Daily Answers

5-across – Bird seen on migration in Tresco? : SCOTER

6-across – Birds presented with bill for geranium : CRANES

9-across – Bird with belly-ache : GROUSE

10-across – Giddy dove circling another bird in the air : OVERHEAD

11-across – A bird – or, to put it another way, birds : SKUA

12-across – An eccentric breeds rats for birds : REDBREASTS

13-across – Wrong note in port for seabird : HERRINGGULL

18-across – Bird in town centre going round to cinema providing animal shelter : WOODPIGEON

21-across – Kill two birds with one stone – that includes birds’ birthplace : NEST

22-across – Bird seen on street in pushchair : STROLLER

23-across – A bird has to mount it : TOMTIT

24-across – Wine for a bird : CANARY

25-across – Ruth or Rachel’s first bird : REGRET

1-down – Couple at work have sex : COPULATE

2-down – Space traveller revealed by start of oscillation in measuring instrument : METEOR

3-down – 25 of knitted jumper : TREEFROG

4-down – Girl’s three articles : ANTHEA

5-down – Bird may be hitch for hikers : SHRIKE

7-down – Hare-brained puss in pigpen : SCATTY

8-down – What Elvis sang about – and where, too : WOODENHEART

14-down – Mockingbird with lyre-shaped tail : RAILLERY

15-down – Outstanding feature of scenery – as well as mountain-top circled by bird : LANDMARK

16-down – It’s characteristic of a twitcher to follow the author of The Raven describing The Raven : POETIC

17-down – A beast of burden is the first to help : ASSIST

19-down – River in southern highlands floods : DROWNS

20-down – Spice Girls’ debut, having first met UN Assembly : NUTMEG

7-across – Report of pachyderms in pass with peculiar feature : WRYNOSE

8-across – From river to river back to river : POTOMAC

10-across – Having got my ape movies muddled, I say I’m king of the river : MEKONG

11-across – On All Fools’ Day the bird gets old fruit : APRICOCK

12-across – Accommodation like 6 : FLAT

13-across – The president finds something explosive in The King and I … : THABOMBEKI

14-across – … in his place – enough to give one a fit – a chorus … : SOUTHAFRICA

19-across – … at last the balladist admits his identity : ZIMBABWEAN

22-across – A couple of Scots cut off and shut off: no change here! : TWAS

23-across – : EVERTHUS

24-across – : NELSON

25-across – Hold our Peter’s father, perhaps – one before 13 : MANDELA

26-across – Where the flytrap was you can see little bits mangled inside : WEBSITE

1-down – Well-regulated trolley pusher? : ORDERLY

2-down – A few of the foregoing with this alternative : ONEORTWO

3-down – Both the dials go wrong: this you must see! : ASIGHT

4-down – … This suffice, or do you want the usual saloon? : FOURDOOR

5-down – Keeper of the watch, an unknown copper, coming in: he’s earthborn : FOXCUB

6-down – It’s made of batter clumsily ground : PANCAKE

9-down – The birds are over the pond : CANADAGEESE

15-down – See 3 : TOBEHOLD

16-down – Pet on a table set to change and not to change : CATALYST

17-down – Roman bridge : MILVIAN

18-down – Collusion with accountant is a big laugh : CAHOOTS

20-down – What the sheep said about punishment under the Gaekwar : BARODA

21-down – Poles in their customary order in a French city : NANTES

9-across – One nurse can become unsettled, maybe for life : INSURANCE

10-across – A temple ornament? : TIARA

11-across – Worker admits fruit gives sustenance : ALIMENT

12-across – Shocking in respect to certain individuals : AWESOME

13-across – I knock back about a couple : PAIR

14-across – Side given drink for morale : TEAMSPIRIT

16-across – A sheer fabrication : ORGANZA

17-across – Poet is reserved about French female : SHELLEY

19-across – Held in check, fell behind the others : RESTRAINED

22-across – It’s flat and square : EVEN

24-across – A driver went astray, but completed the course : ARRIVED

25-across – Measured fruit and garden plot : PLUMBED

26-across – Duck down : EIDER

27-across – Means to get at the drink : CORKSCREW

1-down – Steals fitting in error : MISAPPROPRIATES

2-down – Here’s hoping I spring a surprise : ASPIRING

3-down – Increase the strain : BREED

4-down – It can make a man hate what is repellent to him : ANATHEMA

5-down – Still good advice to the excited : BECALM

6-down – Tried to make potted meat – nothing less : ATTEMPTED

7-down – Left work : LABOUR

8-down – How a hospital patient might have to accept medication without protest? : TAKEITLYINGDOWN

15-down – Dog entered in favoured races is withdrawn : INTROVERT

17-down – Retired train-bearers? : SLEEPERS

18-down – Budgerigar to delight in being caged? : LOVEBIRD

20-down – Leader of the squad tried to change step : STRIDE

21-down – Prompt delivery : INDUCE

23-down – Think of America : GUESS

1-across – Natural flavouring put in plonk or fruit drink : SHERBET

5-across – Feature of space traveller, sported improperly : REDSPOT

9-across – Backer provides a new stage, after reflection : ANGEL

10-across – One’s in the country here : INDONESIA

11-across – People adopt English manner by the sea : FOLKESTONE

12-across – Suicide achieved nothing : DIDO

14-across – Leadin’ newly-wed to place of reception : DRAWINGROOM

18-across – Royal wedding brings a lump to the throat : WINDSORKNOT

21-across – Ringing display in the Three Choirs Festival : ECHO

22-across – Rejected fielders admit enjoyin’ the game : SPILLIKINS

25-across – Homicide has sovereign tucking into more rum : STRANGLER

26-across – Dog briefly enthrals a writer : PEAKE

27-across – Goddess writes about gods : PENATES

28-across – As ruler, becomes dreamlike : SURREAL

1-down – Workers on a Scottish island : STAFFA

2-down – Spirit captures wild gnu in swamp : ENGULF

3-down – Rot or blight at root of big tree : BALDERDASH

4-down – In a manner of speaking it is not pollution : TAINT

5-down – Flag of retreat interrupts surrender : REDENSIGN

6-down – Dripping is swallowed without resistance : DANK

7-down – God is present, I assume : POSEIDON

8-down – Cafes where more toast is endlessly prepared : TEAROOMS

13-down – ‘e captured a murderer and ‘e suits ‘imself : EGOTRIPPER

15-down – A harvest store erected in the citadel : ACROPOLIS

16-down – Hearts removed from confectioner’s fruit : SWEETSOP

17-down – Fugitive is no hunter, unfortunately : ONTHERUN

19-down – Denunciation of one in business : TIRADE

20-down – A balloon, to boot : ASWELL

23-down – Testing ground is another place for an MP : LORDS

24-down – One displaying detachment : UNIT

1-across – Announcer’s autocue? : TAILBACK

5-across – Having docked, moved up and down with the waves : BOBBED

9-across – Ball comes to rest on peg : LEGBREAK

10-across – Highlight, ie streak, front part of hair : STRESS

11-across – Flower-patterned cloth, carefully designed : DEEPLAID

12-across – Tax-related fine is set by State : FISCAL

14-across – Board game with ten moves to counter : MANAGEMENT

18-across – Girl in therapy for skin problem : CRAQUELURE

22-across – Present for appointment, having to hold on : DONATE

23-across – Duck a l’orange : MANDARIN

24-across – Old headdress vulgar – put on better : MOBCAP

25-across – Crop tends to lie awkwardly : LINTSEED

26-across – Fell, we hear, for this yarn : CREWEL

27-across – Flower from a desert in bloom : AGERATUM

1-down – Taken to ring outside Spanish city : TOLEDO

2-down – Artist has painting restored and framed : INGRES

3-down – Just lean on Jack when he returns above : BARELY

4-down – Kind of chair one lowered overboard : CHARITABLE

6-down – Non-member is unlikely winner : OUTSIDER

7-down – Voice is breaking – fit for longs : BREECHES

8-down – Forlorn miss stood up, taken in by boyfriend : DESOLATE

13-down – Girl comes up to town looking for a reference : MAPREANING

15-down – Speculative by half – deposited in account after account : ACADEMIC

16-down – Foul, bad, mean, grasping, low and abhorrent : DAMNABLE

17-down – Gearbox designed for transit causes it to break down : SUITCASE

19-down – He puts his baby to bed before running off … : EDITOR

20-down – … to Fathers’ Club : PRIEST

21-down – Maenad danced about wearing a chaplet : ANADEM