There does not seem to be any concept of a wildlife Sanctuary here in Thailand - except for National Parks that is. And even there, pouching is still rampant.

There does not seem to be any concept of a wildlife Sanctuary here in Thailand - except for National Parks that is. And even there, pouching is still rampant.

That's a Freudian slip if I've ever seen one.

I see this bloke around a bit,a pair doing acrobatics while feeding on some hatch is pretty impressive.

Gallus gallus domesticus.

That looks like my chicken that went missing a while ago !!

toybits #61

You are using the wrong tenses. But your message is correct.

There used to be National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Northern Thailand.
What is left at present is completely fragmented and degraded. All areas has been
logged, at least once. The annual forest fires have prevented recuperation.

Poaching used to be rampant in Northern Thailand. At present there is nothing
sizable left to poach. There used to be 4 deer species in the Yonok swamp South
of Chiang Saen. Today there are none.

In 1976 I got a letter from a friend telling me about the herds of Sambar deer
which could be seen from the bus near Fang in Chiang Mai province. Not a single
Sambar deer is left in the forests of Chiang Rai province.

And the rich get richer but everybody (including the rich) get poorer.




kimincm #63

You are showing a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. The tail is forked and the elongate
outer tail feathers end with twisted rackets. The head has a crest at the base of
the bill.

Above species can be confused with the Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo which has
a square-ended tail and the elongate outer tail feathers have longer shaft ending
with flat rackets. The head has a flat appearance.

The elongate outer tail feathers can be missing but the forked or square tail
end is always present, even in juvenile birds.

Seven species of Drongos can be seen in Northern Thailand. All are resident species
except the Crow-billed Drongo which is a passage migrant.

Got a great shot if an owl the other week -cant figure out how to post my photo from ipad -does anyone know how to do this?

Just sussed out how to send photos

This little beauty was in a tree for two hours-totally unshy ! -maybe had been partying too much the night before !!!

What type of owl is it anyway?

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1366341088.247964.jpg

I think this owl could be sick , I have seen one before in my garden like that and eventually he just fell out of the tree - dead.

Looking at the photo , maybe someone hit him on the head with a water pipe

KC71 #67

Your image shows a (Oriental) Bay Owl. Look on the link below for data.

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=2160

Philip Round in his guide to the Birds of Thailand (co-authored with Boonsong
Lekagul) writes following on the behaviour of this species: "Often perches
one foot above the other on vertical or steeply sloping branches and vines in
forest understorey." Your bird shows this behaviour.

very strange looking owl. Thanks for sharing that photo.

Anyone noticed how low-toned some of the bird calls are in this region? Not just owl sounds (which are getting rarer each year), but also other species. I think doves have a low tone, but there are others which are as low as the lowest notes in an oboe. Personal theory: You know how some birds are such great mimics. Not long ago, there were howler monkeys throughout. Some of the low-toned bird calls sound nearly identical to howler monkeys notation.

maidu #74

The "lowest notes in an oboe" are calls made by the Greater Coucal.

You can listen to the sound on the link below.

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Centropus-sinensis

(To listen to the sound of other bird species, google for 'species name' in xeno-canto.)

The lowest-toned calls are made by the Emerald Dove which can be found in evergreen forests.

The howler monkey sounds in the Thai countryside are made by a single White-breasted Waterhen

or by two birds in a duet.

Thanks hmj, for the insight and url link. I'm as intrigued by bird sounds as I am by their appearance and behavior. Sounds like were reading from the same song bird page.

Not sure what this is - either a male Short billed Minivet (Pericrocotus brevirostris) or a Scarlet minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)

Edited June 27, 201313 yr by toybits

Sorry, here's that photo...

Philip Round in "A Guide to the birds of Thailand" writes the following on the
Scarlet Minivet: "Stouter and proportionately shorter-tailed than other minivets".

The minivet shown is heavy build and the tail is short compared to the body length.

The Short-billed Minivet has a limited distribution to hill evergreen forest above
1000 m a.s.l. The only provinces with extensive areas of these conditions are Pai,
Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai.

Chiang Rai province has evergreen hill forest on the mountain between amphur
Chiang Saen and amphur Chiang Khong with only a small area over 1,000 m a.s.l.

Photo was taken near Khum Korn Waterfall - not far from Doi Chang. Area still some rather thick vegetation.

Philip Round in "A Guide to the birds of Thailand" writes the following on the
Scarlet Minivet: "Stouter and proportionately shorter-tailed than other minivets".

The minivet shown is heavy build and the tail is short compared to the body length.

The Short-billed Minivet has a limited distribution to hill evergreen forest above
1000 m a.s.l. The only provinces with extensive areas of these conditions are Pai,
Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai.

Chiang Rai province has evergreen hill forest on the mountain between amphur
Chiang Saen and amphur Chiang Khong with only a small area over 1,000 m a.s.l.