Mr. Angry Tonight!

[MrWorldwide]

I'm all for saving your birds, but you could do the world a favor by drowning your cats. Superbly equipped predator that will kill purely for the joy of it - sadly reminiscent of another species that isnt doing to world any favors.

[OldChinaHam]

"Superbly equipped predator that will kill purely for the joy of it - sadly reminiscent of another species that isnt doing to world any favors. "

As I just stated above you, here. Although, I do very much like house cats:

" Luckily we don't often swing too many cats anymore, the cats are too busy catching birds, unfortunately."

[OZEMADE]

I understand Briandajew's comments and anger. I have wondered the same thing many times in the short time I spent in Thailand I grew up loving nature with my father. I was Daddy's little girl and we hunted and fished together in Canada. Although we killed deer and grouse, it was always within the regulations in a reasonably well managed environment. That is not what I experienced in Thailand. Every living creature that is remotely edible, or of any monetary value has been hunted and killed to a point of extinction.

Netting birds and netting fish to a point of extinction is basically wrong. The use of certain pesticides is also not practical. DDT was supposedly the greatest pesticide since man started inventing new chemicals. It turned out to be a disaster of immense proportions. There have been many tests on Roundup and so far have not had negative results.

The Government found Agent Orange the best weed killer. It kills everything it touches trees animals humans etc etc.

[Scully]

I wish I had read this thread when a bloody great big cattle egret use to help itself to our fish, must have taken half the stock over time. It may sound cruel but these fish put money in Thai pockets and food on their plate. Your case though sounds entirely different though.

[OldChinaHam]

Sorry, Scully,

It is true I don't know the English name for this bird. I do know I just love them though. They are so much fun to watch, these parasites, picking insects from the water buffalo. I used to sit for hours near my home and watch them. I know they are not egrets. Or maybe they are? Who cares what you call them in English. The Chinese have some great songs written about these birds.

Wait a minute.

Scully, please don't tell me that is also not a water buffalo?

Edited May 15, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[Berkshire]

It is true I don't know the English name for this bird. I do know I just love them though. They are so much fun to watch, these parasites, picking insects from the water buffalo. I used to sit for hours near my home and watch them.

Sitting around for hours watching these birds, eh? If I ever got that old and bored with my life, I'd probably shoot myself.

[Scully]

Sorry, Scully,

It is true I don't know the English name for this bird. I do know I just love them though. They are so much fun to watch, these parasites, picking insects from the water buffalo. I used to sit for hours near my home and watch them. I know they are not egrets. Or maybe they are? Who cares what you call them in English. The Chinese have some great songs written about these birds.

Wait a minute.

Scully, please don't tell me that is also not a water buffalo?

Looking into it it was possibly a little Egret, there not so little very similar to the Cattle Egret, anyway they ate the fish, cattle Egret don't eat fish. Every day is a school day.

Yes that's a bubalus bubalis.

[OldChinaHam]

Scullty, nice to talk to you.

You seem to really know your birds.

Rice paddies are great places for birding, as well as in the north east of Taiwan where they have huge numbers of seabirds fly in from Siberia and other places. I don't know their names either, but I love to watch them.

The pollution around the shoreline and the industry around the shoreline are not very conducive to birding however.

I am a nature nut and I know that we need to protect what we have left, if not for us then for our children.

There are plenty of things to do to feed the population in Thailand, I would think, through fish farming that can supply a lot of good quality protein. But then the question becomes where do you get the stuff to feed the fish?

Someone will work this out eventually, perhaps.

Water buffalo are no longer work animals in Taiwan for the most part, they have become sort of a luxury status symbol to some of the old retired farmers who love these giant pets.

[somtampet]

Well done for saving the birds and slashing the nets . . . I hope the birds don't eat anything covered in Roundup.

Yes we always know when someone has been spraying near our property when dead birds start appearing in the garden.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I use Roundup as it is "supposed" to be one of the safer weedkillers, it is supposed to degrade when it hits the soil, I don't get problems with dead birds after using it. I can only trust what it says on the Data Sheet - I could however save considerable expense and buy a Thai local version, which probably kills everything that it contacts in the next 20 years. I do actually try to be careful.

I like birds, we never had any here before, it took almost 7 years to get to where we are now, we have birds everywhere, despite the odd bit of collateral damage by the cats, but that is a damned site better than a bird strangling itself and maiming itself in a tangled mass of net, it is absolute torture.

I will check my place every night, and I will slash and trash every net or bird trap I find. I will still continue to use Roundup unless someone can tell me otherwise, like I say, I don't find any poisoned birds on my land, only birds killed by Thais in a horrible manner!

U dont think the cats torture a bird too,andi have 3 cats,hate it when they get a bird and play for ages bvefore killing the poor thing

[somtampet]

Have you ever thought that those nets might be a way of earning an income to feed some children?

Perhaps their food crop they where selling suddenly died of from someone spraying roundup.

Im not bashing you or anyone.... Im just saying that things may not be so black and white!

You would certainly be within your rights to bash Mr. Briandajew, aka, Mr. Self-righteous. How dare the locals try to make a living to feed their family!

And what the heck is the difference between putting out nets to catch birds or fish? Oh, because the little birdies are so much cuter and more pleasant to listen to. Give me a freakin break.

I know what i would have to do if someone broke my nets,which i had paid for,reducing my food for the family.Maybe the nets were used for other trhings too

[FritsSikkink]

Well done for saving the birds and slashing the nets . . . I hope the birds don't eat anything covered in Roundup.

Yes we always know when someone has been spraying near our property when dead birds start appearing in the garden.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I use Roundup as it is "supposed" to be one of the safer weedkillers, it is supposed to degrade when it hits the soil, I don't get problems with dead birds after using it. I can only trust what it says on the Data Sheet - I could however save considerable expense and buy a Thai local version, which probably kills everything that it contacts in the next 20 years. I do actually try to be careful.

I like birds, we never had any here before, it took almost 7 years to get to where we are now, we have birds everywhere, despite the odd bit of collateral damage by the cats, but that is a damned site better than a bird strangling itself and maiming itself in a tangled mass of net, it is absolute torture.

I will check my place every night, and I will slash and trash every net or bird trap I find. I will still continue to use Roundup unless someone can tell me otherwise, like I say, I don't find any poisoned birds on my land, only birds killed by Thais in a horrible manner!

http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/as-roundup-causes-health-problems-around-the-world-us-researchers-find-glyphosate-in-air-water.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/roundup-herbicide-health-issues-disease_n_3156575.html

[alfieconn]

Have you ever thought that those nets might be a way of earning an income to feed some children?

Perhaps their food crop they where selling suddenly died of from someone spraying roundup.

Im not bashing you or anyone.... Im just saying that things may not be so black and white!

You would certainly be within your rights to bash Mr. Briandajew, aka, Mr. Self-righteous. How dare the locals try to make a living to feed their family!

And what the heck is the difference between putting out nets to catch birds or fish? Oh, because the little birdies are so much cuter and more pleasant to listen to. Give me a freakin break.

I know what i would have to do if someone broke my nets,which i had paid for,reducing my food for the family.Maybe the nets were used for other trhings too

To be fair, weather you agree with catching small birds or not, the nets were put on the posters land so he is within his rights to do what he likes with the nets !

[swissie]

Birds are a source of protein (like chicken). Unlike chicken that need occasional modest feeding, birds are "for free". As are worms etc.

Welcome to the Thai-Cuisine.

Cheers.

[StreetCowboy]

It is true I don't know the English name for this bird. I do know I just love them though. They are so much fun to watch, these parasites, picking insects from the water buffalo. I used to sit for hours near my home and watch them.

Sitting around for hours watching these birds, eh? If I ever got that old and bored with my life, I'd probably shoot myself.

Stop teasing us!

[MrWorldwide]

Looking at that buffalo photo, I can see why its considered such an insult for a Thai to refer to us as 'buffalo'. The buffalo in Australia's Northern Territory - probably the same species - are totally wild and have been known to attack people in their vehicles (happy thoughts ..). They also have to survive giant saltwater crocs - gives you a lot more respect for the animal when you know they live like that (albeit a chronic feral pest that needs to be eradicated from our Top End).

[HeavyDrinker]

They occasionally go berserk here MrWW and have to be shot.

[ThaidDown]

I think that some Thai buffaloes belong to a weaker sub species as, so I have been told, they tend to get 'sick' a lot and require a lot of expensive veterinarian care.

[NeverSure]

Well done for saving the birds and slashing the nets . . . I hope the birds don't eat anything covered in Roundup.

Yes we always know when someone has been spraying near our property when dead birds start appearing in the garden.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I use Roundup as it is "supposed" to be one of the safer weedkillers, it is supposed to degrade when it hits the soil, I don't get problems with dead birds after using it. I can only trust what it says on the Data Sheet - I could however save considerable expense and buy a Thai local version, which probably kills everything that it contacts in the next 20 years. I do actually try to be careful.

I like birds, we never had any here before, it took almost 7 years to get to where we are now, we have birds everywhere, despite the odd bit of collateral damage by the cats, but that is a damned site better than a bird strangling itself and maiming itself in a tangled mass of net, it is absolute torture.

I will check my place every night, and I will slash and trash every net or bird trap I find. I will still continue to use Roundup unless someone can tell me otherwise, like I say, I don't find any poisoned birds on my land, only birds killed by Thais in a horrible manner!

Roundup won't hurt birds or other animals. Link

The patent has expired on Roundup, and I buy it as a generic. The active ingredient is the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate or just "glyphosate." The brand I buy is Glystar, but there are now many. I just bought 2.5 US gallons (9.5 liters) for US$60 (1800 baht.) That's 41%, a common strength. I have no idea what it costs in LOS.

I too am outraged by the use of nets to maim and harm. If they really need birds, there are traps that won't harm them. If I found that on my property the nets would be destroyed, every time.

[OldChinaHam]

NeverSure, you are right

"I too am outraged by the use of nets to maim and harm. If they really need birds, there are traps that won't harm them. If I found that on my property the nets would be destroyed, every time."

But that ain't the worst of it. The worst of it, I think, is the fishing nets which entangle all the sea birds. Some may not have seen what these nets look like up close. They are banned in Taiwan now, I don't know about Thailand. But once entangled it is just about impossible to get free from this very, very fine diameter fiber netting, which comes in rolls of 200 feet long, or probably more. Its usually green in color, but of course not green in any other way shape or form. Really terrible stuff, but the fishermen don't give a darn. It is very good to speak of this and discuss it whenever we have the opportunity because it is the young who will change these things for the better.

Change may seem near impossible before it happens, but I have seen attitudes change when the young are educated. This really does make a significant difference.

Edited May 16, 2013 by OldChinaHam