Plot

A bird watching group cross over land off their map, and the Lord shoots at them. Later, the Lord ends up dead at the locked in hostel the group is staying at.

Grumpy Lord Henry Hollingworth shoots at trespassing juvenile bird watchers. He is murdered at the nearby Skylark Youth Hostel while Father Brown, Mrs McCarthy, Bunty, inspector Mallory and sergeant Goodfellow are sleeping there on a bird watching outing with the Kembleford Ramblers and Twitchers. Ill feeling between Hollingworth and the ramblers and owners of the hostel was apparent; his sponsorship of the hostel and nearby girls convent ended 15 years previously and his daughter Henrietta 'Hetty', an old school-friend of Bunty's has been covering up blackmail letters her father had been receiving. Brown must work out what happened both that night and before, especially the cause for blackmail.—KGF Vissers