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Very best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year. At the end of the September 2020 issue, the documentation for a postal vote in lieu of a normal AGM was attached, so that all our members could have a chance to participate. The minutes from the AGM held on 2nd May 2019, the financial report and the re-election of the committee were all accepted without objection, and there were no other objections, queries, or comments. Thank you to all those who took the time and trouble to reply and vote. The next AGM has been scheduled for September 2021 in the hope that even if normality has not been fully restored, we will have a better idea of how to proceed by then.

Also as a result of the current restrictions on public meetings, and the uncertainty about how and when those will change, the committee has reluctantly decided to hold the rest of the “indoor meetings” by Zoom for the remainder of the season, i.e. until May. Jean has arranged a most interesting variety of talks, and these are described in the Diary Section, on pages 5 and 6. The Zoom talks held so far have been well received and the number of participants is increasing each month. Advantages include the ability to participate from your own armchair, and our ability to obtain speakers from further afield without them having to travel. There are disadvantages of course, including reduced social contact (though there is some chat time before and during the break in Zoom talks) and most importantly we are fully aware that not everyone has a computer (though you can use a mobile phone or i-pad). As soon as we can safely return to “proper” indoor meetings we will. As a small compensation to those who receive the Newsletter by post, I have decided to have this issue printed in full colour, so that those who can’t access the web site or Facebook will be able to enjoy the photographs in full. Fortunately, the additional printing cost has been covered by a sponsor. And there are a number of photographs to enjoy, particularly those from Jacquie Martin illustrating her description of a south African safari taken just before the first lockdown. Even if we can’t travel, the birds still can, and a selection of winter visitors are illustrated, and news of a huge new marine sanctuary in the South Atlantic. Jean has described one way she has kept occupied during “lockdown” and I’ve raided the archives for some brain teasers to while away a coffee break. Finally, we say goodbye to our old friend John Eastwood. I hope you enjoy this Newsletter, and if you have any suggestions for new items, let me know. How to keep in touch: Via Facebook: Access your facebook account and type in RSPB Sevenoaks Local Group. Via the web: Details of our programme, updated news, and colour versions of Newsletters can also be viewed on our RSPB web site: - www.rspb.org/groups/sevenoaks - why not bookmark it? If you no longer wish to hear from RSPB Sevenoaks Local Group, please contact Brian Nobbs, Editor nobbsbrian@gmail.com. 36 Main Road, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, TN14 6EP, confirming your name and address and stating that you wish to unsubscribe from the RSPB Sevenoaks Local Group’s communications. The RSPB is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity:

England and Wales no. 207076; Scotland no. SC037654

SEVENOAKS LOCAL GROUP

JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER

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On safari in South Africa – Text and photographs by Jacquie Martin It seems a lifetime away, but it was only at the end of January 2020 that I went on safari in South Africa. It was a spur of the moment holiday – fed up with an English winter and happy to escape to sunshine. During this past year of Covid I have been glad to have the memories of an idyllic holiday. I stayed on a private reserve, Mjejane, about an hour’s drive from Kruger. We went to the Kruger National Park for two whole day safaris and had some amazing sightings, such as the Lioness in the photo. She walked alongside our jeep as we drove slowly along one of the main tracks. Then when we stopped, she crossed in front of us and went off into the scrub land.

As well as the days spent in Kruger, we did morning and evening game drives on the other days in Mjejane. When you go on safari you are told that sightings of Leopards are rare and cannot be guaranteed. Well that hasn’t been my experience. Within half an hour of my first Safari drive back in 2013 we saw a Leopard cub in the open and then were able to spot its mother in a tree. This trip exceeded that. We had four

sightings of Leopards, two in Kruger and two in Mjejane. The photo is of one in Mjejane. Another animal that I was pleased to see several of was the White Rhino. These have been targeted so much by poachers for their horns that their numbers have been drastically reduced. They are well protected in Mjejane and seem to be thriving there. They were not in the least worried by our jeeps and we had some very close encounters as you can see from the photo. So where are the birds in this trip. Well I was lucky in that the driver/guide for the jeep I was allocated to was a keen birder. He had the same bird book as I had, Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa, but his was extremely well worn. Also, for the majority of game drives, there were only four of us in the jeep. One of the others was also a keen birder and his wife was happy to go with the flow. In fact, she proved adept at spotting birds. The other woman had not been particularly interested but soon became infected by our enthusiasm, checking the bird book and keeping a list of sightings. One of our first sightings was a Southern Red Bishop. A first for me and very definitely red as you can see from the photo. Another very colourful bird was a Cape Starling with its beautiful blues (see photo). We saw a wide variety of birds including Saddle-billed Stork, African Fish Eagles, Red Hornbill and Yellow Hornbill, Black-headed Oriole, Jacobin Cuckoo, Three-banded Plover, and Natal Spurfowl. We also saw some birds that are familiar to us in the UK such as Barn Swallow, Grey Heron, Common Sandpiper and Ospreys.

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One of the exciting sightings was that of a Yellow-billed Oxpecker. This was in Kruger and our guide (having looked at the bird through binoculars, asked to see the photo I had just taken. The bird was on the neck of a Giraffe and the base of the bill was definitely yellow. (see photo) The guide then radioed to the driver of another jeep for him to look as well and explained that they had to report sightings of this bird to the park authorities as it was comparatively rare in Kruger.

Jacquie Martin …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Closer to home, Adrian Thomas has been answering a neighbour’s question: My next-door neighbour always has a wildlife query when we have our little chats over the fence, and this week he had seen something he'd never seen before.

"It had a long tail and was scurrying all over my patio. Would I be right in calling it a Long-tailed Tit? Is there such a thing?"

I pushed for a little more detail. Yes, it was on the ground, and it had a yellow undercarriage.

The penny dropped. "Ahh, yes! A Grey Wagtail. How wonderful."

"Grey?" He sounded surprised at the name. "That's not the normal wagtail, then?"

"No, that's the Pied Wagtail you might see running around car parks. This one is a rarer creature altogether. I've had one coming down to my pond in the last couple of weeks and I reckon yours is likely to be the same one, running about to find any tiny insects it can find on your slabs."

Southern Red Bishop Cape Starling

Yellow-billed Oxpecker

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And here is said wagtail, on the log in my pond - a fine looking bird, I'm sure you'll agree. Come the breeding season, it will develop a jet-black throat (or freckled if it is a female) and an even yellower breast. Now this story is not to disparage the identification skills of my neighbour one iota. I love the fact that he is taking time to notice these things and then using me as his sounding board.

I was able to tell him that it is typically a bird of fast rushing rocky streams, weirs and cascades; indeed, it seems to have a fixation on the sound of rushing water, to the extent of being lured down by little garden fountains. What we also suspect is that Grey Wagtails are to some degree what are called altitudinal migrants, moving from higher ground down to lower. Just as the Redwings and Fieldfares of winter are our garden connection to the forests of Scandinavia and beyond, and our House Martins and Swifts are a link to the skies above the tropics of Africa, so winter Grey Wagtails are garden connections to upland areas. I can't be wholly sure, of course, that my (and my neighbour's) Grey Wagtail had not come from some millrace somewhere in Sussex, but it is just as likely that it had come from some mountain stream in Wales, Northern England or Scotland. Of course, one of the things that stood out in the conversation was his surprise at the name of Grey Wagtail, given that the yellow 'undercarriage' was what had stood out most for him.

The name does indeed throw many people, who think that it must surely be a Yellow Wagtail, but those are summer visitors that skip around the feet of cattle in wet grassy meadows. It's one of those birds that, if we were hypothetically to start the naming process all over again, would surely get a new title. Maybe Torrent Wagtail, but then that wouldn't help my neighbour on his patio! Or maybe I'd go for Really Waggy Wagtail, because with a tail this long, it really can seesaw backwards and forwards with great vigour. Sadly, it is another of those species that sits on the UK Red List, those species of greatest conservation concern. Its numbers fell sharply in the 1970s and 80s and again after 2002, although encouragingly there has been a bit of a recovery in the last few years. We just don't know the reasons for these fluctuations, although it is thought to be some problem with survival once they have fledged. So, if you do have one drop in to the open margins of your pond, or if you are really lucky onto your patio, revel in the yellow, chuckle at the intense wagging, and use the moment as a reminder that our gardens aren't islands unto themselves. This is an interconnected world, and what we do in our gardens is all part of the bigger picture.

Adrian Thomas

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ZOOM TALK DONATIONS & FUND RAISING FOR RSPB As a result of COVID all charities have suffered from a lack of donations, with the RSPB being no exception. Our group fundraising has been reduced considerably due to a lack of face to face meetings and we are anticipating that this will continue throughout the early part of next year. As a result, we are planning monthly Zoom talks through until May 2021 and we would like to use these as a means of fund raising for RSPB. Instead of an entry fee to Indoor Meetings we would like to suggest a donation when attending a Zoom talk. We will be grateful for any amount you would consider giving. Your donations can be made on-line to the following Nationwide account which has been set up by Anne Chapman (Sevenoaks RSPB Local Group Leader) and Jean Nobbs (Indoor Meeting Co-Ordinator): Account Name: Anne L. Chapman Account Number: 20069697 Sort Code: 07-02-46 Or you can send a cheque to Anne Chapman at 9 Nursery Close, Sevenoaks, TN13 3PR. Thank you for all your support and we look forward to when we can resume our normal monthly activities and meet again in person. Whatever the situation, we will keep you informed in Newsletters, by e-mail, Facebook and on the website.

Armchair Zoom meetings: The sessions include a little time for chatting before the start and during a 15-minute interval, and the talks will be in two halves of approximately 30 minutes each. It is a shame that we cannot for now “meet in the flesh”, but at least you will be able to enjoy the talks from the comfort of your own armchair. To register interest in joining a meeting please e-mail the Group at 7oaksrspb@gmail.com.

Thursday 7th January 2021 7.15 for 7.30pm

Hungary - Birding the Heart of Europe – Simon Ginnaw

Hungary is a fascinating, land-locked country at the heart of central Europe. It is an ancient land of rich scenic contrasts, from the distant horizons of the great Hungarian steppe, to the woodlands of the Bukk and Buda Hills. Home to Great Bustards, Saker Falcon, Red-footed Falcon, Ural Owl and up to nine species of Woodpecker (including the secretive White-backed Woodpecker), migrating waders, marsh terns and waterfowl, plus passerines such as Penduline Tit, Bluethroat and the rare Moustached Warbler.

Thursday 4th February 2021 7.15 for 7.30pm

South African wildlife - Kruger to the Cape – John Buckingham

South Africa’s incredible biodiversity is ranked sixth out of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries. And, it has more than 20,000 different plants (which is about 10 percent of our planet’s known species) and a wide variety of mammals and birds.

Thursday 4th March 2021 7.15 for 7.30pm

RSPB’s Hidden Secrets- Peter Holden

It is not only birds that benefit from the RSPB’s works. Many other forms of wildlife can be found on our reserves. Some are common if you know where to look but others are rare and depend on the RSPB for their future in the UK.

DIARY SECTION

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Thursday 1st April 2021 7.15 for 7.30pm

An evening of birdsong – Adrian Thomas

In 2015 the RSPB’s Adrian Thomas set out (with his tent and alarm clock) to record and write The RSPB Guide to British Birdsong, Join Adrian as he shares his lifelong love affair with birdsong and his tips how to identify the birds behind the songs.

Thursday 6th May 2021 7.15 for 7.30pm

Bempton Cliffs & Filey Bay – Seabird Nirvana – Mark Pearson Mark James Pearson is an ecologist, wildlife guide and writer. From the natural harbour of Filey Brigg to the towering chalk of Bempton Cliffs, one of Yorkshire’s most iconic and breath-taking panoramas also just happens to be the best bay for birds on the east coast. Join Mark for a special version of his acclaimed Birdfair talk through four seasons in one bay!

Field meetings: At the time of writing, guidance and Health and Safety compliance precludes us from holding field meetings. However, if the situation changes, and the Field Meeting Leaders are happy to do so, we may be able to re-commence in the New Year. Please look out for any advertised events on the Group website and Facebook.

BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH 29th – 31st JANUARY 2021

Take part in the world’s largest wildlife survey and do something great for nature. Just choose one hour any time over the three days and enjoy time with nature counting birds. 1. Watch the birds for one hour between 29th to 31st January in your garden or local park. 2. Count the most birds that land at once – not those flying over. The same birds may return more than once, so avoid double counting by recording the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time – not the total number you count over the hour. 3. Report your results. Every count is important, even if you didn’t see anything. You can submit your results online at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch up until 19th February. If you prefer to send results by post, you can download a submission form from rspb.org.uk/birdwatch, but post it back by 15th February. You can find more details on the RSPB website. The threats to nature mean that it's not just birds facing tough times. It's our Hedgehogs, frogs and other wildlife too. So, to help us get a more complete picture of our garden wildlife, we also ask about what other animals you see in your garden as part of the Big Garden Birdwatch. By filling in this section – even if you don’t see anything – you are helping us to build up a fuller picture of how our garden wildlife is faring. How does the Big Garden Birdwatch help? For over 40 years, we've been asking you to count the birds in your garden – and you've been brilliant at it. With over half a million people now regularly taking part, coupled with 40 years worth of data, Big Garden Birdwatch allows us to monitor trends and helps us understand how birds are doing.

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As the format of the survey has stayed the same, the scientific data can be compared year-on-year, making your results very valuable to our scientists. With results from so many gardens, we are able to create a "snapshot" of bird numbers across the UK. For four decades, the Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world. It was one of the first surveys to alert the RSPB to the decline in the number of Song Thrushes in gardens. This species was a firm fixture in the top 10 in 1979, but by 2019 numbers of song thrushes seen in gardens had declined by 76%, coming in at number 20. Your results help us spot problems, but more importantly, they are also the first step in putting things right. This is why it's so important that we count garden birds.

Did you know?

BTO research combining ringing and fitting tiny geolocators to individuals has shown that the Blackcaps that breed here are not necessarily the birds that winter here. Traditionally, Blackcaps that breed in Britain tend to winter in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. Until recently, it was thought that most of the individuals that wintered here bred in Central Europe, in countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic. However, this new study has shown that the birds that winter here come from a much larger area, also including Southern France and Northern Spain. This just helps to highlight that there is still much to learn about the wonders of migration!

Some more winter visitors The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has a wealth of information on the birds breeding, wintering or just visiting our shores and I have gleaned a few snippets about a few of the regular migrants which brighten up our winter days and substitute for those who are only fair weather friends (I’ve also illustrated them with some of my own photos – Ed). Browse the website (www.bto.org) for all sorts of information including video clips and sound bites. Photos by Brian Nobbs. First, two thrushes, the Redwing and the Fieldfare.

The Redwing, Turdus iliacus - Coch dan Adain in Welsh, Smeòrach-an-t-sneachda in Gaelic, breeds in the forest and tundra scrub of northern Eurasia and winters south to southern Europe. Those coming to Britain arrive late September to October and leave again in early March to mid-April. The Icelandic race, T. i. coburni rarely comes far south in the UK, and is darker overall than the regularly occurring race T.i. iliacus arriving from North and East Europe. Redwings are a classic night-time migrant, listen out on dark clear autumn and early winter nights, particularly in the east of the country, and you are likely to hear the thin 'tseep' of migrating Redwing overhead.

Female Blackcap being ringed in Alderney © Brian Nobbs

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The Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris - Socan Eira in Welsh, Liath-thruisg in Gaelic - breeds in the forest, woodland and even towns of north and central Eurasia and winters south to north Africa. Those coming to Britain arrive late September to October and leave again in early March to mid-April. A number of finches join resident flocks in winter, and the Brambling can often be found amongst flocks of Chaffinch.

In winter Brambling may form vast flocks where its favourite food, seeds of Beech trees, is particularly abundant; some large roosts have been estimated to contain over ten million birds. The Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla - Pinc y Mynydd in Welsh, Breacan-caorainn in Gaelic - breeds in open birch and conifer woodland of northern Eurasia, and winters south to southern Europe and central Asia. Those coming to Britain arrive mid-September to mid- November and leave again in early March to early May.

Then there are the wildfowl - the ducks, geese and swans, and the latter provide an example here. The Whooper Swan, Cygnus cygnus – Alarch y Gogledd in Welsh, Eala-fhiadhaich in Gaelic - breeds in the lakes, rivers and marshes of northern Eurasia and winters south to north Africa, India and south-east China. Those coming to Britain arrive late September to October and leave again in mid-March to mid-April. Whooper Swans have been recorded migrating at altitudes up to 8,200m where the ambient temperature is -40o C.

Bewick’s Swan, Cygnus columbianus bewickii, the northern Eurasian race of the Tundra Swan - Alarch Bewick in Welsh, Eala-bheag in Gaelic - breeds on the lakes and rivers of the tundra of northern Eurasia and winters south to central Europe and Japan. The northern North American race of Tundra Swan winters in southern Canada and the USA. Those coming to Britain arrive mid-October to late November and leave again in mid-February to early April. One Bewick's Swan was counted to have 25,216 feathers, its dense feathering providing excellent insulation, and the pattern of yellow on the bill can be used to identify individuals.

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UK Overseas Territory becomes one of the world’s biggest sanctuaries for wildlife

Tristan da Cunha, a British territory, is 2,300 miles east of South America and 1,600 miles west of South Africa, a seven day journey by boat. Now, this four-island archipelago will be the site of a marine sanctuary that spans 265,347 square miles, making it almost three times larger than the United Kingdom. 90 percent of the waters around the island chain will become a “no-take zone” in which fishing, mining, and other extractive activities are banned. The new protected area will join the U.K.’s “Blue Belt Programme”, safeguarding 2.7 million square miles of marine ecosystems around the world. The new sanctuary is the result of a collaboration between the Tristan da Cunha and U.K. governments, and a number of other conservation groups, including RSPB, which has worked in the region for 20 years.

First discovered by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha in 1506, the island wasn’t inhabited until 1816, when a British garrison was stationed there to prevent the French from rescuing exiled emperor Napoleon from St. Helena Island, 1,343 miles north. The descendants of those British sailors, and a smattering of others over the years, populate the island, keeping sheep, growing potatoes, and fishing for lobster. About 245 people of Scottish, American, Dutch, and Italian heritage live in Tristan’s only village, called Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. While humans are scarce, wildlife is abundant on Tristan da Cunha, with seabird populations numbering in the tens of millions.

Under the protection of the U.K.’s Blue Belt Programme, Tristan da Cunha will receive more resources for patrolling its waters for illegal fishing activity. It will protect foraging grounds for the tens of millions of seabirds that roost on the islands, such as Yellow-nosed Albatross and Rockhopper Penguins, and habitat for seals, sharks, and whales. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are very important. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences further corroborated

established scientific evidence that MPAs worldwide protect food supplies by producing larger catch yields. Fisheries that are left undisturbed can produce a “spillover” effect in which an abundance of fish from a protected area “spill over” into fishing hotspots. Expanding the current network of protected areas by just 5 percent, the study found, could boost global fish catch by at least 20 percent. “The increasing demand for seafood from an increasing and burgeoning human population, in addition to the expected negative impacts of climate change on many fisheries, elevates the need for managing and protecting fish stocks well,” says Reniel Cabral, an ecologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and one of the study’s authors.

Yellow-nosed Albatross

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Summer lockdown bat project by Jean Nobbs

My bat project went well. Our garden is situated on the bank of an old gravel pit through which the River Darent flows, and around which trees have grown to maturity - where insects are active in swarms in warm weather. I recorded bats on most days at dusk from April through to early September. Using a bat detector, I recorded a total of 11 species and noted 2,735 recordings, although some of these would probably have been from individual bats circling around the lake and garden. Bats in the UK feed in flight, eating insects they detect by echolocation using high frequency calls. Each species has a characteristic call frequency which can be identified by a detector. There were peaks of different species at different stages of the project. Serotine bats were common in July but absent from then on, Noctule bats peaked in August, and Common and Soprano Pipistrelles were around most of the time, with small numbers of other species. My particular interest was taken by the Nathusias’ Pipistrelle, which is not common in the UK. This species had two peaks, in April and August/early September. The Nathusias’ Pipistrelle appears to summer in Northern Europe, migrating later in the year in a south-westerly direction to areas such as northern Spain and warmer conditions, a distance of over 2,300 kilometres. Some may reside and breed in the UK. The two peaks I witnessed might be accounted for by the seasonal migration of this species, following waterways in a route over north Kent, with stop offs to feed and breed.

I rather like the drawing of the Nathusias’ bat, it really shows the structure of the wings and legs. Like humans they have four fingers and a thumb on each hand, but the fingers are very long, each about as long as the body, and very thin and light. Bats are mammals which at some stage developed flight, then the capability of echolocation. Birds are also warm blooded but evolved from dinosaurs. Both can fly through the development of their arm and hand bones, birds’ wings being covered by feathers as in the photograph of a Spoonbill (by Brian Nobbs), and bats by areas of skin between the hand/arm bones. In October and November, the garden Robins were very vocal, setting up and maintaining their winter territories. As I write on the 15th November, the first Song Thrush of the winter season is singing locally, and there are still four Robins arguing over territory.

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We managed a four-day trip to North Norfolk in November before the second lockdown came into force. It was wonderful to walk the beaches and nature reserves under the big Norfolk skies, A Lesser Yellowlegs blown across the Atlantic by storms pottered unconcerned at Cley. It was in very good condition, but unlikely to make it back home. Photograph by Brian Nobbs.

Brian and I also attend conservation workdays at RSPB Tudeley Woods nearly every Wednesday. Volunteering is classified as a work activity and with all Covid assessments and precautions in place we can carry out the same tasks as normal. When removing birch from areas of heather 15 people can make a tremendous difference in a day with a chance to talk to others at coffee breaks, sitting in a circle (of socially distanced diameter).

Keeping busy is the answer to lockdown!! Jean Nobbs

BRAIN TEASER QUIZ It took me by surprise recently to find that I have been editing the newsletter for 18 years. I still have most of the issues going back to the re-formation of the Group, and in reflective mood I found some “Brain Teasers” that the previous editor, Michael Waite, devised. In tribute to him, and to give you something to while away a coffee break, I’ve reproduced some of them here. A couple of long-time members (one of whom is on the current Committee) were apparently very good at solving them, so they can re-test their mental agility (or memory). Michael used to make you wait until the next issue for the answers, but I’ve put them on page 12. The answer in each case is a bird (not necessarily British). Semi-Spoonerisms: Michael explains: Spoonerisms transpose the starting sounds of two words, for example “the dear old queen” becomes “the queer old dean”, or transpose the sounds within words, for example “kittiwake” becomes “witty cake”. A clue for “witty cake” could be something like “humorous gateau”. To make it more complicated, the order and punctuation may be changed to give as a clue “Gateau? That’s funny!” e.g. Clue = Indistinct rear; Answer = Indistinct (blurred) rear (back) = back blurred = Blackbird. Here are 10 more: 1. Metal bucket 2. Little Millicent obtained. 3. Little hut where taxis stand. 4. Give bride this and join in matrimony. 5. Sound quality but severe. 6. Art gallery irritant particles.

7. Cry attached label. 8. Little Gwendoline winkle picker.

9. Unit of speech for dam builder. 10. Rough priest conducting wedding

Anagrams: For those who prefer “simple” anagrams, here are a selection:

1. Need allure migrant 2. Alp icicle era 3. Cheek due with Dad

4. Apprehend reed cloak 5. Wax near hamster 6. Rather ignoramus

7. Crotchety Ted flaps 8. Wrist bracelet 9. Drip deterred gaggle

10. Mike global cult 11. Strict school bliss 12. Wrest the horsetail

13. Two tray seahorse 14. Bartender made regress 15. Herd postcard creed

16. Sob crisp roll art 17. Crawl quiet arab 18. Maniacal diet plan

19. Pastoral bungle 20. Genial thing 21. Bald dwarf terror

22. Easygoing poet 23. Crab goes alone 24. Stoke pigeon food

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Brain Teaser Answers Semi-Spoonerisms:

1. Metal (tin) bucket (pail) = tin pail = Pintail

2. Little Millicent (Millie) obtained (got) = Millie got = Guillemot.

3. Little hut (shed) where taxis stand (rank) = shed rank = Redshank.

4. Give bride this (ring) and join in matrimony (wed) = wed ring = Redwing.

5. Sound quality (tone) but severe (stern) = stern tone = Turnstone.

6. Art gallery (Tate) irritant particles (grit) = Tate grit = Great Tit.

7. Cry (wail) attached label (tag) = tag wail = Wagtail.

8. Little Gwendoline (Gwen) winkle picker (pin) = Gwen pin = Penguin.

9. Unit of speech (word) for dam builder (beaver) = word beaver = Weaver Bird.

10. Rough (harsh) priest conducting wedding (marrier) = harsh marrier = Marsh Harrier.

Anagrams:

1. Mediterranean Gull 2. Capercaillie 3.White-headed Duck

4. Red-necked Phalarope 5. Manx Shearwater 6. Montagu’s Harrier

7. Spotted Flycatcher 8. Cetti’s Warbler 9. Red-legged Partridge

10. Black Guillemot 11. Scottish Crossbill 12. Lesser Whitethroat

13. Sooty Shearwater 14. Red-breasted Merganser 15. Red-crested Pochard

16. Parrot Crossbill 17. Aquatic Warbler 18. Dalmatian Pelican

19. Bonaparte’s Gull 20. Nightingale 21. Dartford Warbler

22. Egyptian Goose 23. Barnacle Goose 24. Pink-footed Goose

Did you know?

Give the Password’: Incubating female Superb Fairywrens call to their unhatched eggs, teaching them a vocal ‘password’. After hatching the nestlings’ begging calls contain key elements of the female’s incubation call, which distinguishes them from chicks of the nest parasitic Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo. BTO News, Winter 2019.

In September we received the sad news that our dear friend, John Eastwood, had passed away. John was a regular and supportive member of the Sevenoaks Local Group for as many years as I can remember. Dave and I came to know him best through the birding holidays we organised with Bernard Morris and we enjoyed his company enormously. He was a true gentleman, very considerate of everything we did, never complaining if anything went wrong, always the first to offer help and thank us for our efforts. Apart from being a keen birdwatcher, nature lover and walker, John had a diverse range of interests which included his love of music and singing, a fascination for all things scientific arising from his pharmaceutical background, his allotment and garden and keeping busy as church warden for Chevening Church. We will miss seeing his tall silhouette striding out around Sevenoaks, enjoying a drink and amiable conversation with him down the pub after our indoor meetings and above all hearing his deep, loud laugh booming out in a crowd!

Anne Chapman