Singapore Botanic Gardens 11 Oct 2009

Arrived in Sing hotel at about 1430 which gave just enough time to scoot across to the Botanic Gardens. Common Myna, Hill Myna, Spotted Necked Dove,Yellow Vented Bulbul, Phillipine Glossy Straling, COMMON GOLDEN BACKED WOODPECKER, Kingfisher, Lesser Whsitling Duck, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, White Breasted Water Hen, KOEL. Also saw a Falcon sitting in a tree in the Rainforest section and an aeagle flew overhead.

Counting on the Thames (Year List R30, L29)

On my run, met a chap who counts the numbers of birds on the river between Putney and Barnes bridges every month. He said Wigeon never seen on river, Pintail east of Putney Bridge, more Dabchicks than usual maybe due to cold spell meaning they need bigger water expanse.
I wonder if his results are published online?

Portland Bill 29 Dec 2007

I recently discovered, via 10,000 Birds, the excellent Portland Bird Observatory website (see Links). So when we were down to visit the in-laws in Dorchester and needed to blow the ague out of our systems, it was an obvious choice. It is an unexpectedly long drive even from Weymouth to get to the Lighthouse at the end of the Bill, but well worth it. It was a clear but windy day and the sea was spectacular - truly tempestous. We werent quite sure where to walk to, but pottering around found many Rock Pipits and a Stonechat. The Observatory itself is the old lighthouse and looks like it would be a brilliant place to stay. All we could see on the sea were cormorants, with Greater Black Backed Gulls soaring past. We moved on to Chesil Cove, where there Kittiwakes amongst the gulls struggling in the wind.
Then just across at the most sheltered part of Portland Harbour we found a group of Red Breasted Mergansers and, after lunch, a Diver.