Christmas Quiz .............................................................Clive Collins .................................. 20

Treecreeper Minsmere Sluice Bushes, 3rd December (only the second Suffolk record since about 1939, following the trail-blazing Felixstowe Ferry bird in late November 1987); twenty Yellow-browed Warblers in October and Red-breasted Flycatchers at Lowestoft, 29th September to 2nd October and Landguard, 14th October. - exceptional fall Easterly winds and rain in mid-October produced an exceptional “fall” of passerine migrants at coastal sites. Robins featured prominently, especially on 16th when there were estimated to be 1000 at Landguard, “exceptional numbers” at Bawdsey and a “very large fall” at Benacre. It was considered that there could have been as many as 10,000 Robins on the Suffolk coast on that date. Other species to feature at this time included Black Redstart with seventeen, Landguard, 17th October, Ring Ouzel with 40 at eleven coastal sites, probably thousands of Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Redwings, and Goldcrest with an estimated 1000 at Benacre, 17th October. Landguard’s first record of Bearded Tit occurred on 12th October and second record of Treecreeper on 18th and 19th October. Migrant Hawfinches were at Landguard, 16th October, Southwold 28th October and Benacre, 11th November. Thirteen Lapland Buntings were at Sudbourne, 24th December while just across the Alde Estuary a gathering of 326 Snow Buntings at Slaughden, 11th December was described as “Suffolk’s largest gathering of modern times”. A further remarkable record was that of an aberrant Whinchat with an all-dark tail at Landguard, 20th and 21st October.

Christmas Prize Competition continued

41. Which resplendent bird can be divided into a hundred? 42. When did the snatching of a goose by an eagle predict the return of a husband to a faithful wife? 43. Which bird looks out to sea, watching for returning sailors? 44. Where does a dirty duck look across to a swan? 45. When did an eagle finish off little boots? 46. Why did the Ancient Greeks think that the male Buzzard was lucky? 47. Which bird nested on the walls of Macbeth’s castle? 48. What distinction is shared by 32 pigeons? 49. Which innocuous songbird is threatened with having its feet plucked? 50. Emus are flightless, but which famous battle caused an Emu to fly?