Happy St. Patrick's Day one and all!

Another week nearly done and Paddy's day beckons. Unfortunately I will neither be reveling in drunken loutishness nor singing "The Banks" as I toddle off home at stupid o'clock down Shinsaibashi way, for I am off to Hiroshima! To the city that US of Atrocities decided to obliterate about 60 years ago. I was there last September and I loved the city, very friendly people and nice atmosphere, cool bars and eateries. However, this trip is all about the birds and in particular Saunder's gulls! I have the great fortune to be staying with and guided by an English birder by the name of Sean M. It is fantastic how the birders I have met here have been so accommodating, and now Sean (and his wife) have to put up with me for the weekend (Thanks Sean!!). I am really looking forward to going down/across/west to sample the vistas and areas surrounding the city. By the way, doesn't Bertie look like a right brown-nose there, licking the shirt-tails of the Chimp??

Last Sunday I went birding with Neil to Yamayogawa, which is a stretch of the Yodogawa on the outskirts of Osaka, quite near Kansai International Airport (about 70 minutes by train from Osaka city "centre"). What a day in the pissing rain. Gulls EVERYWHERE! I won't bore you with the details coz I am too tired to go into it now but the list is at the bottom. I will mention that a possible Thayer's gull got away from us that would have been the first record for the Kansai region...Gutted!

Since I witnessed the moped 'snatch and dash' incident last Friday night, there have been both marked and unmarked police cars parked on our road every night. It's mad. If that was back home they wouldn't give a toss and would maybe do a run around the area on the following night of the crime and leave at that, thinking Joe Public will be happy with that service. In saying that though, now word either about the "Body". Either they couldn't find it or didn't need to bring us in for questioning...

I'm off to bed now, that's been my week really. Working away hard and actually back in the gym again, more or less...

Bye for now and I'll see you after Hiroshima (the Hokkaido blog report coming next week folks, stay tuned, photos are now completed......bet you are all so excited, especially LJ and the boys after my previous posting)

Actually, before I go, wasn't it really convenient for Israel that the US and UK monitors were removed from the prison in Palestine? Wasn't it fortunate they didn't kill any "Peacekeepers" there? It's a f^%king disgrace and I am livid about it. Goddamn it all to hell but I could go on about this fiasco for hours...And here's another beauty from Iraq: 11 people most of them women and children were killed when US forces flattened a house during a raid north of Baghdad early yesterday, police and relatives said. The US of Atrocities acknowledged the raid and said it captured one insurgent, with only four people killed a man, two women and a child. Only 4 innocent people killed, including two women and a child, just to kill one claimed "insurgent". Give me a break...

Carmo's Diet: This week, I have mostly been eating chicken, pesto, peppers and olives...

Carmo's Birds: Thayer's gull (probably); L. HEUGLINI 'TAIMYRENSIS'*; L. HEUGLINI HEUGLINI*; Vega gull, Mongolian gull, Slaty-backed gull, L. canus kamtschatschensis, kestrel, sparrowhawk

Carmo's Birds for Byrdy: Natalie Portman...please