Khao Tao Lake

[Big Boy]

Just an update on the fishing problem. It looks as though they've called a meeting for 10am tomorrow.

meet.jpg (255.61 KiB) Viewed 1423 times

[hhinner]

The last problem listed is encroachment by buildings such as shops on reservoir property. It always seems to be the case in Thailand that unapproved buildings just appear spontaneously as they're never spotted and stopped during construction.

[Big Boy]

I doubt they are talking physical buildings as such. I think they're referring to the little food and drink places that have appeared right along the East shore. They are little more than tables with an awning thrown over them, but very unsightly all the same.

[hhinner]

Buildings may be an exaggeration then.

[Big Boy]

I thought it was about time I posted another lizards video of these beautiful prehistoric creatures.

[huahinjim]

Thanks BB

[Hahuahin]

I thought it was about time I posted another lizards video of these beautiful prehistoric creatures.

huh is this in the lake I was thinking about swimming last year where its nice to walk around? ...looks big as a croc to me.
hahuahin

[Big Boy]

Yes, that's the one

[joelle]

I thought it was about time I posted another lizards video of these beautiful prehistoric creatures.

Great, thanks for sharing
I find these creatures fascinating

[Big Boy]

Yes, I wouldn't want to befriend one, but Khao Tao Lake gives the opportunity to get up very close to them, safely. I too, find them fascinating.

[HHTel]

Nice vid, BB. I have to say that until I saw your vid, I didn't know that monitors had forked tongues like a snake. After googling, it appears that they are the only lizards with such tongues.

[Big Boy]

Yes, the bigger lizards have an incredible tongue. I was fascinated looking at the medium sized lizard eating those fish today. The tongue was going in and out, but the actual fish eating did not use the tongue.

I walk the lake most days, and have often seen half eaten fish just floating. I'd often wondered if these fish had been the victims of monitor lizards. After about 20 months of walking the lake, it was only 8 days ago that I actually saw a lizard eating for the first time. Like London buses, I've seen them feeding 3 times since.

The first one was in the distance, but the fish must have been hanging 12" either side of the lizard's mouth. It sort of flipped it up on end, and swallowed it in one gulp. Next occasion, a lizard was working it's way through a weed bed grabbing 4-5" fish - no problem eating them. Yesterday, we saw a medium sized lizard pull out a catfish about 18" long. Again, like the first one, a quick flip of the fish, and it slid down in one - we saw this one close up (about 4' away).

If you like nature, there's always something different to see around the lake, but for me, the lizards are the highlight.

Oh one other thing, I've mentioned the Sea Eagle before - he seems to have found a mate, so maybe the flapping of tiny wings soon .

[Dannie Boy]

Nice vid, BB. I have to say that until I saw your vid, I didn't know that monitors had forked tongues like a snake. After googling, it appears that they are the only lizards with such tongues.

And in the roof of their mouth they have what are called Jacobson’s organs, which can analyse the scent smells collected on the tongue in their search for food!!

[Hahuahin]

Yes, that's the one

I wonder if this was the reason some of my wife's Hua Hin born work colleagues meant, when they warned against swimming there when they said there was "something under"
I thought maybe they meant it was something sacred and protected with the lake and wouldn't offend anyone so thought it was best to drop it.
hahuahin

[Big Boy]

Something I've noticed in the last few months is the amount of weed in the lake. It used to be quite free of weed, but there are huge beds of it now - I would imagine quite difficult to swim through. However, during the 'commercial' fishing of the lake a couple of months back, a lot of locals seemed to be able across a lot of the lake, so there isn't a huge depth there. Back in the drought of 2016 I actually saw the lake without water.