Another excellent themed puzzle by Virgilius with almost every answer or clue having some reference to birds. Solving time, 21 mins.
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 BEEFEATER Refers to the guards of the Tower of London and the ravens there. ‘beef/eater’ in word structure is equivalent to ‘ox/pecker’ which is the name of a bird.
6 GUL L lug<
8 B LOT The three answers referred to may all be abbreviated as B.
10 LOO N
11 DI P(a)PER I’d <
12 IN THE AIR current, prevalent. Where 4 down are found.
13/9 SNOW GEESE (go and 7 directions)*
15 EIDE R Edie<
16 ERNE “Urn”
17 I B IS
19 C(H) ATS
21 EMUS Alternate letters
23 FIRE (BIR) D rib< by Stravinsky
24 OUZELS (zealous)* less a (third letter)
26 KIWI Double definition
27 GREET e moving in egret
26 BOO K Kings = book of the Bible
29 SH A G
30 OSSIFRAGE (forages is)*
DOWN
1 BILL I ON
2 ESTOP hidden
3 E N GARDE (gander)*
4 THE BIRDS AND BEES
5 RE-ENTER (ree tern)*
6 GOLDENEYE A James Bond movie, also the name of a bird – not sure why the clue says ‘birds’
7 LAOTIAN (Tail on a)* cuckoo is anagram indicator
14 WESTERING (wren e.g. it’s)*
18 BRITISH (this bir)* My favourite clue
19 C LING T O c = caught ling = fish t = last (letter) of trout o = duck
20 S (H) ORT OF
22 U NLOO SE (loon = 10 down)*
25 ZEBRA finch Hidden
I wasn’t sure of the “birds” in 6D either but apparently the plural of GOLDENEYE can be GOLDENEYE or GOLDENEYES. So it’s perfectly fair, although “bird” would have worked just as well and been less confusing (but maybe that was the point).
I’m never terribly happy with clues like 13/9 but at least directions limit the possiblities more than notes.
Otherwise brilliance as usual.
I really enjoyed this one – 1 across and 19 across were both excellent.
Aren’t the three ‘B’ answers referred to by 8A the thematic fulfilment of the Bees in “The birds and bees”?