Peter Ericsson photographed this lovely Hooded Pitta at Puttamonton Park in Thonburi last week. Apparently it has taken up residence at the park. –Perhaps it is even planning on breeding there.
Birders will be happy for this bit of news, as it saves hours of commuting to a national park to see this wonder of God’s creation.
-Which brings us to the next question: BREEDING? –IN A PARK?
Shocking as it may sound, this may well be a way of life for birds in the future. With the current global population increasing as rapidly as it is and the demand for food heightening by the day, the pressure on farmers to produce more means more land must be earmarked for agriculture. Usually the first to go is forested land, since it makes no sense to turn commercial or residential land into farmland.
Birds which cannot adapt to our man-made urban environment will soon find themselves extinct. One example is the Peregrine Falcon, a bird of prey which in past times was known to nest and hunt in the crags and hollows of steep cliff sides. Today the bird nests in skyscrapers and hunts birds from the tops of tall antennas and high-rise apartments. -Genius? I sure think so.
Who knows, in the future, our city parks may be a final choice for many species of birds which can no longer live in the increasingly overcrowded and disturbed forests. Remember that birds are territorial and the smaller our forests get, the less chance there is of new birds (or animals) being raised to repopulate the species.
