RSPB North West Surrey Local Group

letter 2020 - 8 (October) Group Web Site - rspb.org.uk/groups/nwsurrey

“Know your Members” p2 :: Bew’s Birds p6 :: Members’ Photos p7 :: Sharps’ Butterflies p11 :: Book Review p14 :: Future Events p16 COMMITTEE CHAT

Welcome to our eighth newsletter of 2020.

We must admit to having felt a certain trepidation on the eve of our first Zoom indoor meeting. Would the technology work? Would anyone sign in? Would the format of the talk appeal to its audience? Well, we need not have worried; it was a resounding success. Of course it helped that our speaker Andre Farrar was experienced and his subject matter thought provoking. Anthony's report later in this newsletter is an excellent summary of the meeting. Thanks to you all for joining the meeting and for your many nice comments.

Clearly Zoom provides an admirable alternative to our indoor meetings so we are delighted that our October and November meetings will also take place in this format. Full details will follow, and if you missed the first one, make sure you don't miss the next two.

One of our best recent speakers was Conor Jameson. His talk on the Goshawk was a fascinating study of the species, its decline and extinction in the UK, and its subsequent re-colonisation and expansion. He brought the story up to date in a 15 minute talk at Virtual Birdfair. The talk will be available till late November on the virtual birdfair website. Do look it up, it's well worth watching. The good news is that Conor will be paying us a return visit next year, covid permitting, so we'll hear another of his excellent talks.

The AGM was postponed in June. It has now been rearranged for 3rd December also as a Zoom meeting. I am delighted to tell you that following the completion of the AGM business our very own Hilary Macbean will give an illustrated talk. Hilary has for some years been involved in Rwandan conservation and has made a number of visits to this central African country. We will learn about its wonderful local colour, birds, habitats, and there may even be some gorillas. There will be a serious note too about the importance of education and engagement at local level, if habitat and bio-diversity are to stand a chance amidst population growth and climate change. Think global and act local is the watchword.

It does not seem likely that we will be able to meet in person either in or out of doors until at least next year. We will keep in touch through the various remote platforms, but be under no illusions - the group will continue to thrive.

We hope you enjoy our latest newsletter, and do keep your contributions coming. The Committee Forthcoming meetings

On Thursday 22nd October we are pleased to confirm that Penny Williams has agreed to give her talk by Zoom. The British Trust for Ornithology is a leader in obtaining data about British birds, analysing it and making informed decisions about how best to protect them. Penny has been Surrey's representative for some years and she will tell us about her work - and also about her own birding experiences. On Thursday 26th November we will have a Zoom talk from Peter Holden RSPB. His subject is ‘Birds, Their Hidden World’. His talk will enlighten us about aspects of our birds' lives which most bird books miss out. On Saturday 3rd December we will have our rearranged AGM utilising Zoom. Our speaker will be Hillary Macbean. Please keep in mind our NWS Group Quiz night, due to be held on Saturday January 9th 2021 at 7.30 pm. We are currently unsure if this will happen due to the Covid restrictions, but should this be allowed to proceed, please do try and come along for what is always a great evening. We have however been obliged to cancel all other physical meetings and events until December. Keep your eyes on the group website, emails or WhatsApp messages for any further updates or information.

number of link points to be found on thaton foundpage. be to of linkpoints number

on thelefton atthebottom the denotesofeach page

For readers unsure of this ‘button’ the mouse buttonthemouse ‘button’ ofthis unsure readers For Thank you, and stay safe. 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. © RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 1 9 Know your Members - Dave Panchaud

How did you first become interested in nature and birds? Is it mainly birds, or do you like mammals, botany etc? I have been interested in science and natural history for as long as I can remember. Astronomy is my main interest away from plants and animals. I am currently improving my knowledge of trees. Did you have a mentor who first encouraged you? What really sparked my particular interest in birds was a chance encounter with a naturalist, named Brian Mist, whose local 'patch' was Battersea Park. I had recently moved to the area and was struggling to identify a particular bird. He saw me and identified it as a goldfinch. I learnt a lot about birds in subsequent walks with Brian, around the park and on trips to Wraysbury gravel pits. How did you come to be a member of the group what have you enjoyed about the group. Through the RSPB website I found the group, and as I was going to be taking redundancy thought it would be a good way to meet others and pursue my twin hobbies of nature watching and photography. Do you have favourite and not so favourite birds? Any you’d particularly like to see, or places you’d especially like to visit? My favourite bird is a smew. They used to be regular at Wraysbury but in recent years they have become very scarce; probably no longer cold enough to force them this far south. I don't go on overseas birding trips, I haven't seen all the British birds yet! There is one bird I keep trying to see each year which is a lesser spotted woodpecker and it’s proving true to its name as I have yet to be successful. Where are your favourite nature sites and where have you enjoyed travelling, home and abroad? RSPB Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath are regular places to visit, particularly in the winter to see the starling murmurations. Further afield my favourite spots are Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire and the Farne Islands, Northumberland. Any conservation issues you feel especially strongly about? Unnecessary travel and excessive plastic packaging both of which we can all do something about. I would hope that recent headlines from all around the world regarding climate change will make people change the way they live. Cut down on waste, stop repeated foreign travel and see the bigger environmental picture. Unfortunately, I am not optimistic that we will change. What interests do you have outside birding. Photography, astronomy. Tell us something about your career. I spent 37 years working for the John Lewis Partnership. All but four years of that was working in IT in some form or other. I had a great career there with a varied range of roles and fantastic colleagues, a lot of whom I still stay in regular contact. I took redundancy in 2018 and have since worked part time at the WWT London Wetland Centre. I know you are a keen photographer. How did you get into this, what equipment is used, and what do you especially enjoy photographing. I am not sure if there was one particular thing that got me into photography but rather a combination of the arrival of digital photography and visiting the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibitions at the Natural History Museum. I use Canon cameras and have recently bought a super zoom compact camera (SX70) which is great for record shots of distant subjects. Like me you are an ebirder. I think ebird is fantastic – something about that and your use of it. Garden lists etc. please. I use eBird as a way to keep track of my sightings. Not only is it very easy to use but it can record your route and uses your sightings for genuine research by natural history institutions (Cornell in the USA, BTO and BirdLife to name a few.) It can be used on a desktop computer or, more usually, in the field on a smartphone. You can add notes as you go and the combined records give a comprehensive view of your birding history. Now on to your volunteering at WWT. How did you get into it, what are your duties etc. I volunteer as a Guide in the Hide which entails pointing out anything of interest to the visitors. The role has enabled me to learn much more about natural history and the regular visits over the year allow me to see the seasonal changes taking place. It is a very interesting role as you meet people of all ages and levels of knowledge. The duties range from trying to spot a bittern or jack snipe, to getting young children to spot the four Dexter cows feeding on the reserve. I now also work part time in the admissions area and shop.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 2 0 Magical Moments A very special owl. On any birding trip, there are certain "must see" species. Specialist bird tour companies have developed their own cliches to entice clients to visit unfeasibly expensive and remote places with the chance of seeing them. A particularly attractive, or "much desired" bird is described as "iconic"; a rather strange one is "enigmatic" and one you'll probably never see is "near mythical". There is definitely not a money back guarantee on offer if you miss them. For Africa, Pel's fishing owl is such a bird as it ticks all the boxes. Widespread but nowhere common and of gorgeous appearance, it gazes down from its roosting perch rather resembling a portly ginger cat. It lacks the pronounced facial disc of many owls; as its prey is underwater, it has no need for enhanced hearing. And it's extremely big. My travelling companions in Malawi expressed mild surprise at this gap in my list. "So, you missed it in Botswana, Uganda, and Ghana" they queried. I nodded, feeling like a rank amateur. Of course, the fact one has dipped elsewhere adds to the mystique of the species. We were at Liwonde, probably the premier Malawian national park. Pel's (named after a 19th century Dutch governor of the Gold Coast) is found in gallery forest along large rivers, so the location of our camp, on the Shire River looked promising. The Shire is Malawi 's principal river and eventually empties into the Zambezi in Mozambique. Managing expectations is a crucial tactic for bird guides so Michael had made no promises. However, I had done my research and was hopeful. We set out early. In truth I had had a somewhat disturbed night. I was awoken by a scrunching sound outside my chalet and looked out at a pair of hippos grazing on the lawn. A little later I made my way somewhat nervously to the landing stage. Fortunately, the hippos had returned to the river. The opposite bank was a promising location, so we boarded a small boat. Our trip across the river was delayed as we admired a White-backed night heron amongst numerous other water birds. We disembarked and walked towards the gallery forest, pausing to admire a pair of Bohm's bee eaters on the way. Ironically the first owl we found was an African Barred Owlet, an attractive species which we admired for as long as we wanted. The great thing about daylight roosting owls is that once you find them, they generally permit prolonged viewing, blinking down at you reproachfully for disturbing their sleep. Michael then led us purposefully along a path winding its way alongside the river before stopping underneath an enormous fig tree. That sense of nervous anticipation which afflicts the birder approaching his quarry became apparent. Pel's don't much go in for camouflage so generally if you find the tree you find the owl and there indeed was the magnificent bird peering down at us. We watched and photographed it from various angles until, duly satiated we wandered off. I'm not sure whether it had lived up to a billing of iconic, enigmatic or near mythical but whatever, it was pretty special. Ken Sutton

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 3 0 Richard Meinertzhagen – WHO? The name Richard Meinertzhagen may be familiar to some as an apparent authority on and contributor to ornithology. Several years prior to his death, he donated 20,000 - 30,000 bird “skins” (taxonomically stuffed birds) to the Zoological Museum at Tring and 600,000 specimens of mallophaga (bird lice), flies, fleas and mites as well as thousands of plants to the Natural History Museum (NHM). Unfortunately, things may not be quite as they appear and perhaps Richard Meinertzhagen could more correctly described as someone with a vivid and creative imagination together with light fingers. Such a suggestion probably needs some justification and the following article attempts to do so. Just for simplicity, Richard Meinertzhagen will from here be abbreviated to “M”. M was born on 3rd October 1878, one of 10 children and, during the time the family lived at Mottisfont Abbey, he became interested in ornithology and nature in general. M was educated at Harrow where a talk by Lord Walter Rothschild (founder of the bird museum in Tring) apparently further increased his interest in ornithology. In 1896, M began what superficially appears to be a long and illustrious career in the army mostly in the “intelligence” area but it’s in the army where his real “creativity” seems to start. Arguably, M’s biggest “claim to fame” is what has become known as “The Haversack Ruse”. Briefly, the story is that in 1917, an English soldier on horseback is being pursued by Turkish cavalry and “accidently” drops his haversack containing amongst several personal letters and photos, what are purported to be the plans for an attack on Beersheba. The rucksack is recovered by the Turks who pass the information on to the Germans. All the documents are false. M claims that the whole plan was his idea, he was the one who dropped the haversack and the Germans were fooled. Sadly, none of this is true and there is documentary evidence to prove it. M was an excellent cartographer and, from the records, it seems that he was highly regarded by his superior officers, not for his military and intelligence gathering skills but more for being an excellent safari guide. This is probably due to him spending most of his postings making wildlife and big game hunting trips (he was a crack-shot) rather than carrying out his military duties. Apparently, he discovered two new races of antelopes and the giant forest hog (hylochaeros meinertzhageni) – the latter obviously named after him! M’s “memoirs” are peppered with stories where he rescues damsels in distress. On other occasions, in his capacity as a “spy”, he single-handedly foils enemy plots, often against overwhelming odds, frequently killing many people in the process. In the vast majority of cases, evidence disproves them and none of the remainder can be substantiated but this perhaps is the point to consider the ornithological aspects of M’s life. During his time in England either on a posting or taking leave, M would visit the NHM and these visits could be seen as the first overt indication of his attitude towards “collecting”. On four separate occasions in 1919, NHM staff noticed that there were bird skins missing after his visits; on the last, they challenged him and nine were found in his briefcase. This led to him being banned from the NHM; later that year, his wife divorced him after eight years of marriage. About two years later, M met Annie Jackson during a visit Lord Rothschild’s museum at Tring – he and Annie married a short time later. Annie was a recognised authority on ducks and waders as well as becoming one of the first female

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 4 0 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 members of the British Ornithological Union (BOU). Shortly after his marriage, M was allowed back into the NHM due to the intervention of Lord Walter Rothschild and, to a certain extent, the influence of his wife. In 1925, whilst in India, M resigned from the army so he and Annie took a year-long birding trip around the sub-continent. The following year, Ibis (the BOU journal) published an article by M about the birds of Asia containing claims to have found many rare birds; claims that Annie must have realised were false. On 6th June 1928, Annie died in a “shooting accident” to which M was the only witness. At the time, although there seems to have been some suspicion, the verdict was accidental death. After Annie’s death, M continued his birding trips now accompanied by Theresa Clay his second cousin and over 30 years his junior; apparently, M had been infatuated with Theresa for many years; she became his constant companion. As a digression, Theresa subsequently worked at the NHM in the entomology department eventually becoming a recognised expert on mallophaga. M continued with his somewhat unique method of collecting bird skins and other items. In 1936, the Metropolitan Police found M in possession of a copy of the NHM’s journal Parasitology although no action was taken; recent evidence suggests that the NHM believed M had taken at least two volumes of the journal. M continued to visit the NHM to “add” to his collection and, in spite of being caught on several occasions (one resulting in another police investigation), he was always rescued by friends in high places. He not only “collected” from the NHM, the Paris and Leningrad museums as well as the American Museum of Natural History were all affected; even his friends were not immune from his purloining! A review of M’s 1954 book Birds Of Arabia suggested that much of the content had been plagiarised from a manuscript given to M by George Latimer Bates in the 1930s. M apparently strongly denied having the manuscript yet, upon his death in 1967, he left it to the NHM! There seemed to be no cracks in M’s “non-stick coating” until 1993 when an article in Ibis questioned the veracity of M’s collections; this was followed a year later by a similar article in New Scientist. Subsequent forensic examination of many of M’s skins, in some cases using X-rays and/or DNA analysis, has shown that either he was not the taxidermist or he had unstitched and re-stuffed the skin. He was also found to have replaced the tags that identify amongst other data when and where the specimen was found as well as by whom. Apparently some of the bird skins weren’t from real birds at all. It appears that M would take parts from one bird’s body and combine them with another body thereby claiming to have discovered a new bird in some remote area. M’s own diaries (now housed at the Bodleian Library, Oxford) have also been examined not only to confirm his exploits but also to cross check details on his specimen tags. This has shown that he even forged many of the 10,000 pages by retrospectively re-typing many to fit in with his stories. The diaries contain M’s own version of his life as well as photographs, postcards and samples of plants; several of the plant samples are clear forgeries with parts of one plant stuck on to another. The results of these various examinations (some are apparently still going on) have led to the suggestion that as many as 20,000 of M’s collection are frauds and/or stolen. They have also enabled many “lost” or “missing” skins to be returned to their original owners - including the NHM. It is not clear why no-one queried what was going on much earlier. Maybe because M had been on the Councils of the BOU and the Royal Geographical Society since 1926. He seems to have been “protected” by his friends in high places (he was related to many through family marriages) and contacts in what could be called the “upper class”. Perhaps, therein lies part of the answer. It’s not too difficult to imagine a reticence amongst the upper-class to publicly criticise one of their own, adopting an attitude of “it’s not doing any harm”. Sadly, a great deal of harm has been done especially in the ornithological world. Much research was based on his work and, as a consequence, several species were believed to have become extinct. One example is the forest owlet (Athene blewitti), considered extinct until it was rediscovered in 1997. The question must also arise as to how much of Theresa’s work on mallophaga can be considered credible. She helped M with his cataloguing and would have been aware of the falsifications being made, yet many of her specimens were taken from M’s birds. In a slightly wider context, M’s generation was one that was perceived as always telling the truth and maybe his activities have cast doubt on that. Alternatively, perhaps M just proved that fake news is not a new phenomenon. (Footnote: During his travels, Richard Meinertzhagen met and became close friends with a Reuter’s Correspondent by the name of Ian Fleming (also a keen birdwatcher). Maybe it’s not too hard to imagine that 007’s character and exploits could have been based on the former’s ‘tall tales’ in which case, perhaps “M” might be more of an appropriate abbreviation than it seems at first sight!) Welcome! Sources: The Meinertzhagen Mystery – The Life And We are happy to welcome one new member this time. Legend Of A Colossal Fraud by Brian Garfield, Mrs Beverley Brock (Potomac Books). If you are interested in reading more about We look forward to meeting you at our meetings or Richard Meinertzhagen, this is an excellent and events later in the year. thoroughly researched biography. Wikipedia. Don’t forget, the ‘Free Meeting’ voucher is Photo of Meinertzhagen in 1922, from Wikipedia, still available should you in the public domain know of someone who could use it.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 5 0 Bew’s Birds Farlington Marshes; Why Now?

Farlington was the very first ‘proper’ bird place I ever went to. I was taken there by a guy called Peter Scudamore (no not the jockey, pretty sure I have said that before in one of these pieces) who I had met at RSPB Guildford before being persuaded by Simon Lumsden to transfer my allegiance to the then RSPB Weybridge and District Members Group. I would have been perhaps 20 and these were the days of owning a waterproof that wasn’t, walking boots that leaked (and therefore twinned nicely with the waterproof), no scope, no camera and £50 (max) binoculars that were patently not up to the job. My lasting memory of that first visit is sufficiently painful to still be fresh in my mind after nearly 40 years. ‘What do you think that is Neil?’ said Peter, pointing at a wader exploring the mud. I panicked, ‘common sandpiper?’. The look on Peter’s face is what lives in in mind and of course these days I really can tell the difference between a common sandpiper and a grey plover (did I mention this was February?) and in my defence, I had literally never been somewhere where it was all about waders and wildfowl. By wildfowl of course, I meant brent geese, thousands of them and looking at my childlike notes (yes I know I was 20), I was clearly impressed by the numbers, by the spectacle. Those notes mention goldeneye, red breasted merganser, pintail and more winter waders such as dunlin, ringed plover, turnstone, curlew and more. The place had undeniably made an impression on me. I was back in April of that same year, noting yellow wagtail and swallow, May for greenshank (still a favourite) and I must have been very impressed with spotted redshank at that time of year! Still leafing randomly through my old notebooks as I write this and I have come to 8th November 1986 (experienced 23-year-old now) and I have put a star against water rail, pacing the edge of the reed bed by the lake and also short eared owl, still a good site for both. Pretty sure Farlington was the place I first saw each of these birds; the water rail surprisingly striding out in the open and the owl, over on the east side, patrolling the ditches near the pathway, memories that stay. Above all else, Farlington has changed very little over those years. This place was good for waders, wildfowl and the occasional short eared owl when I first started going there in the early 1980’s and if you turn up there this winter, it is still a great place for wildfowl, waders and the occasional short eared owl. So why all this now? Well Farlington isn’t just a winter wonderland, its pretty good in the autumn and I spent a happy few hours reliving my early birding days at one of my very favourite locations in early August this year. What struck me, loaded down as I was now with scope, tripod, camera and some very good binoculars that really are up to the job, was that in one sense, all the expensive gear didn’t really matter. I wasn’t worried about taking excellent images with my Canon, I was simply enjoying the day, looking through all the black tailed godwits and redshank and finding a lone spotted redshank, checking the edge of the lake and finding little stint and my beloved greenshank and still, after all these years, taking pleasure in something new, watching young swallows sitting on the outside, sloping concrete of the harbour wall, occasionally being fed by passing parents. The day finished with spotted flycatcher and a darting hobby, perhaps trying to take some of those vulnerable young swallows but that as they say, is nature. Farlington is the first ‘proper’ bird place I have visited since the end of lockdown. I would say full circle except that I will be coming here for many years to come. Photos of the common sandpiper, swallow and Brent geese by Neil Bew.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 6 0 Members’ Photos, pages 7 - 10 Michael Cooper has provided this month’s centre fold pictures. These are from Kenya. Speke’s Weaver, Cinnamon Chested Bee Eater, Red Collared Widowbird, Cardinal Woodpecker.

Sharps’ Butterflies Red Admiral

The distinctive colours and patterns of the Red Admiral make it one of our most easily recognisable and familiar butterflies. I use the word ‘ours’ but this butterfly is an immigrant and the UK population depends largely on migration from North Africa and southern Europe.

In recent years however there is evidence that some may survive over winter in southern England either as adult butterflies or as caterpillars. They are regularly reported on the 1st January each year on the Butterfly Conservation first sightings listing, which leads me to believe that they may be encouraged to fly from known overwintering areas such as garden sheds and outbuildings!!

Most arriving butterflies will have mated before the main influx of migrants appears in late May and June. They gradually spread north, covering most of the UK including Orkney and Shetland, whilst others continue to arrive until August with the resulting offspring lasting until November. From mid - August a partial re-migration takes place as the Red Admirals begin to move south. Sometimes large numbers can be seen gathering along the south coast in preparation for heading across the channel to reach warmer climes before mating at the beginning of the following season.

Their eggs are laid on the upper side of nettles so try not to be too tidy in your garden. Red Admirals will feed on garden flowers, particularly purple buddleia, sedum and Michaelmas daisies. In autumn they will visit ivy flowers and rotten fruit. Original called Admiral and then Ammiralis and then Admirable and Alderman it reverted to Admiral in the 18th century. It was then called Red Admiral at the beginning of the 19th century. Hopefully this will have spread a little light on the complex life cycle of the Red Admiral. Alan Sharps

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 11 0 INDOOR MEETING - 24.9.2020 Birds of Mountain and Moorland – Andre Farrar For the group’s first online meeting, we welcomed Andre Farrar. Andre has worked for 36 years at the RSPB, including as Campaigns Manager, and has been a member of six local groups at various times. Andre’s time with the RSPB started in the 1970’s in The Forest of Bowland protecting hen harrier nesting sites, and he is still just as motivated by protection of raptors and other wildlife in our countryside today.

The warm and personable talk wound across the moors describing the wildlife to be encountered, as well as painting a vivid picture of a landscape sculptured by mankind over millennia. While the uplands are enjoyed by so many following numerous sporting and leisure pursuits, Andre also reminded us that the uplands are increasingly the last refuge for species eliminated from intensive agricultural systems. It has been recognized that the burning and draining of blanket bog removes a valuable natural store for carbon and water, causing loss of nesting habitat for waders.

However numerous efforts from countless volunteers continue in protecting hen harriers and other raptors, and reversing environmental damage through returning the landscape to a more natural setting, are seeing some successes. It is hoped that the RSPB’s curlew effort will be equally successful in saving the nesting sites of one of the iconic upland species. Anthony Groves Photo of mountains, Place Fell, Patterdale in the Lake District from where2walk. Photo of Exmoor moorland from Exmoor National Park.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 12 0 Editor's Note. Bew's Birds features Farlington Marshes, that delightful reserve at the south end of the A3. This is rather topical as our WhatsApp group exchanged information about a couple of rarities which paid the reserve a visit. One was a grey phalarope which behaved impeccably in front of an admiring audience in Deep Pool. Steve Williams' photo is shown. In addition, some lucky souls found a rather less well behaved American golden plover which showed rather more distantly around the reserve. This shows just how helpful and interesting our WhatsApp group has become.

Photo of an American golden plover, from Wikipedia;

Photo of a Grey phalarope by Steve Williams.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 13 2 Book review Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan Slaght

Sometimes the most rewarding books are on subjects about which one knows almost nothing. Few of us will have heard of Primorye province, the furthest east in Russia where the port of Vladivostok is the capital. This is a harsh place where a sparse population makes its living from fishing, hunting and logging. It is the home of the world’s largest owl species, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, a magnificent denizen of the forests and rivers of this distant land. Jonathan Slaght is an American ornithologist. For two decades, he has worked on developing a conservation plan for these magnificent creatures. A Russian winter is among the least attractive time to carry out field research. The rivers are frozen over, snow envelops the land, the wind howls in from the Arctic bringing blizzards and it is perishingly cold. Unfortunately, if you want to research fish owls, this is the time of year to carry out field studies. And of course with owls, much of the work has to be done at night. Vehicles break down or get stuck in the snow, any travel is fraught with difficulty and danger, and it is easy to get lost in the forests. When spring approaches and a thaw sets in, the ice begins to melt and floods become a risk. Living in tents or dilapidated huts in the forests, Dr Slaght and his Russian colleagues brave these conditions searching for likely territories for owls, and seeking out their feeding and nest sites. The difficulties in carrying out this research create a sense of adventure and humorous interactions between Dr. Slaght and his colleagues sit well with the scientific purpose of the project. Just finding the owls is not enough; in order to develop an effective conservation plan, knowledge of the birds’ daily needs is necessary. The birds have to be captured and fitted with GPS tags and their movements monitored. No easy task with an enormous bird which does not take kindly to its temporary capture. Various capture methods are successfully deployed and the birds’ movements can then be discerned. Careful analysis of the data will unravel the secrets of where the birds nest, feed, and roost and the habitat required to sustain a healthy population. Many questions have to be answered; what are the birds’ favoured nesting trees; where are their fish prey most abundant; what fish species live in the rivers; what is the optimum forest, tree and understorey density for the owls. The team seek to find the answers with meticulous fieldwork, Dr. Slaght working closely with his Russian hosts. When the field work is concluded, the results are analysed and it becomes clearer how these birds needs can be satisfied by making compromises with the loggers, hunters, and fishermen with whom they have to coexist. There is a sting in the tail, but owls are resilient so let us hope they can cope with any challenges they face. This project was a voyage of discovery for the writer and so it becomes for the reader. An unfamiliar part of the world, a remote landscape, a harsh environment, a variety of locals, some helpful, others less so, and of course unfamiliar birds. Sometimes the investigative work seems a shade intrusive but as Dr Slaght points out: ”fish owls were a species that needed a voice, and by teasing out their secrets, we were giving them one”. Quite simply they can not have found a better voice; this splendid book will surely focus attention to ensure they have a safe and secure future. Cover photo from Amazon. Hardcover : 368 pages ISBN-10 : 0241333938 ISBN-13 : 978-0241333938 Product Dimensions : 16.2 x 3.5 x 24 cm Publisher : Allen Lane; 01 Edition (4 Aug. 2020)

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 14 2 Please note: All articles contained in this Newsletter remain the copyright of the author and cannot be used in full or part without their express agreement. NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTION INFORMATION. Please submit your items for the next Newsletter as soon as is possible. In the event that the Newsletter becomes full early, the Editor reserves the right to include submitted articles within the next issue. The Editor reserves the right to edit submitted articles as required, should this become necessary to meet space constraints. Items are invariably sent to the editor by email these days, with occasional normal mail submissions. Articles should be submitted in Word, Office or Open Office format and photographs should be sent in as high a resolution as possible, JPEG or PNG format preferably with a file size of not less than 2 MB to allow for cropping if necessary. For other formats or if you require any other information about the submission of items, please contact the Editor for guidance.

GROUP MEMBERSHIP AND INFORMATION The group was established in 1974 and holds regular monthly indoor meetings on the 4th Thursday of each month between September and June, excluding December. These meetings take place in the school hall, at St. Charles Borromeo School, Portmore Way, WEYBRIDGE, Surrey, KT13 8JD. There is car parking available in the adjacent school/church car park. If coming by rail, the nearest station is Weybridge. Indoor meetings commence at 7:45 pm (doors will open at 7:15 pm), and will finish at 10:00 pm. Outdoor meetings are held throughout the year, both locally and further afield. Indoor and outdoor meetings are free for North West Surrey Local Group members. Members of the public and Wildlife Explorers are welcome to attend all the indoor meetings and outdoor meetings. Wildlife Explorers members are free; however, all other visitors are asked to donate £3 towards the costs of the indoor meeting. For outdoor meetings, there is an optional donation to the Group. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult at both indoor and outdoor meetings. North West Surrey Local Group membership for the year 2020 - 2021 is £12 for individuals or £20 for couples. If you would like to join the Group or require additional information, please contact the Membership Secretary at the address given on page 16 or visit our website: www.rspb.org.uk/groups/nwsurrey. The membership year starts with the September indoor meeting and membership is valid from 1st September to 31st August. For any new member joining between 1st April and 31st August, their membership year will run until 31st August the following year.

Additional Outdoor Meeting Information If you are new to bird watching, please do let the leader know if you would appreciate a little assistance. Please ensure that you wear appropriate clothing for the conditions expected. Good walking boots are usually sufficient, unless the weather has been excessively wet. Waterproofs are strongly recommended if rain is forecast. Please bring packed lunches on the all-day trips. If the weather is hot, please bring plenty to drink as most of the reserves and sites we visit do not have catering facilities. Access to most reserves is free; however, some do charge admission and/or car parking fees. When visiting RSPB reserves (or others if you are a member of that organisation), please bring your membership card, otherwise you will have to pay the non- members fee which is usually non-refundable. While most sites visited have normal public access and are well maintained, please take care and do not ignore any safety notices or instructions. Participation in outdoor meetings is entirely at your own risk. The Saturday walks will usually be led by Legh Langston, but occasionally someone else may lead. The Mid-week walks will usually be led by Steve Williams, assisted by Ron Jackson. The leader will be there in all but extreme conditions. If in any doubt, please ring the appropriate leader to check. For Saturday walks contact Legh Langston, 07950 028790. For mid-week walks, contact Steve Williams, 07506 645776. Outdoor trips are by car. If you would like a lift please contact the appropriate outdoor leader, who may be able to arrange this for you.

The RSPB is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside 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

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 2 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 15 The ZOOMS, INs and the OUTs for 2020 (and touching into 2021). We have been required to cancel all ‘physical’ events planned, booked and in progress. RSPB have instructed us that this will continue to be so until at least December 2020, when the situation will have been reviewed once again, and further advice will have been given. We know that you will be very interested in our ‘physically held’ events when they happen once again. All outdoor meetings are being regularly scrutinised with regard to reinstating in the future. We are however starting to have Zoom on-line meetings which will avoid the need to you to even leave your home. This might be the way forward in these current times until we can get back to ‘normal’. Please refer to the information shown on page one. Keep safe everyone, we’ll come through this together!

Thursday 22nd October 2020 We are pleased to confirm that Penny Williams has agreed to give her talk by Zoom. Thursday 26th November 2020 Our monthly meeting where we will have a Zoom talk from Peter Holden RSPB. His subject is Birds, Their Hidden World. A welcome return by Peter Holden MBE, who is the author of a dozen bird books, an RSPB staff member for over 40 years, and one of their most experienced speakers. He was instrumental in establishing Big Garden Birdwatch. His talk will enlighten us about aspects of our birds' lives which most bird books miss out. Thursday 3rd December 2020 - AGM This will be held using Zoom. Details will be given closer to the date. Hilary Macbean will be giving a talk after the main AGM is complete. Saturday 9th January 2021 - NWS Quiz Night (KS) This assumes we will be able to hold the event at this time, but we are very doubtful about this happening. We await confirmation… Clear your diaries (and heads) for our yearly quiz night. You will enjoy a convivial evening trying to beat the quiz masters (Ken and Geoff) with their (un?)-usual mix of easy to hard rounds, plus the photo round, and a meal included. Cost (in January 2020 was £14 pp). Raffle tickets will be available. Group event and promotional photographs will be taken on the night - any objection should be advised.

THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS

NORTH WEST SURREY LOCAL GROUP

YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS and OTHER CONTACTS

GROUP LEADER : Alan Sharps (AS) T. 01784 244665 E. [email protected] TREASURER : Angela Pugh T: 01784 457714 E: [email protected] SECRETARY: Anthony Groves T: 0789 1571825 E: [email protected] MEMBERSHIPS: Marion Sharps T: 01784 244665 E: [email protected] Post to - c/o Orchard Cottage, 12 Smallholdings, Off Clockhouse Lane, ASHFORD, Middlesex, TW15 2HB.

INDOOR MEETINGS: Ken Sutton (KS) T: 01784 436098 E: [email protected]

MID WEEK OUTINGS Steve Williams (SW) T: 07506 645776 E: [email protected]

WEEKEND OUTINGS: Legh Langston (LL) T: 07950 028790 E: [email protected]

COMMITTEE MEMBER Alan Pugh T: 01784 457714 E: [email protected] COMMITTEE MEMBER: Frank Clark T: E: [email protected] COMMITTEE MEMBER: Geoff Keen (GK) T: 01932 844329 E: [email protected] COMMITTEE MEMBER: Heather Sharpe T: 01932 859371 E: [email protected] COMMITTEE MEMBER: Simon Lumsden T: 07974 540730 E: [email protected]

WEBSITE Peter Hambrook T: 01932 346565 E: [email protected] NEWSLETTER EDITOR Geoff Porter T: 07946 419664 E: [email protected] By post to - Geoff Porter, c/o 12 Ashbee Close, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5HQ.

© RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2020 16 15 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 16