Not having had face to face contact for five months, there was a lot of discussion of activities during the idle days and months.

There being no guest speaker arranged for this meeting, we were open to members talking of some of the activities they had done.

Ian Ferguson gave members a very informative talk on his lifelong passion and interest in our birdlife, stating there are 758 registered species of birds in Australia, from the smallest, 3.5 gram hummingbird to the 85kg. cassowary,and that the budgerigar is found on every continent except Antarctica.

We have in Australia five flightless birds including the emu. A bird in flight flaps their wings at 500 per minute and the heart beats at the same rate. Also the whipbird call has no known equivalent .

Ian said the pelican and albatross glide over the water on landing on a pressure wave and can do this for some distance. A bird's migration patterns and distances traveled also created interest

There are five species of bower bird around Australia, each one different in their matting habits and their choice of colour for the bower to attract a mate. It was interesting that the lyrebird is the greatest mimic of sounds.

A very informative talk and to the amazement of members that there were no notes or reference material - just goes to show his interest and knowledge of his subject. Thank you Ian.

Member Max Lambert gave a short talk on his isolation project. He and his wife painted the interior of their home, much to their satisfaction, and then they moved to the exterior. Good job, thanks Max.

Taree Probus Club would welcome new members. If any retired men are interested in fun and fellowship, with like minded men, they are asked to phone our president Peter on 6556 1055, or our secretary Tony on 6552 4284 for further details.