Bangkok – The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) officials visited Silom Rd., in Bangkok this week for their annual barn swallow observation.
The birds were caught and tagged as part of a continuous effort to study the bird population, prevent an outbreak of avian flu and observe their migratory routes. None of the birds was found to have been infected with avian flu.
Since 1991, more than 18,000 barn swallows have been tagged in Silom. However, only 288 tagged birds have returned to their holiday habitat in Silom. Barn swallows can be seen perched in trees along Silom Rd at this time of year.
They are believed to have migrated from Russia, however, according to the DNP, the number of swallows has declined significantly due to environmental factors. There are only some 2,000 of them here this year.