January

2012 has arrived! Let's hope it's a better year than last year, especially for birds of prey! 4 golden eagles and a white tailed sea eagle shot or poisoned in Scotland, 20 red kites in Britain generally, 2 peregrines, 4 goshawks and a buzzard in Devon, 1 peregrine in Cornwall, a marsh harrier in Durham and a buzzard in Woldingham.
Do these morons think they are still living in 1812 or 1912 ??? We are supposed to be civilised!!

On a much brighter note the local group had our 1st outing of the New Year on the 15th to Dungeness RSPB reserve even the weather was bright though cold and crisp. We saw 66 species from robins and blue tits through to Artic breeding duck: smew, long tailed duck (or old squaw, so named by the Canadian First Nation peoples - they thought a flock sounded like a group of squabbling squaws!). We finished off the day at Dungeness Point looking out to sea where we saw over 1000 Brent geese moving east starting their journey back to the Arctic, red throated and black throated divers, guillemots, razorbills and dovekie or little auk, a sea bird about the size of a starling together with 7 types of gull - a very good day out.

Why not come and join one of our trips? Beginners welcome, or try our indoor meetings? Perhaps 14th MARCH TO HEAR STEPHEN MOSS, BILL ODDIE'S PRODUCER TALKING ABOUT FILMING: 7-30 for 8 at The White Hart Barn Godstone...