1

Committee

Group Leader Martin JohnsonTreasurer Malcolm IngramMembership Secretary Penny ChatfieldIndoor Meetings Laura McLellan and

Kevin TaylorPublicity/Raffle Janet SouthwoodCampaigns Colin HawkinsNewsletter Editor Val ThompsonMember Jean Crystal

Group Leader WelcomeI’m delighted that my appeal for someone to take over from me as newsletter editor has been answered and I’d like to give a big thank you to Val Thompson for volunteering and producing this, her first newsletter. Please help Val by giving her lots of material for future issues of the newsletter: any nature-related items will be considered. Enjoy your read! Martin

Editorial

After a very long winter, we look back to last December when the group celebrated its 40 th

anniversary. Ethel Westoby has been a member since the beginning and you can find out more about Ethel in this edition.

Helen Lumley escaped Christmas in Extremadura but still managed to find some turkey-sized birds.

Jan Murphy headed west and saw some amazing wildlife, some of it viewed from an unusual angle!

I headed east in search of the planet’s largest creature and failed, must get some new bins.

Closer to home, we have an update from Peter Wilkinson on the barn owl population in Hertfordshire. Peter has been ringing barn owls for many years now in the east of England and has a wealth of knowledge.

And finally, Bird Brain Corner. Have a go at the mystery photo and word search; no prizes except the honour of having your name in the next newsletter.

If you would like to share your memories of a trip or tell us about a favourite local walk, please let me know and I will include it in future editions.

Fieldfare, Royston (MJ)

News

Three members (Gary Taylor, John Byrne and Jill Shayler) will have stood down from the committee by the time that you read this newsletter. We would like to thank them for all the hard voluntary work that they have put in for the Local Group over many years. John has been involved with organising and leading outdoor meetings for more than ten years, whilst Gary was solely responsible for putting together the programme of speakers and essentially running our indoor meetings from 2002 until 2013 and has been helping his replacements with putting together next season’s programme. They will certainly be missed!

We are delighted to welcome several new members to the Local Group this season. We hope that you are enjoying attending our meetings. For the second season in a row our membership has increased. We think that we give excellent value for money, but if

RSPB HITCHIN AND LETCHWORTH LOCAL GROUP NEWSLETTER

Editor: Val Thompson May 2013: No 12

2

you have any comments about how your enjoyment of the meetings can be further increased, please contact Martin or any other committee member.

Our 40th anniversary was celebrated in fine style (see elsewhere in this issue). Thanks to all those who brought along buns, cakes and mince pies; they were much appreciated and the whole evening went really well…….once our star speaker David Lindo had found a train that stopped at Letchworth station!

40th anniversary celebration (JS)

Fundraising

We try very hard to raise money for the RSPB in a variety of ways, but we are always looking for new ideas. Could you host a coffee morning or go on a sponsored event (swimming, running, bird-watching, even skydiving!) in order to raise money for the Local Group? How about a sponsored silence? The committee tries hard to introduce new ventures but we would be really grateful if you, the reader, could come up with something new, even if you don’t care to participate yourself (and no, suggesting that the committee should all go skydiving isn’t very helpful!). Any avenue will be explored.

100 Club

We sold 48 numbers for the 2013 event (the same number as in 2012). Consequently we will raise £230 for the RSPB from “100 Club” subscriptions. Good luck to all participants in the forthcoming draws!

Collections

For the moment we have suspended collecting as a group at supermarkets, etc. for logistical reasons. We hope to start up again in the near future.

Raffle

The raffle is going well at the moment. Janet thanks everyone who has bought tickets at our indoor meetings and/or donated prizes.

Second-hand Books

We recommend a minimum donation of 50p for each book taken. If you have what you believe to be a really good book that you wish to donate, have a chat beforehand with Martin or another committee member and we can keep it separate and establish a minimum fee for this item.

Talks

Martin has an ever-expanding selection of talks that he will be happy to give to local clubs and societies. He is visiting Spitzbergen and Madagascar later this year, so more slide shows could be in the offing!

Sanderlings, Hunstanton (MJ)

Indoor Meetings

As another excellent season of talks, given by speakers selected by Gary Taylor, comes to an end we can reflect on some outstanding presentations. David Lindo’s talk at the 40th anniversary meeting in December was an obvious highlight, but we also had terrific feedback following Jeff Harrison’s quite outstanding talk on kingfishers in January. Gary has been helping Laura to plan the programme of speakers for next season and we have been promised more of the same!

3

Outdoor Meetings

This season’s programme of outdoor meetings has produced many highlights, which have once again been enjoyed by impressive numbers of people, particularly on our coach trips. Perhaps the main highlight was our visit to WWT Slimbridge in February, the first time that we have gone this far in over 20 years. Some of us enjoyed the opportunity to see and photograph the captive wildfowl at close quarters, whilst others spent most of their time on the “wild side”, where some were lucky enough to see wild cranes.

Nuthatch, Lynford Arboretum (MJ)

The weather at Slimbridge was great, which is more than can be said for our visit to Lynford and Lackford in January. Despite the dire weather forecast eighteen brave souls made this journey but many others understandably cancelled. Potential travellers should note that we have yet to cancel a coach trip because of the weather. If we do have to cancel a future event we will notify you on our web site and also try to cascade the message by phone to as many people as possible. If you feel that you no longer wish to travel because you are worried about the weather you can leave a message with one of the organisers (Martin and Malcolm) but this is not obligatory: we will know that you aren’t coming if you don’t turn up at the coach pick-up points! If you have paid for the trip your money will be refunded.

Spring Walks

Details of this year’s spring walks are on our web site and you can also pick up a programme at the AGM. The walks are summarised below:

Saturday 4 May Paxton Pits (morning)

Tuesday 14 May RSPB Fowlmere (evening)

Wednesday 29 May Oughtonhead (evening)

Monday 10 June Southern Green Farm (evening)

Thursday 20 June Breckland (afternoon + evening)

Programme for 2013-14

Venues have been booked and the programme will be revealed at the AGM in May!

For full details of our future indoor and outdoor meetings see the 2013-14 programme (available around July) and/or visit our Local Group web site at www.rspb.org.uk/groups/hitchinandletchworth.

Bittern, Great Amwell (MJ)

4

Barn Owl Conservation in Hertfordshire

(By Peter Wilkinson)

What sight could be more evocative of a balmy English summer evening than a barn owl floating gently over a field or along a hedge? Yet the fortunes of this charismatic and much loved bird have, over the last century or so, been rather mixed.

For much of the twentieth century the barn owl was clearly in steep decline. Unusually, it was the subject of a single species survey in1932. Then, George Blaker collated records from far and wide across England and Wales and estimated a population in those countries of around 12,000 pairs. It was clearly still quite a common bird. In the mid-1980s, Colin Shawyer, then a volunteer with the Hawk and Owl Trust, repeated that survey using the same methods, but including Scotland and Ireland, and came up with a figure of a bit under 4,000 pairs for England and Wales and around 4,500 for the whole of the British Isles. This figure was subsequently confirmed by a joint BTO/Hawk and Trust survey in the mid-1990s using rigorous statistical standards, and the two breeding bird Atlases produced by the BTO show that much of the decline had taken place in the two decades between the two.

Such a steep decline, though sadly by no means unprecedented among farmland birds, prompted both a lot of thought and a lot of action. The causes of the decline seem to have been twofold, firstly the loss of habitat, and secondly the loss of breeding sites. Barn owls are birds of rough, often damp, grassland as they are dependent almost entirely on small mammals (unlike woodland tawny owls which will eat anything from earthworms to magpies). Such grassland has made a comeback in recent years, partly as a result of changes in mowing practices and partly as a result of agri-environment schemes, which pay for margins around fields, thereby providing an increase in suitable feeding habitat. For breeding sites, barn owls require quite large cavities, such as those that occur naturally in the older style of barn (as their name implies) or in large trees (or, indeed, still occasionally in cliffs on the coast or in quarries – neither exactly common in Hertfordshire). Old barns are often subject to development, while new barns are often sealed and simply don't provide cavities, and trees

large enough to have suitable cavities can be lost from a variety of causes. Fortunately, the lack of suitable nest sites is easily remedied by the provision of nest boxes, to which they take readily, and large numbers have been put up, to the point where some 75% of all our barn owls probably now nest in man-provided nest boxes. Indeed there may be more boxes available than pairs at the moment to occupy them, but given the speed with which some new boxes can become occupied, this may be related to their distribution. The birds have responded extremely well to all this conservation work – they can have seven chicks in a brood in a good year, and even two broods, and they can move quite a distance to seek out new breeding sites. There is no official estimate of the current population (the forthcoming new BTO Atlas will be invaluable), but a number of us who work closely with the species are sure that it must now be in excess of 7,000 pairs, quite possibly well in excess.

Local box (VT)

In Hertfordshire, the decline between 1932 and the mid-1980s was particularly marked. Both George Blaker's and Colin Shawyer's surveys allowed estimates by county (the mid-1990s methodology did not). A decline from 210 to 9 pairs was the steepest of any recorded. They are, however, among the most difficult birds to survey and my purely personal view is that the latter estimate is probably on the low side, though even if the true figure were double or treble the estimate, the decline remains substantial. And now? I think the recovery will equally have been substantial, as, again entirely as a personal guess, I would be surprised if there were fewer than 100 pairs in the county.

5

Hitchin, Letchworth and surrounding areas are well represented in this recovery, building particularly on work undertaken by the Holwell, Ickleford and Pirton Barn Owl Group, supported for a number of years by Herts CMS. They now monitor 26 boxes in the three parishes and, although numbers do go up and down depending on the small mammal population and the weather, it would be a poor year when there are not several pairs of barn owls nesting in them. They are capable of astonishing density in suitable habitats and it is hard to have too many boxes. Our preferred designs are multi-species and quite a number get used by stock doves, which, while not the target species, are Amber-listed (the same as both barn owls and kestrels) and are unlikely to prevent an owl that wants the box from taking it.

Barn Owl chicks Pirton (VT)

My colleagues and I acknowledge with gratitude the help and support of the many local farmers and landowners who have not only allowed us to put up the boxes and allow us access to them for monitoring purposes, but who often were the ones who initially asked us how to encourage barn owls to breed on their property, and in many cases have made the boxes themselves to the designs we have provided or have paid for them.

We are always happy to provide advice about habitat creation, nest box design and siting, and to monitor boxes. Please do not hesitate to contact the Barn Owl Conservation Network on 01582 832182.

Forty Years and Still Going Strong

(By Val Thompson)

Most members of the RSPB Hitchin and Letchworth Local Group know that 2012 was the group’s 40th anniversary year and probably know also that Ethel Westoby has been a member since the group was founded.

What else do we know about Ethel? I caught up with her at the December 2012 meeting and one of the first things I discovered was that Ethel and our speaker that evening, David Lindo, have much in common.

Ethel was born 91 years ago in London. The grammar school she attended ensured the girls left with a very good knowledge of botany, with different plant families being studied each year. This led to Ethel spending time at the Natural History Museum, Kew and Wormwood Scrubs, which was close to where she lived.

After leaving school, Ethel worked for the Civil Service and became a public speaker for the government. She later married and her husband’s teaching career led to a few house moves before they eventually settled in Hitchin. Ethel joined the local naturalist club which was where she learned of the forming of the RSPB local group, joined and has been a member ever since.

Recently, Ethel has decided not to join the outdoor meetings as she finds them too tiring, but she still enjoys the indoor meetings and thinks the talks are better than ever, especially the quality of the photographs.

I asked Ethel what other changes she has seen within the group over the years and she feels the group is friendlier now than it was in those early days. This was confirmed by the number of people coming to say hello to Ethel and giving her Christmas cards.

Then it was time for David Lindo; a London-born, Wormwood Scrubs-visiting public speaker – not so unusual after all.

6

Spirit of Central America & Costa Rica

(By Jan Murphy)

After a 26-hour journey from door to cabin I boarded the Quest for Adventure at Puerto Limon, Costa Rica and I was glad to hit the pillow. It was all worth it and soon forgotten the following day when I visited the Sloth Sanctuary at Aviarios Del Caribe. The sanctuary was founded in 1998 and looks after both two- and three-toed sloths which have been rescued, some as a result of roads being built and the slow pace of these vulnerable animals. Buttercup is their oldest at 20 years of age.

Buttercup the Sloth (JM)

After a short walk around the grounds, I took a canoe up the river with a guide where we found howler monkeys, bats, butterflies and an array of birds: melodious blackbird, streaked flycatcher, common black-hawk (which eats land crabs), great kiskadee, scarlet-rumped and summer tanagers and clay-coloured robin. This bird is the size of our blackbird and not a colourful bird but it was selected as the National Bird of Costa Rica for its song – just like the nightingale. One of the best sights was the 200+ vultures which had migrated in from North America.

My journey continued to Corn Island, Nicaragua, (belted kingfisher, martins, osprey, swallow); Providencia Island, Columbia, (great egret, tricoloured heron, hummingbirds, brown jay, turnstones, a huge well camouflaged iguana going up a tree and frogs calling which were found in a deep drain!).

The transit of the historic Panama Canal was amazing and it took about eight hours to travel through the three main locks using mules. The captain of the ship

relinquishes his position to Panama Canal personnel at the entrance due to the accuracy which is required.

This feat of engineering was achieved over 100 years ago. The scenery too is spectacular plus bird life; magnificent frigatebirds, brown pelican, king vultures. On arrival at Balboa, Panama my excursion took me out to the Embera Indian Village – where I studied the leaf-cutter ants which were far more interesting!

The next port of call was Coiba Island, Panama. Here it was suggested that anyone wishing to walk should have a local guide. Bearing in mind this was not a walking holiday no-one was equipped with correct footwear for the challenge of an adventure up into the forest! It had rained heavily the previous night…need I say more? I then took a more leisurely walk around and apart from the lake of ‘crocodiles’ there were some great birds on the grassed area not far from the beach; rufous tailed hummingbird, woodpeckers, yellow-headed caracara, finches, long-billed gnatwren, bare-throated tiger-heron and tropical kingbird. In the sea was a gar fish, an unidentified yellow and blue fish and a puffer fish. Unfortunately I missed the agouti which strolled across the beach but did see a bat and a lizard.

Iguana (JM)

The next port was Golfito, Costa Rica, where I took an excursion into the National Park seeing hummingbirds feeding in flower heads, ruddy ground-doves, chestnut-mandibled toucan (yippee my first!), woodcreeper plus other birds seen previously. We found an amazing group of bright red poisonous fungi on an old log, it looked unreal.

The following was a day at sea but with many brown boobies diving for fish and a masked booby flew in too. Three green turtles swam past – just great to see

7

out in the ocean and a swallow landed on the ship for a rest.

We then visited Acajutla, El Salvadore; Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala; Ampala, Honduras and San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. The latter was where I saw the crested caracara. Back in Puertorenas, Costa Rica, I went on the Eco Jungle river trip. This was truly great for the stillness of the river and amazing birds – thanks to our guide. During the two-hour trip I saw anhinga, egrets (great, little and snowy), herons (boat-billed, green-backed, great blue and little blue), kingfishers (Amazon, ringed -the largest in Costa Rica- and green), a pair of scarlet macaw in flight, green parakeets, mangrove swallows, roseate spoonbill, whimbrel, wood stork and a white-whiskered puffbird. On the coach journey back were roadside and gray hawks and a laughing falcon which eats poisonous frogs!

I disembarked the ship at Caldera, Costa Rica but had opted for a three-night extension at the Tilajari Hotel Resort, near La Fortuna. Our Costa Rican guide, Kenneth, arranged to meet the following morning at 6.00 am to walk around the grounds, which were spectacular, to see different birds in their habitats. We found bananaquit, grassquit, common and ruddy ground-doves, an assortment of hummingbirds, tanagers, house sparrows, keel-billed toucan, Montezuma oropendola, plus lots more. Iguanas, both green and spiny, were around the gardens too.

Keel-billed Toucan (JM)

The inclusive excursion the same day took us to Los Chiles, north of Costa Rica, for a trip on the Rio Frio (Cana Negres) which meets the Nicaraguan border. We did not need passports but River Police were patrolling. More birds were identified by our guide including common tody flycatcher, Baltimore oriole,

yellow-crowned and black-crowned night herons, sandpipers, black-headed trogan, northern jacana and family, white ibis, but best of all, camouflaged at top of old tree by the river a common potoo…quite rare and similar to a wryneck. Other wildlife on the river were howler and capuchin monkeys, a Jesus Christ lizard (so-called because it walks on water) and caiman.

Common Potoo (JM)

On my second day I opted for the Sky Tram and Zip wire. Having donned hard hat, safety belt and ‘gardening’ gloves, and after the initial in-depth safety training on how to position the body on the wire, (not sure if I looked like an upside down two-toed sloth or was in yoga ‘lotus’ pose!), realization kicked in. There were eight zip wires; the first two were nursery ones for trial with the option to back out. Ten of the group opted for this 'lifetime' experience. The third wire was oh so long... I looked up at the sky and clouds and just prayed! The statistics are overall length 3.5 miles, highest 600 feet, longest zip 2000 feet and fastest speed 50 mph! Just wonder if the insurance covered – oops! Anyway I am still here to tell the tale and have got the photo as proof. Oh what fun these ‘Adventure’ holidays!

The Arenal Lava trail on the penultimate day led a few of us to walk within view of this famous Costa Rican volcano which badly erupted in 1968. Exciting new sightings within this habitat were barred antshrike, crested guan, black chachalca and magpie-jay. A group of coatimundi was sighted from the coach.

Whilst this was not a birding holiday it was wonderful to tick off a list of new first sightings thanks to some good guides, the pocket bird book and fair weather.

As they say in Costa Rica – Pura Vida!

8

Sri Lanka – Leopards, Whales and Dolphins

(By Val Thompson)

Following an overnight flight from London, my friend Brigid and I arrived in Colombo at lunchtime. With formalities swiftly dealt with and luggage collected, we headed to the arrivals hall to look for our guide, Lester Perera. We soon spotted a beaming smile which was to remain in place for the next nine days.

We checked in at the hotel and were soon out in the grounds meeting our American travelling companion, De-Anne, and birding around the gardens. In the space of an hour we had seen five endemic sub-species: spotted dove, yellow-billed babbler, purple-rumped sunbird, common myna and black-hooded oriole.

The next morning we set off through the chaotic traffic, I think the Sri Lankan driving test must consist of not using the brakes whilst constantly using the horn. Eventually we left the city behind and the shops gave way to paddy fields. We stopped to watch as a man with a rotovator made his way across a field surrounded by dozens of egrets. As we scanned around we found many spoonbills, herons and storks. The undisturbed field nearest the road was covered in waders ranging from little stints to black-winged stilts.

We arrived at the hotel in time for lunch and were then taken to the Udawalawe National Park for an afternoon game drive where we saw out first Asian elephants along with a good variety of birds.

Elephants Udawalawe National Park (VT)

The following morning a quick pre-breakfast walk in the garden produced an Indian pitta then it was off to the Embilipitya Elephant Sanctuary. Two Indian scops

owls kept an eye on us from a tree by the entrance. We watched the elephants form an almost orderly queue to be fed and when they had finished they strolled away into the park with their keepers. We then turned our attention to the birds and various butterflies that were feeding on the flowers in the ditch separating the visitors from the elephants. We said farewell to the owls and started our journey to Yala National Park.

Lunch over we made our way into the park and transferred to a park vehicle for a game drive. After a while the park guide started having an animated conversation on his mobile phone and suddenly we were hurtling along the bumpy track leaving a cloud of red dust behind us. A few minutes later we spotted a mass of vehicles jostling for position and surveying the scene from the top of a rocky outcrop was a magnificent leopard. Eventually he got bored with watching the frantic camera pointing and disappeared the way only cats can.

Leopard Yala National Park (VT)

We set off for the park at 5.00am the next day and on the way disturbed Indian nightjars that were sitting on the track. Paperwork completed, we headed out in the park vehicle and another phone call found us racing along to catch up with a leopard. This time it was on the move so we drove along the track getting glimpses as it passed through the undergrowth and then vanished from view.

The next stop was by a lake where a herd of elephants was bathing. It was lovely to just sit and watch them enjoying themselves, and all before breakfast. This was a picnic taken on the coast at the site of a memorial to people who lost their lives in the tsunami of 2004. The remains of a house overlooking the sea,

9

which must have once been a family home, were a reminder of the devastation it wrought.

We spent the whole day in the park seeing a variety of wildlife including four jackals stalking a buffalo and her new-born calf. As we drove along the tracks, little green bee-eaters flew up from the roadside bushes: they were everywhere. Later in the afternoon De-Anne suddenly exclaimed “leopard!” We screeched to a halt, reversed and then drove slowly along watching the leopard move through the bushes until it melted away. It was so much more rewarding to find our own and watch undisturbed.

Little Green Bee-eater (VT)

The next three days were spent on boat trips from Mirissa. The first two days produced long-snouted spinner dolphins and on the third we found a group of Brydes whales. Sadly the blue whale eluded us but that does give a reason to return of course.

Long-snouted Spinner Dolphins (VT)

During the trip we saw 144 bird species, 19 mammals and an assortment of reptiles and butterflies. My main memories are of the leopard sightings and also the numbers of birds in what is still an undeveloped countryside.

Birding in Extremadura over Christmas

(By Helen Lumley)

Wanting to escape the excesses and commercialisation of Christmas (yes, a bit of humbug I know,) I booked myself on a Naturetrek holiday to Extremadura over last Christmas. Driving to Heathrow through torrential rain and wind made me realise how nice it would be to escape the wet weather of the UK for a while, and we landed in Madrid to blue skies and sunshine. I met up with my fellow tour participants and we headed off for the three hour drive west. On the journey our tour leader spotted two eagle owls sitting on posts by the road – a nice start!

Extremadura is well known as a birding spot in Spring and Autumn, but Winter has the advantage of no heat haze. Bustards and sand grouse are still in their flocks so good numbers can be seen, and there are thousands of common cranes overwintering on the steppe. Most towns and villages had resident white storks. We stayed in a lovely family run hotel just outside Trujillo, and from the first evening, the Rioja wine flowed and lots of traditional Spanish food was enjoyed.

Plenty of interesting birds were spotted in the hotel garden and surrounding agricultural land on the first morning, including hoopoe, azure-winged magpie, serin and spotless starling. We then set off south in our minibuses, stopping at a small scrubby area where black redstart, zitting cisticola, Iberian grey shrike and Spanish sparrows were seen. We headed up to the fertile plains and en route spotted a flock of large birds dropping into a roadside field – these turned out to be stone curlew. I have been excited at Weeting Heath when two or three of these birds are seen, so to see such large numbers running about the field, calling and flying round, at relatively close range, was lovely. Upon entering the start of the stony arid steppe we soon located 71 stately great bustards feeding with wintering lapwing and golden plover. We had lunch by a lake under mature holm oaks with black and griffon vultures soaring overhead, and parties of cranes passed over on foraging trips into the dehesa.

10

Common Cranes (HL)

We then explored the fertile rice and maize fields around Vegas Altas where flocks of feeding cranes could be viewed from very close range, a wintering bluethroat was finally spotted posing by the road and four black-winged kites were hovering over roadside fields. On our journey back to the hotel we watched flocks of cranes coming in to their overnight roost – a spectacular sight.

We enjoyed several visits to Monfrague National Park during the week. Perhaps the highlights were the viewpoints at Portilla del Tietar and Pennafalcon. The sun baked rocks here held hundreds of griffon vultures, and the odd black vulture. These flew back and forth, one flying so low that it barely cleared the group and we got very close views. Spanish imperial eagle flew overhead, and a Bonelli’s eagle was spotted – it was interesting to note the differences between these. We also spotted a family of otters in the river below: mum and three cubs on rocks eating fish, with a grey heron close by hoping in vain to get some leftovers.

Griffon Vulture (HL)

Trips to the steppe revealed good views of great and little bustard, a flock of 54 pin-tailed sandgrouse in a roadside field, and flocks of black-bellied sandgrouse. It was also striking how agricultural fields were teeming with bird life: hundreds of Spanish sparrows, crested and calandra Lark, corn bunting and the occasional thekla lark. With all the changes occurring in agricultural practice though, I wonder for how long such abundant bird life will remain.

Christmas celebrations in this part of Spain seemed very low key: minimal lights and decorations in the villages and, in traditional Spanish style, we enjoyed a meal out in Trujillo on Christmas Eve. Again we had good food and an inexhaustible supply of wine. We even got a small Christmas present from our hosts at the hotel of some traditional Spanish spices.

White Stork (HL)

During the week we saw 116 bird species, several mammals and butterflies, and I must not forget the natterjack toad in the hotel swimming pool. Our guide, David, was excellent and the group got on well and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves – I certainly did and it was definitely a good alternative to turkey and rain at home!

11

Bird Brain Corner

Can you identify the bird in the picture below? No prizes but you could get your name in the next edition of the newsletter. Just jot the answer and your name on a piece of paper and hand to me at the next meeting.

Bird Search

Can you find the 34 birds hidden in the grid?

N K O E P I N S W R E N R

O N R T A I Y M A O I E E

E O I A L N E U G B D A D

G T E R L A R T T N E S W

I N E O A K P E A S R T I

W M A R W D S S I S K I N

K C O C D O O W L E F U G

E B U I A O J A Y U W T A

S O V C G A N N E T I M V

T E A L K R E D P O L L O

R A V E N O E H G U O H C

E L G A E R O B I N I A E

L O P L O V E R E G R E T

My favourite things…

Chosen for this edition by Sean Blackmore

Favourite bird greater scaup

Birding spot -Titchwell

Bird call -male wigeon

Birding book -The Biggest Twitch

Song bird Pixie Lott – wrong type of bird Sean!

AVOCET OWLCHOUGH OSPREYCUCKOO PLOVERDIVER RAVENEAGLE REDPOLLEGRET REDWINGEIDER ROBINGADWALL ROOKGANNET SISKINGOOSANDER SKUAGREBE SNIPEJAY TEALKESTREL TITKNOT WAGTAILLARK WIGEONMERLIN WOODCOCKMUTE SWAN WREN