27 minutes ago, BLACKJACK2 said:

Talking to my wife on skype, she says just used your camera there's a nice bird in the garden.

 

Bloody hell she's miles better than me.

This is my favorite bird here in Thailand... I think they just have great colours, patter, and that crest!!! 

A few more decent snaps from the patch in BKK. Male Olive-backed Sunbird & Scaly-breasted Munia with fledgling, fresh after launching out of the nest on our lanai!

 

 

 

On 7/1/2017 at 10:42 PM, jak2002003 said:

This is my favorite bird here in Thailand... I think they just have great colours, patter, and that crest!!! 

 

I've only ever seen one. Easy to remember for me as it was at the Dusit Hua Hin stables. I should have been watching my kids have a lesson but i was more interested in the bird.

10 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

 

I've only ever seen one. Easy to remember for me as it was at the Dusit Hua Hin stables. I should have been watching my kids have a lesson but i was more interested in the bird.

I have seen a few on the rice fields behind my house... when the rice is harvested and the land is dry.  They are very hard to spot as they like to stay low on the ground mostly.. and their colour really hides them in the dry vegetation and dirt. 

Interesting. Where are your locations? I lived in the northeast for years and Hoopoe were common. I live in Chonburi now and Hoopoe are common. When I tell people who are not birders that I am a birder, their first question is usually something along the lines of, " So what is that bird that looks like a woodpecker with the crest on the head and..."

Black-shouldered Kite(juvenile): not new but haven't seen for a while at Na Ngua, Phetchabun . Happy birding!

On ‎03‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 10:23 PM, AjarnNorth said:

Interesting. Where are your locations? I lived in the northeast for years and Hoopoe were common. I live in Chonburi now and Hoopoe are common. When I tell people who are not birders that I am a birder, their first question is usually something along the lines of, " So what is that bird that looks like a woodpecker with the crest on the head and..."

Yes.  They remind me of Woody Woodpecker.

 

I live in Chiang Mai, San Sai.  Only get them at certain times of the year.... think it was the dry season last saw them. 

Black Bittern: finally nailed this one that has been on the patch for a month or so.

New bird’s nest and eggs

 

Based on the wife’s fingers, you can see how small the eggs are. Think the same bird type (yellow vented bulbul) - same parents as a month ago?; we've also had tailor-birds nesting in this bush.

 

Nest is in the bush at the front of our house, car-park on the left. The other nest in the bike helmet is about a car and a half length away.

 

This time we won't be able to observe the mother sleeping on the nest as we did with the bike helmet  nest.

 

Fingers crossed that these two make it!

 

Tailorbirds in the garden. two species, Common and Dark-necked see the subtle differences. Voice totally different mind.

 

Re the photo of the Hoopoe with the yellow plumage, is this rare ?     I have seen the 'normal' coloured ones in Saudi.

 

Can anyone tell me what bird makes a noise like a British woodpecker hammering a tree ?    I have never seen it but hear it every day.

 

I do have a budgerigar come to my garden every day, don't know if it's wild or has a home.   It eats happily with all the other birds, including mynas and doves ( luckily no feral pigeons - the ones in the UK would kill it within minutes ), it even feeds close to rabbits

which belong to the owner of the house I rent.   

7 hours ago, Speedo1968 said:

Re the photo of the Hoopoe with the yellow plumage, is this rare ?     I have seen the 'normal' coloured ones in Saudi.

 

 

Though not perfectly clear and depending on the source...there are 3 separate species recognized...all similar and "split" from a single species, since more biological/DNA/behavioral/voice information is observed. Also many sub-species.

 

("Lumps or lumping" of species also occur. This is when 2 separate species are grouped together, as ornithologists discover it's more accurate to group them together taxonomically {sp} as a single species, despite subtle differences)

 

This from Wikipedia...

 

Hoopoe

 

Formerly considered a single species, the hoopoe has been split into three separate species: the Madagascan hoopoe (U. marginata) as a separate species, and the resident African hoopoe U. africana. The morphological differences between the most commonly split subspecies, U. e. marginata, and the other subspecies are minor, and only U. e. marginata has distinctly different vocalisations.^[9] One accepted separate species, the Saint Helena hoopoe, U. antaios, lived on the island of St Helena but became extinct in the 16th century, presumably due to introduced species.^[8]

28 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Though not perfectly clear and depending on the source...there are 3 separate species recognized...all similar and "split" from a single species, since more biological/DNA/behavioral/voice information is observed. Also many sub-species.

 

("Lumps or lumping" of species also occur. This is when 2 separate species are grouped together, as ornithologists discover it's more accurate to group them together taxonomically {sp} as a single species, despite subtle differences)

 

This from Wikipedia...

 

Hoopoe

 

Formerly considered a single species, the hoopoe has been split into three separate species: the Madagascan hoopoe (U. marginata) as a separate species, and the resident African hoopoe U. africana. The morphological differences between the most commonly split subspecies, U. e. marginata, and the other subspecies are minor, and only U. e. marginata has distinctly different vocalisations.^[9] One accepted separate species, the Saint Helena hoopoe, U. antaios, lived on the island of St Helena but became extinct in the 16th century, presumably due to introduced species.^[8]

Many thanks Skeptic7 for the information.

The ones I saw in Saudi desert areas where I worked, looks to be the same at the top of the page in the Wiki article, upupa epops.

Those I have seen here look to be the same, the call I have heard many times.

Am I right in saying that they return to the same place each year along with any offspring ?

 

Unfortunately the local population were decimated along with numbers of other species and two beautiful owls, one obviously old when, some people put up a very fine net to catch presumably song birds.   They spread the net up to 5 metres high and around a clump of trees, they then let off a firework to scare the birds.   This is done around 1am or so.  Any birds that were of no 'value' were left to die.   I did report it along with photos to the local government officer but obviously nothing can be done.

 

Finally any idea about the woodpecker sounding bird ?

4 hours ago, Speedo1968 said:

 

 

Finally any idea about the woodpecker sounding bird ?

Not sure about the woodpecker sound. Perhaps it is a Woodpecker.  There are numerous types found here. Apologies if you mentioned before, but in which part of Thailand do you reside?  

11 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Not sure about the woodpecker sound. Perhaps it is a Woodpecker.  There are numerous types found here. Apologies if you mentioned before, but in which part of Thailand do you reside?  

I live outside a small town in Isaan called Banphai, it is about 45km south of Khon Kaen.

There are areas of common land where buffalo graze as well as some small rice fields.

My house is in a very small compound that has many plants, fruit trees etc all around.

 

I have heard the woodpecker sound from other areas some distance way.

The bird where I live 'calls'? every morning around 7 - 8am then at various times of the day.

The hammering call can be short or long, normally long.

Yesterday I heard what I am sure was a response call from another bird some distance away.    Not the same hammering sound but three separate tone sounds and softer.     Lasted for about 10 minutes.

No 86 on patch list today. Flyover by Rufous-winged Buzzard listed as scarce to uncommon in my neck of the woods

Just a quick and not too serious question.

We have about 3 pairs of red wattled lapwings around the house.

Do they ever shut up?

Even if I get up at 4am, being old you guess why, they are still at it.

Did ee do it Did ee do it.

Doesn't annoy me but I can't help thinking they never sleep.

??

12 hours ago, overherebc said:

Just a quick and not too serious question.

We have about 3 pairs of red wattled lapwings around the house.

Do they ever shut up?

Even if I get up at 4am, being old you guess why, they are still at it.

Did ee do it Did ee do it.

Doesn't annoy me but I can't help thinking they never sleep.

??

We get a few of those too... and find they never seem to sleep.  They are one of my favorite birds though, they are interesting to watch chasing each other about and doing laps around the house screaming at nothing.  Also you get used to the sound eventually and don't notice it.  

On 7/15/2017 at 11:18 AM, Speedo1968 said:

I live outside a small town in Isaan called Banphai, it is about 45km south of Khon Kaen.

There are areas of common land where buffalo graze as well as some small rice fields.

My house is in a very small compound that has many plants, fruit trees etc all around.

 

I have heard the woodpecker sound from other areas some distance way.

The bird where I live 'calls'? every morning around 7 - 8am then at various times of the day.

The hammering call can be short or long, normally long.

Yesterday I heard what I am sure was a response call from another bird some distance away.    Not the same hammering sound but three separate tone sounds and softer.     Lasted for about 10 minutes.

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker would be the most common up in Isaan. I documented an area in Surin for a couple years and FVWP were the only woodpeckers I had there. I wrote a paper on the area I documented, and below is my entry for this species.

 

FULVOUS-BREASTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos macei. (R) Gardens and open country with scattered trees. Common. Present throughout the year, with one to three sightings per month typical. Often in pairs.

I live on the outskirts of a small village, my house is surrounded by gardens with all kinds of plants and trees.   Opposite is common land where buffalo and cows / cattle graze.

 

The front of my house has a covered carport ( I don't have a car ) where I put broken rice and plenty of water points daily for the birds and other wildlife.

 

About a year ago a budgie, yellow and green, started to visit.   In the last few days the budgie has teemed up with a sparrow ( not sure what type, there seem to be 3 or 4 different ones ).    They feed together, sometimes drink together, fly off together, sit in the same tree where the budgie has taken to 'courting' the friend and when on the ground also shows 'bobbing' when face to face.

 

I have spent most of my life since I was 15 ( 1960 ) in farming, UK and many different countries.

I have seen unusual parings and normal ones such as 'nurse' cows when another cow is calving etc but, never with birds.

Is this love ???

23 hours ago, Speedo1968 said:

I live on the outskirts of a small village, my house is surrounded by gardens with all kinds of plants and trees.   Opposite is common land where buffalo and cows / cattle graze.

 

The front of my house has a covered carport ( I don't have a car ) where I put broken rice and plenty of water points daily for the birds and other wildlife.

 

About a year ago a budgie, yellow and green, started to visit.   In the last few days the budgie has teemed up with a sparrow ( not sure what type, there seem to be 3 or 4 different ones ).    They feed together, sometimes drink together, fly off together, sit in the same tree where the budgie has taken to 'courting' the friend and when on the ground also shows 'bobbing' when face to face.

 

I have spent most of my life since I was 15 ( 1960 ) in farming, UK and many different countries.

I have seen unusual parings and normal ones such as 'nurse' cows when another cow is calving etc but, never with birds.

Is this love ???

This is Thailand... there are lots of unusual pairings happening over here!

 

 

we think this is 2 days after hatching

 

 

...and 4 days after hatching

 

 

Clear video by the wife

 

LINE_MOVIE_1500638320817.mp4

PURELY an observation based on very limited personal sources here...but it seems that passerine clutch size here in the tropics are generally smaller than in temperate zones. Makes sense as there is no urgency, due to cold weather, in tropical climates and the breeding season can be year round, as opposed to just a few months in colder climates.

 

Monitoring many Eastern Bluebird nests (and some Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren & Tufted Titmouse nests) in north Georgia and southern Ohio (USA), the breeding sesson lasted 3-4 months (max) and clutch size was usually 4-5 eggs. Here 2-3 eggs seems more the norm.

 

(Obviously BIG-TIME Dog Days of Summer birding boredom!) 

Sunday – 6 days after hatching…look at the feathers growing.

 

 

Sunday – 6 days after hatching…look at the feathers growing - 1 chick not looking to appealing for food

 

 

LINE_MOVIE_1500816294186.mp4

LINE_MOVIE_1500816321105.mp4

South of Khon Kaen outskirts of small village.

 

Just seen a myna with brilliant white head, neck and some on chest.   It looked larger than the normal myna's I see.

Sorry no pics as stayed only a few minutes and was gone.

 

The male budgie that comes in to my garden which, had paired up with a sparrow, brought his female ( budgie ) partner today.

9 hours ago, Speedo1968 said:

South of Khon Kaen outskirts of small village.

 

Just seen a myna with brilliant white head, neck and some on chest.   It looked larger than the normal myna's I see.

Sorry no pics as stayed only a few minutes and was gone.

 

Without a pic, impossible for us to ID with certainty. That said...your description narrows it down considerably...

 

...'larger than the normal' would indicate possible Black-collared Starling and they are common, BUT have a distinct black collar (which wasn't mentioned in your description), thus the name.

 

...'brilliant white head, neck'  +  your location would indicate possible Vinous-breasted Starling. Based on the range map in "The guide to the Birds of Thailand", your location doesn't rule out this species.

 

The latter is my guess based on your description. Perhaps Google Image Search these 2 species to be sure...and let us know.

Just been watching a lovely little bird feeding on the flowers in the front garden. Yellow chest and a blue ring around it's neck. Small and slim but not as small as a humming bird and way smaller than anything I've seen before.

No idea what it is.

Too fast to photograph.