No less than 70 enthusiasts turned up to the Natural History Quiz Night on January 16th; a good demonstration of the degree of local interest in the environment. The event was organised jointly by Blyth Woods and the Commons Group with Alan Miller setting the questions and Myles Archibald taking on the Quizmaster roll.
Ten sections of very varied questions really got people thinking. Some were easy, but would you know what you were seeing if an Arvicola amphibius swam up the river in front of you? And what is the most commonly seen cetacean in Suffolk? These and many more, including naming mammal and bird sound recordings and solving anagrams, tested everyone.
The evening raised over £500 to be shared between Blyth Woods and the Commons Group.
In addition to raising valuable funds the quiz raised awareness of natural history and inspired people to find out more. One person said to me as they left at the end of the evening “I really must find out more about these things, I didn’t know half the answers – I’ll get the Merlin App and learn about bird calls for a start!”
A selection of questions from the evening are printed below to give a flavour of the quiz – try them and see how you get on, some folk are already asking for the date of the next one so its good to get some practice!
- A King Harry is the Suffolk name for which common bird?
- Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth is famous for its large colony of which sea bird?
- Where do adders lay their eggs?
- What book is Rachel Carson famous for writing?
- What is a Square spot rustic?
- Which fish eating raptor bred in the Norfolk Broads in 2025 for the first time in 250 years?
- Which toad has a yellow stripe down its back?
- What colour are toad tadpoles?
- Which son of Halesworth was a friend of Charles Darwin?
- Which species of raptor has nested on the Orwell Bridge since 2008?
Answers here: don’t look until you have tried them all!
Blyth Woods 