Zoologist, Dr Timothy Sellers, gave an illustrated talk on Feathers in Flight to Winchester and District RSPB group.

Only birds have feathers and all birds have feathers in some form. The soft fluffy feathers provide excellent insulation by trapping layers of air. This allows penguins to survive and breed in the extreme temperatures of the Antarctic.

Flight feathers are strong, flexible and light. They cover the bird's wings and form a shape that provides lift so that the bird can fly by flapping its wings or using the wind or thermals to soar and glide. A similar shape is used for the wings of planes and gliders.

Tea and coffee was served and a raffle raised £35. The next meeting is at the Stanmore Hotel, Winchester, on Tuesday, May 6th, at 7.45pm. It will be the AGM and a talk on New Zealand by John Godspeed.