Bredbury Blue

Thanks for the ID. I had no idea that's what it is. A stunning bird. The wife says it is still alive, a friend who keeps birds has given her the name of a vet and she will take it this morning for a check. Hoping it fully recovers.

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This poor thing crashed in to one of our windows with a bang. The wife thought it was dead but tried massaging it and it came around. Its improved a bit since the afternoon crash but can't get up. Not sure it'll last the night. What type is it?

For about the past 10 days, I've had a family of 3 pied fantails (one of my favourite birds here) very active on my garden fence about 2m in front of my window/work desk. They spend most the day going back and forth along the fence. There's a juvenile that never stops calling out for food; it's very successful. ???? Lovely entertainment when I'm working.

Thanks, well worth knowing. I have seen them all around over the years except the Keith Taylor one (bottom middle).

Which is the best one/your go to? I just have the one at bottom left side.

As I went in a restaurant yesterday I noticed this crow picking up and moving stones and leaves in the big jar. After eating I came out and the crow was still busy. I crounched down to put my drink and glasses case down so I could video the crow and it came right over to me, hung around me for a minute then moved to the big jar in front of me, picked up a stone and took it back to its favourite jar and went back to sorting its stones. Not very often I see a crow here and I've never seen one so close. 20220313_103215_396357676644216.mp4 20220313_103254_396396785314462.mp4

The 'more interesting birds in my garden' eat the bananas/mangoes, the 'least interesting birds' eat the bread (and the broken bits from the bottom of my muesli container that i put out when i want to clean the container).

I tend to have a queue of birds waiting for me to throw bread out the kitchen window. This morning I had this little family visit. We put out over ripe bananas we can't eat (i slit them wide open) which are very popular and every bit of the fruit is eaten. Same with the mangoes that fall from the tree above. You'll see a small orange on the floor I put out to see if any takers - NONE! 20220211_082932.mp4

"when a trek through the jungle was necessary to get to White Sands beach from the port on Koh Chang" First time I went to koh Chang, possibly in 1992, you took a fishing boat to White Sands beach. People that were staying there, swam out pushing a raft with a rope attached. You climbed off the boat and on to the raft and they pulled you to shore. 2nd time I went, a year or so later, a man that lived in a shack on the right side of the beach when viewed from the sea, came out for you in a long-tail boat. There was no electricity, only diesel generator. Eat what they had. Sleep and rise early when your room fan stopped around 6am. Third time I went the road was built to White Sands, there were small bars cropping up right on the sands and it was a very different place. "the only supermarket in Thailand was Villa’s lone branch on Sukhumvit". A trip to Washington cinema, then to that Villa opposite and in the soi there was a newspaper distributors shop, so I'd treat myself to a thick UK newspaper and spend days reading every word then pass on to a mate...pre-internet days. Anybody coming from the UK would pass on the newspapers they'd brought over and you'd read everything.

Since worked out that there's 5 birds (2 adults and 3 young) and not 4 as i had thought. Only seen the 5 eating together once. I've also worked out why these greedy buggers are always first there when I throw out bread in the morning - they live in a tree in the garden about 15 metres from where I throw the bread ???? See them in the same tree every night.

Returned yesterday to Samut Prakarn DLT office to do my licence renewal (2yr. to 5yr.). Have to say it was far quieter, a lot more pleasant and parking no problem at Samut Prakarn DLT office than at Sukhumvit 62 DLT office, though seemed like very little English is spoken there (I was accompanied by my wife, Thai). On my each of my visits I saw only one farlang. Showed my paperwork outside and was told that I had to go to 2nd floor, counter 4. At counter 4 was told to queue for the boss’s office (it’s behind counter 4). Went in and he checked my paperwork was in order against my passport, Work Permit and expired driving licence. He put a form on top which I signed then took it all back to counter 4 who checked it again and sent me downstairs to the testing room. In the testing room for the 2pm appointment slot there were 3 Thais and me (not busy like Sukhumvit 62 when I went 2 years ago, where they we testing many groups of 10 at a time). So, I got my 5-year licence and I would recommend Samut Prakarn DLT office over Sukhumvit 62 DLT office if you live close enough.

Plenty of vids on YouTube of people doing it on motorbikes which should give you an idea. I'm never sure when people say the MHS Loop do they mean the big one that goes from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot and back or the smaller loop of Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang and back. Drove the big loop a few years ago, we loved it. Especially loved the drive from Mae Sot to Pai. Loved Mae Sariang, MHS and Pai. Route was: BKK to Sukhothai (1 night at hotel at airport) Visited the brilliant Si Satchanalai Historical Park (2nd night at hotel at airport) Sukhothai via Tak for lunch and on to Mae Sot (1 night at centara hotel) Mae Sot to Mae Sariang (1 night at Riverhouse hotel) *mistake not to stay an extra day at M.S. Mae Sariang to Mae Hong Son (2 nights at Imperial) MHS to Pai (2 nights at The Quarter) Pai to Chiang Mai (2 nights) Chiang Mai to Sukhothai airport again (1 night) Back to BKK

I downloaded on my phone and subscribed to BEin connect app - don't remember how much but it was cheap. On the box I downloaded the BEin App. I log in on my phone and connect the phone and BEin App on the tv to watch. We already have a True tv package with Premier League, but I think through the box you can subscribe just for a PL package (i can see THB 149 and THB 249 on the screen).

It looks like the True Box I have. Got it for free I use it everyday to watch Netflix, YouTube, football on BEIN Connect. Worth having. If it doesn't come with a remote (It should) then download 'Android TV' App on to your phone. The smaller of the two boxes. It connects in to the tv.

Pleased to see it's back to two youngsters again this morning (always come to the same spot in the garden - the area where I put bread).

For the past few days the two chicks have been hanging around on our garden paved floor area. Today there's only one. A bit like the adults, you can get really close to them. Be interested to see if it's back in the morning. Plenty of cats use my garden as a highway, also lots of snakes (found a dead rat snake in the garden this afternoon - we suspect a bird had it), monitors - a python sometimes lives under the empty house opposite. 20211120_120747.mp4

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We were in the area so we did our annual visit to see the Gulls from Siberia, Mongolia, Tibet and China wintering at Bang Pu pier (they visit every November to April). Chaotic but great fun feeding them bags of pork scratchings. They are extremely agile, you feel you are going to have them crash in to you as they get so close, they are experts at carefully and gently taking the food from your fingers. It's a popular attraction for the locals.

Not a great photo from my not great phone. The 2 young ones were sat in the sun in the same spot for atleast an hour as I watched while having breakfast; didn't see their parents. Later I looked and they'd gone.

This afternoon the wife and i went to Samut Prakarn DLT office, reasoning that it'd be quieter than Phrakhanong Suk 62 office, to see if I could book an appointment in person as I didn't want to wait till a March 2022 online booking slot. When we arrived at the DLT reception the wife said she wanted to try to book an appointment for me. We were told to go up to the 2nd floor, desk 4 and ask to see the office boss (he's jaydee we were told). Joined a small queue for our turn in the boss' office. Wife explained to him my licence expired in July, I'd done the 1hr video lesson in June (showed the certificate on my phone), and as I had to go overseas for work was it possible to get a quicker/earlier appointment than booking online. He booked me in for the earliest possible date which is just after the Dec 5th holiday. He was indeed jaidee. Very happy to get that appointment date.

EVERY page is needed. I didn't copy a couple of the 'info page's, they checked and i had to get the missing pages copied.

Cute pics. In the darker/later video, can anyone tell me what's making the noise? LINE_MOVIE_1637147490720.mp4 LINE_MOVIE_1637147434758.mp4

Can you advise which one?