Hello from Bangkok!

Hi Sam,
As usual your pictures are wonderful.

Oh my goodness!! Ladyboy certainly did stay out in the rain a bit too long.
He is sooo handsome.

I am so sorry to hear Henry still hasn't found a mate.
Maybe in your next update that will have changed.

Thanks! Ladyboy is actually female. We thought she was female at first, because she looks so feminine and elegant, but then she started acting agressively, like a male, so we decided "she" was like a Thai ladyboy, heh. But then she mated with the Small Pretty One, who is definitely a male, and then we realized she's female after all. But the name stuck.

Siam Sam wrote:

Thanks!

Ladyboy is actually female.

We thought she was female at first, because she looks so feminine and elegant, but then she started acting agressively, like a male, so we decided "she" was like a Thai ladyboy, heh. But then she mated with the Small Pretty One, who is definitely a male, and then we realized she's female after all. But the name stuck.

Sorry Ladyboy.
I know you said 'she'. I have no idea why I said 'he'.

There's been a development. Henry and Phil were eating together this morning! Hmmm, maybe they did just start taking shifts on eggs in the nest. Didn't seem like they were together long enough to produce any, but maybe. But what was up with Henry's mating calls? Looking for a mia noi (second wife, or mistress in the West but more formalized here). This is Thailand, after all.

Siam Sam wrote:

There's been a development. Henry and Phil were eating together this morning! Hmmm, maybe they did just start taking shifts on eggs in the nest. Didn't seem like they were together long enough to produce any, but maybe.

But what was up with Henry's mating calls? Looking for a mia noi (second wife, or mistress in the West but more formalized here). This is Thailand, after all.

I'm glad Henry seems to be happy again.

And Henry and Phil showed up together for breakfast. I guess they really are still together.

(Goofy ate, too.)

That's good news, Sam.

Sometimes pigeons seem to show such human traits! The good, and the bad too. Maybe Henry is a bit like my Hercules, who can't resist cooing at other ladies when he's already got a partner for life!
His partner, Piper, is very ladylike and accommodating, and pretends not to notice. Lucky for him, because if she was anything like me she'd give him such a wingslap!!!!

Teresa wrote:

That's good news, Sam.

Sometimes pigeons seem to show such human traits! The good, and the bad too. Maybe Henry is a bit like my Hercules, who can't resist cooing at other ladies when he's already got a partner for life!
His partner, Piper, is very ladylike and accommodating, and pretends not to notice.
Lucky for him, because if she was anything like me she'd give him such a wingslap!!!!

Our feral, Frank, is much like Hercules. If I put on a big bird suit, it wouldn't surprise me to see him following me and cooing all the way while Daisey sits in their 'apartment'.

Naughty Frank!

Several new young ones have found their way here. Most look related in some way to Henry. One looks similar to Baby; maybe her sibling? Goofy has finally found someone she can bully, a pretty, small black-and-white, heh.

But yesterday on the window frames, I spotted a very young gray ... without a tail! Small, still has "baby eyes," two normal wings, but absolutely no tail. Dunno what could have happened. How can it fly? It obviously can, because it made it onto the fifth-floor window frame. It was gone later. Did not see it fly. Maybe the tail acts as a stabilizer, and without it the bird will flutter around like a bat? Weird. Has not been back

Oh, the poor thing! They can fly without tail feathers, but not very well. The tail allows them to steer in mid air, and stabilise their flight path.
The most likely cause for that to happen is predator attack. It's good to know he escaped from whatever had a go at his tail, and I hope he stays safe!

Hi Sam,
It does sound like the little one escaped a predator attack. Bless his heart.
He was lucky to have gotten away given his entire tail is missing.

Have not seen the one with no tail since that one time six days ago. Poor thing.

Have new photos to post soon. Lucy is the name of the tiny, tiny, tiny new black-and-white one whom Goofy still likes to bully. A small male named Specklehead, for reasons that will be obvious, looks to be either Henry's or Ladyboy's son, as he keeps following both -- although without asking for a feeding, which makes it hard to pin down parentage. Specklehead has actually attacked Ladyboy when there was food involved, but after the initial shock, she fights back. And Baby still comes by just before dark to look for food.

There's also a small Sammy-looking one who gets chased by everyone and squeals like a stuck pig. Its feather's are missing from a spot in the back of the head, it's been pecked at so often. But even while being pecked, it will keep eating seed while squealing at the same time.

Henry and Phil have again stopped coming by together, so we think she may have laid some eggs. Boots and Bruiser still come by every day, are very sweet to each other and spread their wings to sunbathe; they don't seem ever to go off and lay eggs, so we're wondering if something may be wrong in that department.

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Boots and Bruiser still come by every day, are very sweet to each other and spread their wings to sunbathe; they don't seem ever to go off and lay eggs, so we're wondering if something may be wrong in that department.

It's funny you should say that... I've got a couple who do exactly the same, I've even seen them mating, but no eggs, and it's been weeks!

I have to say I felt sorry for the little squealer. That's why I would never be a half decent wildlife reporter, because I wouldn't be able to stop myself putting a hand between the pecking and the pecked. I do it all the time with the ones on my windowsill, lol! Complete with wagging finger...

Look forward to the new photos!

Yesterday the wife saw two teenage boys trying to catch a pidgee down in the temple parking lot! A beautiful pure-white one. Was not Henry, as he's not pure white and was here anyway. I thought maybe Mint when I heard about it, as she's a beautiful white, but as the wife insists, she's more of a cream color. The wife said this was white white, and she was about to get her binoculars when she saw the boys chase it. They didn't catch it, but it makes us wonder if maybe that's what happened to Pim and a couple of others who disappeared without showing signs of illness. Hope not. The boys could have wanted the bird as a pet -- apparently it was very pretty -- or food, you never know.

I hope it was the former... Surely if it wasn't that, they wouldn't go for the most striking looking...
I'm glad they didn't catch that one and hope they don't catch any more!

It always makes me suspicious and nervous when I hear about kids trying to catch any kind of bird.

There's some sad news, I'm afraid. It's Friday morning here, and poor little Goofy passed away during the night. She slept here overnight, and the wife said Goofy wouldn't eat earlier late in the afternoon. That was not a good sign. But she didn't look evidently sick, so we thought we'd monitor her, but then come morning I found her dead. Whatever it was took her quickly. Just two days ago -- less than 48 hours ago in fact -- she was still eating and even chasing little Lucy. She was still eating late in the day on Wednesday, but oddly, now that I look back on it, it looked like she almost stayed that night. She waited to leave until it was almost completely dark. We're wondering if maybe she was starting to feel something coming on.

That one lesser Goofy awhile ago also seemed unwell before disappearing. And there was a third one at one point, but that one disappeared long ago; we don't suspect anything untoward for that one, as it didn't seem to hang around here long enough to feel like home.

While I was outside inspecting the body, Henry showed up looking for some breakfast. He's as big and healthy as ever. After I disposed of Goofy's remains -- wearing plastic gloves to do so -- I gave him a big meal.

I am so very sorry to hear about Goofy, Sam.
I wonder what in the world is going on.

I'm very sorry to hear that Goofy passed away.
Pigeons will hide that they're feeling unwell until the last minute, to avoid attracting the attention of predators or losing their place in the pigeon hyerarchy. Sometimes, by the time it becomes apparent that they aren't well it's already too late.
I hope the others stay safe.

It's been a week now since Goofy died, and everyone else looks healthy and happy and no one else missing. She never seemed sickly in the past but never did fit in socially with the other pigeons, so maybe there was something underlying going on, dunno. Poor little girl.

We've had to cut back drastically on feedings again, limiting them to only when the Inner Circle are here alone or nearly alone in a bid to thin out the rabble. Sometimes we even have to refuse Henry when he makes his request. He'll jump up with eight or nine pidgees right behind him staring. We'll say "No, Henry," point to the others and close the curtains. It may be a stretch, but he actually seems to understand. He won't keep jumping like he used to, but usually about 30 minutes later he'll jump again after all the others have left after deciding nothing was going to be forthcoming. I swear it's as if he knows to come back then.

More new babies showing up too. The one I've mentioned before that we've named Lucy is showing nascent signs of aggression, so she may be a he. If so, we'll definitely change the name to Ichabod, as she looks so funny. Her nostril area is a bit misshapen, giving her bill sort of a bent look, reminding me of Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. She is so very tiny, doesn't seem to be growing at all.

And Baby still outwaits all the others in the evening, knowing she'll get some food once everyone else leaves. We almost never see her during the day, but come evening she's here.

One odd incident occurred a few days ago when Big Red and Mint were "doing it" in the designated sex area. Right at the very moment of truth, Ladyboy's mate, the Small Pretty One, came swooping down from the top rail and landed right on Big Red, interrupting the act.

And also for Henry, we think he and Phil are sitting on eggs somewhere again, as they're never here together anymore. Once again, it's Henry in the morning and evening and Phil in between. But unfortunately, it's difficult to feed Phil, as others are usually around, and even if we try to chase them away, she thinks we're chasing her too, whereas Henry always seems to undersatnd we're not chasing him and stays put, or at least does not wander too far.

I'm not at all surprised that Henry has worked out that it pays to come back alone. They're so clever and resourceful! It's a shame that Phil only comes during busy times (the hens usually do the morning and evening shifts on the nest), but Henry is probably feeding her.

Maybe you need t have a quiet word in The Small Pretty One's ear and explain that three's a crowd...

Your comparison of Lucy to Ichabod was very funny! Whichever name proves more suitable, I hope to hear more about her/him!

Lucy/Ichabod stayed here last night (Sunday night) after getting trapped here by heavy rains toward nightfall. It didn't stop raining until after dark. She/he left this morning. Never seems too afraid of us, so maybe will stay again tonight, but I get a little anxious now whenever a pidgee decides to stay the night, as too many times that's meant they're sick.

I know what you mean, but hopefully she/he just stayed to shelter from the rain.

No further sign of Lucy/Ichabod since she/he stayed here that night a week and a half ago, so we figure she may have died too. Poor little thing. Always was kind of frail. We thought she stayed here due to the rain, but maybe she was planning to anyway. They seem to like coming here before they die, dunno why.

Not much else new. Henry's still fat and sassy. A new one has shown up that we think belongs to him and Phil. Seemed to follow Dad here, and Phil was pecking at it to make it go away, causing it to squeal. Sort of a Sammy design with white "paint" spots on the face. We call him Spotty Face. We think it's a male, as he's rather big. A new gray one with a short reddish beak has appeared too. Big Red and Mint may have eggs somewhere, as they're coming here only in shifts now. Ladyboy still seems to spend most of her time here.

Will have to do photos soon.