OUTs & The WeBS in 2016

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IN Weds 24 May From Hills to High Water. The Thames as a Wildlife Corridor, by Brenna Boyle. (KS)OUT June ? (TBC) Nightjar walk - details will follow (NB)OUT Thu June 8 Frensham Little Pond (PH)IN Weds 28 June NWS AGM

Event Sat July 1 Group BBQ - Please book early !OUT Thu July 6 Bookham Common (PH)OUT Tue Aug 29 Barnes WWT (PH)OUT Thu Sep 14 Staines Moor (PH)And in 201813 Jan Group Quiz Night

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BST Changes on the last Sunday in March and October.

March 2017M 6 13 20 27T 7 14 21 28W 1 8 15 22 29T 2 9 16 23 30F 3 10 17 24 31S 4 11 18 25S 5 12 19 26

April 2017M 3 10 17 24T 4 11 18 25W 5 12 19 26T 6 13 20 27F 7 14 21 28S 1 8 15 22 29S 2 9 16 23 30

May 2017M 1 8 15 22 29T 2 9 16 23 30W 3 10 17 24 31T 4 11 18 25F 5 12 19 26S 6 13 20 27S 7 14 21 28

June 2017M 5 12 19 26T 6 13 20 27W 7 14 21 28T 1 8 15 22 29F 2 9 16 23 30S 3 10 17 24S 4 11 18 25

July 2017M 31 3 10 17 24T 4 11 18 25W 5 12 19 26T 6 13 20 27F 7 14 21 28S 1 8 15 22 29S 2 9 16 23 30

August 2017M 7 14 21 28T 1 8 15 22 29W 2 9 16 23 30T 3 10 17 24 31F 4 11 18 25S 5 12 19 26S 6 13 20 27

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

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© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2017© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654

GROUP LEADER : Alan Sharps T. 01784 244665 E. nwsleader@yahoo.co.uk

TREASURER : Angela Pugh T: 01784 457714 E: nwstreasurer@yahoo.com

SECRETARY: Anthony Groves T: 0789 1571825 E: anthony1971groves@gmail.com

MEMBERSHIPS: Mick Cooper T: 01784 251708 E: michael.cooper28@virginmedia.com

INDOOR MEETINGS: Ken Sutton (KS) T: 01784 436098 E: kd.sutton@ntlworld.com

MID WEEK OUTINGS &WeBS:

Peter Hambrook (PH) T: 01932 346565 E: hambrp@msn.com

WEEKEND OUTINGS: Neil Bew (NB) T: 07941 403094 E: neil.bew@ntlworld.com

COMMITTEE MEMBER: Alan Pugh T: 01784 457714 E: nwscommember@ yahoo.com

COMMITTEE MEMBER: Frank Clark T: 01784 421240 E: frank.clark1@tesco.net

COMMITTEE MEMBER: Diane Vowles T: 01784 430655 E: diane.vowles@outlook.com

COMMITTEE MEMBER: Geoff Keen T: 01932 844329 E: gekeen@cokecce.com

NEWSLETTER EDITOR& WEBSITE

Geoff Porter T: 07946 419664 E: nwseditor@hotmail.co.uk

F: 07092 040983 Skype: geoff.flc

Post to - Mick Cooper, c/o 95 Station Crescent, Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 3HN.

Post to - Geoff Porter, c/o 12 Ashbee Close, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5HQ.

NEW TO BIRDWATCHING?All are welcome at any of our outdoor meetings, but if you arenew to bird watching please do let the leader know if you wouldappreciate a little assistance.

CLOTHINGPlease ensure that you wear appropriate clothing for theconditions expected. Good walking boots are usually sufficient,unless the weather has been excessively wet. Waterproofs arestrongly recommended if rain is forecast.

FOOD & DRINKSPlease bring packed lunches on the all-day trips as we eatwhere and when we can, so that we can continue to watch birds.If the weather is hot don’t forget to bring plenty to drink, as mostof the reserves and sites we visit do not have catering facilities.

RESERVESAccess to most reserves is free, however some do chargeadmission and/or car parking fees. When visiting RSPBreserves (or others if you are a member of that organisation),don’t forget to bring your membership card, otherwise you willhave to pay the non-members fee which sadly is usually non-refundable.

SAFETYWhile most sites visited have normal public access and are wellmaintained, please do take care and do not ignore any safetynotices or instructions. Participation in outdoor meetings is entirely at your own risk.

TRIP LEADERSThe weekend field trips will usually be led by Neil Bew, butoccasionally others may lead instead.Mid-week trips will usually be led by Peter Hambrook, assistedby our co-leader, Steve Williams.The leader will be there in all but extreme conditions.If in any doubt please ring the appropriate leader to check.

LEADER CONTACTSFor mid-week walks and for information on the WeBS,

contact Peter Hambrook, 01932 346565.For weekend walks contact Neil Bew, 07941403094.

TRANSPORTMost outdoor trips are by car but with very occasional coach orminibus outings. If you require a lift please contact the outdoorleader, who may be able to arrange this for you.

General Information

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THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS

NORTH WEST SURREY LOCAL GROUP

YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS and OTHER CONTACTS