Black Bazzas are Back

 Stunning Black Baza

 Chinese Pond Heron

The highlight of our walk this morning was finding the family of Black Bazas in Bidadari. This most unusual looking bird migrates here annually to escape the northern winter. We also saw a lone migrant Chinese Pond Heron, Kingfishers, Orioles and the usual Doves and Mynas. It was a lovely morning for a walk, cleared out the head after a night on the town celebrating Peter's birthday. We first went to Wine Bos near Kampong Glam and finished at Divine Bar in Park View Square where the three piece band was in full swing. This time the images of the fairy were hardly any better than last time. My camera just doesn't respond well in those conditions.

Monday's walk was Bukit Batok to Bukit Gombak, locally known as Little Guilin, because of the rock structures and water for which this region of Southern China is famously known. We haven't walked this trail for more than 12 months. It takes you to the peak where once a Japanese monument was built by the POWs and via old quarries which are peaceful and the bird life prolific. It was frustrating to hear all the calls but not be able to identify much without binoculars. Next time. Once again we found the cheeky White Crested Laughing Thrushes which we have only ever found in this park. There was also a Grey Headed Fish Eagle, a Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo and a flock of Philippine Glossy Starlings feasting on the fruit of a fig tree. 

 Can you see the Drongo's tail extensions?

 white crested laughing thrush

On Friday we set the first leg of the Great Race with Heather and Michael which meant revisiting Fort Canning. This year they are setting it with our support so we were really just showing them how we set the legs last year. Heather has since typed up the first set of questions and answer sheet so it is really underway now. We are separating to plan 2 more legs this week. On the way home I dropped into Spotlight's haberdashery section for buttons and have since finished my first project on the new machine which was a success. 

Have managed long skype sessions with Mum, my sister Judy, Eric's brother Laurie and friend Sandy this last week so feel in-touch with all the goings on down under. The one I was particularly trying to catch was my brother Col who celebrated a birthday on the weekend but he has proved illusive. Email has had to suffice.

Adrian is looking forward to the Soundwave Concert in Adelaide and has delayed plans to move to Alice Springs. Changes afoot at his work and relocating back to Alawa with mate Nathan are enough to challenge him for the moment. A lovely positive email from him shows he is in a good place at the moment. Luke and Tahlia are both sounding happy, Luke particularly happy and successful at work and Tahlia more challenged by the current Uni subjects. 

Last night we met up a few work colleagues to see 'The Book Thief' at the cinema in Nex, very convenient for us, and then most joined us for dinner at our local hawkers. It's the first time we have been to the movies in ages and I don't know why we don't do it more often. Although Germany in the 1940's wasn't a particularly comfortable place to go, it was good to be completely swept up in the story and taken away to another place and time. There are a number of movies coming soon that we are now keen to see including 'Mandela, Long walk to Freedom' (which I am reading at the moment), Philomena with Judi Dench and Railway Man. How are we going to fit all those in? Keep you posted.