July meeting

A holiday atmosphere was apparent at this last meeting before the August break.  Despite the lack of a pianist, both Jerusalem and the National Anthem were accomplished in reasonably good order, and the business of the meeting was processed without undue haste.

The talk was given by Mr Roger Hance and his subject was British birds.  The splendid slides showed both resident and visiting birds, and Mr Hance talked knowledgeably about them.  His ability to get close to nests without causing disturbance provided us with pictures of young wrens, starlings and swallows, mostly with mouths agape, whilst parent birds stuffed food into them.  We also saw the aftermath of the seizure of other species' young by birds of prey.  The forlorn scatterings of feathers bear witness to Nature's relentless dictum that food is a basic requirement, and that life in the bird world requires constant vigilance.  Mr Hance's talk was full of interest and information, and he was thanked at the end by Betty Trist. 

The July competition was for 'a feather'.  This was interpreted by members in a diversity of ways, from straightforward single feathers to a feather picture frame, feather fascinator, feather-decorated mask, a swan's feather quill pen, a tiny doll's house-size feather, and even a plant with a feather-like bloom.  Mr Hance judged the entries and, after much deliberation, chose a feather carnival-mask as the winner. 

The winning entry