Colombo & a bit of birding on Beira Lake

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When: September 2024 Weather: Hot 24C

Nikon P900

In Colombo for just a day, we spent a couple of hours looking around the city viewing some of its highlights and by the time we got back to the Cinnamon Grand Hotel where we were staying, the sun was already lowish on the horizon….

The Gallery cafe which was where the renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa had his office
intriguing courtyards interspersed with trees and foliage … a restful place to spend an hour
on to Independence Square
where the setting sun cast long shadows

We also walked around the Fort area where there were restaurants galore including the Ministry of Crab, little shops and the elegant Kingsbury Hotel. By the time we got back to Singapore the sun was really low already.

I had seen on Google maps that there was a lake behind the Cinnamon Grand Hotel which I wanted to explore…luckily it was easily accessible via the mall adjoining the hotel….so it was I found myself on the edge of the Beira Lake…

Beira Lake where there was a little pontoon bridge…
At first I thought I would only see crows of which there were many…indeed they were very aggressive and one of them promptly dive bombed me and harrassed me the whole ten minutes I was there….this is the first time ever in decades of birding that I have been attacked by a crow!
On the water, three water birds were seen in the distance….a grey heron, an egret and a painted stork!
grey heron
another grey heron
and a pelican cruising serenely
and just before I left after only 10min, this cormorant posed
Beira Park

So although I only had ten minutes at Lake Beira, I saw several interesting water birds…..

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