Saturday 28 September 2013
Well ,back from India and Nepal, it was an exhausting trip, but very worthwhile and we got a tremendous amount done, I have finished my reports and now have to get mentally organised (and physically as I have to give a paper) for the next trip, a big international conference in Argentina.

 

While at the train station in Delhi as usual at least three people tried to tell us that the train was not running, had gone, was nine hours delayed and that we  were on the wrong platform. It is infuriating and makes me very angry when it happens. We told them in no uncertain terms that we did not believe them!

 

We stayed at the Budgerigar Hotel and as usual the shower was dubious to say the least. In fact only in the place we stayed in where the shower not only working i.e. had water coming out of it, but was also warm, was the hotel in Nepal - What a pleasure.

 

In the twelve days that we were away we took nine different flights, one train journey, and travelled about 11,300 miles by air, train, car and foot. We had four meetings,  in five mornings with the teams, we caught up and vetted, took blood, micro chipped and ringed where needed 169 vultures, in five afternoons we helped out with analysing blood. We went to Bhopal, which I have never been to before, I think all the people in the city will be deaf soon as there was a festival and I have never heard such loud music. We had breakfast twice, and ate meals after 9.00pm three times. The budgerigar had no gin and I ate no dhal!!

 

We had a very nice India Rhino come to the VCBC in Nepal and watched the fruit bats in Pinjore leaving for their evening forays. We saw Black Kites although more often in towns than in the countryside and a Black Shouldered Kite, but that was it, although we did see a couple of my favourite non raptor birds, the Tree Pie! I wish I knew someone who bred them in Europe.

 

I got home late on Friday night and great it was to be home. The dogs were pleased to see me and Holly and Ben had been staying in the house.

 

In the next four days I managed to be flying various bird, three of which buggered off. First Yeates went, which he has done before, but he had not been behaving while I was away, and he continued the theme, so finally I gave up on him after eight months trying to get him fit and flying well, the time came to say OK, I need to focus on birds that will respond and get fit. Then Mark’s Lugger did a disappearing act while I was flying him, he will be very good, but you could see he was going to go, and he only went a few field before Jimmi and Mark got him back. Last Mark’s Barbary went, again when I was flying him, which I have often done. However He decided to be proper Barbary and went bloody miles, he left at 11.30, we finally caught up with him and to be fair he came straight in, near Westbury on Severn!!

 

I am glad to say that since then they mostly have been behaving. And we are flying Mark’s birds because he is working on the Hospital. It is coming on nicely, a little behind schedule because the towers that were ordered did not arrive until four days after the due delivery date and also it rained, however it now has walls, the purlins and rafters are up and it is looking good!

 

The autumn is here, the weather has been kind since I got back, dry and warm mainly with little rain, which is good because the front lawn has been dug up to lose the subsoil from the ground works of the hospital, so the lawn is changing shape again!

0 comments:

Hello

I have to say that keeping a weblog can at times become compulsive and at other times a chore. Sometimes I am berrated for not keeping it up and sometimes I get wonderful comments from people who follow the news of the Centre.

It is fun to share the daily goings on here, some good and some bad, some funny and some sad, but all a part of our daily lives.
And as I said before its a pretty cool to be here and it is a great place to visit, you should try coming and watching the birds and meeting the staff and of course the dogs.

An interesting video on Lead

An interesting video on Lead

I find it staggering that people who want to hunt don't see the value in changing their ammunition from lead to a safer product. We have stopped using lead in petrol, in paint, in our water pipes, but they still want to use lead - ah well, apparently eating it not only kills birds but leads to reduced intelligence in humans......................

NO ONE is asking you to stop legal and genuine hunting, they are just asking you to change your ammunition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHZGQ8i8AwI

HC

Website counter

Followers