AUTUMN/WINTER 2011 Bedford RSPB Local Group Newsletter Welcome to the 2nd edition of the Group’s ‘New Look ‘ Newsletter. 2011 has been a good year for us... no expenses scandals, phone tapping or rioting, so WELL DONE EVERYBODY. During the past year, our membership has increased and the monthly field trips have attracted more members than ever before — in fact, on a couple of occasions, we have been over- subscribed! We also organised two very successful long weekend trips to Gigrin Farm in Wales, and The Farne Islands in Northumbria where, as well as a host of other sea birds, we saw these charming puffins [Right] A committee meeting took place in early September to plan next year’s programme, which gives me the opportunity to welcome Carolyn and Malcolm Hawkes to your committee. They will replace Robin Edwards who is retiring from the committee after many years loyal and valuable work for our local RSPB group. Thank you Bob Montgomery ... Group Leader The second edition of our newsletter... A good read... Peter Clarke is a frequent visitor to Lundy Island and recommends one of his favourite books - ‘The Birds of Lundy’ by Tim Davis and Tim Jones [Devon Bird Watching & Preservation Society and Lundy Field Society, Berrynarbor, Devon. 2007] Here’s a taster, which gives a tantalizing account of the possible existence of Great Auks on Lundy at one time, from a letter written by the Rev. H G Heaven [a very appropriate name!] dated 6 September 1865... ‘In the year 1838 or 1839... one of our men in the egging season brought us an enormous egg, which we took for an abnormal specimen of the guillemot’s egg, or, as they are locally named, the ‘pick-billed murr’. This, however, the man strenuously denied, saying it was the egg of the ‘king and queen murr’, and that it was very rare to get them, as there were only two or three ... ever on the island. On being questioned further, he said the birds were not like the ‘pick -bills, but like the ‘razor-billed murrs’...that they were much larger than either of them, and he did not think they could fly, as he never saw them on the wing nor high up the cliffs like other birds, and that they, as he expressed it, ‘scuttled into the water, tumbling among the boulders, the egg being only a little way above high water. He evidently knew of no other name for them than ‘king and queen murrs’ which he said the islanders called them ‘because they were so big and stood up so bold-like. It was precisely like the guillemot’s egg in shape, nearly, if not quite, twice the size. The shell of the egg was kept for some years, but unfortunately it at last got broken.’ Inside this issue: Welcome 1 A good read 1 Photos & Poem 2 Keep a look out for... 2 ‘Unforgettable Sri Lanka’ 2-3 Your committee 3 Did you know... 4
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AUTUMN/WINTER 2011
Bedford RSPB Local Group Newsletter
Welcome to the 2nd edition of the Group’s ‘New Look ‘ Newsletter.
2011 has been a good year for us... no expenses scandals, phone tapping or rioting, so WELL DONE
EVERYBODY.
During the past year, our membership has increased and
the monthly field trips have attracted more members than
ever before — in fact, on a couple of occasions, we have
been over- subscribed! We also organised two very
successful long weekend trips to Gigrin Farm in Wales, and
The Farne Islands in Northumbria where, as well as a host
of other sea birds, we saw these charming puffins [Right]
A committee meeting took place in early September to
plan next year’s programme, which gives me the opportunity to welcome Carolyn and Malcolm
Hawkes to your committee. They will replace Robin Edwards who is retiring from the committee
after many years loyal and valuable work for our local RSPB group.
Thank you
Bob Montgomery ... Group Leader
The second edition of our newsletter...
A good read... Peter Clarke is a frequent visitor to Lundy Island and recommends one of his favourite books -
‘The Birds of Lundy’ by Tim Davis and Tim Jones [Devon Bird Watching & Preservation Society
and Lundy Field Society, Berrynarbor, Devon. 2007]
Here’s a taster, which gives a tantalizing account of the possible existence of Great Auks on
Lundy at one time, from a letter written by the Rev. H G Heaven [a very appropriate name!]
dated 6 September 1865...
‘In the year 1838 or 1839... one of our men in the egging season brought us an enormous egg,
which we took for an abnormal specimen of the guillemot’s egg, or, as they are locally named,
the ‘pick-billed murr’. This, however, the man strenuously denied, saying it was the egg of the
‘king and queen murr’, and that it was very rare to get them, as there were only two or three ...
ever on the island. On being questioned further, he said the birds were not like the ‘pick-bills,
but like the ‘razor-billed murrs’...that they were much larger than either of them, and he did not
think they could fly, as he never saw them on the wing nor high up the cliffs like other birds, and
that they, as he expressed it, ‘scuttled into the water, tumbling among the boulders, the egg
being only a little way above high water. He evidently knew of no other name for them than
‘king and queen murrs’ which he said the islanders called them ‘because they were so big and
stood up so bold-like. It was precisely like the guillemot’s egg in shape, nearly, if not quite, twice
the size. The shell of the egg was kept for some years, but unfortunately it at last got broken.’
Inside this issue:
Welcome 1
A good read 1
Photos & Poem 2
Keep a look out for...
2
‘Unforgettable Sri Lanka’
2-3
Your committee 3
Did you know... 4
PAGE 2
If you have a favourite poem, piece of prose, or photo you’d like to share, please let us know.
Photos, poems etc...
Ode to the Wallcreeper
We seek him here, we seek him there
We seek him – with despair.
Where is that bird
Of which we’ve heard?
Does he exist? – No, all feared
We climb and search the face
High, high ranges – NO trace
The path it narrows – WHAT A DROP!
My gawd – VERTIGO is what we’ve got.
Do not give up – onward go,
That bird must surely show.
A creeping grey blob is seen
Hearts a-flutter – we can dream.
Maybe, maybe this is it,
It moves, it flutters and with a flit
A flash of scarlet is espied
Then better views – wonderful, wonderful ‘butterfly’.
Wallcreeper, wallcreeper, what can we say
We’re neck-sore and drenched, but you’ve made our day.
Acelyn Yates
‘Unforgettable Sri Lanka’ by Marion Hessian
Having prevaricated for a number of years I finally set off for
Sri Lanka in February 2011. I was travelling with a
Naturetrek group of thirteen guests and two leaders (one
British and one Sri Lankan).
We arrived in the early hours of the morning and, having
tidied up and enjoyed a coffee, we set off for some pre-
breakfast birding where I got to grips with a few of the species
of wetland birds I would be regularly encountering (including