Quiz Time - By John Theedom

Which shop is due to move in to the old Debenhams building?

What was the Lone Ranger’s horse called?

A Brazilian huntsman is a type of what?

In the TV show, who were Father Ted’s colleagues?

How many points does a sycamore leaf have?

What did the ‘owl & the pussy-cat’ dine on?

Which Dutch town is famous for it’s blue pottery?

Which Suffolk town does Ed Sheeran live?

What is a passiepied?

Which famous bear came from Peru?

What is the white of an egg called apart from albumen?

How many strings are there on a double bass?

Which part of an elephant has 40,000 muscles?

Which digit is your pollex?

Who designed Oaklands House, now Chelmsford Museum?

Who founded Amstrad?

Who invented the glider?

Figaro is a type of what vegetable?

Which Teletubby is purple?

What is Worzel Gummidge?

(Answers on page 31)

Which is the slowest swimming stroke?

Where do mosquitoes lay their eggs?

What is blue vinney?

In the northern hemisphere, which direction does the water rotate when you pull the plug out?

What is three eighths of 96?

Which wedding anniversary is Ruby?

What number is represented by the Roman letter ‘D’?

To what would a codicil be added?

Who or what is a ducat?

In which country was the first football World Cup Final held?

What is a twitcher?

With which sport is Silverstone associated with?

How many of Henry VIII’s wives were called Anne?

In the 19th century, what was a velocipede a prototype of?

What is a noctule?

Which Latin phrase means ‘time flies’?

In which city was Boris Johnson born?

What is a baldric?

What is the key number in a game of pontoon?

What did Thomas Sheraton design?

Stargazing With Mark Willis - February/March

On 20th February around 8.30pm looking due south you’ll see Orion, the Hunter. Below Orion’s belt you will see a misty patch. This is the Orion Nebula, which is a stellar nursery. To the right of Orion, higher up in the sky, you’ll see Mars. It’s a new Moon tonight, so you’ll have a very dark sky (providing there’s no clouds!) Mars is currently moving further away from us, but it is still very bright and you will even see its red colour too.

20th February 1962 - On This Day: US spaceman orbits Earth. The first American to orbit the Earth has landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean. Marine Lieutenant John Glenn, 40, travelled about 81,000 miles (more than 130,000km) as he circled the globe three times at more than 17,000 mph (27,000kph).

23rd February: Earthshine on the waxing crescent Moon. We often think of the Moon as being highly reflective. The light we get back from the Moon is the same as the light reflected back from an asphalt road. Earthshine is where the ‘darker’ side of the Moon is lit and becomes visible.

20th March - Spring Equinox: ‘Equal nights’ is a pretty literal translation. The length of the day and night becomes equal on this day. From this day forward, nights become shorter and days become longer.

24th March 1965 - On This Day: Millions watch the space probe crash into Moon. Ranger 9 beams live pictures of the Moon to ordinary Americans as it hurtles down to crash on the surface.

New Moon - On 20th February and 21st March: New Moon. This means the skies will be extra dark which is a great opportunity to see planets, galaxies and deep space objects.

As usual, email me with any questions.

www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com mark.willis@chelmsfordcommunityradio.com

Wildlife Corner - By Nick Green

The Met Office stated that 2022 was the fifth warmest year on record, despite that cold snap experienced before Christmas.

The tawny owl is a common sedentary resident and is widely distributed throughout Britain and mainland Europe from Portugal east to Korea. There are about 20,000 pairs in Britain. It’s generally a woodland species, but also found in farmland and gardens with enough trees to provide secure nest and roost sites. Tawny owls frequent habitat with lookout posts, woodland with clearings, hedges and gardens with mature trees. The species readily takes to nest boxes.

Tawny owls are heard hooting from late autumn through the winter months, resident pairs often duet. The ‘kee-wick’ call is territorial. Most pairs start nesting mid-March, but late February is not unusual. Asynchronous hatching increases survival if there is a poor food supply, as indeed just like the barn owl. The species mainly feeds on small mammals like mice and voles.

British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Tawny Owl Nest Box Instructions www.bto.org/sites/default/files/tawny-owl-nest-box-plan.pdf

Check also Amazon for a selection of nest boxes.

Selected Essex January 2023 Highlights

Butterflies: Red admiral at Chelmsford B&Q on 6th January!

The Naze: Eider, 2 snow bunting. Abberton Reservoir: 2 great northern divers, black-necked grebe, female long-tailed duck, 12 scaup, redhead smew, 4 Bewick’s swans, 4 great white egret, white stork, up to 11 Caspian (probably best site in Britain) and 3 yellow-legged gulls, 53 curlew, 15 ruff, short-eared and barn owls, peregrine, merlin. Wallasea Island RSPB: 1-2 spoonbills, 1,800 golden plover, 2 hen harrier, 3 short-eared owls. Rainham Marshes RSPB: Caspian gull, 5 water pipit.