Crows Surrounded Me in Lumphini

I still have a couple of hours of sunlight after I shopped in Siam Center. The time is long enough so I used it to visit two places in the City of Bangkok. These places are the Holy Redeemer Church, which I talked about in the previous post, and Lumphini Park.

I read in a tourist guide booklet that Lumphini Park was created according to the wishes of King Rama VI. The park was then named after Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha in Nepal.* The park is a popular place for joggers, bikers and other health enthusiasts. The best thing is that there is no entrance fee for this park.

An afternoon at Lumphini Park.

Silence prevailed in Lumphini Park. I had a moment to take a rest, to breathe. Looking at the lake and slow movement of the swan boats somehow soothed me. Indeed it is good to sit and relax some of the time.

I'm enjoying the silence until a pair of crows started fighting for some trash. It is one of the rare times that I see this noisy bird. I watched the crows peck and scratch one another then another crow came then another and another then the whole place became very noisy. There are crows on the trees. Crows on the ground. Crows on the benches. Crows everywhere!

I made a move to take a photo but they suddenly flew away. It seems like these “harbingers of death” are still afraid of humans.

I noticed, as I walked around, that Lumphini Park is a crow territory. Other birds, like pigeons, may be seen in the park but the crows dominate them all. The crows like Lumphini Park because it is wide enough and human visitors provide food.

It is my first time to photograph crows and I had a hard time because they keep on moving. Now I know why photographers of National Geographic have “ultra-zoom” cameras. Animals can be photographed well if the photographer is very far away.

I think I should invest well in cameras and lenses if I want to become a professional “nature photographer”.

Of the many photos that I took of the crows, I think that this is the best:

This is one cool crow playing with a stick.

I'll be talking about Lumphini Park in the next blog post.

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*Wikipedia article for Lumphini Park.

Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife: The Park of Empty Cages

One of the fondest memories that I had as a child when my parents took me and my brother to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, located in the heart of Quezon City. That was a great day for me then. We enjoyed playing on the swings and the slides on the parks playground. I also remembered that we brought our own lunch and ate under the towering trees. My favorite part of that memory is when Mom brought us to this cage with tens of talking mynahs. We enjoyed speaking to those birds because they answer back whatever we just said.

Well, that memory is all that I had of the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife since the park fell into unbelievable disrepair. The park is now a place of empty cages, which is kind of sad.

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The park is named after this guy.

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The symbol of People Power welcomes you.

How to Go to Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife

Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, or simply “Wildlife,” is located along Quezon City Circle and between Quezon Avenue and North Avenue. From the South, the park could be by riding any bus that goes to Fairview. Just go down the Elliptical Road and you will reach the park by walking.

What to See Inside the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife

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 The park is dry during the El Nino.

There is nothing much to see inside the park. There are still few birds that remain inside their cages, but most of the cages are empty. The place is famous in TV because the park serve as a refuge for wild birds and snakes caught in Metro Manila.

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 Empty Cage. The chitter-chatter of birds are gone.

In the middle of the park is a big lagoon which is a good setting for lovers. The wildlife park is also a good place to hide from the noonday sun because there are many tall trees that cover the place.

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The Park’s lagoon must be cleaned.

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Dating inside Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife.

Ninoy Aquino Park and Wildlife Center is visited by students who are practicing for their class presentations and by lovebirds who want to have a semi-secluded place. There is also a small grotto inside the park. You could also go there just to while the time away. However, be reminded that the wildlife park is not for sightseeing because there is nothing much to see here.

During my visit in Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, I saw five kinds of birds and that includes the lone Philippine Eagle.

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The Majestic Philippine Eagle

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Brahminy Kite

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 Is this a wild chicken?

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Black-Crowned Night Heron

I am a little bit disappointed with the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife. I wish that the park administrator revive the place so as to make me relive again my childhood memory.

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Read about my second visit to Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in my post, I am Back to See Ninoy Aquino.

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