Aussie Finch Forum

I just got back from Laos yesterday and while it wasn't great for finches I did meet the ancestor of the society finch - Lonchura striata and a relative of the revered Pekin Robin the Silver eared mesia. I won't tell you prices as it will kill you but if you'd like to read more go to Finchme.com.

Greg

come on put in the prices, you may as well upset everyone as well as making them jealous

Very nice

Apparently the silver-ears are around in Oz.
Never seen one though.

Looks Like Finchme has been let-go by the owner. I've been the only one writing for it the last 12 months so I suppose it was inevitable. The silver ears are a beautiful bird and I'd bet they are pricy in Australia but in Laos they were going for US$15 each and probably less if you can bargain. The only finch I got to see and buy were Lonchura striata which are sold at Buddhist shrines and by purchasing them (US$1) and releasing them you again you gain credits in the next life.
Birding in Laos is generally disappointing as hunting pressure is immense. I got to see wild silver pheasants though but they were dead in the food market in Phon Savan - not far from the fermented swallows! In Vientiane I saw only two petshops neither of which sold finches. By far the most popular birds were starlings and mynahs particlarly the Hill Minah which are almost as good as Afriacn Greys as talkers.

Young silver-eared mesia

Munias for sale

Silver pheasant for dinner or yould you prefer wasp larvae?

A bowl of delicious fermented swallows

Birds in a Vientiane petshop

oh yuck ...well at least the live ones looked good , pretty darned good .

you must lead a interesting life Greg.How long are you away for.

Well it is an interesting life but I tend to view it like that ancient Chinese curse - "may you live in interesting times". I don't actually go away very much other that back to Australia for the school holidays - a couple of weeks at Christmas and 11 weeks summer break which inconveniently occurs in Australia's winter. The silver lining in that cloud has been two trips to northern Australia during the dry season but this year because my wife didn't have the leave she wangled a trip to Laos for her work and the kids & I met up with her over there. In the five and a half years we've been here we've gone away to Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, USA, Indonesia and now Laos. I doubt we'd have done that if we'd been at home.