Another trip done, the SAVE meeting was in Bangladesh and we had it on a large boat, or do I mean ship in the Sunderban, which is basically a large mangrove forest opening out into the Bay of Bengal. It was an exhausting time, the flights were through the UAE which means longer in the air and on the ground so sleepless night number one. We had a night to recover before flying down to the nearest airport to the Sunderban and then a 3.5 hours drive over roads that have to be seen to be believed.


We then got shipped to the boat in a smaller motor boat and got into our various cabins by about midnight, then some food (which I can't manage that late). Then to bed, however after the drive and the boat moving and the anchor being incredibly noisy, there was not much sleep to be had. The boats were great although the cabin walls paper thin!

The huge advantage of having a meeting on a boat is that noone can slope off!! The boat moved downriver while we were meeting and then moored for the evening. We had a couple of
early morning trips in the smaller boat to bird watch (LBJ's). The most fun was watching the river dolphins and the Brahminy Kites.

All in all apart from only two nights of sleep in seven nights the meeting went well and much was achieved. And it is a particular pleasure to me to know that the first vultures in Nepal have been released back to the wild. Here is wishing them the best of luck.

But oh boy it was good to be home and I am not going to eat any rice until next September!

Hwever it was pretty damn cold after Bangladesh! We have had two Owl Evenings since, the first, the day after I got back was bitter, the owls did well, all worked but the benches in the flying ground were covered in frost! The later one was much warmer, althoug it looks like the next one will be cold again. I don't mind the cold, its nice to have a proper winter, snow would be even better. I only have one regret, I took up the carpet in my office because it was impossible to keep clean with the dogs, and it is now much colder in here!

Talking of the dogs, Briza was scanned on Monday and she IS pregnant, so puppies on January 2nd next year!

We have also now just finished taking out the leylandii hedge around the play area and the aviary area. It has opened it all up and will once complete look great I hope. Lots to do and not enough days in the year to get it all done!

Sadly our plan to have a good number of disabled vultures to help with their breeding programme from South Africa has been scuppered and we have been let down, a great shame really after everyone's hard work. However we now have other plans and are looking forward to the coming breeding season.