Birds in your garden

[jack2964]

1 hour ago, thetefldon said:

If you right click on your images and look for "view image info" you will see that they are much larger than 800 x 600.

1 hour ago, thetefldon said:

If you right click on your images and look for "view image info" you will see that they are much larger than 800 x 600.

 

Top one is:2,048px × 1,366px (scaled to 1,284px × 856px)

Bottom one : 769px × 1,152px

Not familiar with software you are using.

I export from Lightroom, long edge 1024 pix which seems to work quite well on the web.

 

 

 

Top one is:2,048px × 1,366px (scaled to 1,284px × 856px)

Bottom one : 769px × 1,152px

Not familiar with software you are using.

I export from Lightroom, long edge 1024 pix which seems to work quite well on the web.

 

 

Hmm... for some reason my attempt to resize didn't work then. Will try again when I next post a photo.

[Bredbury Blue]

9 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Haha...yes! Was literally watching one sing both songs when you posted. 

 

Friend of mine...not into birds...lives in Chantanaburi...whistled a tune and asked if I knew what bird? Plaintive Cuckoo I responded. He said...they sure love to sing!

Thanks as I never knew that sound is a cuckoo. We tend to hear them either at night or dawn, often, outside our bedroom. .

 

Currently we have a koel in the trees outside our bedroom EVERY dawn. Lived here for 14 years and though I often see males don't think I've ever seen a female upclose and clear view. Where I work currently there's a patch of mature trees like in lumpini and I had the great pleasure the other day of a male flying to a female in a tree,  the female flying to the next tree with the male pursuing. Four times they swapped trees until they were metres above my head without them realising. Awesome moment.  Amazing how male and female can look so different. 

[Skeptic7]

23 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Thanks as I never knew that sound is a cuckoo. We tend to hear them either at night or dawn, often, outside our bedroom. .

 

Currently we have a koel in the trees outside our bedroom EVERY dawn. Lived here for 14 years and though I often see males don't think I've ever seen a female upclose and clear view. Where I work currently there's a patch of mature trees like in lumpini and I had the great pleasure the other day of a male flying to a female in a tree,  the female flying to the next tree with the male pursuing. Four times they swapped trees until they were metres above my head without them realising. Awesome moment.  Amazing how male and female can look so different. 

To clarify...it was AjarnNorth, not me...who was the OP about Plaintive Cuckoo and posted the vid. 

[Skeptic7]

On 4/4/2018 at 7:56 PM, Bredbury Blue said:

Currently we have a koel in the trees outside our bedroom EVERY dawn. Lived here for 14 years and though I often see males don't think I've ever seen a female upclose and clear view. Where I work currently there's a patch of mature trees like in lumpini and I had the great pleasure the other day of a male flying to a female in a tree,  the female flying to the next tree with the male pursuing. Four times they swapped trees until they were metres above my head without them realising. Awesome moment.  Amazing how male and female can look so different. 

Sticking with the theme of Koel m vs f plumage. Here's a few pix from my patch to show the difference.

 

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

On 4/4/2018 at 7:56 PM, Bredbury Blue said:

Thanks as I never knew that sound is a cuckoo. We tend to hear them either at night or dawn, often, outside our bedroom. .

 

Currently we have a koel in the trees outside our bedroom EVERY dawn. Lived here for 14 years and though I often see males don't think I've ever seen a female upclose and clear view. Where I work currently there's a patch of mature trees like in lumpini and I had the great pleasure the other day of a male flying to a female in a tree,  the female flying to the next tree with the male pursuing. Four times they swapped trees until they were metres above my head without them realising. Awesome moment.  Amazing how male and female can look so different. 

 

there must be a flock of these guys in the undeveloped land behind our shop house...the dawn chorus is fulsome...don't think I've ever seen one though, male or female...

 

 

[thetefldon]

Female Shikra low over the house at Na Ngua Phetchabun. Easy to tell mature birds if you can see the eye, ladies yellow gents red!

[Skeptic7]

Lingering Brown Shrike this morning hanging around and hunting. Surely won't be around much longer. 

[Skeptic7]

Unseasonably cool beautiful weather great for  out on the lanai and seeing what flies by. Migrants still moving thru BKK. In addition to the previously mentioned Shrike, also had an Asian Brown Flycatcher. 

 

Also nice to see Black Drongo in the yard today. Usually get Ashy here, but they have likely moved on by now. 

[faraday]

Not a bird in the garden, but a Nok eyan (mynah) in the road.

Just about to turn into our driveway this morning, & saw a bird lying in the road, looking like it was hurt & dying. There was another one standing near it.

 

As I got close, it just flew off, apparently uninjured...

 

I've seen many female blackbirds in blighty, feining injury when a cat is nearby, & they are drawing attention away from a nest.

 

But this bird was in the middle of the road.

 

Any ideas what it was doing?

[jak2002003]

32 minutes ago, faraday said:

Not a bird in the garden, but a Nok eyan (mynah) in the road.

Just about to turn into our driveway this morning, & saw a bird lying in the road, looking like it was hurt & dying. There was another one standing near it.

 

As I got close, it just flew off, apparently uninjured...

 

I've seen many female blackbirds in blighty, feining injury when a cat is nearby, & they are drawing attention away from a nest.

 

But this bird was in the middle of the road.

 

Any ideas what it was doing?

Maybe sunbathing?  In have seen them doing this... they almost go into a trance. 

 

Or maybe it was stunned by a car hitting it?

 

 

 

 

[thetefldon]

6 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Lingering Brown Shrike this morning hanging around and hunting. Surely won't be around much longer. 

Been doing a bit of a winter migrant survey this last week. Still present in garden:

Dusky Warbler

Thick-billed Warbler

Black Drongo

 

No sign of:

Taiga Flycatcher

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Brown Shrike

 

The last group could still be in area of course, just moved out of garden, since pickings are a bit thin till we get some rain.

 

Weather wise very unseasonable and pleasant last couple of days. Blue skies, mid 30C, low humidity and a nice breeze.

[thetefldon]

Female Asian Koel in hot pursuit of a male and a couple of Freckle-breasted Woodpeckers, Mum and juvenile male, she passes him the odd tit-bit whilst he's learning to be a woody.

[balo]

Sorry guys I only have a blurry image. I just want to knonw the name of this common bird in Thailand. The song is moody and very beatiful . Thanks.

 

[jak2002003]

20 minutes ago, balo said:

Sorry guys I only have a blurry image. I just want to knonw the name of this common bird in Thailand. The song is moody and very beatiful . Thanks.

 

Magpie Robin.

[balo]

Thanks Oriental Magpie Robin it is . I knew it was common , but I always forget names.  It's singing every afternoon here, 

 

 

 

[meatboy]

this is the first time for me to post in this topic,as we have a big garden with a lot of tree's flowering I see many very small birds,with long beaks feeding on the nectar,but there is one bird slightly bigger which hover's in the window of our patio doors whch is only about 2ft.from where I sit,i cant take photo's,but the colour is.

the top half black.with a long beak,but the bottom is a shiny navy blue,he hovers in front of the glass many times [10-15min.]

 

[AjarnNorth]

Likely sunbird species - some are larger than others - and plumage (color) changes on the males when they are ready to breed. 

[meatboy]

3 hours ago, AjarnNorth said:

Likely sunbird species - some are larger than others - and plumage (color) changes on the males when they are ready to breed. 

thanks AN.he seems he wants to come in,because I can stand right in front of him.

[Skeptic7]

On 4/9/2018 at 2:54 PM, thetefldon said:

Freckle-breasted Woodpeckers, Mum and juvenile male, she passes him the odd tit-bit whilst he's learning to be a woody.

 

Lovely snap. Never seen a "Woody" in Thailand, though am familiar with species found here, si was intrigued having never heard of Freckle-breasted and it not in the numerous field guides of T-land and SE Asia...only Fulvous-breadted...really piqued my interest.

 

Thetefldon being obviously aware, but for those who are not privy...another instance of "splitting" species. Until 2013, the above pictured Woodys were considered Fulvous-breasted, but based on differences presented in the Ornithological world, they are now accepted as a separate species from Fulvous-breasted. Thus the Freckle-breasted Woodpecker! 

[AjarnNorth]

They were Spot-breasted for a while. Is this an instance of "splitting" or is this an instance where it becomes clear that a popular name (as opposed to the latin) is already in use so they simply change the name. I thought that was what happened with Fulvous-breasted vs. Spot-breasted. And how in heck did Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler become Rusty-rumped? 

[Skeptic7]

Split. Separate from Fulvous-breasted now. The Spot-breasted Pied Woodpecker is another name still used for Freckle-breasted.

 

(Spot-breasted Woodpecker is a S. & C. American sp)

 

The fulvous-breasted woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei) is a species of bird in the family  Picidae. It is found in  Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India and  N. Myanmar. The freckle-breasted woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis) was formerly considered conspecific with this species. It is found in S. Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

 

Not sure how well the Species Chart will appear below, but can see they are separate sp with different scientific names and ranges.

 

[thetefldon]

On 4/10/2018 at 8:07 PM, Skeptic7 said:

Split. Separate from Fulvous-breasted now. The Spot-breasted Pied Woodpecker is another name still used for Freckle-breasted.

 

(Spot-breasted Woodpecker is a S. & C. American sp)

 

The fulvous-breasted woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei) is a species of bird in the family  Picidae. It is found in  Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India and  N. Myanmar. The freckle-breasted woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis) was formerly considered conspecific with this species. It is found in S. Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

 

Not sure how well the Species Chart will appear below, but can see they are separate sp with different scientific names and ranges.

 

According to Phillip Round "Birds of Bangkok Area" 2008, the only B&W ladder-back woodpecker of the central plains is Dendrocopus macei longipennis which he refers to as Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker. However e-bird, where I record my sightings uses Dendrocopus analis longipennis as above.

 

BTW the book by Phil Round although a little dated is an excellent reference book for Bangkok and the surrounding areas, much applies even up here in Phetchabun.

[thetefldon]

Anyway enough of the serious stuff here is a nice example of a Taiga Flycatcher in full breeding gear obviously ready to depart Thailand shortly for northern climes.

[jvs]

It was very hard to see but it is a bird,i forgot the name and can't find the book,sorry.

[Skeptic7]

37 minutes ago, jvs said:

It was very hard to see but it is a bird,i forgot the name and can't find the book,sorry.

Nightjar sp. Will let others more qualified make the exact determination.

[Skeptic7]

2 hours ago, thetefldon said:

According to Phillip Round "Birds of Bangkok Area" 2008, the only B&W ladder-back woodpecker of the central plains is Dendrocopus macei longipennis which he refers to as Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker. However e-bird, where I record my sightings uses Dendrocopus analis longipennis as above.

 

BTW the book by Phil Round although a little dated is an excellent reference book for Bangkok and the surrounding areas, much applies even up here in Phetchabun.

Right...so to clarify, whereas they used to be considered "conspecific", in 2013 they were split into 2 distinct species (D. marcei & D. analis, both having subspecies) as shown in the chart above excerpted from Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World. It is maintained and updated annually by Cornell's Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY USA. 

 

Technical reading,  but great stuff very interesting...

 

From The Handbook of the Birds of the World website: (BOLD below by me for emphasis on why they were split)

 

Freckle-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis)

Other common names:Spot-breasted Pied Woodpecker

Taxonomy:

Picus analis

 

Bonapartei

, 1850, 

Java

.

Closely related to D. atratus. Until recently generally treated as conspecific with D. macei, but separated by its pale pink vs bright red vent (2); more extensive white barring on tail (3); lightly spotted breast vs dark-streaked breast sides (2); stony-buff vs dirty buff underparts, notably on chin and throat (ns[1]); smaller size, with no overlap in measurements (expected score at least 2); different voice (expected score at least 2). Birds of W Javan hills described as race montis, but inseparable from analis. Race andamanensis has boldest breast spotting but also strongest-coloured vent, one character pushing it farther from and the other closer to D. macei (but its tail pattern aligns it with D. analis); further study needed. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution

• D. a. andamanensis (Blyth, 1859) – Andaman Pied Woodpecker – Andaman Is.
• D. a. longipennis Hesse, 1912 – S Myanmar, NW, W & C Thailand, C Laos, Cambodia and C & S Vietnam (Annam S to Cochinchina).
• D. a. analis (Bonaparte, 1850) – Freckle-breasted Woodpecker – S Sumatra, Java and Bali.

[Skeptic7]

Further reading ftom eBird/Clements. The last paragraph emboldened by me for emphasis:

 

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei) is split, following Rasmussen and Anderton (2005). The two groups, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Fulvous-breasted) (Dendrocopos macei [macei Group]) and Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Spot-breasted) (Dendrocopos macei analis), each are recognized as separate species, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei), and Freckle-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis). Note the change of the English name of Dendrocopos analis, to avoid the overlapping with the well-established name Spot-breasted Woodpecker for Colaptes punctigula of the New World tropics. Subspecies longipennis and andamanensis, previously assigned (erroneously!) to the group Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Fulvous-breasted) (Dendrocopos macei [macei Group], are transfered to Freckle-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis).

[AjarnNorth]

9 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Further reading ftom eBird/Clements. The last paragraph emboldened by me for emphasis:

 

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei) is split, following Rasmussen and Anderton (2005). The two groups, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Fulvous-breasted) (Dendrocopos macei [macei Group]) and Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Spot-breasted) (Dendrocopos macei analis), each are recognized as separate species, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei), and Freckle-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis). Note the change of the English name of Dendrocopos analis, to avoid the overlapping with the well-established name Spot-breasted Woodpecker for Colaptes punctigula of the New World tropics. Subspecies longipennis and andamanensis, previously assigned (erroneously!) to the group Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Fulvous-breasted) (Dendrocopos macei [macei Group], are transfered to Freckle-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis).

What does this source say on Purple vs. Black-backed Swamphen? I know at least one notable Ornithologist who - at least some years ago - did not agree with the split and thought it more of a "splitters" vs. "lumpers" distinction.

 

I don't know much about all this, as I have said. But I also note that when it comes to popular names, they can stick even after the split has been made. Note that on the oriental bird club images they still list as popular names for what they call "Fulvous-breasted" as including many variation, including "Spot-breasted," thus further confusing the issue. 

 

 

[Skeptic7]

5 hours ago, AjarnNorth said:

What does this source say on Purple vs. Black-backed Swamphen? I know at least one notable Ornithologist who - at least some years ago - did not agree with the split and thought it more of a "splitters" vs. "lumpers" distinction.

 

I don't know much about all this, as I have said. But I also note that when it comes to popular names, they can stick even after the split has been made. Note that on the oriental bird club images they still list as popular names for what they call "Fulvous-breasted" as including many variation, including "Spot-breasted," thus further confusing the issue. 

 

 

Lumps and splits happen...and sometimes even undone when further data is discovered and compiled to warrant a reversal. Unlikely these decisions are always unanimous among the governing bodies, but rather a consensus. For accuracy and consistency, the consensus of all the data is the best (current) explanation. But always open to further new data!

 

That said, it seems Purple Swamphen is very complex and has been split into 6 sp(!) and some hybrids. This sp is nowhere near as clear or B&W as the woodpeckers.

 

Read all about it below:

 

This from Wikipedia:

The purple swamphen has been split into the following species:

• Western swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio, southwest Europe and northwest Africa
• African swamphen, Porphyrio madagascariensis, sub-Saharan continental Africa and Madagascar
• Grey-headed swamphen, Porphyrio poliocephalus, Middle East, through the Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand
• Black-backed swamphen, Porphyrio indicus, southeast Asia to Sulawesi
• Philippine swamphen, Porphyrio pulverulentus, Philippine islands
• Australasian swamphen, Porphyrio melanotus, Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania

 

Further reading. This link from "Handbook" webpage:

https://www.hbw.com/species/purple-swamphen-porphyrio-porphyrio

 

And the chart from eBird/Clements:

 

CLEAR AS MUD NOW? 

[AjarnNorth]

"Clear as mud" is right. Somewhere around 2011, when I was working on an avifaunal survey paper of a wetlands in Surin, I asked a prominent ornithologist whether I should change my "purple swamphen" to one (or both) of the newly split possibilities. Pretty sure I have photo records of birds that would match for Grey-headed and others that would match for Black-backed, but would have to bo gack and review thousands of photos. Anyway, he was clear he did not agree with the split AT THAT TIME. I have no idea if he has changed his opinion on that split.

 

That same year, 2011, I wrote to a friend of mine who is a biologist - not an ornithologist, in fact his specialty is Gibbon vocalizations - and he replied as follows:

 

You had a question about splitters...I assume that you mean those that call variants a unique species vs.  'lumpers' who simply see varieties or subspecies. I don't know much about such things, but it is often largely a matter of taste. Also, a splitter can make a name for him or herself by 'discovering' a new species. Dividing two very similar species really should depend to a large degree on the available behavioral info and known range of a species...info that is often incomplete. This is the case because species are usually defined as a group of animals that normally interbreeds and produces reproductively viable offspring in the wild (regardless of differences in superficial appearance). Of course you can see two very different looking birds that are not necessarily different species, for a whole host of reasons. There are also lumper-splitter controversies at the so-called 'higher' taxonomic levels...in regards to cladistic vs more traditional ways of building phylogenies. The biological world doesn't always conform well to our categorization schemes. And unfortunately, some of the people who get heavily into categorization tend to be anal/rigid personalities, so you get lots of fights between schools (look up cladistics for example). I know this doesn't help at all...but there it is. 

 

I realize that there have been and will continue to be many splits based on all sorts of new information, dna especially, but the fact that some splits are re-lumped is troubling to say the least. 

 

For a while, I had Yellow-streaked Warbler on my list there in addition to Raddes, based on vocalization difference. But with no recording, though excellent photos, I decided to err on the side of caution and just put it down as a possible and thus remove it from the official list. 

 

I guess I am a cautious "lumper" to some extent. I leave the splits to the experts though feel better about them when they can all, or mostly, agree.